Despite loss, Backyard Brawl matters

The Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers have lined up across from each other 100… The Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers have lined up across from each other 100 times. However, as Pitt and West Virginia prepare for a 101st meeting Friday at noon, only one previous installment of the Backyard Brawl is on the minds of players, fans and analysts. When Pitt upset West Virginia, 13-9, last season in Morgantown, W.Va., it sent shockwaves across the college football landscape. According to college football historian and commentator Beano Cook, last year’s game rocked the entire Mountaineer football program. ‘It was a very tough defeat for [West Virginia]. It was more than losing a football game,’ said Cook. ‘They lost a football coach. They lost a chance to play for the national title. It was probably one of the most devastating defeats in the history of their program.’ The game springboarded Pitt into a successful offseason of recruiting and increased expectations for its 2008 campaign. Now, 10 games into the season, the Panthers (7-3, 3-2) and Mountaineers (7-3, 4-1) will clash in front of a national television audience on ABC. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart is looking forward to the national stage and likes the idea of two-storied programs that are having successful seasons squaring off. ‘I think it’s a wonderful rivalry,’ said Stewart during a teleconference on Sunday. ‘It’s great for college football that two teams of our stature are having good years.’ Radio personality Guy Junker also highlighted the importance of this game for the Big East ‘mdash; considering the amount of criticism the conference has taken lately. ‘The Big East is such a young conference, it doesn’t have much tradition, but to have two teams that have played for 100 years adds tradition to [the Big East],’ said Junker. ‘If both teams are playing well, that legitimizes the whole conference.’ Junker will be joined by his co-host Stan Savran and Cook for a Backyard Brawl pregame show, which will air live prior to the game in front of Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36. The show will be broadcasted on ESPN Radio 1250 AM, and fans are encouraged to attend the event as part of their tailgating festivities. The spectacle surrounding this game and rivalry was enough to take some players by surprise. Pitt sophomore defensive end Jabaal Sheard wasn’t expecting such a heated grudge match. ‘Coming from Florida, I was just surprised how big of a game this is [and] how much energy it takes to play in a game like this,’ said Sheard. Pitt players expect the intensity to be cranked up even further because of last year’s result. While Stewart refuses to use the term ‘revenge,’ Pitt kicker Conor Lee knows that payback will be on the minds of the Mountaineers. ‘We ruined everything for them last year,’ said Lee. ‘They were heading to a national championship. I’m sure they were thinking about that for a whole year, but we’ve been thinking about it for a long time, too.’ The first Backyard Brawl was in 1895, and while Pitt holds a 60-37-3 advantage over West Virginia, the unpredictable nature of these games is a characteristic of this rivalry embraced by people outside and inside the programs. ‘Frankly, I believe all the hype that [says] you can throw out the records,’ said Junker. ‘I think no matter what the teams’ records are, they still think it’s a special game.’ Despite the fact that Pitt has been eliminated from Big East title contention, Lee is confident that the Panthers will be refocused when West Virginia comes to town. ‘We have a lot of older guys on this team and guys that have been playing for a while, and they understand the importance of playing against West Virginia,’ said Lee. ‘This game is always a big game for us, it doesn’t matter what the records are. We showed that last year. ‘You never know what happens in this game. We always look forward to it, no matter what’s at stake.’ Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said during his press conference Monday that he cherishes his involvement in this rivalry in the same manner in which he remembers his participation in NFL playoff games and the Super Bowl. ‘Before I was coaching here, I’d be some place with a bunch of buddies and the stories that would come up would always be about West Virginia, Penn State and Notre Dame games,’ said Wannstedt. ‘Those are the games that people talk about as ex-players and [alumni].’ The stage is set for Friday’s meeting of two bowl-eligible rivals, and Stewart had one prediction for the game: ‘This is going to be a great classic.’