Saturday at Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers (4-6, 3-3 ACC) host the Miami Hurricanes (5-5, 2-4 ACC). The game will be chock-full of emotion as a number of seniors, including Marcus Hamilton, Jason Snelling, Tony Franklin, Deyon Williams and Fontel Mines, will play in their last home game.
"There will be a lot of different emotions going through me," Hamilton, a safety, said. "It probably won't hit me until the end of the game that that will be the last time that I will walk out of the tunnel and play in front of these fans. It'll be exciting, but at the same time, it'll be kind of sad not to be able to play out there anymore."
Miami will be playing with a heavy heart as they mourn the death of Bryan Pata, a senior defensive end who was expected to be selected in next spring's NFL draft. Pata was shot outside his apartment Nov. 8; the attack was ruled a homicide.
Sophomore quarterback Kirby Freeman is filling in for quarterback Kyle Wright, who is out with a broken thumb. Freeman gives the Hurricanes a different look as he often utilizes his mobility.
"He's a little bit faster," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "This is a player with noticeable speed. Contrary to those quarterbacks that that's usually mentioned about, he's also got significant size. In other words, this isn't one of those little waterbug quarterbacks who's fast. This is a good-sized player who's got very, very noticeable speed."
Freeman played well last week in a close loss to Maryland. He completed 14 of 27 passes for 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 51 yards on nine carries.
The Hurricanes are currently on a three-game losing skid and much like the Cavaliers, have not performed as well as people expected them to this year. That being said, both teams still have a lot to play for in this game. A win gives Miami the necessary six games to become eligible for a bowl game, and a Virginia win keeps their bowl hopes alive as well. Virginia would also need a win against Virginia Tech the following Saturday to become bowl-eligible.
Virginia looks to end their winless record against Miami as the Cavaliers are 0-3 all-time against the Hurricanes.
A key to the game will be the amount of time the Virginia defense spends on the field. Virginia is currently ranked 109th in the country in time of possession -- this has led to the defense spending much of the game on the field. This not only adds to the fatigue of the defense but keeps the ball away from red-shirt freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell and the Virginia offense's hands. Sewell has shown signs of freshman inexperience but has been effective and efficient for the most part. Not including the game against Florida State, Sewell is 93 for 161 with 934 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
The stakes are high coming into this week's contest, as Virginia's seniors would like to conclude their time at Virginia with a home win.
"It would mean a lot just because we haven't had many wins this year and we're not accustomed to that," Hamilton said. "So, if we can get a win against Miami, especially on Senior Day, it'd be pretty cool."
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