Miami Hurricanes Football: 5 Observations Following Win Against Virginia Tech

The Miami Hurricanes got back on the win column this weekend with a 30-20 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. This was a big win for the Hurricanes, after dropping two straight games to Cincinnati and Florida State.

While nobody believes Miami will win the Coastal Division, the Hurricanes believe they’re still going to play in the ACC championship game, and they want to play Florida.

“I really meant what I said last week .. I want to see Florida State again [in ACC championship game]” said Brad Kaaya following Saturday’s win against Virginia Tech.

Whether it’s something that motivates them, or if it’s the new rallying cry — you have to like those words coming out of the star quarterback.

The ACC championship is a long way from right now, but I re-watched the Miami-Virginia Tech game and came up with 5 thoughts and observations after the win. Some are good, some are bad, and some might make you cry.

Either way, here we go.

Brad Kaaya has something to prove: When Kaaya was introduced as the quarterback last August, most people just wanted him to control the game and let Duke Johnson go to work. This season, it’s the Kaaya show, and I think he’s starting to realize that. Offensive coordinator James Coley has let Kaaya loose a little bit more the last couple of weeks and Kaaya has answered with two really good performances.

He threw some dimes against Florida State, and he showed great progression reads against Virginia Tech. The second Rashawn Scott was set up completely by Kaaya and he ran through his progressions perfectly. When Miami needed a big drive, the sophomore quarterback led his team down the field and didn’t disappoint. I have no doubt that Kaaya still has the last two Florida State drives in his mind, and that might just be his motivation to try and lead this team to the ACC Championship game.

The Offensive Line is terrible: Look, there’s really no way around this anymore; the offensive line is just very, very bad. Miami tried a million different combinations to see if they can find a lineup that clicks, but Kaaya ended up on his ass time and time again. There’s no real tackle on the field and you have a bunch of guards trying to do things they’re really not capable of doing. False starts have killed Miami through the first 6 games and that’s because they have such bad confidence right now, that they’re trying to get a head start so they don’t get abused by the opposing defensive line. Miami needs to figure something out and they need to do it quick because Kaaya won’t last an entire season if he’s constantly on his back.

Rashawn Scott and Stacy Coley are the real deal: Rashawn Scott has been good all season and we pretty much expected him to emerge as the number one target for the Hurricanes. Scott is going to draw a lot of attention from NFL teams, and as you saw after his second touchdown, he’s good and then he’ll let you know about it after. What we didn’t really expect, especially after the early hamstring issues, was the resurgence of Stacy Coley. Coley, in my opinion, is the most gifted receiver on the team and his speed creates so many problems for opposing defenses. Coley was one of the best freshman in the country two seasons ago, and he’s starting to get back to his old form. If Coley can continue this type of play, he and Scott are going to do a lot of damage in the second half of the season.

You’re up, Juwon Young: First of all, after watching the Raphael Kirby play again, I have almost no doubt that it’s a torn ACL for the senior linebacker. His knee buckled on him as he planted his foot and it just doesn’t look good for him. It’s hard to see Kirby go down, and I know the defense will play hard for him. In his place, Juwon Young came into the game and how freaking good was he? Young read a screen perfectly on his first play and pounced on the running back for a loss. He was all over the field and then got rewarded with an interception a drive later. Miami is going to need every single linebacker to step up in the absence of Kirby, but especially Young. And I think he’ll be just fine.

Nice for you to join us, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Chad Thomas: Al-Quadin Muhammad and Chad Thomas are two of the highest-rated kids on this roster and they’re starting to show it. Muhammad and Thomas have had disappointing starts to their careers, but with extended playing time against FSU and VT, they’re starting to find a nice groove. AQM got a sack for the second straight game on Saturday, while Thomas got his first sack on Saturday and continues to do a good job at the line of scrimmage tipping passes. If Muhammad and Thomas continue this play, Miami will finally have a pass rush that isn’t embarrassing.

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