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Virginia tries to keep winning at Miami

Nov 10, 2007 - 11:32 AM No. 23 Virginia (8-2) at Miami (5-4) 7:15 pm EST

MIAMI (Ticker) -- As long as his team keeps winning, Virginia coach Al Groh doesn't care how his players get it done.

Groh's No. 23 Cavaliers try to maintain their ACC Coastal Division lead when they visit Miami on Saturday in the last game the Hurricanes will play in the Orange Bowl.

Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC Coastal) has a half-game lead over Virginia Tech atop the division. After this game, the Cavaliers have a bye before concluding their regular season by hosting the 11th-ranked Hokies.

The Cavaliers have gone 3-1 in their past four games, with each victory coming by one point. They also have a pair of two-point victories this season.

Last week, Virginia edged then-No. 24 Wake Forest in Charlottesville, 17-16, when Demon Deacons kicker Sam Swank shanked a game-winning field-goal attempt with two seconds left.

On Monday, Groh announced that leading rusher Cedric Peerman, who had sat out four straight games with an injured right foot, will miss the rest of the season. Peerman was leading the ACC in rushing when he got hurt against Middle Tennessee State on October 6.

Miami (5-4, 2-3 Coastal) is moving to Dolphin Stadium next season after 71 years at the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes will have several former players form the tunnel as the team enters the field.

The Hurricanes have lost three of their last four games, including a 19-16 home setback to North Carolina State last weekend in which Wolfpack kicker Steven Hauschka booted a 42-yard field goal for the only points in overtime.

While Hauschka connected on four field goals - all after the third quarter - Miami's Daren Daly missed two kicks, including a 27-yard attempt at the beginning of overtime. The special-teams woes doomed the Hurricanes in a game that saw them rush for 314 yards.

Kirby Freeman completed just one pass in 14 attempts, an 84-yard touchdown to Darnell Jenkins that had given Miami a 10-0 second-quarter lead. Freeman, who was starting in place of the injured Kyle Wright, tossed three interceptions in the defeat.

Virginia registered a 17-7 home win over Miami last year after losing to the Hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.