Canes Ready to Battle at Rival Virginia Tech

Canes Ready to Battle at Rival Virginia Tech

By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com

 
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Saturdays are meant for college football and this Saturday will feature two ACC Coastal foes looking to an important win.
 
The Miami Hurricanes (5-5, 2-4 ACC) travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a meeting with longtime rival Virginia Tech (4-5, 3-3 ACC). Both teams are battling through difficult seasons, but know the importance a win on Saturday can have heading into the final week of the regular season.
 
“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Miami head coach Mark Richt said. “Both teams obviously haven’t won in a while. Everyone is battling for that victory. I can promise you our guys are battling, our coaches are battling and we’re looking forward to another opportunity to play a game.”
The Canes have dropped four-straight contests, while the Hokies have lost three consecutive games. But neither team is expecting an easy matchup when the ball kicks off at 3:30 p.m. in Lane Stadium.
 
“Well, both teams are going to come out and we both want that win,” safety Jaquan Johnson said. “It is going to be a battle. All four quarters. Looking forward to it.”
 
The Hurricanes are used to getting every opponent’s best effort and defensive lineman Gerald Willis III expects more of the same from Virginia Tech on Saturday.
 
“We are Miami, you know, everybody, everybody we play, they play as hard as they can,” Willis said. “Like I said, each and every other week we are up for the challenge and we are ready to try and win out and get a bowl game.”
 
In Miami, the focus remains the same: win. While the results have not gone the way the Canes would have likes recently, they are still determined to earn a victory every time they take the field.
 
“Our goal is to come out every single week and win every single game,” offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said. “I think people may believe, like, there is some sort of panic type deal when you do lose games. And of course nobody wants to lose. I like winning, but I hate losing. I am a competitive dude, we have competitive guys on our team. And we have got to find a way to get back on track, which starts first with not beating ourselves. Like I said before with not having penalties, not turning the ball over. We will have a chance to win games if we do that.”
 
Travis Homer is one of Miami’s captains this week at Virginia Tech and he is a respected leader in the locker room. The junior running back has made sure his teammates stay dedicated to their craft and focused on preparing to win a football game.
 
“Really, we’ve been down this road before during my freshman year, losing four games in a row,” Homer said. “It’s more about how you respond, never just to give up and sit there pouting and what not. You have to respond, you have to fight.”
 
Linebacker Mike Smith and the veterans have ensured Miami’s young talent stays focused and motivated. The senior, who overcame injuries and a position switch to eventually develop into a key contributor, knows the value of hard work and dedication and he hopes to instill that in his younger teammates.
 
“Just know that every day is another day to get better,” Smith said. “That’s the only thing we can focus on right now, just try to make ourselves better individually, and as a team. That’s about it.”
 
Freshman wide receiver Dee Wiggins is one player that has bought in to staying the course and finishing strong. He is also firmly focused on helping the veteran leaders on this team finish their careers with a fourth-consecutive bowl appearance.
 
“That’s our main focus right now,” Wiggins said. “Even though things aren’t going our way, our main focus is Virginia Tech. To win and to get the seniors into a bowl game. We’re just going to work hard every day to get them to a bowl game.”
 
A win on Saturday would make Miami eligible for a bowl game and that means a lot to many different members of the Hurricanes’ football program for a variety of reasons. 
 
“It’s very important for the program, for the seniors to go out with a bowl game,” Smith said. “And then for the young guys, so they can get extra work in practice. But it’s just a pride thing, we just got to do it.”
 
For Miami to come out of Lane Stadium victorious, it knows it needs to play better. While the Canes have shown improvement in some areas, they have not played their best recently. Defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin believes the Canes will get back to their winning ways if they execute to the level they expect of themselves.
 
“Do your assignments,” Garvin said. “The things that really cost us in that game was not doing your assignments so that allowed big explosive plays that hurt us. So, I mean, we played hard but it wasn’t enough, so we’ve got to make sure to do our assignments.”
 
The Canes are very familiar with Virginia Tech and the talent their roster is filled with. Miami expects to fight for 60 minutes on Saturday, but they are prepared for the challenge. 
 
“That’s a physical team,” Johnson said. “Nice receivers on the outside, playmakers, and a quarterback orchestrating. We have our hands full, but I think we are ready.”