Virginia 28, Miami 21
This game was a lot like the two previous upsets of the Mike London era. Virginia beat Georgia Tech two weeks ago by jumping out to a 14-0 lead and hanging on for a 24-21 win (even though the Jackets did tie it up at 14 at one point). A year ago, Virginia beat Miami by bolting out to a 24-0 lead and hung on to win 24-19. Thursday night, the Cavaliers got up 17-0 on the Hurricanes and held on for a 28-21 win. The closest Miami got was 20-14.
There were several huge plays in my mind. Two obvious ones were on defense. On the last play of the game, Miami quarterback Stephen Morris found receiver Eduardo Clements on about the 10-yard line, and Clements had a lot of green grass in front of him. But Virginia cornerback Dom Joseph and linebacker Steve Greer closed in on him quickly, and both made textbook tackles to bring the Hurricane down well short of the goal line.
On Miami's previous drive, on 4th-and-2 in the red zone, UVa linebacker LaRoy Reynolds busted through the line and brought down Miami RB Mike James for no gain. That was a huge stop because Miami had plenty of time to tie the game and then possibly get the ball back and win it in regulation. Miami had scored TDs on its previous two drives so that was an absolutely monumental stop.
Another huge play that doesn't come to mind quite as quickly came on offense after the Hurricanes were able to draw to within six points at 20-14. On 3rd-and-2 at the Virginia 22 early in the fourth quarter, running back Perry Jones motioned out of the backfield and QB Michael Rocco hit him on a quick slant, the Miami defender fell down, and Jones was all by himself as he sprinted toward the end zone. Before that play, the momentum had shifted big time and the sparse crowd of Miami supporters were really getting into the game. The 'Canes had outscored UVa 14-3 after Virginia had taken an early 17-0 lead. That play took the wind out of the Hurricanes and provided UVa with a much-needed cushion, which the Hoos ended up needing.
Speaking of Rocco, the sophomore signal caller played admirably in his first game as the full-time starter, or whatever you want to call it. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 226 yards, two TDs, and zero INTs. He managed the game and made some good decisions and throws and minimized risky throws. Instead, he would run the ball or throw it out of bounds when he didn't think he could make a throw.
Rocco had started every game this season, but was often taken out in favor of true freshman David Watford, sometimes at odd times by the coaching staff. Against Miami, Watford only came in for one play at the end of the first quarter, a QB draw. I'm ok with Watford being used in that situation. We played to his strengths and it was at the end of the quarter, so the rhythm the offense had built was going to be disturbed a little bit anyway.
Miami quarterback Jacory Harris, who was knocked out of last year's UVa-Miami game with a concussion on a brutal hit by John-Kevin Dolce, had another tough time against the Hoos and is probably having nightmares about the Cavaliers. He got knocked around a few times and didn't even play on the last play of the game. He got hit on the second-to-last play and walked to the sideline unable to lift his throwing arm.
Virginia's defense was mostly solid for the fourth straight game, with the exception of giving up deep completions. Miami WR Tommy Streeter had seven catches for 176 yards and two TDs. Still, in regulation, Virginia has given up 6, 14, 21, and 21 points to opposing offenses during the last four games. The run game, after looking sluggish against N.C. State, was once again humming along nicely and gained 207 yards. Jones lived up his nickname, "Superman," by catching a pass for a TD and throwing a TD on a trick play late in the first half. Jones took a pitch out from Rocco on 2nd-and-11 and pulled up and threw a 46-yard TD pass to wide receiver Tim Smith, who was wide open. Smith did a great job of selling the run play as he slowed down and acted like he was going to block, then sped up and ran right past the Miami secondary. Smith also caught a two-point pass attempt from Rocco and he's caught long TD passes in the teams' previous two games against N.C. State and Georgia Tech.
Virginia also dialed up another trick play in the first quarter when it lined up for a 46-yard field goal but faked it as holder Jacob Hodges ran through the right side of the line for 20 yards. Hodges, a former team manager, was a QB in high school in an option offense and was the scout team QB leading up the Hoos' clash with Georgia Tech. I think Virginia did a great job with the set up and timing of its trick plays and the staff knew they might have to take some chances if they were going to upset Miami on the road, so kudos to them for trying some unconventional things to get an edge.
Now, much like after the upset of the Yellow Jackets, Virginia has a winnable game. Will the Cavs letdown again? The Hoos fell flat after the Georgia Tech game and lost to N.C. State 28-14. The Cavaliers travel to face struggling Maryland on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., a game I am going to attend. It will be my first road game as a fan. I went to N.C. State and UNC in 2007 but I was covering those games for the Cav Daily. Maryland defeated Miami in the two teams' first game of the year, but that was Miami's first game with new coach Al Golden and the Hurricanes also had a lot of suspensions to deal with. The Terrapins' only other win this year came against Towson. New coach Randy Edsall is having a hard time drawing fans to the stadium and there are rumors that some of the players don't like him. This is a rivalry game, though, for the Terrapins and they need to win to keep their bowl aspirations alive. Speaking of the "b" word, Virginia is now one win away from being bowl eligible. Let's hope UVa gets it done Saturday against a rival while destroying any chances Maryland has of going to a bowl.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagles 34, Cowboys 7
I was pretty surprised at this result. I figured the resurgent Eagles had a good chance to beat my Cowboys in Philly but I did not think it was going to be a blowout. The good news is the result was never in question so it was difficult to get upset. I was never tense or on the edge of my seat like when Dallas had a streak of 11 straight games decided by four points or less, which ended last week with a 34-7 win over the Rams.
The defense is what shocked me the most. After being stellar all year, it laid an egg and allowed 21 points to the Eagles before Dallas could catch its breath. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan talked a big game and called the Eagles the "all hype team" before the season but then he paid for it during the game.
The offense didn't have a great game, but it is tough to do well as an offense when you are immediately playing from behind and three-plus touchdowns down the entire game.
The good news for the Cowboys is the season is not over. The Giants are 5-2 but that is only two games up and they almost lost to the winless Dolphins on Sunday. Dallas is tied for second with Philly and Washington at 3-4. The Cowboys still have four division games left with the NFC East so they can play their way into the playoffs. The next five games, as I have alluded to before, are critical. The Cowboys face the Seahawks on Sunday, and then the Bills, Redskins, Dolphins, and Cardinals. Those teams have a combined record of 11-24. The Bills are 5-2, but their two losses are on the road and the Cowboys face Buffalo in Big D.
If Dallas could go 4-1 in this stretch, with say, its only loss being to the Bills or on the road to the Redskins, they would be 7-5 when playing the Giants in Dallas on Dec. 11. New York's next five games are a lot tougher: Patriots, 49ers, Eagles, Saints, Packers. Ouch. I think the Giants would do a good job to go 2-3 in those five games and be 7-5 after 12 games. The real team the Cowboys may need to watch out for is, get this, the Eagles. All but left for dead at 1-4, the Eagles have looked a lot better in their last two games in wins over the Redskins and Cowboys. Hopefully, they won those games for two reasons: the Redskins are injured, going through quarterback changes and on the downswing and they got the play the Cowboys at home on national TV after a bye week. Eagles coach Andy Reid is 13-0 after a bye. We will see though soon if the Eagles are actually back. Their next five games are not as tough as the Giants' but not as easy as the Cowboys': Bears, Cardinals, Giants, Patriots, Seahawks.
This game was a lot like the two previous upsets of the Mike London era. Virginia beat Georgia Tech two weeks ago by jumping out to a 14-0 lead and hanging on for a 24-21 win (even though the Jackets did tie it up at 14 at one point). A year ago, Virginia beat Miami by bolting out to a 24-0 lead and hung on to win 24-19. Thursday night, the Cavaliers got up 17-0 on the Hurricanes and held on for a 28-21 win. The closest Miami got was 20-14.
There were several huge plays in my mind. Two obvious ones were on defense. On the last play of the game, Miami quarterback Stephen Morris found receiver Eduardo Clements on about the 10-yard line, and Clements had a lot of green grass in front of him. But Virginia cornerback Dom Joseph and linebacker Steve Greer closed in on him quickly, and both made textbook tackles to bring the Hurricane down well short of the goal line.
On Miami's previous drive, on 4th-and-2 in the red zone, UVa linebacker LaRoy Reynolds busted through the line and brought down Miami RB Mike James for no gain. That was a huge stop because Miami had plenty of time to tie the game and then possibly get the ball back and win it in regulation. Miami had scored TDs on its previous two drives so that was an absolutely monumental stop.
Another huge play that doesn't come to mind quite as quickly came on offense after the Hurricanes were able to draw to within six points at 20-14. On 3rd-and-2 at the Virginia 22 early in the fourth quarter, running back Perry Jones motioned out of the backfield and QB Michael Rocco hit him on a quick slant, the Miami defender fell down, and Jones was all by himself as he sprinted toward the end zone. Before that play, the momentum had shifted big time and the sparse crowd of Miami supporters were really getting into the game. The 'Canes had outscored UVa 14-3 after Virginia had taken an early 17-0 lead. That play took the wind out of the Hurricanes and provided UVa with a much-needed cushion, which the Hoos ended up needing.
Speaking of Rocco, the sophomore signal caller played admirably in his first game as the full-time starter, or whatever you want to call it. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 226 yards, two TDs, and zero INTs. He managed the game and made some good decisions and throws and minimized risky throws. Instead, he would run the ball or throw it out of bounds when he didn't think he could make a throw.
Rocco had started every game this season, but was often taken out in favor of true freshman David Watford, sometimes at odd times by the coaching staff. Against Miami, Watford only came in for one play at the end of the first quarter, a QB draw. I'm ok with Watford being used in that situation. We played to his strengths and it was at the end of the quarter, so the rhythm the offense had built was going to be disturbed a little bit anyway.
Miami quarterback Jacory Harris, who was knocked out of last year's UVa-Miami game with a concussion on a brutal hit by John-Kevin Dolce, had another tough time against the Hoos and is probably having nightmares about the Cavaliers. He got knocked around a few times and didn't even play on the last play of the game. He got hit on the second-to-last play and walked to the sideline unable to lift his throwing arm.
Virginia's defense was mostly solid for the fourth straight game, with the exception of giving up deep completions. Miami WR Tommy Streeter had seven catches for 176 yards and two TDs. Still, in regulation, Virginia has given up 6, 14, 21, and 21 points to opposing offenses during the last four games. The run game, after looking sluggish against N.C. State, was once again humming along nicely and gained 207 yards. Jones lived up his nickname, "Superman," by catching a pass for a TD and throwing a TD on a trick play late in the first half. Jones took a pitch out from Rocco on 2nd-and-11 and pulled up and threw a 46-yard TD pass to wide receiver Tim Smith, who was wide open. Smith did a great job of selling the run play as he slowed down and acted like he was going to block, then sped up and ran right past the Miami secondary. Smith also caught a two-point pass attempt from Rocco and he's caught long TD passes in the teams' previous two games against N.C. State and Georgia Tech.
Virginia also dialed up another trick play in the first quarter when it lined up for a 46-yard field goal but faked it as holder Jacob Hodges ran through the right side of the line for 20 yards. Hodges, a former team manager, was a QB in high school in an option offense and was the scout team QB leading up the Hoos' clash with Georgia Tech. I think Virginia did a great job with the set up and timing of its trick plays and the staff knew they might have to take some chances if they were going to upset Miami on the road, so kudos to them for trying some unconventional things to get an edge.
Now, much like after the upset of the Yellow Jackets, Virginia has a winnable game. Will the Cavs letdown again? The Hoos fell flat after the Georgia Tech game and lost to N.C. State 28-14. The Cavaliers travel to face struggling Maryland on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., a game I am going to attend. It will be my first road game as a fan. I went to N.C. State and UNC in 2007 but I was covering those games for the Cav Daily. Maryland defeated Miami in the two teams' first game of the year, but that was Miami's first game with new coach Al Golden and the Hurricanes also had a lot of suspensions to deal with. The Terrapins' only other win this year came against Towson. New coach Randy Edsall is having a hard time drawing fans to the stadium and there are rumors that some of the players don't like him. This is a rivalry game, though, for the Terrapins and they need to win to keep their bowl aspirations alive. Speaking of the "b" word, Virginia is now one win away from being bowl eligible. Let's hope UVa gets it done Saturday against a rival while destroying any chances Maryland has of going to a bowl.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagles 34, Cowboys 7
I was pretty surprised at this result. I figured the resurgent Eagles had a good chance to beat my Cowboys in Philly but I did not think it was going to be a blowout. The good news is the result was never in question so it was difficult to get upset. I was never tense or on the edge of my seat like when Dallas had a streak of 11 straight games decided by four points or less, which ended last week with a 34-7 win over the Rams.
The defense is what shocked me the most. After being stellar all year, it laid an egg and allowed 21 points to the Eagles before Dallas could catch its breath. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan talked a big game and called the Eagles the "all hype team" before the season but then he paid for it during the game.
The offense didn't have a great game, but it is tough to do well as an offense when you are immediately playing from behind and three-plus touchdowns down the entire game.
The good news for the Cowboys is the season is not over. The Giants are 5-2 but that is only two games up and they almost lost to the winless Dolphins on Sunday. Dallas is tied for second with Philly and Washington at 3-4. The Cowboys still have four division games left with the NFC East so they can play their way into the playoffs. The next five games, as I have alluded to before, are critical. The Cowboys face the Seahawks on Sunday, and then the Bills, Redskins, Dolphins, and Cardinals. Those teams have a combined record of 11-24. The Bills are 5-2, but their two losses are on the road and the Cowboys face Buffalo in Big D.
If Dallas could go 4-1 in this stretch, with say, its only loss being to the Bills or on the road to the Redskins, they would be 7-5 when playing the Giants in Dallas on Dec. 11. New York's next five games are a lot tougher: Patriots, 49ers, Eagles, Saints, Packers. Ouch. I think the Giants would do a good job to go 2-3 in those five games and be 7-5 after 12 games. The real team the Cowboys may need to watch out for is, get this, the Eagles. All but left for dead at 1-4, the Eagles have looked a lot better in their last two games in wins over the Redskins and Cowboys. Hopefully, they won those games for two reasons: the Redskins are injured, going through quarterback changes and on the downswing and they got the play the Cowboys at home on national TV after a bye week. Eagles coach Andy Reid is 13-0 after a bye. We will see though soon if the Eagles are actually back. Their next five games are not as tough as the Giants' but not as easy as the Cowboys': Bears, Cardinals, Giants, Patriots, Seahawks.
Comments
Post a Comment