PITTSBURGH — Finally, thankfully, the Backyard Brawl returned to college football Thursday night. Fans watched a game to tell their grandkids about, but were also reminded of the excitement, hatred and yes, chants of profanity, that go hand in hand with this lost rivalry.
Eleven years separated the last clash between the schools. That means neither the players nor the students in the Panther Pit, which was filled well before kickoff, had never experienced it before.
However, you would never know it. Pittsburgh rallied for two touchdowns in the final 3:41 to beat the Mountaineers 38-31 to deafening cheers from delirious students and proud Pitt fans. A Pittsburgh sports record 70,622 filled the stadium and yes, most of them were Pitt fans.
Players on both sides then began shoving and yelling at each other in the West Virginia locker room tunnel, right in front of the student section. Pitt players waved goodbye as the Mountaineers left.
Defensive back Marquis Williams yelled, “Go into traffic!” Safety Brandon Hill yelled, “We’re good! They lost!”
West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons got into a shouting match with a Pitt staff member before leaving. Williams punctuated the scene by chanting “Eat S— West Virginia” — changing the team names to the profane West Virginia chant, “Eat s— Pitt.”
West Virginia’s Dante Stills (55) is pulled away from Pittsburgh players after the game. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
Afterward, in the victorious locker room, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi spoke to his team about the mistakes they made that needed to be corrected, but he saved the most important statement for last: “You’re 1-0 at the Backyard Brawl!”
That was largely thanks to MJ Devonshire’s 56-yard drive with 2:58 left to put Pitt ahead for good. Devonshire grew up in Pittsburgh, but left high school in Kentucky before returning to Pitt. Afterwards he said he grew up with the rivalry, dreaming of playing in a match like this.
To get his players to truly understand the history and hatred that defines this rivalry, Narduzzi brought in Pitt legends to talk to the team. Former coach Dave Wannstedt, who pulled off the biggest upset in rivalry history in 2007, spoke to the team Thursday in what Devonshire called “one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“Coach Wannstedt said, ‘Somebody’s always going to be legendary. It could be you. When he said that on Thursday I said, “Why not me?” I was excited that it could be me.”
Very cool Pitt trio here pic.twitter.com/o7nlbNOQmW
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) September 1, 2022
The collective joy of seeing these two teams play again was evident long before kick-off.
Starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, 10 hours before kickoff, a small contingent of West Virginia fans gathered in a hotel parking lot to begin their day of tailgating, and well, no one he held nothing back. Eleven long years, and the passion, the hatred, still burns hotter for Pitt than any other team on its calendar.
“It’s just embedded in us to hate Pitt,” said Ben Booth, who dropped his kids off at school in Bridgeport, West Virginia, then took I-79 to Pittsburgh. “You hate Pitt all your life. You hate Pitt after he dies. You never stop hating.”
Booth says that’s true even for young kids growing up in West Virginia, who have never experienced a backyard fight for themselves.
“Nothing has changed,” Booth said. “Like kids in school, in elementary school, in high school. They’ve never seen the game, and they still hate Pitt in West Virginia. Every time you hear ‘Sweet Caroline,’ every kid knows what they to do”.
What exactly do they do when they hear the song Pitt plays in the fourth quarter?
“Eat s— Pitt,” Booth said.
I walked outside my hotel; there are already West Virginia fans lining up… pic.twitter.com/cJXbJNUsbS
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) September 1, 2022
Hours later, in another parking lot, Pitt fans gathered at the same spot they’ve used for more than 20 years. Roslyn Munsch, who graduated from Pitt in 1980, called her daughter, Regina, to tell her how the generational hatred continues.
“It has been passed on [to] me since I was little,” said Regina Munsch. “The 2007 Backyard Brawl was like the highlight of my childhood and shaped who I am today.”
How?
“I was born at 8:47 in the morning, which is 13 minutes to nine, and the score in that game was 13-9.”
She follows.
“My mom’s first lullaby to me was ‘Hail to Pitt,’ Pitt’s fight song. That legacy is something we have to protect and carry forward.”
At the next back door, Ben Chase took in the whole scene. He didn’t have an affiliation with either team, but he had always wanted to go to a Backyard Brawl — a game on his long list of 60 games he’s trying to attend in person this season. He drove all the way from Tucson, Arizona, just to be here, and he happened upon this tailgate because he started chatting with the woman in front of him in the port-a-potty line.
He bought his Pitt gear that day.
“It’s the Backyard Brawl,” he said. “It’s the biggest rivalry, so I thought, ‘Why not start big.'”
He lives in his van during his long weekend college football road trip, which will also take him to Charlotte, North Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta.
“I drove 2,100 miles for it,” he said. “No one you meet today has driven me to get here today more than I have.”
Two hours before kickoff, Pitt’s band played for fans outside the stadium. West Virginia fans passing by yelled, “Eat s— Pitt.” One angry Pitt fan turned around and said, “No class!”
Andrea Adelson/ESPN
He continued from there inside the stadium. Students held up signs that read, “West Virginia was our safety school” or “13-9,” the final score of the 2007 game that cost West Virginia a chance at a national championship.
With each momentum swing, the crowd grew louder and more energized. And when it was all over, Narduzzi and Pitt players praised their fans for creating an environment they’ll never forget.
“This was a backyard fight, no doubt about it,” Narduzzi said. “Let’s start today with the fans in this stadium. That place was electric.
“That’s why I came back to Pitt, to do things in this type of game,” Devonshire said. “This is the biggest rivalry in college football. I just did something crazy. For years, I can tell my kids.”