Miami (5-3) at Virginia (5-3)

The Hurricanes are looking to avenge last year's embarrassing 48-0 loss in their final contest in the historic Orange Bowl. They're on a three-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have won four straight.

After Virginia lost 31-3 to Duke on Sept. 27, not many took Cavaliers head coach Al Groh for his word that there were plenty of positives to talk about.

But one month later, it's been proven that loss was actually the turning point in Virginia's remarkable turnaround.

The Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1 ACC) have won all four of their games since the Duke debacle, giving credence to the team's position after the loss that great strides were made.

They now sit in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC, and they can think back on the Duke loss as where it all began.

Groh, whose team hosts Miami (5-3, 2-2) on Saturday, said there weren't "any fuzzy feelings" after the Duke loss, but if one just looked at the game film, it wasn't as bad as it appeared.

He said several key players began progressing and that the Cavaliers' six turnovers made the score more lopsided than it should've been.

The Cavaliers haven't had many bad plays of late. They're coming off a 24-17 road victory over Georgia Tech and they're feeling good about themselves with the Hurricanes set to visit Charlottesville for homecoming on Saturday.

The trip to Virginia is one of three remaining road tests for the Hurricanes. After the Cavaliers, they are home against Virginia Tech on Nov. 13 and then finish the regular season at Georgia Tech and at North Carolina State.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

RT Will Barker — He is finally on track. The junior got off to a rocky start, but was outstanding in the Cavaliers' win over Georgia Tech. His efforts earned him ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.

WR Maurice Covington — He is now thriving as well. The Cavaliers' receiving corps has already accumulated more catches and yards than all of last season and Covington's emergence is one of the primary reasons. Seventeen of his 21 receptions have gone for first downs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

WR Travis Benjamin — Benjamin is third on the team in catches but leads in touchdown receptions with three. He is a threat in the return game also, averaging better than 12 yards a try on punts (with a long of 44) and nearly 25 yards (long of 57) running back kickoffs.

WR Aldarius Johnson — Johnson leads Miami in receptions with 22 with two of the grabs good for touchdowns. He has made several catches in clutch situations in Miami's modest three-game winning streak. A true freshman, he has started the last five games.