BY VANESSA LOY, BPRW NEWSROOM (BLACK PR WIRE)--The Hurricane defense couldn’t have made their presence felt at a more opportune and necessary time. Lining up against No. 20 Georgia Tech, who boasted the second best rushing offense in the country, the Hurricane defense knew they were going to be tested. The results are in and the Hurricane defense passed with flying colors. The Miami Hurricanes made a huge statement with their convincing 24-7 upset win in front of nearly 44,000 at Sun Life Stadium.

With a swarming defensive surge and, for the first time this year, a stout defensive line that rarely gave up any ground at the line of scrimmage, the Hurricane defense limited the Yellow Jacket’s vaunted spread option offense to just 134 rushing yards and a little over 200 total yards, their lowest totals of the year.

It was a great defensive effort by the entire team. JoJo Nicholas started it all off with a smartly played interception in the first quarter. When Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington overthrew his intended receiver, Nicholas seemed to be just waiting for it at the Tech 46 yard line.

But it was the defensive line and linebackers who really stole the show for this game. Sean Spence, who was moved to the middle linebacker position for the first time this year, came through with big stops all game long on his way to recording a team-high 10 tackles.

However, the real headline for this game on the defensive side of the ball is that the Hurricanes will definitely be well served in the years to come. Injuries and suspensions have opened the door for a real youth movement on the defense and it is beginning to pay real dividends right now. True freshman Denzel Perryman and Anthony Chickillo both made huge impacts with their strong play.

Perryman, from Coral Gables, Fl, was named National Freshman of the Week by Rivals.com as the result of his tremendous knack to be around the ball. As a true freshman, Perryman recorded seven tackles (three for a loss), a sack and a forced fumble. Chickillo, who has played more than any other freshman on the team, broke through the offensive line and ran down Georgia Tech’s Washington for a huge sack in the 4th quarter.

For the offense, it was an unusually cold day for this high octane unit. For the first time this year, the Canes didn’t gain more than 300 yards. Quarterback Jacory Harris, who entered the game with the 8th highest quarterback rating in the nation, seemed to be a little off and connected on just 8 passes for the day. But Harris, as you would expect from your senior captain, came through on key conversions on all three of the offense’s scoring drives.

In the first quarter, on a fourth-and-3, Harris connected with WR Phillip Dorsett on a 13 yard pass. In the second quarter, with UM holding only a 7 point lead, Harris connected with a wide open Tommy Streeter for a 32 yard gain. Two plays later, running back Lamar Miller scored on a 14 yard TD scamper.

But for this game, it was the defense’s time to shine, and shine they did. With this critical ACC win at Sun Life Stadium, the Miami Hurricanes find themselves back in the hunt for the ACC Coastal Division title. The Hurricanes don’t have much time to celebrate, hosting Virginia on a shortened week this Thursday at home.

The Hurricanes have been waiting for this rematch since last October when the Cavaliers shocked the nation with a 24-19 upset win over Miami. But with Miami playing its most complete game this year against Georgia Tech, Miami fans are expecting a breakout game this week against Virginia. If that happens, Miami hopes to be the 3rd ACC team to be nationally recognized in the polls.

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