Backyard Brawl Rewind: Last Three Meetings of Pitt-WVU Rivalry
Pitt and West Virginia have played a total of 107 times in the Backyard Brawl. There’s been epic comebacks, stunning upsets and significant plays all around.
With conference realignment, the rivalry went to the wayside for a decade. The matchup finally returned in 2022, and over the course of the last three years, has delivered entertaining battles filled with hatred and plenty of storylines.
Before Pitt and West Virginia hit the field for the final time before another three-year break, let’s take a look back at the three games in the most recent installment of the Backyard Brawl.
2022: The Tipped Pick-Six
Rivalries are often defined by legendary players and big plays, and the return of the Backyard Brawl had exactly that. After a 10-year hiatus, Pitt and West Virginia took center stage in a Thursday night prime-time matchup to kickoff the 2022 season in front of a Pittsburgh-sports record crowd of 70,622.
As the two programs saw momentum swing back and forth, West Virginia held a touchdown lead with less than six minutes to go. The Panthers marched down the field and eventually tied the game with a 24-yard touchdown reception by running back Israel Abanikanda.
All West Virginia needed was to protect the ball, kill clock and put points on the board to walk out of Heinz Field with a victory.
Then came the unthinkable. A simple pass from WVU quarterback JT Daniels tipped off the hands of Bryce Ford-Wheaton and fell into the arms of Pitt cornerback M.J. Devonshire. The Aliquippa, Pa. native raced to the end zone while picking up multiple blocks for the touchdown that sent the Pitt crowd into a frenzy with 2:58 to play. Just like that, the game was flipped on its head.
Final score: 38-31 Pitt
Key Stats
Total Offense: WVU: 214 yards | Pitt: 384 yards
Passing Offense: WVU: 214 yards | Pitt: 308 yards
Rushing Offense: WVU 190 yards (5.8 avg.) | Pitt: 76 yards (2.0 avg.)
Turnovers: WVU: 2 | Pitt: 1
Pitt QB Kedon Slovis: 16-24 | 308 yards | 1 TD | 0 INT
WVU QB JT Daniels: 23-40 | 214 yards | 2 TD | 1 INT
2023: A Defensive Slugfest in Morgantown
As the series turned to Morgantown, W.Va., Pitt walked into a hostile and energetic atmosphere. Neal Brown and the Mountaineers had something to prove.
To WVU’s benefit, Pitt never showed up offensively. The Panthers marched down the field on their opening drive by running the ball every single play. However, once inside the 10-yard line, the Pitt offense stalled out and settled for a Ben Sauls field goal.
That would be the closest the Panthers got towards the end zone. For the second week in a row, quarterback Phil Jurkovec was abysmal. He threw three ugly-looking interceptions, one of which was picked off by Aubrey Burks and returned to the Pitt 7-yards line. On the ensuing play, backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol, who entered the game after Garrett Greene left with an injury, connected with Kole Taylor for the game’s first touchdown with less than five minutes to go in the first half.
The Mountaineers added another touchdown, this time from CJ Donaldson on the ground in the third quarter. WVU took home the defensive slugfest to even the recent series 1-1.
Final score: 17-6 West Virginia
Key Stats
Total Offense: Pitt: 211 yards | WVU: 211 yards
Passing Offense: Pitt: 81 yards | WVU 60 yards
3rd Down Conversions: Pitt: 4-of-13 | WVU: 4-of-12
Penalties: Pitt: 9-65 yards | WVU: 4-52 yards
Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec: 8-20 | 0 TD | 3 INT | 35 rush yds.
WVU RB CJ Donaldson: 18 attempts | 102 yards | 1 TD
2024: Comeback Cats
A week prior to the 2024 Backyard Brawl, Pitt stared down a 21-point deficit late in the third quarter on the road at Cincinnati. Behind the play of Eli Holstein and Desmond Reid, Pitt clawed back for its largest come-from-behind victory since 1971 as the Panthers won 28-27.
Fast-forward to the Brawl, Pitt was in another tough predicament. The Panthers had played the Mountaineers closely with two scores from Desmond Reid through the air and a blocked punt that was returned by Brandon George to put Pitt in front 24-27 in the third quarter.
However, WVU rattled off three consecutive scores that included a CJ Donaldson run and a 28-yard reception from quarterback Garrett Greene to Justin Robinson.
Pitt received the ball back down 10 points with 4:55 to go in the game. Holstein commanded the offense down the field with a pair of big scrambles for 10 and 24 yards. Once into WVU territory, the Panthers were backed up with a pair of penalties. On second-and-30, Holstein stepped up in the pocket and delivered a ball into double coverage in the end zone. Through the chaos, Daejon Reynolds came down with the 40-yards touchdown reception.
The Pitt defense came up with a quick three-and-out, including a Jimmy Scott sack of Greene. The Panthers once again marched down the field with Holstein relying on his legs a handful of times, including a dash that saw him break through a face mask hold by a WVU defender for a 17-yard pickup.
Pitt capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown by Derrick Davis Jr. Kyle Louis sealed the game with an interception as the Panthers pulled off another epic comeback in as many weeks.
Final score: Pitt 38-34
Key Stats
Total Offense: WVU: 398 yards | Pitt: 379 yards
Passing Offense: WVU: 210 yards | Pitt: 301 yards
Rushing Offense: WVU: 188 yards (4.2 avg.) | Pitt: 78 yards (2.7 avg.)
3rd Down Conversions: WVU: 3-of-14 | Pitt: 1-of-8
Turnovers: WVU: 2 | Pitt: 0
Pitt QB Eli Holstein: 21-30 | 301 yards | 3 TD | 0 INT
WVU QB Garrett Greene: 16-30 | 210 yards | 2 TD | 2 INT
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