Report Card: Miami vs. Virginia

Quarterback: B+. Once again, Robert Marve and Jacory Harris were able to make their system work for a win. This time it was Harris who rallied the Canes in the second half, by constantly buying time and making clutch throws when needed. The play was uneven until about midway through the fourth quarter, but in the end Miami got it done.

Running Back: B+. This would be an A if Graig Cooper had not fumbled twice. However, he did, and the grade suffers. Meanwhile, Cooper and Javarris James gashed the defense almost at will and really prevented Miami from losing by, oh, 48 points maybe? Perhaps most importantly, Graig Cooper was blowing up blitzers all day.

Wide Receiver: B-. There were drops early on, but the group came through late in the game. It is very hard to grade a unit that made plays when they needed to but looked bad before that.

Offensive Line: F. They were truly offensive. Miami won this game just to spite a unit that got called for false start after false start. The most telling stat was that they were called for three false starts immediately following timeouts. The whole point of a timeout is to calm everyone down. I am at a loss for words.

Defensive Live: C. No pass rush, but they stood up well against the run for the most part. Allen Bailey and Marcus Forston both looked good.

Linebackers: B+. Again, they looked very solid, especially in run support. Sean Spence and Romeo Davis have both come on strong as of late and made huge plays in the fourth quarter and overtime. A job well done.

Secondary: C. Some awful play, but Lovon Ponder and Bruce Johnson both made up for early errors by making big plays late to cause or aid turnovers. Anthony Reddick was a step late most of the game, but Brandon Harris continues to improve. Also, I maintain that Carlos Armour does not belong.

Special Teams: B-. Matt Bosher was great in both the punting and kicking games. He did miss the field goal that would have avoided overtime, but it was a long kick and he was solid everywhere else. The return game, however, was bad. Travis Benjamin and Ryan Hill both made big mistakes that burned the Canes early, and no momentum came out of this facet of the game.

Coaching: A. Whatever formula Randy Shannon and Patrick Nix have for selecting Marve or Harris for the second half seems to be genius. And, once again, Bill Young made the necessary adjustments for the period, shutting down Virginia in the second half and overtime.