IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGIAN

By Matt Whitfield

Ask anyone what they think of when they think of late November, most will tell you Thanksgiving. Ask any current or former WVU or PITT student and there first response might not be Thanksgiving, but the Backyard Brawl. This Friday the Mountaineers take on the Panthers in what will be the 101st meeting of the Backyard Brawl. The brawl is the 14th oldest series in college football, in which the Panthers hold the all time series lead 60-37-3. This years game is extra significant for the Mountaineers as there looking to avenge a 13-9 defeat in last years game; a defeat which kept them out of the national title game.

Between last year and now, coming into the brawl, there has been a vast change of outlook. Last year Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was thought to be fighting for his job as many people had written off the Panthers and already penciled the Mountaineers in the National Championship game. West Virginia unexpectedly lost last years game, and then later much of their coaching staff as Rich Rodriguez and co departed to Ann Arbor. This year many Mountaineer fans will tell you there teams having a let down year, after holding a 7-3 record, and a 3-1 conference record. West Virginia was picked to finish 1st in the Big East, and was picked by many to be in what would be there 4th consecutive BCS Bowl game. That seems unlikely now. Pitt however is right on par with the preseason Polls and is seeing a resurgence in their football program thanks to standout RB Lesean Mccoy.


West Virginia and Pitt run vastly different offenses. The Mountaineers rely heavily on athletes to make plays on the field and in the air while the Panthers rely primarily on their NFL Lottery bound RB Lesean Mccoy. This year Mccoy has almost as many TD’s (18) as the rest of the team. If Pittsburgh is to win tomorrow they’ll need a big game from Mccoy. In fewer than two seasons Mccoy already has twelve 100 yard rushing games, and a 148 yard game in last years Backyard Brawl. West Virginia however ranks 18th in turnover margin, and has vastly improved on the defensive front from the beginning of this season to now. West Virginia is also just allowing 320.4 yards a game, and many Mountaineers vividly remember what Mccoy did last year so expect to see a bullseye on him.

West Virginia is led by a three headed monster of Pat White, Noel Devine, and Jock Sanders. Any of three is capable of scoring in an instant with sub 4.4 speed. However, last year the Panthers held the three to no TD’s and 106 yards of offense combined. If West Virginia is to win they better hope last year was an aberration. This year the three have accounted for 36 TD’s and 3,796 yards of offense. If the Mountainers are to win Friday the trio also need to stay relatively free of the clutches of senior LB Scott Mckillop. The semifinalist of the Bednarik/Lott award leads the nation in solo stops (7.2), is 10th in total tackles (10.6), and is 16th in TFLs (1.45). In last years brawl Mckillop also lead the Panthers with 9 TFL.

Kickoff Friday is slated for Noon at Heinz Field. The Mountaineers have won four out of the last six Backyard Brawls, however there were coached by Rich Rodriguez in each of the six previous games. If current West Virginia coach Bill Stewart loses this game look for the rabid Mountaineer fans to again call for his firing.