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West Virginia comes into Thursday night's game struggling on offense. The Mountaineers have scored just 22 points in their last two games -- both losses -- making a quick start imperative. West Virginia is limping into a nationally televised game against Miami, so it needs a confidence boost right off the bat.

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The Hurricanes, on the other hand, have jumped on opponents with extreme haste so far this season. Miami has jumped out to a 7-0 lead in all four games it has played, and the longest it took the 'Canes to go ahead was 3:37 against East Carolina.

They are able to kill the will early thanks to that quick-strike ability and a defense that has played with great effort to this point. And with middle linebacker and defensive leader Jonathan Vilma seemingly recovered from a hamstring problem that limited him early in the year, the defense will likely be even more dominant and a quick start by Miami could make for a long night for West Virginia.

And for those thinking the Hurricanes will be looking past this game to their Oct. 11 trip to Florida State, don't count on it. Miami has proven over the years it doesn't fall into that trap like other teams, which speaks to the leadership of the veteran players. There is no complacency allowed into the program.

When West Virginia has the ball...
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez runs the same offense in Morgantown that he used to put up huge numbers with Shaun King at Tulane and Woodrow Dantzler at Clemson. Those guys established what the attack is capable of, but the last two games this year have been a struggle. The passing game gained only 161 yards against Cincinnati and Maryland and the Mountaineers turned the ball over five times in those games.

The problems have not necessarily been in one area, though. There is new blood at the skill positions and the offensive line will take the field against Miami with its fifth different lineup in five games. That lack of continuity and rhythm may be the biggest shortcoming right now.

But Rasheed Marshall is a two-year starter at quarterback and can make plays with his legs, and the Mountaineers will try to spread the field with three or four wide receivers to create lanes for Marshall and running back Quincy Wilson. West Virginia likes to keep defenses off-balance and move the sticks with the running game, but with the passing game averaging just 123 yards per game that could be difficult against Miami.

Miami will be geared up to stop Wilson after giving up 363 yards rushing to the Mountaineers last season, so the key will be whether or not Marshall and his receivers can make enough plays to soften up the defense and allow West Virginia to go back to its bread and butter.

Sophomore Chris Henry is the wideout to watch with his 4.4 speed and three touchdown catches. Henry was a non-qualifier last year and is still green, but the coaches feel his game experience this season has gotten him ready to start and have moved Miquelle Henderson to the slot to get both on the field at the same time. The wide receivers have the skill to get open against Miami's man coverage, but the question is whether Marshall will have time to show.

Vilma says this year's Miami defense has the potential to be better than it was last year, which may be surprising to some considering the questions about the defensive line. Every starter returned in the back seven but sophomore Thomas Carroll and freshman Bryan Pata are now starting at end. Still, the 'Canes lead the Big East in total defense and that experienced back seven is helping Miami hold opponents to barely 170 passing yards per game.

With Vilma back in the fold and the desire and hunger picking up, this game is a good chance to gain even more confidence before the trip to Tallahassee.

When Miami has the ball...

Miami is still trying to work out some kinks in its offense after making changes ad several positions, but the talent level is high and the potential is frightening.

The running game has not been as strong as the Hurricanes would like so far, due to a combination of shuffling along the offensive line and somewhat tentative running by Frank Gore. He has been banged up a little and has yet to fully hit his stride, but coming off a bye week Gore should be healthy and could explode against a West Virginia defense allowing more than 187 rushing yards per game.

The continuing development of new quarterback Brock Berlin is also something to watch. His outstanding performance in the second half gave him a big confidence boost, and Berlin seems to be getting more and more comfortable with the Miami scheme after sometimes locking in on one receiver early in the season. It will be interesting to see whether he has learned to trust his eyes and make the proper reads, because the Mountaineers will try first and foremost to stop Gore.

Miami wideouts Kevin Beard, Ryan Moore and Roscoe Parrish have to become the difference on offense and Berlin will have to distribute the ball accordingly for the Hurricanes to maintain some offensive balance.

West Virginia employs a 3-3-5 defense that allows the Mountaineers to easily get into an eight-man front, but there have been some personnel issues in the secondary. Brian King is the best cover guy on the team but has been moved from the boundary corner position to free safety because of injuries, making sophomore Adam Jones the new boundary corner.

The game plan is simple for West Virginia, though: take away the running game and do not allow big plays through the air. The Mountaineers feel Berlin will throw the ball into traffic if they can get pressure on him, and keep an eye on linebacker Grant Wiley against the run. Wiley is the leading tackler for WVU and one of the best linebackers in the conference, and his play against the Miami rushing attack will be key.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN College GameDay and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the college football season.