Boasting a 2-0 record for the first time since its 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference championship season, Pittsburgh hosts West Virginia in the 107th installment of the “Backyard Brawl” rivalry series on Saturday.
The Panthers needed second-half dramatics to beat another Big 12 foe in Cincinnati last Saturday, rallying from a 21-point deficit to win 28-27 on Ben Sauls’ 35-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining.
Alabama transfer quarterback Eli Holstein had another stellar performance, becoming the first Pitt true or redshirt freshman to post consecutive 300-yard passing games since 1989.
Desmond Reid, formerly of Western Carolina, became the first Panther on record to tally 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game.
“I think (the comeback) gives us belief,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We talk about faith and belief all the time, and our guys believed. There was never a time … where our guys didn’t think they could get it done.”
Pitt’s focus now shifts to its rival from 75 miles away in Morgantown, where the Mountaineers won 17-6 in last season’s matchup. The two teams are meeting for the third straight year after realignment paused what was an annual series between 1943 and 2011.
“(There may not be) many more important rivalry games in the country,” Narduzzi said. “This is the one that people in Pittsburgh live for. This is the one that people down south live for.”
However, Narduzzi’s Monday press conference began with a brief statement addressing Pitt parting ways with athletic director Heather Lyke.
“She’s done a great job, she’s got great energy and (I) appreciate everything she’s done there,” Narduzzi said. “I wish her and family all the luck personally and professionally as far as her next move.”
West Virginia (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to Penn State, trouncing FCS foe UAlbany 49-14 behind 553 yards of total offense and quarterback Garrett Greene passing for three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth.
“I think those games are hard sometimes because you’re not only supposed to win, but you’re supposed to win by a lot,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “Sometimes there’s some undue pressure and it’s hard to perform, but I thought our guys did that.”
Defensive lineman Eddie Vesterinen will “probably be out a few weeks,” Brown said. Vesterinen was helped off the field in the second quarter against UAlbany.
Regardless of who takes the field, the coach will not need any added motivation come Saturday.
Although West Virginia was the winner last year, Brown remembers his team’s last trip to Pittsburgh in 2022. The Panthers scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes for a 38-31 win.
The coach sure won’t need any added motivation.
“First time back at Acrisure Stadium since the disappointment in ’22,” Brown said. “That’s still very fresh on our minds — on mine. I can’t speak for our players, but on mine it is.”
