Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya enters Wednesday's Russell Athletic Bowl needing 310 passing yards to reach 10,000 yards for his career, but West Virginia defensive back Rasul Douglas will present a major challenge for Kaaya. Douglas is tied for the FBS lead with eight interceptions and he's tied for fifth in the nation with 19 disrupted dropbacks.
If Kaaya is able to get to 10,000 career passing yards, he'll join Phillip Rivers, Tajh Boyd and Thaddeus Lewis as the only ACC quarterbacks to do so. Kaaya is already Miami's career passing leader and the first player in school history to pass for over 3,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. With a win, Miami can close out the season with five straight victories, something it hasn't done since finishing undefeated during its 2001 national championship season. West Virginia, meanwhile, can post its first 11-win season since doing it in three straight seasons from 2005 to 2007.
Both teams feature elite receivers. Miami's Ahmon Richards totaled 866 receiving yards to break Michael Irvin's 31-year-old single-season freshman record. Hurricanes tight end David Njoku has also been a major contributor with 654 yards and seven touchdowns. West Virginia's Shelton Gibson ranks third in the FBS with 23.2 yards per catch.
Miami has not won a bowl game since Larry Coker's last game at the school 10 years ago, a 21-20 win over Nevada in the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Hurricanes a 56 percent chance to end that drought.
