All eyes are on Campaign '08!
Oct 30, 2009 5:31 pm US/Eastern
Harris, Hurricanes Face Wake Forest on Halloween
By Solange Reyner
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jacory Harris throws a pass while taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies at Dolphin Stadium on Nov. 13, 2008, in Miami.
Doug Benc/Getty Images
Jacory Harris tops the Atlantic Coast Conference – in interceptions. The stat is a shock for the Hurricanes' quarterback, who has 10 leading into Miami's game against Wake Forest on Saturday.
"Of course it shocks me because you don't want to throw any interceptions," Harris said. "I have to step it up. It's just how you bounce back."
The sophomore threw three in a 40-37 loss to Clemson last week, but feels like he's pinpointed what caused those turnovers. He'll have to figure it all out before Saturday - this week's game counts in the ACC standings.
"I studied it, I looked at it, and I just evaluated myself and told myself what I had to do right. Interceptions aren't OK, but you have to bounce back and help your team."
Winning games might not be enough for a shot at one of the top five bowl games. After the loss to Clemson, the Hurricanes (5-2, 2-2) fell from eighth to 18th in the AP rankings and 19th in the BCS rankings.
There are three others – Georgia Tech, Duke, and Virginia – each with one loss in the Coastal division in the ACC, the winner facing the Atlantic division winner in December.
Miami has a win over Georgia Tech, but lost to Virginia Tech in Week 3, another two-loss team in the Coastal Division.
That means Miami will need a little bit of luck to get into the ACC title game – a win that would get them into the Orange Bowl.
"We dug ourselves too deep a hole, so we can't let it go any deeper," Harris said. "The confidence level is still high. We've won five games doing things correctly and we know we can do things the right way. Right now, we just want to win the rest of our games."
That starts against Wake Forest, a team that hasn't been able to put together solid outings since graduating seven defensive starters.
The Demon Deacons (2-2, 4-4) have a solid quarterback in senior Riley Skinner, who leads the ACC in touchdowns (16). Skinner doesn't have much run support, though, and he's been sacked 20 times in the backfield.
"They run a lot of reverses, they like to throw deep and they're a great passing team," Miami defensive back Randy Phillips said.
"But it's all about us this week and how we respond. Last week, communication wasn't that good – it wasn't on point. A lot of guys have to complete their assignments."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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