The Hokies will be facing off against the Hurricanes in Lane Stadium on Saturday, and this week's game will mark the 95th Homecoming game for Tech. Below are some storylines fans should keep an eye out for heading into Saturday's sold-out game at 12:30 p.m. ET on RSN.
Home Sweet Home
After two straight weeks on the road, Tech returns to Blacksburg for Homecoming against Miami (Fla.). The Hokies have thrived on Homecoming, with an overall record of 68-22-4 and a 45-10-2 record at home. This will be the first time ever that Tech will be facing off against the Hurricanes on Homecoming, but this won't be the first time against a school named Miami, having faced Miami (Ohio) back in 1997. Saturday also marks Tech's annual Maroon Effect game. This will be just the seventh time both Homecoming and Maroon Effect fall on the same day, with the Hokies being 4-2 on such an occasion.
Won't be an Easy Task
Coming off last week's game against Pitt, the Tech defense will be facing off against another high-powered offense in Miami. The Hurricanes currently rank second in the ACC in passing offense (315.4 ypg), time of possession (32:44) and total offense (466.6 ypg). While it's a tall task, the Hokies are up for the challenge. The Lunch Pail defense currently ranks fourth in the ACC in team passing efficiency defense (119.00) and third in team tackles for loss (7.2 ypg).
Run Thomas, Run
Due to injury, running back Malachi Thomas missed the first five games of the season, but finally made his 2022 season debut last week at Pitt. He made his presence felt, running for 84 yards and a touchdown off 15 attempts. Thomas was one of the more highly-anticipated Hokies heading into the season, as he was coming off a 2021 campaign running for 440 yards and three touchdowns. The standout game for Thomas was against Syracuse on Oct. 23, 2021, when he broke out for 151 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. The running game for Tech will be matching up against a Miami run defense that currently ranks third in the ACC (102.2 ypg).
Air it Out
In last week's game against Pitt, wide receiver Kaleb Smith had a career game, hauling in nine catches for 152 yards. His performance earned him ACC Receiver of the Week honors, a first in his career. Smith will look to build on his success heading into this week, as the Hurricanes' defense currently is the second-worst in the ACC in passing yards allowed (262.6 ypg) and team passing efficiency (155.66). Tech is coming off of its second-highest total for passing yards this season, racking up 277 yards in the air at Pitt last week, with Smith accounting for 55 percent of it.