Pitt's Ejuan Price Named ACC Defensive Player Of The Week
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - In the Panthers' 45-30 victory over the Louisville Cardinals, one player on the defensive side of the ball was especially impressive, Ejuan Price.
Price turned in one of the biggest performances by a pass rusher in college football this year as he recorded 10 tackles, six for a loss and sacked the quarterback five times.
The 5 sacks was the highest by a Bowl Subdivision player this year and was just one short of the national record.
The following about Price is from a university press release:
Price (Rankin, Pa./Woodland Hills) spearheaded a defensive effort that limited Louisville to minus-one yard on the ground, the first time Pitt held an opponent to negative yards rushing since 2002.
Price's Louisville performance was also recognized on ESPN College Football Final on Saturday night with a Helmet Sticker from Joe Tessitore.
This has been a resurgent season for Price, who was limited to only six games the past three years due to three different injuries. An unknown at the start of fall camp, he is now a driving force behind one of the country's most productive defenses.
Price is fourth in the nation and first in the ACC with an average of 1.05 sacks per game. He has 11.5 total sacks, the most by a Pitt player since 2000. He has compiled 18 tackles for loss on the year, ranking sixth nationally in that category and second in the ACC (1.6 TFLs/game).
This is the second time this season that the ACC has recognized Price's high level of play as he was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the week for his game against Notre Dam in which he recorded 8 tackles, two sacks and returned a fumble 32-yards for a touchdown.
The Panthers (8-3, 6-1 ACC) are back in action on Friday as they host Miami (7-4, 4-3 ACC) in the regular season finale.