TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Miami Must Figure Out Hokies Run Defense

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: November 10, 2008

CORAL GABLES - Graig Cooper rushed for more yards against Virginia Tech last year than everyone else on the Miami roster combined.

That would be zero.

Cooper wasn't even at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. last Nov. 17, absorbing some of the pounding that the Hokies' defensive front put on the other Hurricanes that chilly afternoon. Instead, he stayed behind in South Florida because of an injury, seeing the carnage unfold on television.

He watched Miami rush the ball 29 times for minus-2 yards, setting the tone for Virginia Tech's easy 44-14 win, the second-largest blowout in the 25-game rivalry.

Cooper hasn't forgotten how helpless he felt that day.

"It was real tough to watch," said Cooper, Miami's speedy sophomore tailback. "Even at home, it hurt."

When the Hokies (6-3, 3-2) visit Miami (6-3, 3-2) Thursday night with first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division at stake, they'll bring a run defense that seems at least as good than what the Hurricanes saw a year ago.

So Miami will have to be much better on the ground to have a shot of beating the Hokies and keeping league title hopes alive.

"You've got to be able to run the football," Miami coach Randy Shannon said. "This late in the season, if you can't run the football, you won't be able to make it. We've just got to be patient on offense and the players have to understand that you just can't abandon the run game early. You have to stick with it. You may get a one-yard gain, a zero-yard gain, but you can't take the four- and five-yard losses."

Need proof? Just look at Maryland.

The Terrapins went into last week's game against the Hokies averaging nearly 167 rushing yards per contest. But against Virginia Tech, the Terps finished with minus-12 yards on 18 attempts, without a single rushing first down or carry of longer than seven yards.

In last year's matchup with the Hokies, not even counting sacks, Miami had four carries for negative yardage, along with seven no-gains and five rushes for exactly one yard. And midway through the second quarter, with the Hurricanes threatening to finally get something going, the Hokies' runstoppers delivered one of their best stands of the season.

It was first-and-goal from the Virginia Tech 3, Miami trailing 17-0.

First down, Javarris James gets two yards, down to the 1.

Second down, James goes right, stuffed for no gain.

Third down, James goes left, stuffed for no gain.

Fourth down, James goes up the middle, stuffed for no gain. When that drive stalled, heads slumped on the Miami sideline, 66,000 Hokies fans yelled with joy, and a game the Hurricanes thought they could win turned out to be just another blowout in what had become a disastrous 2007 season.

"Guys around here know how it feels to lose games like that," said James, whose cousin — former UM star Edgerrin James — will be among five players added to Miami's ring of honor during a halftime ceremony Thursday night. "It's not really a good feeling."

Part of the formula for winning has been easy to decipher so far for Miami: Run the ball well, it's a victory.

In the Hurricanes' six wins, they've gotten 4.6 yards per carry, and that clearly frees up the passing game for quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris. But in Miami's three losses, the per-carry average plummets to 2.9, making Marve and Harris far less effective.

Same goes for the Hokies: The six teams that have lost to Virginia Tech have combined for three rushing touchdowns, while the three teams to beat Frank Beamer's club this season have scored six TDs on the ground. And only one player — Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt, back in Week 3 — has managed to run for more than 100 yards against Virginia Tech this year.

Miami says it'll embrace the challenge.

"Anyone you play in the ACC, you know it's going to be tough," Cooper said. "We've got to stay the course and stay confident. Keep playing, keep working, keep doing the things we've done all year. That's it."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT