What can Miami learn from their near loss against Virginia Tech?

Bhayshul Tuten's 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter occurred on a 3rd and 1 play where the usually reliable Kiko Mauigoa appeared to throw his shoulder at Tuten. The Virginia Tech ball-carrier brushed it off easily and had nothing but green grass the rest of the way.

In addition to his long touchdown, Tuten also had carries of 11 yards, 16 yards, and 16 yards again. They occurred either due to poor tackling or wide-open running lanes. Either way, Miami cannot allow teams to carve up their defense like Tuten did.

Another critical play occurred on Virginia Tech's opening drive of the second half, up 24-17. With a 3rd and 5 on their side of the field, Kyron Drones hit Stephen Gosnell short of the sticks, but he was able to turn upfield and gain 21 yards because Jadais Richards overran the receiver and was unable to make a play. The Hokies wound up scoring a field goal on that drive.

And with Kyron Drones able to avoid pressure for much of the game, it's worth noting that Miami needs to finish sacks, especially after USF Byrum Brown was able to maneuver his way out of a few Miami sacks the week before.

The Hurricanes are currently tied for third in the country with 3.6 sacks per game on defense, so they still rank near the top in that department. However, if the sacks they are missing tend to lead to big plays, they can't afford to miss those sacks.