No. 13 Miami maintains mission focus at Virginia Tech

Miami hopes to find its way into the College Football Playoff, and with help, possibly into the ACC Championship Game.

But that only happens for the 13th-ranked Hurricanes if they win their final two games, starting Saturday afternoon against host Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC) has put together back-to-back wins for the first time since its 5-0 start. The Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country before losses to Louisville and SMU put them in their current predicament.

Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4), losers of four of its past five, is playing its home finale. Already out of the picture even for a bowl game, the Hokies will fall short of finishing a regular season above .500 for the sixth consecutive year.

But Virginia Tech gave its fanbase a reason for optimism. The Hokies hired former Penn State coach James Franklin as head coach starting at the end of the season.

For now, though, the Hokies can only play the role of spoiler after their 34-14 loss at Florida State last Saturday ended any shot at earning bowl eligibility.

"It's a tough loss. That being said, I feel for those guys in that locker room," Virginia Tech interim coach Philip Montgomery said. "The way they work, the way they prepare, the way they battle, they're relentless with their effort. The way they've stuck together through everything so far this season, you can never question their hearts."

Virginia Tech has not beaten Miami since 2019, trail the all-time series 26-15, and haven't beaten the Hurricanes at home since 2016.

Pulling an upset likely hinges on a team with a minus-5 turnover margin playing mistake-free football to keep the ball away from a tough Miami defense that has the second-most forced turnovers in the ACC (18).

Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones has been a dual-threat bright spot for the Hokies, leading the team with 1,717 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 578 yards and nine touchdowns. Drones ranks second on the team in rushing behind only Marcellous Hawkins' 677 yards.

Drones will face one of the best pass rushes in the nation led by Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. The Hurricanes' front has helped compensate for a short-handed secondary that's been without starters Keionte Scott, who is dealing with a "serious" injury per coach Mario Cristobal, and OJ Frederique, who has a chance to return Saturday. Several players have stepped up, including defensive back Jakobe Thomas, who has created four turnovers over the past two games.

On offense, it's unclear whether Miami's backfield will get starter Mark Fletcher Jr. back from injury. But the Hurricanes have shown off their depth on that side as well, as freshman Girard Pringle Jr. has rushed for 171 yards (7.13 yards per carry) on 24 attempts over the past two games. Miami may also have receiver CJ Daniels back this week as well.

"It's always a next-man-up mentality, so everybody has to be ready," Mesidor said. "Everybody takes the same amount of mental reps -- maybe not physical, but you're going to take a ton of mental reps -- so you're ready to step up whenever somebody goes down."

--Field Level Media