‘Canes’ Kaaya a killer vs. WVU

Before UM ran away with a 31-14 victory over No. 14 West Virginia in front of 48,625 at Camping World Stadium, the Hurricanes first had to overcome, perhaps, the worst stretch they have played all season.

Junior quarterback Brad Kaaya bounced back from a rough start to the game to throw for 282 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Canes to the win.

Freshman Ahmmon Richards caught a quick 8-yard comeback pass and turned it into a 51-yard score and just like that the game was tied at 7-all, and all the momentum had swung to the Miami sideline. Kaaya tossed touchdown pass No. 4, a 23-yarder to David Njoku, for a 28-7 advantage, with 11:04 to play.

The unit held West Virginia to a lone touchdown – a 6-yard run by Kennedy McKoy in the first quarter – and kept the Hurricanes in the game until Kaaya and the offense found their rhythm. Daikiel Shorts led all Mountaineer receivers with five catches for 63 yards.

The Mountaineers are in search of their 11th win; that would make for the first 11-win season for the team since doing it three straight times from 2005-07.

The Hurricanes and Mountaineers weren’t the only ones trading punches during the Russell Athletic Bowl on Wednesday night. Look for the Hurricanes defense to play with an extra chip on their shoulder against this Mountaineers offense. The last time the Hurricanes closed a season with a five-game winning streak, they finished undefeated to win the 2001 national championship.

Miami finally got going on its third possession of the second quarter. Miami brings a pro style scheme that attacks their opponent north and south, vertically, and will challenge the Mountaineers three-four defensive scheme. West Virginia was set up with great field position after a penalty for interfering with the punt returner gave them the ball at the Miami 39-yard line. So for those who believe bowl games might not matter all that much, there is an entire sideline filled with Miami coaches and players who disagree.

“It’s 125 years of West Virginia football, and this was one of our special seasons that we’ve ever had”, said WVU senior center Tyler Orlosky.

“I’ll probably make a decision in a couple days”, Kaaya told ESPN after the game.

Olson: I think the absence of Jim Leavitt is going to be huge. The 14 points, 95 yards rushing and 229 yards of offense were each a season-low total. Kaaya says that he remains undecided on his future and has a lot of soul searching to do in the coming days. Don’t be fooled, this Miami rushing defense is more than capable of holding up, even against this effective West Virginia running game. We didn’t play well in the second quarter. One of the biggest highlights of the game (IMO) was that Miami got out of the game turnover-free.