2009 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2009 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2009 Division I college football season . The Hurricanes were coached by Randy Shannon and played their home games at Land Shark Stadium ( formerly " Dolphin Stadium " ) . The Hurricanes finished the season 9 – 4 , 5 – 3 in ACC play and lost in the Champs Sports Bowl 20 – 14 against Wisconsin . Pre - Season . The offseason saw three quarterback s transfer , including last season ' s starter Robert Marve . The moves left sophomore Jacory Harris as the starter and true freshman A . J . Highsmith as the backup . The Hurricanes ' staff also saw turnover , with a new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple , known for his Pro Style offense and a new defensive coordinator John Lovett from North Carolina Tar Heels . On December 29 , 2008 , Miami fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Patrick Nix , two days following the Emerald Bowl . The following day , redshirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve , who had been suspended from the Emerald Bowl due to academic reasons , was granted conditional release from his scholarship and announced he would be transferring . Marve had started 11 of 13 games for Miami in 2008 , and his transfer would result in true freshman Jacory Harris officially becoming the team ' s starting quarterback for 2009 . Harris had played in all 13 games in 2008 , starting in two of them . On January 20 , 2009 , defensive coordinator Bill Young announced his leaving Miami to become the defensive coordinator of his alma mater , Oklahoma State University . This left Shannon with the task of having to replace two coordinators in the same off - season . Shannon made the first hire on January 27 , when Mark Whipple was hired to be the team ' s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach , in addition to being named assistant head coach . On February 12 , John Lovett was hired as the team ' s new defensive coordinator . Miami began spring practice on February 24 , and held their spring game on March 28 . Practice for the fall began on August 8 . Several injuries occurred during practices ; defensive end Adewale Ojomo sustained a broken jaw during a locker room incident that could keep him out the whole season . Defensive end Eric Moncur visited a specialist in Philadelphia on August 19 to have a groin injury examined and was held out of some practices , while defensive end Gavin Hardin was held out of camp with an unknown injury . On August 25 , backup quarterbacks Taylor Cook and Cannon Smith both announced that they had requested and obtained a release for transfer to other schools . This left true freshman A . J . Highsmith as the second team backup to Jacory Harris . Roster changes . Starting tight end Dedrick Epps suffered a torn ACL in practices leading up to the Emerald Bowl in December 2008 , keeping him out of spring practice . His status for the 2009 season is uncertain . Jimmy Graham , a former forward on the Miami basketball team , announced in April that he would be joining the football team for the 2009 season as a tight end . Graham had not played football since high school . Due to lack of depth at the cornerback position , receiver Sam Shields and safety Ryan Hill were moved to cornerback before the start of spring , where they will remain for 2009 . Defensive end Allen Bailey was moved permanently to defensive tackle , and safety CJ Holton was moved from safety to linebacker . Several players from 2008 either transferred or left the team , including quarterback Robert Marve , receiver Jermaine McKenzie , running back Shawnbrey McNeal , and offensive lineman Christopher Barney . On February 6 , Miami announced its 2009 recruiting class , of which there were 19 members , and six of which were early enrolees who participated in spring practice . Two signees failed to qualify : offensive tackle Malcolm Bunche and defensive back Prince Kent . Regular season . # 19 Florida State . Miami ' s first game was against Florida State . The lead changed seven times during the game , and Miami won 38 – 34 . The outcome was in doubt until the final play of the game when a pass from Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder bounced incomplete in the Miami end zone . Miami quarterback Jacory Harris , who , in only his third career start , completed 21 of 34 passes for 386 yards and 2 touchdowns against 2 interceptions . In the process , Harris set the record for most passing yards by a Miami quarterback against Florida State . Harris also rushed for a touchdown . A seesaw first half saw Miami take a 14 – 10 lead to the locker room on the strength of a 39 - yard touchdown pass from Harris to Travis Benjamin and a 6 - yard touchdown run by Javarris James . Momentum swung to the Florida State side in the third quarter , as the Seminoles outscored Miami 13 – 3 to take a 23 – 17 lead heading into a back - and - forth fourth quarter . Harris put the Hurricanes back in front early in the fourth with a 1 - yard touchdown off a quarterback sneak , but the lead was short - lived . On Miami ' s next possession , Harris was hit as he released the ball and was intercepted by defensive end Markus White , who returned the interception 31 yards for a Florida State touchdown . The Seminoles then successfully converted a two - point attempt , making up for an earlier missed extra point , and took a 31 – 24 lead . Unfazed , Harris responded by orchestrating a 10 - play , 73 - yard drive that culminated with a 24 - yard game - tying touchdown pass to Graig Cooper . Florida State then inched back ahead with a 44 - yard field goal . Trailing by 3 , Miami took possession with 4 : 11 remaining and after a series of short gains , crossed into Florida State territory . On second - and - five from the Florida State 43 - yard line , Harris lofted a 40 - yard pass to Benjamin , who was able to get behind double coverage , catch the ball in stride near the left sideline , and get one foot down before his momentum took him out of bounds at the 3 . Cooper rushed 3 yards for a touchdown on the next play , putting Miami back in front , 38 – 34 , with under 2 minutes to play . A 15 - yard penalty for excessive celebration and a short kickoff allowed Florida State to start its final drive at the Miami 49 - yard line . A 30 - yard rush by Ponder on third - and - three gave Florida State a first down from the Miami 12 yard line , and an 8 - yard pass brought Florida State down to the Miami 4 yard line . After Ponder was stopped in the backfield for a 1 - yard loss on second down and Miami was called for pass interference on third down , Florida State was set up with first - and - goal at the Miami 2 yard line with 14 seconds remaining . The Miami defense , however , made a goal line stand and forced two successive incompletions , both intended for Jarmon Fortson . With 5 seconds remaining , Florida State had time for one final play . Ponder took the snap from the shotgun , rolled right , and , under pressure , fired a low pass to Fortson , who was unable to corral the ball before it short - hopped off the end zone turf as time expired . In recognition of their strong performances , Harris was named ACC Offensive Back of the Week and Brandon Harris was selected as ACC Defensive Back of the Week . # 13 Georgia Tech . Ten days after their upset win over the Seminoles , Miami faced off against Georgia Tech , who had won four straight games against the Hurricanes . Last season , Miami gave up 472 yards on the ground ( most given up by the school since 1944 ) in a blowout loss 41 – 23 , removing them from ACC Championship contention . Georgia Tech won the coin toss and settled for a 32 - yard field goal . Miami then proceeded to score on their first three possessions ( Harris threw a 40 - yard throw to WR LaRon Byrd , 18 yarder to TE Dedrick Epps and Matt Bosher converted a FG ) . The Hurricanes led 17 – 3 at the end of the half . Javarris James controlled the opening Hurricane drive of the half , first catching a ball for three yards , running for 14 , 6 and than 3 to score . The Yellow Jackets ' Anthony Allen answered with a 3 - yard run of his own after Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt threw a 39 - yard pass to WR Demaryius Thomas . Harris threw his third TD of the night , this time to TE Jimmy Graham for a 31 – 13 score and the resulting kickoff by Alex Uribe resulted in good field position for the Hurricanes ' defense . Pinned down on their own 23 , Georgia Tech lost 23 yards , which resulted in a safety . The fourth quarter featured the Hurricanes running the ball and Bosher missed FGs for 26 and 31 . Newsbitt threw his only TD pass of the night to Thomas for 56 yards . With the 33 – 17 win , for the first time since 1988 , Miami opened their season with back - to - back wins against ranked opponents . The school improved to 14 – 2 overall and 10 – 0 at home on Thursday nights . After the massive amount of rushing yardage given up in last year ' s contest , Miami managed to give up 95 , 228 total against the Yellow Jackets ' triple option . The Hurricanes ' defense also contained the ailing preseason All - American and reigning ACC Player of the Year running back Jonathan Dwyer ( shoulder injury ) . Dwyer finished with 7 yards on five carries . With 270 yards and 3 touchdowns , Harris was named ACC Offensive Back of the Week for the second time of the season . # 12 Virginia Tech . At a rain - soaked Lane Stadium , Miami was unable to get on track against a tough Virginia Tech defense , losing its first game of the year , 31 – 7 . Jacory Harris struggled with both the wet conditions and the Hokie pass rush , going 9 for 25 for 150 yards with 1 interception and 1 fumble , while the Miami defense was powerless to stop the Virginia Tech rushing attack , which racked up 272 yards on 55 attempts . A strip - sack of Harris on Miami ' s first possession of the game set - up Virginia Tech ' s first touchdown , and a 48 - yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor on the Hokies ' next series put the ' Canes in a 14 – 0 first quarter hole . Miami ' s woes continued in the second quarter when Matt Bosher ' s punt was blocked and returned 1 - yard for a Virginia Tech touchdown . Miami briefly seized the momentum at the start of the second half , scoring a quick touchdown on its opening drive and forcing a three - and - out on Virginia Tech ' s next possession . Down 21 – 7 , Harris then drove the Hurricanes into Virginia Tech territory , but a couple of critical drops by tight end Jimmy Graham short - circuited the drive and Miami would not threaten again for the rest of the game . # 8 Oklahoma . Behind three touchdown passes from Jacory Harris , Miami overcame a sluggish start and was able to upset Sam Bradford - less Oklahoma 21 – 20 , knocking the Sooners out of national championship contention and exacting a measure of revenge for a humiliating 51 – 13 defeat suffered at Oklahoma in 2007 . Playing without defending Heisman Trophy winner Bradford , who missed the game with a sprained shoulder , Oklahoma controlled the early part of the game , intercepting Harris on Miami ' s first two possessions and taking a 10 – 0 lead early in the second quarter . Harris shook off his early struggles on Miami ' s next series and threw an 18 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham to bring the Hurricanes within 3 . The game seemed to turn on the opening kickoff of the second half when a punishing tackle by special teamer Corey Nelms energized the crowd and backed up Oklahoma on its own 15 - yard line . Two plays later , cornerback Brandon Harris sacked Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones , causing him to fumble . The ball was recovered at the 11 - yard line by Miami ' s Joe Joseph , and on the very next play , Jacory Harris gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the night with an 11 - yard touchdown pass to Dedrick Epps . After another Oklahoma punt , Harris put the Hurricanes up 21 – 10 with a 38 - yard touchdown pass to a wide open Travis Benjamin . Oklahoma answered with an impressive 9 - play , 81 - yard touchdown drive on its very next possession ( kept alive by a dubious roughing the kicker penalty on a punt ) and added a field goal with 4 : 18 left in the fourth quarter to cut the score to 21 - 20 . Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops then elected to kick deep rather than attempt an onside kick , and Miami , behind effective running by Javarris James ( 15 rushes , 150 yards ) and a critical third - down conversion pass from Harris , was able to drive deep into Oklahoma territory and run out the clock for its first win over a top 10 opponent in five tries dating back to 2005 . Offensive tackle Jason Fox graded out at 99 percent , racked up 3 pancake blocks , and did not allow a sack in a performance that earned him ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors . Wake Forest . Dropped in the rankings by nine spots , Miami headed to Winston - Salem , North Carolina without two starters : LB Sean Spence ( knee and replaced by sophomore Ramon Buchanan ) and RB Javarris James ( Lower extremities ) . Bosher continued his kickoff duties due to Uribe ' s struggle the previous week . Despite being outgained 555 to 356 ( most given up by the school in nine years ) and playing behind most of the game , the Hurricanes managed to escape with a 28 – 27 victory in BB & T Field after a 13 - yard Jacory Harris rainbow pass to Travis Benjamin gave them the lead with 1 : 08 remaining . It was their sixth straight win against the Demon Deacons and put them 7 – 3 overall . Host Wake Forest entered in a slump , having lost two straight losing two straight to Clemson and Navy and scoring a touchdown only once in the last nine quarters . However , it was they who put the first 17 points on the board , led by QB Riley Skinner who threw 18 - for - 22 and accounted for two touchdowns . Harris connected with Aldarius Johnson for a 35 - yard touchdown . True freshman kicker Jimmy Newman tacked on three for Wake Forest with 42 seconds remaining , but a 39 - second Hurricane drive culminated in a touchdown after a three yard run by RB Damien Berry , cutting the once 17 - point margin to 6 . However Skinner tossed a 44 - yard touchdown to Chris Givens in the third quarter , bumping it up to thirteen and Harris was intercepted on the subsequent drive . Early in the fourth , Miami caught a break when Deacons redshirt sophomore Devon Brown fumbled a punt after attempting to field it over his shoulder . The Hurricanes recovered at the two and scored on a catch by TE Tervaris Johnson with 11 : 47 left , cutting the lead to 27 – 21 . Midway through the quarter Riley Skinner left the game after suffering a " slight concession " after rushing on a quarterback keeper . Replaced by fifth - year senior Ryan McManus , Wake Forest failed to eat up enough clock and punted with 2 : 40 left to play . Starting on his own 18 , Harris threw a 29 - yard pass to Thearon Collier before being sacked for a loss of six . Facing 4th - and - 16 Miami failed on their first two passes ( a drop and an incompletion ) . Facing 4th and 16 , Aldarius Johnson grabbed a 29 - yarder . After tossing to Travis Benjamin for a 19 - yard gain , Harris found him again for 13 yards and the lead with 1 : 08 remaining , capping an 82 - yard drive in 1 minute and 32 seconds . Downed at their own 21 , Wake Forest moved the ball 62 yards to settle for a 60 - yard field goal attempt , which sailed wide right . After the game , the ACC honored Jacory Harris , who was 22 - 43 with 330 yards , three touchdowns , and an interception , by naming him co - Offensive Back of the Week award , shared with Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis . Virginia . The Hurricanes hosted the Cavaliers for the first time since the Cavaliers won 48 – 0 at the Orange Bowl in 2007 . This time Miami won 52 – 17 at LandShark Stadium . RB Graig Cooper 152 outgained the Cavaliers ( who totaled 149 yards after sitting out starting QB Jameel Sewell ) himself with a career - best 152 yards on 18 careers and a touchdown . The Hurricanes defense pressured the Cavaliers into 75 yards passing and 74 rushing . Miami actually trailed early 10 – 3 after Jacory Harris was intercepted early by Ras - I Dowling and Cavaliers RB Rashawn Jackson ran 34 yards for a score with 2 : 54 left in the first quarter . Twenty - five seconds later , the Hurricanes tied the game with a 35 yard catch by Leonard Hankerson and went ahead just over a minute later after Thearon Collier returned a punt return for sixty yards . Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the second but running back Damien Berry broke the game open after halftime with two short touchdowns . In the fourth quarter , Cooper added his only touchdown of the day in the fourthand true freshman quarterback A . J . Highsmith provided the final margin by throwing his first career touchdown pass ; a 15 - yarder to redshirt freshman Kendal Thompkins ( his first touchdown reception of his career ) . Coming into the game , the Cavalier defense was ranked fourth in the country in passing touchdowns allowed with 4 after Air Force , Penn State and Nebreska . North Carolina . Miami traveled to Chapel Hill , North Carolina to face the North Carolina Tar Heels , who were 2 – 0 against the Hurricanes . last met at Miami on September 27 , 2008 in a game won by UNC 28 – 24 . Miami is 5 – 7 all time versus UNC . Scoring summary Champs Sports Bowl . # 25 Wisconsin . The Champs Sports Bowl took place on December 29 , 2009 , at 8 : 00PM in the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando , Florida against the Big Ten Conference representative Wisconsin Badgers . The game started off quickly for the Hurricanes as senior corner back Sam Shields returned the opening kick off for a touchdown off a reverse from Graig Cooper . A block in the back penalty against the Canes negated the touchdown , however Cooper scored on the next play on a 15 yard run that gave Miami and early 7 – 0 lead . The Badgers did not go away after the touchdown . Led by the Big Ten Player of the Year halfback John Clay , Wisconsin handled the Hurricanes up front on both ends of the ball . After the first touchdown by Clay just halfway through the first quarter , the two teams swapped field position up until Clay again found pay dirt for his second touchdown of the night giving Wisconsin a 14 – 7 advantage . After holding the Hurricanes on their next two possessions , the Badgers added a late field goal to bring the lead to 17 – 7 just before the half was out . Following the field goal , Miami ' s Graig Cooper sustained a major knee injury on the kickoff return that ruled him out of the game for the Hurricanes . Though there was no scoring for the Badgers in the second half , they simply out muscled the Hurricanes up front and controlled the ball for majority of the second half . The Hurricanes had a slim hope of victory after Jacory Harris found Thearon Collier with a touchdown pass with just over one minute in the game . After recovering the onside kick , Miami could not move the ball and the game ended with a Wisconsin victory , 20 – 14 . Player of the Game honors went to John Clay , who had 120 yards rushing and two scores .