’Canes wary of letdown vs. Pitt

CORAL GABLES — In his 17-year career as a head coach, Mark Richt has never been part of one. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz hasn’t experienced one since his years as a graduate assistant at Florida State.

And Hurricanes cornerback Michael Jackson hasn’t been part of an undefeated regular season since he was playing Optimist football as a little boy in Birmingham, Ala.

But as No. 2 Miami prepares to take on Pittsburgh at chilly Heinz Field this afternoon, all of the Hurricanes know they have the opportunity to do something rare and special, something no Miami team has done since 2002.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding. Everything we’ve done as a team, now we’re one game away from finishing the regular season undefeated,” Hurricanes receiver Braxton Berrios said.

Standing between the Hurricanes (10-0, 7-0 ACC) and that milestone is Pittsburgh, a team that has struggled, hasn’t settled on a starting quarterback and would like nothing more than to finish the year on a high note by upsetting the nation’s second-ranked team.

The Hurricanes are two-touchdown favorites and experts don’t expect them to face much of a challenge from the Panthers, but no one in Coral Gables is taking anything for granted this week.

Already twice this season, Miami has taken on struggling opponents at noon, and both times the Hurricanes got a scare.

Miami came back against North Carolina in a 24-19 win in October, then last week fell behind by two touchdowns twice before scoring 30 unanswered points in a 44-28 win over Virginia. The Hurricanes have shown they can rally, but they’d prefer not to put themselves in that situation against Pittsburgh, especially considering what’s at stake.

This week, Miami jumped to No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings and remains in the hunt for the program’s sixth national championship.

For that dream to stay alive, the Hurricanes need to beat Pittsburgh. Another slow start, like the ones put together against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Syracuse, could prove costly, especially this late in the season.

As Miami sets its sights on Pittsburgh (4-7, 2-5), the Hurricanes defense — which has held opponents to an average of just 4.6 yards per play — faces some uncertainty. The Panthers list two quarterbacks — Ben DiNucci and Kenny Pickett — on their depth chart and both played in last week’s loss to Virginia Tech. Which one will get most of the action remains uncertain.

What Miami does know is that the Panthers have, in recent seasons, shown their ability to upset higher-ranked opponents. Last season Pitt notched a 43-42 win over then-No. 3 Clemson.

It was the only loss of the year for the eventual national champion Tigers, but the stakes are different for the Hurricanes. A loss this late in the year could prove too much to overcome in the quest for a national title. And while an undefeated regular season would be an accomplishment, the Hurricanes have a bigger goal.

“We know it’s a short week. We know we’re going to their house. We know it’s a big day for their seniors, the last opportunity for them to play,” Richt said. “I’m sure they’ll bring everything they’ve got and we need to bring everything we have.”