It’s rivalry week as Pitt and West Virginia will have their 107th meeting of all time in the 2024 Backyard Brawl on Saturday.
Since returning in 2022, the two programs have split Brawl victories, with each team winning at home: Pitt in 2022 and WVU last year. The Panthers are a much different team this year, and the Mountaineers’ head coach, Neal Brown, noted that while highlighting/previewing many aspects of their game.
“Huge game obviously, one that our fans always circle, (the) Backyard Brawl. One of the best rivalries in all the college sports; I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. First time back in Acrisure stadium since the disappointment back in ’22,” Brown said.
In their first meeting since 2011, back in 2022, with College GameDay in town, West Virginia vs. Pitt came down to the wire. The Panthers sealed the victory with a late pick-six and went on to win 38-31.
This year, the Mountaineers are looking to flip the narrative on the road as they prepare for Big 12 soon after. However, Pitt is riding high into Saturday, coming off of a slim victory last week.
“They’re playing very well. They’re 2-0 coming off a huge win at Cincinnati. And they’re 2-0 and probably haven’t played their best. And so they’re going to have a lot of confidence going into the game on Saturday,” Brown said of Pitt.
Pitt took care of Kent State in week one, defeating the Golden Flashes 55-24. In week two, they came back from a 21-point deficit, rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Bearcats 28-27.
“They’re high tempo. They’re playing as fast as anybody. (They) remind me of Texas Tech a few years ago. They’re balanced; they’re rushing for almost 200 (yards), they’re throwing it for over [300]. The quarterback, who’s a red-shirt freshman, (has) been really efficient, impressed with how he’s ran,” Brown said of Pitt’s offense.
Eli Holstein, the Panthers’ quarterback, has completed 50 passes on 75 attempts (66.7%) for 635 yards and six touchdowns but has thrown two interceptions through two games. On the ground, he’s added 37 yards on 15 carries, 36 yards on 10 coming against Cincy last week.
Pitt’s runningback Desmond Reid also poses a threat, in both the rushing and passing game. He has 410 all-purpose yards and two all-purpose touchdowns thus far in 2024, averaging 8.9 yards a rush and 13 yards per catch.
“He’s a big-time player,” Brown said of Reid. “They hand it to him, they throw it to him. Really fast, tough tackle.”
Brown also touched upon Pittsburgh’s deep group of receivers, tight end Gavin Bartholomew, and tackles, who he believes will be NFL players in the future.
Defensively, Brown zeroed in on their physicality, matchups and Kyle Louis.
“It’s a typical Pitt defense, very aggressive; (they) play a lot of match quarters, cover man. The D-line’s really aggressive. They move; they’re moving maybe more than they have, playing a lot of guys up front,” Brown said. “Number nine (Louis), their star, is making a bunch of plays. They’re using him to pressure and he’s been all over the field. And then both safeties are playing at a high level and they played well against us last year. And then they’re going to put their corners on our wideouts and that’s going to be a huge matchup in the game. There’s really no surprise on what they’re going to do. They do what they do and they’ve been doing it for a long time at a high level.”
With a rivalry game that has been of such magnitude for decades, Brown said his group is excited for the opportunity to compete on Saturday.
“Our group’s excited about the opportunity, you know and to take part in a rivalry game,” Brown said. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to get back in the arena on Saturday and go up to Pitt and play in the Backyard Brawl.”
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. EST, with the game being televised on ESPN2.
