Miami Football: Canes lock with struggling Hokes in ACC clash

Miami football and Virginia Tech entered 2018 with big goals. Both are clawing just to become bowl eligible. Who will have the upper hand in Blacksburg on Saturday?

Last year, Miami reached the ACC championship game for the first time in school history. They entered 2018 with conflicting levels of hope and skepticism surrounding the program. After rolling up 10 straight wins to start the 2017 campaign, the Hurricanes lost their last three in a row to head into the offseason on a downswing.

2018, though, harbored more hope that Miami could build on that campaign. A season-opening loss against LSU was pushed aside as the Canes rattled off five wins in a row in the first half of the year. Then conference play hit, and Miami has now dropped four straight as they prepare for a trip to Blacksburg on Saturday.

Their opponents, Virginia Tech, are also dealing with the pain of a losing streak. Sitting at 4-2 in mid-October, the Hokies have suffered a three-game swoon that puts their 25-year postseason participation streak in jeopardy. With their game against East Carolina canceled due to Hurricane Florence, the Hokies have to win out to keep their streak alive.

One team will keep its bowl dreams alive, while the other risks a losing season with a loss at Lane Stadium. Can Miami win their first game in Blacksburg since 2014, or will the Hokies still have a shot to go bowling when they take on Virginia in the regular-season finale? Here’s how you can watch the Saturday showdown between Virginia Tech and Miami:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 17
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Blacksburg, Va.
Venue: Lane Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Virginia Tech needs to find a running game, almost as badly as they need to find a solid run defense. The Hokies rank in the bottom dozen FBS teams in both categories, and it has resulted in a team that gives up 20 more points on average than the offense scores. Reversing those trends will be critical if Virginia Tech is going to have any chance to pull off an upset at home.

Miami, meanwhile, needs to do better on special teams. Both their kickoff defense and their punt return defense rank outside the top 100 in the country, as does their net punting average. The Hurricanes cannot afford to frivolously give away field position. The offense also needs to stop turning over the ball, which has been another big reason why the Canes have struggled to keep up with opponents this year.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Miami -5.5
Over/Under: 51.5

Prediction

The last time a Miami-Virginia Tech game was decided by less than 10 points was back in 2011. We are going to see yet another double-digit victory in the series this season, as the visitors give the Hokies an early end to the season for the first time in a quarter-century. The final result will fall just under the total points line.

Final Score: Miami 31, Virginia Tech 20