Virginia Tech Football: Miami Q&A Preview

Just five days removed from a gut-wrenching 31-17 loss at Syracuse, the Hokies host a similarly reeling Miami squad on Thursday night in Lane Stadium. The Canes, much like Justin Fuente's unit, started out scorching hot in September, but have since fallen back to earth with back-to-back conference losses.

The return of Thursday night football to Blacksburg holds massive Coastal division implications. While the winner keeps pace with North Carolina and Pittsburgh atop the division, the loser takes yet another step back in the jumbled mess we like to call the ACC standings. To get the Miami perspective on Thursday's showdown, I spoke to Jerry Steinberg, managing editor at State of the U. You can check out my answers to Jerry's questions here.

JC: After climbing all the way to No. 10 in the AP Poll through the season's first month, the Canes have since fallen out of the rankings following close losses to Florida State and North Carolina. What's changed for Miami in October? Has it simply been a case of running into some tougher competition, or have the Canes' weaknesses begun to rear their ugly head these past few weeks? Perhaps a mix of both?

JS: Miami looked awfully impressive in dispatching Appalachian State in week 3, but it was just App State. Against FSU and UNC they have been extremely error prone in all three phases of the game. They had an extra point blocked against the 'Noles that likely cost them a chance to force overtime. Against UNC they had an early field goal blocked, and had a kick returner run out of bounds at the 3-yard line. And the mistakes are not just on special teams. Costly penalties, bad turnovers, and missed assignments in the defensive back field as well as the offensive line have hurt the Hurricanes bad. More than anything they have beat themselves over the past 2 weeks. In order to get back to winning games, that has to be corrected.

JC: The Al Golden era came to an unceremonious end last October just a day after the Canes suffered an embarrassing 58-0 home loss to Clemson. A national coaching search commenced, and Miami athletic director Blake James ultimately handpicked Mark Richt to take over at the U. What was your take on the Richt hire? Were Miami fans hoping for an even bigger name, or did James hit a home run in bringing Richt - a former Miami quarterback under Howard Schnellenberger - back to South Beach?

JS: I love the Richt hire. The man regularly won 10 games in the SEC, and he is an alum. Two major pluses. He hit a home run in hiring both DC Manny Diaz and D-Line Coach Craig Kuligowski to his staff. I think Richt will ultimately succeed when he has more time to change the culture, and bring in some better recruits. After two consecutive losses, I am surprised that a very uneasy fan base has not clamored that the program did not go after Butch Davis or a bigger name. But Richt was an obvious choice in my opinion for many reasons. I'd like to see where he has UM in 2 years, before putting final judgment on the hire.

JC: With Richt taking over play-calling duties, what kind of changes have you seen from Miami's offensive system? Brad Kaaya and Stacy Coley are clearly the big names, but who else should Hokies fans keep an eye on Thursday night?

JS: Richt has really stressed the run, and the 1-2 combo of Mark Walton and Joe Yearby at RB has been very effective. When Miami protects Kaaya well, he can find a plethora of talented targets like TE David Njoku and freshman WR Ahmmon Richards. The offensive line play has been at times porous though, and Kaaya has taken a beating. As a result his accuracy hasn't always been what 'Canes fans are used to. The key to me is the play of the guys upfront. If the offensive line can do their jobs, anything Richt calls will be successful, given the talent Miami has at the skill positions.

JC: While the Miami offense has struggled over the past few weeks, the young Manny Diaz defense has been consistently solid, most recently limiting North Carolina to just 20 points (and zero in the second half). Led by an alarming number of true freshman, what's the key for the Canes to slow down what has the potential to be a potent offensive attack from the Hokies? Do you see another low-scoring game playing out for Miami?

JS: Well the D has been pretty solid. They occasionally blow a coverage, though. Kendrick Norton, Chad Thomas, and freshman Joe Jackson have been very stout along the front 4. Two true freshmen LB's in Michael Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman have also been outstanding. And senior Corn Elder might be playing his way to a high draft pick at CB. UM just needs to continue to attack, and clean up some mental errors, and their D can play with almost any offense in the country. I think Thursday's game will be played somewhere in the 20's for both teams.

JC: With Tech's loss to Syracuse and North Carolina taking down the Canes, the top of the ACC Coastal Division has once again fallen into a jumbled mess. Thursday night's game will make the waters less murky, but as it stands currently, how would you handicap the Coastal race?

JS: Oh, the ACC Costal...the most unpredictable division in all of the power conferences. UNC at 3-1 and with a relatively easy schedule (minus NC State) is the front-runner in my opinion. If Virginia Tech can get the win this week against the Hurricanes they have a shot. Their game next week at Pitt will also be key to their chances. The fact that they have the tiebreaker against the Heels gives them a nice inside edge as well.

JC: Time to put you on the spot: who wins Thursday night, and why? In other words, is the U back, or does Thursday night in Blacksburg become a real thing again?

JS: I think Virginia Tech plays well with the home crowd and this being a night game. Miami's backs are against the wall, but they have a lot of injuries and uncertainty right now. Hokies in a tight one, 28-24.