Miami Football: 3 takeaways from upset victory over Virginia

1. DeeJay Dallas came through in a big way

The brightest star on the field on Friday night for Miami was undoubtedly running back DeeJay Dallas. While he didn’t put up huge numbers, he was instrumental in grinding down the clock later in the game and allowing the Hurricanes to leave their home field with a critical victory against Virginia.

Dallas caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from N’Kosi Perry on the opening drive of the football game, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive that chewed up more than six minutes of game clock. Perry didn’t look his way much more throughout the game, with Dallas catching only one more pass that lost three yards.

Early in the game, Dallas struggled to run the football. But he got things going as the game progressed, and the feature back finished with 63 yards on 13 carries. It wasn’t an overwhelming game in terms of yards gained, but he was able to punish the Cavaliers and keep the clock churning away as the visitors ran out of time.

For the Hurricanes offense to run as effectively as possible, it needs Dallas to produce when he get the ball on the ground. He came through when it was needed most, ensuring that Miami was able to survive a close contest against a strong Virginia team. Thanks to his contribution, the Canes are now 3-3 and back on track for bowl eligibility in 2019.