’Canes want another shot at Tigers
Path to rematch begins Saturday vs. Pittsburgh
After the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes’ promising start to the 2020 season took a hit with their 42-17 loss at No. 1 Clemson last Saturday, the goal now is to win out the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference slate to get another shot at the Tigers in the ACC Championship Game.
Those aspirations begin on Saturday afternoon as UM hosts
a tough, gritty Pittsburgh team in a noon kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.
“We’re going to have a chance to play [Clemson] again, hopefully, at the end of the season,” defensive end Jaelan Phillips said, “but we just have to focus on Pitt right now. That’s obviously what’s prevalent to us.”
In order to rebound, the Hurricanes (3-1, 2-1) can lean on an in-game motto as a microcosm of how to progress forward.
“Play the next play,” striker Gilbert Frierson said. “That’s our motto this year, always. Whatever happened, last play, that’s last play. You can’t go back and fix that. You only can control what’s next.”
Said center Corey Gaynor: “We’re not going to let one week define this team.”
Miami has a chance to put that defeat behind it in a game the Hurricanes, as 13 ½-point favorites, should win. But that’s exactly the mentality coach Manny Diaz is trying to guard against, especially
with UM losing to FIU, Louisiana Tech, Duke and Georgia Tech last season.
“Inside this program, we’re taking an approach of having respect for everybody that we play,” said Diaz. “Because what we’ve proven is, when we play well, we can beat anybody and, when we don’t play well, we can get beaten by anybody.”
To beat Pitt, which is 3-2 and 2-2 in the ACC after consecutive one-point losses to N.C. State and Boston College, the Hurricanes will likely face a similar game plan that Clemson exposed. The Tigers stacked the box defensively, eliminating Miami’s run game and effectively played receivers one-onone on the outside.
“Knowing [Pittsburgh coach] Pat Narduzzi very well, that’s what he’s been doing since he was at Michigan State. That’s what they’ve been doing every year they’ve been at Pittsburgh,” Diaz said. “They’re going to put as many people as they can find close to the line of scrimmage. They’re going to play press man-toman on the outside, and they’re going to force you to throw the ball down the field and win some one-onone matchups down the field.”
Miami quarterback D’Eriq King and his receivers — he may be without star junior tight end Brevin Jordan, who is questionable with a shoulder injury — will look to be better in that regard.
“We came here this week, and everybody was honest with each other,” King said. “I was honest with myself, and they were honest with themselves. They know, and I know, that we got to get better throwing and catching one-on-one balls. If not, teams are going to play us like that every single week.”
The Hurricanes offensive line will have to protect King and get a push to establish the run game against a Panthers defensive front that leads the nation with 25 sacks and 52 tackles for loss. That unit is led by redshirt senior defensive ends Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver, a Cooper City alum.
“They have two good defensive ends, probably two of the best defensive ends in our league,” Gaynor said. “We got to have a great week of pass protection and blitz pickup and get ready for these guys.”
Pitt senior quarterback Kenny Pickett is dealing with an ankle injury but is likely to play. He’s completing 60 percent of passes for 1,389 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions through five games.
“He’s super good,” said Miami safety Bubba Bolden, who has been named ACC Defensive Back of the Week twice this season. “You see the numbers in the pass game. He definitely has an arm. You definitely have to look out for that, and he definitely can run. He’s a tough guy.”
The Panthers also return senior running back A.J. Davis, who missed the last two games with an injury. They’ve been led in the run game thus far by sophomore Cardinal Gibbons alum Vincent Davis (235 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 99 receiving yards).
“The next Saturday is always coming,” said Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee on bouncing back from the loss at Clemson. “If we would’ve won, we’d be in the same situation. We’d have to get ready for Pitt.
“If you sit around and you sulk and you feel sorry for yourself, what kind of message is that going to send to [the players]? We got to get ready to go play Pitt. … That loss the other night hurts. It was a missed opportunity. It doesn’t define us. How we respond is what’s important.”
“If you sit around and you sulk and feel sorry for yourself, what kind of message is that going to send to [the players]?”
— UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee