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#11 Miami holds off UVA, wins 19-14

Chris Graham

uva footballBrennan Armstrong returned, but the modified three-headed QB rotation with him at the helm wasn’t enough for Virginia, which lost its fourth straight, falling 19-14 at #11 Miami on Saturday.

Armstrong had missed last week’s 40-23 loss at Wake Forest after suffering a concussion in the 38-21 home loss to NC State a week prior.

In his return, the redshirt sophomore availed himself well, throwing for 181 yards and two TDs, and gaining a team-high 91 yards on the ground.

But the ‘Hoos (1-4) pretty much played from behind from the start.

Miami (5-1) got on the board quickly, scoring on the second play from scrimmage, on a 43-yard pass from D’Eriq King to Michael Harley  28 seconds in.

Virginia responded with an 11-play, 64-yard drive capped by an Armstrong-to-Tony Poljan 2-yard TD pass.

It would stay there until a 32-yard Jose Borragales field goal put Miami on top 10-7 with 1:02 to go in the first half.

Another short Borrageles field goal, from 20 yards out, extended the Hurricanes’ lead to 13-7 with 3:47 left in the third.

A Donald Cheney Jr. 1-yard TD run made it 19-7 Miami with 12L-4 to go.

Virginia had one last response, a 35-yard TD pass from Armstrong to Ra’Shaun Henry with 5:27 to go that made it a one-score game.

Miami picked up a first down late on an iffy pass-interference call on Nick Grant, and Virginia wasn’t able to do anything with a final possession in the final 30 seconds.

Miami outgained Virginia 444-366 on the night, with King throwing for 332 yards on 21-of-30 passing.

Story by Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].