After playing an “easy” schedule to open the season, the Miami Hurricanes will face off against the opening team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Both teams finished the 2023 season with identical records of 7-6, but the Hokies had more success in ACC play, posting a 5-3 record in conference play. It was a step in the right direction for a program looking to recapture its glory days, improving by four wins from a 3-8 record in 2022. That could be thanks to a number of transfer players returning for their second season in Blacksburg.
The same enthusiasm that Hurricanes fans have for their team can also be found among some of the most passionate Hokies fans in the country. Take a look at the 2024 Virginia Tech Hokies.
It would be difficult to talk about Tech’s success without mentioning starting quarterback Kyron Draughns.
The two-way transfer from Baylor University became the starting center in the third game of the 2023 season and changed the team’s direction for the better. Draughns passed for 2,085 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also rushing for 818 yards and reaching the end zone five times with his lightning fast feet.
The Hokies also return 2023 All-ACC Third Team running back Beishul Tuten, who rushed for a team-high 863 yards during the 2023 season. Tuten accounted for 10 scores on five yards per carry, and the end zone was home for Tuten.
Tutun was one of the top kick returners in the country last season, becoming one of just five FBS players to return at least two kicks for a home run and finishing with over 1,000 all-purpose yards for the season when combined with return and rushing yards.
Like the Hurricanes, the Hokies return most of their offensive defensemen, who were last year’s top four targets in Ali Jennings, Daquan Felton, Jaylin Lane and Stephen Gosnell.
Unfortunately, Jennings only played two games in his first year with the Hokies before suffering a season-ending injury, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t make an impression. He scored two touchdowns in his debut and has returned inspired in his sixth year of college football. Felton is a transfer from Norfolk State, and at 6-foot-5 and weighing 213 pounds, he had 38 catches for a team-high 667 yards and reached the end zone eight times in 2023.
Lane led the team with 41 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns in his fifth season in the maroon and orange, while Gosnell returns for another year after catching 22 passes and three touchdowns last season.
The offensive line will be virtually the same in terms of protecting the star quarterback with brothers Caden and Braelyn Moore, Parker Clements, Xavier Chaplin, Bob Schick and Brody Meadows all returning, and the addition of Georgia State transfer Montavious Cunningham could make this one of the best and most underrated lines in the ACC and possibly the nation.
The Hokies return most of their starters from a team that won five of its last seven games, thanks to coach Brent Pry and an attractive NIL package that features many of its top defensive players.
Tech lost two of its top three defensive tackles to graduation and searched hard in the portal to fill those positions: Kemari Copeland, Aneeas Peebles and Kelvin Gilliam Jr. were all top targets for the Hokies, and the school was able to land all three.
While the defensive line performed well last season, the Hokies struggled at linebacker. In particular, the team had glaring issues at inside linebacker. Tech acquired linebacker Sam Brumfield from Middle Tennessee to address that issue, and Brumfield has already shown leadership skills since arriving over the winter. One of the other talented players at this position group is Keri Lawson, an athletic player who still has a lot of room for improvement.
The Hokies have the ACC’s best cornerback duo in Mansoor Delane Jr. and Dorian Strong, a dynamic duo that could garner more attention than expected due to the improved offenses in the conference.
Following this game, the Hurricanes will travel across the country to California to take on Cal State. Luckily, their first bye week follows that trip, allowing the team to rest up and prepare for an upcoming schedule that prioritizes the looming threats of Louisville and Florida State.
For now, the U will be focused on the long road trip, as the addition of Cal from the Pac-12 may give them time to work on new tactics on offense and defense. This will be one of the most intriguing gamedays for the Hurricanes this season, given what it means for the future of the ACC and the balance that is settling in.
This could be a key moment in the season for each team: Assuming both teams go into this game undefeated, this could be the start of knocking off some teams on the ACC totem pole, potentially putting 12 teams in the playoff picture and a couple of ACC teams vying for a spot.
For the Hurricanes, beating a team with many of the same players from last season’s roster will only increase their net ranking. In the preseason rankings, the Hokies are listed as a strong, trap game type team with the potential to win up to eight or nine games. With that name added to their resume, the Hurricanes’ standing will only increase as the season progresses.
date: September 27
time: 7:30pm ET
tv set: ESPN
position: Hard Rock Stadium
series: Miami leads Virginia Tech 25-15
Last match: In the teams’ last meeting on October 15, 2022, the Hurricanes dominated offensively, racking up 458 yards of total offense compared to VT’s 257 yards, as the Hurricanes defeated the Hokies 20-14. The Hokies’ defense kept the game close, but ultimately the offense faltered, allowing the Hurricanes to claim the victory.
Miami Hurricanes 2024 Football Schedule
August 31st Florida
September 7th Florida A&M
September 14th Ball State
September 21st at USF
September 27th Virginia Tech
October 5, California
October 12th Holiday Week
October 19th Louisville
October 26, Florida
November 2nd Duke
November 9th Georgia Tech
November 16th Holiday Week
November 23rd Wake Forest
November 30th Syracuse
