A match-up of former Big East rivals, the Miami Hurricanes notched their first bowl win since 2006 over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya<\/a><\/strong> was named Russell Athletic Bowl MVP after a 282 yard, 4 touchdown performance.<\/p>\n As well as one of the Hurricanes best offensive performances this season, the young defense held the #16 ranked Mountaineers to 14 points. After taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, West Virginia wouldn’t score again until the third quarter. Miami’s defense limited the 12th ranked offense to a season-low 229 total yards.<\/p>\n The last time these teams met was in 2003, a 22-20 Hurricane victory. However, the bad blood from their Big East days was still present.<\/p>\n As is common during bowl games, both teams made an appearance and a charity event earlier in the week. West Virginia players taunted Miami with calls of “bye Felicia”<\/a> along with choice words towards stars Stacy Coley<\/a><\/strong> and Rashawn Jenkins. Fortunately, tensions did not escalate. But judging by the final score, it obviously gave the Hurricanes fodder for their 31-14 victory. Miami overcame a slow start, particularly Kaaya’s accuracy, to take control of the game in the second half.<\/p>\n The Hurricanes defense kept West Virginia’s offense out of rhythm for the majority of the game. Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard<\/a><\/strong> had difficulty finding open receivers and staying in the pocket.<\/p>\n After the game, Kaaya was non-committal on his future plans in Coral Gables. Hurricane tight end\u00a0David Njoku<\/a><\/strong> announced that he would be entering the upcoming NFL draft immediately after the game.<\/p>\nBad Blood<\/h3>\n