Ejaun Price’s six years at Pitt have encompassed nearly every possible emotion, from the current euphoria of a standout senior season to the uncertainty that engulfed him after injuries sidelined him for two seasons, a period in which his mother and grandmother still showed up to games to cheer for him.
In a final season at the school that can appear overwhelming at times, with his Football Bowl Subdivision-leading nine sacks routinely drawing double teams from opposing offensive lines, the defensive end is feeling something quite different heading into Saturday’s matchup at Miami – joy.
“They’re not as up-tempo as we’ve been seeing,” Price said. “I’m happy about that.”
The Hurricanes, as any player would acknowledge, are a talented team. However, after a facing two of the ACC’s faster-paced teams in the past two games, Miami and its pro-style offense present a refreshing change as the Panthers try to rebound from the disappointment of last Thursday’s loss to Virginia Tech that almost certainly removed them from conference championship contention.
“That’s like another game in and of itself, trying to play with that tempo,” safety Reggie Mitchell said. “You’re trying to get the calls from the sidelines and trying to see what the formation is. The game slows down a little bit. Hopefully we’ll have an advantage because of that.”
This season, their first under coach Mark Richt, the Hurricanes are 121st of 128 Division I teams in plays per game, placing them significantly behind many of Pitt’s most recent opponents.
The Hokies, who are 30th in the FBS in plays per game, are the fastest of that bunch, followed closely by Virginia at 39 and Marshall at 55, who the Panthers defeated on Oct. 15 and Oct. 1, respectively. Even Georgia Tech, Pitt’s slowest opponent in its past four games at 127, offered the unconventional challenge of the triple option.
Miami’s more traditional look, built around standout quarterback Brad Kaaya, provides Pitt with a break from looks and formations that, while once exotic, have developed into more of the norm in college football.
“We haven’t seen a quarterback under center in I can’t even tell you how long,” Price said of Miami. “I guess that’s not the thing anymore.”
The philosophical change that Pitt’s opponent presents has forced the Panthers to alter the way they prepare defensively. Instead of focusing on specific players, as they did for some of their more up-tempo foes, Pitt players have been keying in more on formations they will see Saturday.
That, of course, doesn’t mean opposing personnel can be ignored, as the Hurricanes possess one of the more talented rosters in the ACC, a trait that can be utilized against a beleaguered Panthers defense and secondary that hasn’t kept a major-conference opponent under 31 points this season. Leading receiver Stacy Coley is, according to cornerbacks coach Renaldo Hill, the fastest wideout Pitt has faced this season.
Though Kaaya’s yardage total (1,984) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (13 to six) have been regarded as disappointing by some, the quarterback entered the season widely projected as a first-round NFL draft pick.
Given those reasons, and others, the Panthers’ matchup against the Hurricanes stands as an oddity on the recent leg of Pitt’s schedule, but it’s anything from a reprieve.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily a relief,” Hill said. “They’re a really good ball team that lost to four really good teams. They’re going to come in and try to dominate us. We’re going to have to be prepared on our end and we have to make sure we close those barn doors on the things other teams have been doing to us to make plays.”
Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG.
First Published: November 2, 2016, 4:00 a.m.