Miami has a considerable amount of youth on its roster, but the kids made an instant impact against Virginia Tech in Thursday night’s 30-12 victory at Sun Life Stadium.
Freshman linebacker Gabe Terry, from Palm Beach Central High, set up Miami’s first score of the game by blocking a punt.
At 8:44 of the first quarter, Terry lunged through the pile and slapped away punter A.J. Hughes’s attempt. Two plays and 11 seconds later, Stephen Morris threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to receiver Allen Hurns.
The Hokies were soon burned again by Miami’s special teams, and again by a Hurricanes true freshman. Duke Johnson’s 81-yard kickoff return at 2:14 of the first set up another 16-yard touchdown play, a Morris pass to Mike James that made it 14-3.
Johnson soon added a 65-yard carry, his longest of the year. He finished with 217 all-purpose yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run that put UM in command, 27-12 with 8:45 left in the game.
It wasn’t all good for Miami’s young players in special teams. Rather than let the ball roll past him for a touchback in the first half, sophomore return man Phillip Dorsett made an over-the-shoulder catch at his own 5-yard line and then turned toward the end zone. He was tackled at the 4.
Tight end Clive Walford of Glades Central bailed out Dorsett, making an over-the-shoulder grab for a 30-yard gain, then a 26-yard catch-and-run on the next play. The drive ended in a 31-yard Jake Wieclaw field goal that put Miami up 20-9.
Injury ward: Miami's defense took a big hit when outside linebacker Denzel Perryman left the game with an injured right ankle, which UM termed a lower-extremity injury. Perryman, a sophomore, injured the ankle Sept. 15 against Bethune-Cookman and missed two games. He entered the game second on the team with 47 tackles.
Freshman safety Deon Bush left after a making a helmet-to-helmet hit near the end of the second quarter. Bush was ruled out at halftime with what was deemed an upper-extremity injury. Another starting safety, junior Kacy Rodgers, appeared to hurt his arm or shoulder several plays after Bush’s injury. He returned to start the second half.
Two 'Canes honored: Former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson was honored at halftime for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Johnson, who led UM to a 52-9 record and the 1987 national championship, was elected Tuesday. He is the third former Hurricanes coach to receive the honor, joining Jack Harding (1980) and Andy Gustafson (1985). … Former Hurricanes All-American defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy was also honored for his August induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kennedy, who made eight Pro Bowls in his 11-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, is the fifth UM player to make the Hall.
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