Cavaliers-Hurricanes Line at Miami -14.5
The Cavaliers-Hurricanes line was at -14.5 in favor of Miami for Thursday night’s game. Both teams come into this one with 4-3 records.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Miami -13.5 & 48.5
Opening Line & Total: Miami -14.5 & 48.5
It’s a short week for Virginia and Miami, both with 4-3 records, when the ACC rivals square off Thursday night in Florida.
Miami looks for its third straight SU win, and fourth cover in a row against a Virginia team whose three FBS wins are by three points or less. The Canes held Georgia Tech to 211 total yards in last week’s 24-7 victory, while the Cavs gained just 249 yards in a 28-14 home loss to NC State. UVa is 2-8 ATS against its past 10 FBS opponents since beating Miami 24-19 last year as a 14.5-point underdog. Canes QB Jacory Harris was knocked out of that loss, but threw for 232 yards and 2 TD in a 52-17 win the last time UVa visited.
Virginia’s two-QB rotation of sophomore Michael Rocco and freshman David Watford has not been working the past two weeks. The duo has combined to go 20-of-54 for 260 yards, 3 TD and 4 INT in this two-game span. But the ground game is the strength of this offense, posting six straight 150-yard rushing efforts until NC State held the Cavs to 124 last week. Perry Jones leads the team with 576 rushing yards (5.1 YPC), including 321 in the past three weeks. Freshman Kevin Parks (5.2 YPC) has seven of the team’s 13 TD on the ground. The Cavs have really hurt themselves with turnovers, giving away at least 3 TO in five of seven games this year. Virginia has been sound defensively though, ranking 19th in total defense (314 YPG) and 12th against the pass (176 YPG). The defense has also forced two turnovers in each of the past three games.
Miami has done an excellent job taking care of the football, with just four turnovers in its past five games. Harris has thrown for 10 TD and just 1 INT during this five-game stretch. Junior WR Tommy Streeter has five of these scores and 185 receiving yards in his past two games. RB Lamar Miller has provided 74% of the team’s rushing yards, ranking 2nd in the ACC with 114 rushing YPG. Miller is gaining 5.8 YPC and has scored seven total touchdowns in seven games. Miami’s run defense has improved tremendously in each of the past three games since allowing 219 rushing yards to Bethune-Cookman. The Canes held a strong Virginia Tech team to 172 yards on 4.5 YPC, then limited North Carolina to 141 yards on 3.4 YPC and then held Georgia Tech’s second-ranked rushing offense averaging 348 YPG, to a paltry 134 yards on 48 carries (2.8 YPC). Miami’s pass defense is solid, allowing less than 200 passing YPG.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
