PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB DeeJay Dallas has the ability to give the running back a little spark when he comes in for starter Trevor Homer. He is second to Homer in rushing with 369 yards to Homer’s 434 and has rushed for two touchdowns. He also has six punt returns for 84 yards with a long return of 49 yards.
–WR Jeff Thomas has become a big-play guy for the Hurricanes both as a receiver and a returner. His 32-yard catch against Florida State put Miami in position for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and he also had a 17-yard reception for a touchdown to bring the Hurricanes to within 27-21 in the third quarter. He has 16 catches for 396 yards and has a punt return of 48 yards and four kickoff runbacks for 152.
–LB Michael Pinckney had a key interception to set up Miami’s third-touchdown against Florida State. It was the third of the junior’s career. He 25 tackles that include 4.5 for losses (1.0 sack).
–S Jaquan Johnson is the team’s No. 1 tackler with 32 stops despite missing two games to injury. He also blocked a field goal attempt to preserve Miami’s shutout win over Savannah State. He is still looking for his first reception after making four picks in 2017.
SERIES HISTORY: Miami leads Virginia 9-6. The Hurricanes won the last meeting 44-28 in 2017, their third consecutive win in the series.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Scaife is a real talented kid. For him to come in and do what he’s doing right now and functioning pretty well, that’s impressive for a true freshman lineman to do that. He’s got a great skill set as a pass protector, and that’s where it starts at tackle.” — Coach Mark Richt, on freshman RT DJ Scaife (6-3, 300), who looks to start against Virginia Saturday.
