Well the 102nd edition of the Backyard Brawl is in the books.  Unfortunately, it’s not going in the way Panthers fans would have liked.  WVU upset our Panthers 19-16 in Morgantown Friday night.  It was a close game, as the Backyard Brawl tends to be, with the Mountaineers kicking a field goal with no time left to win the game. 

The first half was relatively quiet.  WVU seemed to stall on offense and was only able to put up a single field goal in the first half.  Pitt’s offense was equally unimpressive, missing a field goal and also only putting up three points in the first half. 

In the third quarter, WVU’s Noel Devine broke through the Pitt defense and ran 88 yards for the game’s first touchdown.  Pitt was unable to score their first touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when Bill Stull found Jonathan Baldwin deep for 6.  That touchdown tied the game at 16 points each with 2:54 left in the game. 

In the end, WVU got the ball off of the kickoff and was able to drive 42 yards into field goal position with a drive that included a fourth down conversion.  The Mountaineers’ freshman kicker, Tyler Bitancurt, made his fourth field goal of the game to take the win. 

The game had a completely different look than what was expected.  Pitt’s dynamic offense was nowhere to be found for most of the game.  Dion Lewis was one of only a few bright spots for Pitt as he racked up another game with over 100 yards rushing.  Lewis ran for 155 yards on 26 carries.  Ray Graham only got the ball once for a loss of one yard.  Baldwin seemed well covered, but was able to somehow rack up 127 yards and Pitt’s only touchdown.  Dorin Dickerson was fairly quiet aside from dropping a few passes that should have been caught.  Cedric McGee had only one catch, as did Hynoski.  Mike Shanahan was Pitt’s second leading receiver in the game, yet he only managed 17 yards on 2 receptions. Stull threw two interceptions and looked unsettled all game.   

Pitt’s defense was actually quite strong.  In the first quarter, it looked like WVU was going to struggle to go anywhere with Pitt’s defense.  On the Mountaineers’ first two drives, they actually lost yardage.  When they finally drove down the field on Pitt, the defense stuffed them on fourth and goal.  Overall, the defense was able to manage Devine and stop the Mountaineers from putting up big yardage.  Unfortunately, they got no help from the offense.  Their few mistakes, allowing Devine’s 88 yard touchdown and allowing the final drive, cost the Panthers more than they should have. 

In the end, the loss means nothing to the Big East race.  Pitt hosts Cincinnati next weekend at Heinz Field for what is essentially the Big East Championship game. If Pitt wins, they take the Big East BCS bowl bid.  However, Pitt now needs Rutgers to beat WVU next week to ensure that the Panthers take second place in the Big East if they lose to Cincinnati.  The second place Big East team will now go to the Gator Bowl since Notre Dame is ineligible after losing to Stanford and dropping to 6-6.  If WVU were to beat Rutgers and Pitt were to lose to Cincinnati, Pitt would tie for second place with WVU.  As the head-to-head tiebreaker winner, WVU would get the Gator Bowl invitation leaving the Panthers to a less attractive bowl game.

Pitt wasn’t the only ranked team to fall to their rival.  Georgia beat #7 Georgia Tech (30-24). Oklahoma shut down #12 Oklahoma State (27-0).  South Carolina beat #18 Clemson (34-17).  NC State edged out #24 North Carolina (28-27).  And Mississippi State crushed #25 Ole Miss (41-27). 

But that’s how rivalries go. It wouldn’t be a brawl if each team didn’t wreak havoc for the other.  This year isn’t exactly payback for the 2007 loss that Pitt handed a #2 National Championship-bound WVU, but it’s a bit of relief for WVU fans.  For Pitt fans, it’s just another reason to hate WVU.