Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes
Miami’s defense came through again and dominated against Virginia Tech.
MIAMI GARDENS — Though it has played well throughout the season and done its job to keep the Miami Hurricanes in games when the offense has struggled, entering Saturday night’s key Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division clash against Virginia Tech, the UM defense hadn’t quite put together the kind of dominating performance its veterans have wanted.
And so, in the team hotel on Friday night, safety Jaquan Johnson — who shared last week he is playing through personal grief after losing his grandfather late last week — addressed his teammates.
“We do a ‘players coaching players’ — it gives the defense confidence that we know what we’re doing and we’re going to carry out our assignments,” Johnson said. “I was just telling the guys ‘You know, what are we waiting for? Let’s go dominate these people. Let’s go take the will from them.’ That’s what I wanted the team to come out today to do. The defense [plays] with the mentality that we’re going to dominate you and there’s nothing you’re going to be able to do about it.”
Johnson had a solid effort Saturday night and his defensive teammates followed suit, the Hurricanes forcing four turnovers and limiting Virginia Tech to just two scores in No. 10 Miami’s 28-10 win over the 13th-ranked Hokies.
It was the lowest point total the Hurricanes have allowed since holding Duke to just two first-half field goals in Miami’s 31-6 win on Sept. 29.
Against the Hokies, Johnson forced a fumble and had an interception. Teammate Sheldrick Redwine had an interception on the Hokies’ final possession. And both Jonathan Garvin and RJ McIntosh had fumble recoveries, the 6-foot-4, 293-pound McIntosh even rumbling for a 35-yard return on his recovery that set off exuberant celebrations from both his teammates and the 63,932 fans at Hard Rock Stadium.
“I’ve never run that far. If you were in my way, you were going to get run over,” said McIntosh, who credited his running-back playing brothers with inspiring him Saturday night. “It was a special moment for me. I always dreamed of doing something like that.”
But it wasn’t just forcing turnovers that Miami did well against the Hokies.
The Hurricanes (8-0, 6-0) held Hokies running back Travon McMillian to just 3.5 yards per carry. As a whole, the Virginia Tech running backs averaged just 2.4 yards per carry.
While receiver Cam Phillips topped the 100-yard mark, he never found the end zone. Freshman quarterback Josh Jackson, who has already set multiple school records at Virginia Tech was sacked four times. And the Hokies converted on just three of 14 third-down chances. They were 0 for 2 on fourthdown conversion attempts.
It was as complete an effort as the Hurricanes’ defense has put together in weeks. That it came in nationally-televised primetime game after a week of critics saying the Hurricanes wouldn’t be able to contain the Hokies was that much sweeter for Miami’s players and coaches.
“As a coach you’re always thinking about the plays that you wish you had still stop, but I thought our [guys were] relentlessness,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “I thought our efforts from start to finish were really good. What I watched tonight was the symbiotic relationship between the defense and the offense and special teams.”