Oct 28, 2017; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Josh Jackson (17) celebrates his third period touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils at Lane Stadium. Photo Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami has won its last four games by a total of 18 points, but Hurricanes coach Mark Richt isn’t concerned about posting big wins to impress pollsters.
Richt’s apparently believes in the approach first espoused by former Oakland Raiders owner and coach Al Davis: Just win, baby!
The four-point victory over Florida State, one-point decision over Georgia Tech, eight-point decision over Syracuse, and last week’s five-point struggle against one-win North Carolina didn’t keep the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) from earning a No. 10 ranking in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings going into a Saturday prime-time match with No. 13 Virginia Tech in Miami.
“I don’t think it really matters,” Richt said of Miami’s recent close calls. “I think if we win, we’ll move up. My guess is if we win every one by one, we’ll be in the deal.”
Certainly a win over the Hokies (7-1, 3-1 ACC) by any margin should have a positive impact on the rankings.
Coach Justin Fuente’s club has won three in a row since dropping a 31-17 decision to Clemson, including a 59-7 rout of a North Carolina team that pushed Miami to the brink before losing 24-19 last week.
“Justin Fuente has done a really outstanding job — not just a good job, a great job — of putting his team together,” Richt said of the Hokies coach who, like Richt, is in his second season with his current team. “He has got a great place to coach, and I’m sure he inherited some wonderful players.
“He has done great with them and is recruiting well. The job they’re doing there is outstanding.”
Both Virginia Tech and Miami have first-year starters at quarterback, and both have been successful. Miami’s Malik Rosier has completed 56.7 percent of his passes for just under 296 yards a game. Virginia Tech’s Josh Jackson has a 62.3 completion percentage for 254 yards a game. They don’t have impressive rushing numbers — Rosier is averaging 30 yards a game on the ground, Jackson 24 — but they both have shown the ability to escape.
“He’s a very dynamic athlete,” Foster said of Rosier.
“You can’t say enough about him,” Richt said of Jackson.
This game has been a key matchup for both teams since they began competing against each other on a regular basis back in the 1990s when they were Big East colleagues. After losing the first 12 meetings, Virginia Tech won five in a row from 1995-99 to really ignite the rivalry that has continued since both joined the ACC for the 2004 season.
“Obviously, when we beat them in 1995, it was one of my early memories because we had not beaten them before,” long-time Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “That was my first year as coordinator, and we were 0-2 going into that game.
“That turned our season around and ultimately, really, our program. We never looked back from that point for a long, long time. I really think that was one of the signature wins in the series without a doubt.
“After that, we have had a lot of battles with these guys.”
Over the past 17 meetings, the Hokies have won nine, the Hurricanes eight, but more significantly, the Hokies have won six Coastal Division and four ACC titles since the league split in 2005. The Hurricanes are still looking for their first division and conference crowns.
This game could decide which team wins this year’s titles.
The victor will have a leg up in the division race, especially if it is Miami. A win over the Hokies would make the Hurricanes only undefeated team in the conference and would give them a two-game lead over the Hokies in the division race plus the advantage in any potential tiebreaker with the Hokies.
In fact, if the Hurricanes win, the only team that could beat them out of their first title-game appearance would be Virginia. The Cavaliers have lost twice in league play going into their game against Georgia Tech on Saturday and could wind up in a tie with the Hurricanes if they would win out and Miami loses one other league game.
One more loss, however, would eliminate Virginia from the race.
The Cavaliers and Hurricanes meet Nov. 18 in Miami. The Hurricanes finish the regular season at Pittsburgh on Nov. 24.
