The second quarter did not start ideally for Miami. Kaaya tried to thread the needle on a pass in double coverage and got intercepted by Virginia Tech defensive back Terrell Edmunds with 13:57 left to go in the half.
Kaaya continued to get pressured by the Hokies defensive line, leading to sacks.
After a poor punt by Miami, Virginia Tech took advantage of its favorable field position and went on a six play, 35-yard scoring drive in which it put up three more points on a 27-yard field goal to go up 6-3 at the 8:35 mark of the second period.
The Hurricanes run game continued to struggle to get things going. Sophomore running back Mark Walton has just 20 yards on seven carries, and junior running back Joseph Yearby only rushed for 14 yards on five carries in the first half.
A breaking point in Miami’s defense came on a 52-yard catch and run from Evans to Virginia Tech fullback Sam Rogers that set up a seven-yard touchdown pass the very next play to give the Hokies a 13-3 lead with 5:51 left in the second quarter. There were many missed tackles suffered by the Canes defense during the play by Rogers.
Injuries might just be catching up with the Miami defense. Missing a few men on the line, the team allowed for some gaping holes for Virginia Tech ball-catchers to run through.
The Hokies would score again on a 38-yard field goal by Slye at the 1:28 point of the second quarter.
The Canes responded with a six play, 75-yard scoring drive that included a 39-yard pass completion from Kaaya to freshman wide receiver Ahmmon Richards and a pinpoint 25-yard touchdown pass from Kaaya to junior wide receiver Braxton Berrios. This would bring the deficit down to 7. Badgley would miss the PAT.
Virginia Tech goes into halftime with a 16-9 lead against Miami.
Isaiah Kim-Martinez can be reached on Twitter at @isaiah5740