Coming off career game, Hurricanes' Moss sets sights on Hokies

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Tyrone Moss once contributed to a bad weekend for Frank Beamer.

And Moss wouldn't mind souring the Virginia Tech coach's mood again when the third-ranked Hokies play No. 5 Miami on Saturday night.

Beamer didn't accompany Virginia Tech home three years ago after a 56-45 road loss to Miami. He stayed to make a recruiting pitch to Moss, who ran for 7,105 yards and 107 touchdowns in his career at Pompano Beach Ely High School and ultimately spurned Beamer's offer to join the Hokies.

"We thought we had a shot at him," said Beamer, who trails only Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno among active Division I-A coaches in victories. "But it's tough to get those South Florida guys away from Miami."

Beamer couldn't catch Moss on the recruiting trail, but hopes his Hokies (8-0, 5-0) can in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.

The 5-foot-9, 220-pound Moss is coming off the best game of his career, a 195-yard, four-touchdown effort that rallied Miami (6-1, 3-1) past North Carolina 34-16 last weekend. He shared the ACC's offensive back of the week honors, and his confidence seems to be soaring.

"We know that Virginia Tech has a great defensive line, great linebackers, things like that," said Moss, who acknowledges that Beamer piqued his interest before he decided to sign with Miami. "So we've just got to go out there and play our ball. We know we have the talent on offense to get the job done."

Virginia Tech's stats against the run are gaudy.

The Hokies haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, have yielded only three 60-yard running games by any opposing player and have given up a mere two touchdowns on 253 carries.

Also, Virginia Tech's 2.9-yards-per-carry average on defense ranks 11th in the country.

But Miami knows a one-dimensional attack won't get it done against Virginia Tech -- which could seal the ACC's Coastal Division title with a win (and a North Carolina loss to Boston College), plus knock the Hurricanes out of the Bowl Championship Series mix for a second straight year.

"I know this game is a very important game, not only for us but for them, too," Moss said. "Me, I just go out there and prepare like it's going to be my last."

Miami left tackle Eric Winston said Moss came into the season with newfound confidence, secure knowing he would finally get the chance to be the Hurricanes' go-to running back. He spent the bulk of his first two years playing behind Jarrett Payton and Frank Gore, never truly emerging as the breakout star he hoped to be.

But his ability cannot be questioned any longer.

"He's making cuts full speed," Beamer said. "He's quick, powerful. Lost some weight. A better back for sure than he was last year at this time. I think he's really helped himself."

Moss has 675 yards and 12 touchdowns in Miami's first seven games, and he's only 369 yards shy of eclipsing the 2,000-yard plateau for his Hurricane career.

"He's a great runner," Winston said. "He's tough to bring down. You can't hit him low. He's got those huge calves and thighs, and he kind of bounces right off you and keeps going.

"He's so compact that there's really not a great place to hit him. And when he smells that end zone, he really gets after it."