Behind 249 rushing yards and two touchdowns from star running back Duke Johnson and three fumble recoveries in the third quarter, Miami steam-rolled Virginia Tech on Thursday night, winning 30-6.
The Hurricanes dominated, with the Hokies' only score coming with just 1:30 remaining in the game.
No one was more impressive Johnson, who took handoffs on Miami's first seven plays from scrimmage and wound up leading the Canes in receiving yards (37) as well, including a 22-yard touchdown.
The 5-foot-9, 206-pound Johnson has impressive acceleration, which he used to zip through wide holes created by Miami's offensive line. He averaged a gaudy 8.6 yards on 29 carries against the Hokies, alternately impressing with his burst, agility, light feet to high-step through tackles and an effective stiff-arm. Ironically, Johnson's best run of the game may have come on a play in which he came up two yards short of a first down.
On a third-and-7 midway through the third quarter with the Hokies leading 24-0, Johnson took the handoff from Canes quarterback Brad Kaaya and was forced to cut instantly to his left due to penetration from the Hokies' defense. Johnson showed the "greasy knees" to cut and accelerate in one fluid motion, eluding would-be tacklers and squirting free up the sideline. Virginia Tech's secondary closed quickly enough to keep Johnson from getting the full seven yards needed for the first down, but on a play that should have gone for an easy loss, Johnson's rare skill-set earned him 5 yards.
Moments later, Johnson danced through would-be Virginia Tech tacklers up the middle as if he was running through tires in practice, before cutting back to his left and extending his right arm to provide a stiff pop to Hokies' cornerback Kendall Fuller, a future first-round pick. The stiff-arm, which rocked Fuller backward, helped Johnson gain another 7-10 yards.
One of the only times any part of Virginia Tech actually stopped Johnson on Thursday night, in fact, came after a 29-yard scamper in which he crashed violently into the Hokies' bench after skating on the hard surface past the sideline. Johnson grimaced in obvious discomfort afterward but returned to the game soon thereafter.
Johnson, the school's all-time all-purpose leader with 4,713 yards to date, would likely contend for top billing among running backs most years. He's ranked just fifth on NFLDraftScout.com's list of running backs in the 2016 class -- a group that appears to be the most talented at the position in years and is headlined by Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon.
While Johnson was terrific Thursday night, Miami didn't lose much when backup Gus Edwards played, as he gashed the Hokies for 115 yards, himself, with two scores.
Edwards, a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore, also shows impressive acceleration. Rather than slashing through Virginia Tech, however, Edwards rumbled, driving through would-be tacklers and showing good patience to allow weary Hokies to slip by him.
Miami's runners were aided by some very impressive downfield throws from Kaaya, a 6-4, 218-pound true freshman, and a Hurricanes offensive line that simply blew through the Hokies' front seven.
Left tackle Ereck Flowers entered the game projected as Miami's top NFL prospect and a potential first-round pick. After some initial struggles, he performed well, showing quickness and balance getting to the second level when run blocking.
Flowers initially struggled with Virginia Tech's undersized front, allowing defensive ends to cross him inside and trip up Miami's backs in pursuit. He also appeared to struggle a bit with the noise coming out from the Blacksburg crowd, getting a late start on a third down in the first quarter that resulted in an early forced incompletion by Kaaya.
Perhaps an even better performance was turned in by right tackle Jon Feliciano, who recently made the move back to the strongside position after last playing left guard. Feliciano showed good strength and mobility, himself, in clearing lanes for Johnson and Edwards.
Miami's interior line also played well, including Feliciano's replacement Nick Linder, the younger brother of former Miami standout and current starting Jacksonville Jaguars right guard Brandon Linder.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...-johnson-canes-ol-storm-through-virginia-tech
The Hurricanes dominated, with the Hokies' only score coming with just 1:30 remaining in the game.
No one was more impressive Johnson, who took handoffs on Miami's first seven plays from scrimmage and wound up leading the Canes in receiving yards (37) as well, including a 22-yard touchdown.
The 5-foot-9, 206-pound Johnson has impressive acceleration, which he used to zip through wide holes created by Miami's offensive line. He averaged a gaudy 8.6 yards on 29 carries against the Hokies, alternately impressing with his burst, agility, light feet to high-step through tackles and an effective stiff-arm. Ironically, Johnson's best run of the game may have come on a play in which he came up two yards short of a first down.
On a third-and-7 midway through the third quarter with the Hokies leading 24-0, Johnson took the handoff from Canes quarterback Brad Kaaya and was forced to cut instantly to his left due to penetration from the Hokies' defense. Johnson showed the "greasy knees" to cut and accelerate in one fluid motion, eluding would-be tacklers and squirting free up the sideline. Virginia Tech's secondary closed quickly enough to keep Johnson from getting the full seven yards needed for the first down, but on a play that should have gone for an easy loss, Johnson's rare skill-set earned him 5 yards.
Moments later, Johnson danced through would-be Virginia Tech tacklers up the middle as if he was running through tires in practice, before cutting back to his left and extending his right arm to provide a stiff pop to Hokies' cornerback Kendall Fuller, a future first-round pick. The stiff-arm, which rocked Fuller backward, helped Johnson gain another 7-10 yards.
One of the only times any part of Virginia Tech actually stopped Johnson on Thursday night, in fact, came after a 29-yard scamper in which he crashed violently into the Hokies' bench after skating on the hard surface past the sideline. Johnson grimaced in obvious discomfort afterward but returned to the game soon thereafter.
Johnson, the school's all-time all-purpose leader with 4,713 yards to date, would likely contend for top billing among running backs most years. He's ranked just fifth on NFLDraftScout.com's list of running backs in the 2016 class -- a group that appears to be the most talented at the position in years and is headlined by Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon.
While Johnson was terrific Thursday night, Miami didn't lose much when backup Gus Edwards played, as he gashed the Hokies for 115 yards, himself, with two scores.
Edwards, a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore, also shows impressive acceleration. Rather than slashing through Virginia Tech, however, Edwards rumbled, driving through would-be tacklers and showing good patience to allow weary Hokies to slip by him.
Miami's runners were aided by some very impressive downfield throws from Kaaya, a 6-4, 218-pound true freshman, and a Hurricanes offensive line that simply blew through the Hokies' front seven.
Left tackle Ereck Flowers entered the game projected as Miami's top NFL prospect and a potential first-round pick. After some initial struggles, he performed well, showing quickness and balance getting to the second level when run blocking.
Flowers initially struggled with Virginia Tech's undersized front, allowing defensive ends to cross him inside and trip up Miami's backs in pursuit. He also appeared to struggle a bit with the noise coming out from the Blacksburg crowd, getting a late start on a third down in the first quarter that resulted in an early forced incompletion by Kaaya.
Perhaps an even better performance was turned in by right tackle Jon Feliciano, who recently made the move back to the strongside position after last playing left guard. Feliciano showed good strength and mobility, himself, in clearing lanes for Johnson and Edwards.
Miami's interior line also played well, including Feliciano's replacement Nick Linder, the younger brother of former Miami standout and current starting Jacksonville Jaguars right guard Brandon Linder.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...-johnson-canes-ol-storm-through-virginia-tech