As Sept. 1 rapidly approaches, many eyes are turning to Acrisure Stadium (formerly known as Heinz Field) for the resurgence of the Backyard Brawl.
With the game being sold out along with ESPN’s College GameDay coming to town, this game has national buzz around it.
Acrisure Stadium has been home to Pitt since it opened in 2001, after the Panthers spent 74 years at Pitt Stadium and one season at Three Rivers Stadium — the former home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Since, Pitt has resided at Acrisure Stadium. WVU has met the Panthers five times in the NFL stadium, posting a 3-2 record.
In the first Backyard Brawl at the new stadium in 2002, WVU came in with an 8-3 record, and met a Pitt team with Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver.
WVU was led by sophomore quarterback Rasheed Marshall, who scampered past the Panther defense on a third down for a 19-yard touchdown. Marshall also escaped a sack in WVU’s territory and threw a back-breaking 79-yard touchdown pass to Phil Braxton to go up 24-10.
Pitt came within a score of the Mountaineers down the stretch, but WVU’s defense came up with a big fourth down stop when the Panthers were in the red zone. WVU won by the score of 24-17.
In 2004, the Backyard Brawl was more of a defensive battle, with only one touchdown being scored in each half. WVU led for most of the game, but Pitt would win 16-13 by scoring a short-distance touchdown with under five minutes left.
In 2006, WVU came into Pittsburgh ranked No. 8 in the nation, and all eyes were on sophomore stars Pat White and Steve Slaton. It’s fair to say they did not disappoint, as the duo combined for 769 yards of total offense and all six of WVU’s touchdowns.
Pitt brought its offense in the first half, scoring three touchdowns, and added a score with an incredible punt return touchdown by future NFL star Darrelle Revis. Pitt took a 27-24 lead into halftime, but all hopes of an upset were dismantled in the second half, when WVU outscored the Panthers 21-0.
Pat White ran for two touchdowns in the second quarter, with one being from 64 yards out, and Steve Slaton put the Panthers to bed with a 55-yard, fourth quarter touchdown. WVU won 45-27.
In 2008, WVU would be disappointed in the final seconds. The game was a defensive battle, as the only touchdown from WVU came on a 54-yard run by senior Pat White.
Leading 15-7 in the final 10 minutes of the game, WVU just couldn’t keep moving the ball. Pitt’s Le’Sean McKoy made it a 15-13 game with a touchdown with 8:07 left, and with just 52 seconds remaining, McKoy walked in for the game winning touchdown.
The Mountaineers would avenge the 2008 loss when they returned to Pittsburgh in 2010. With both teams wearing special Nike Pro Combat jerseys, WVU proved to be the most ready for the anticipated battle.
WVU led Pitt 14-7 at the half, but the third quarter is where the Mountaineers left their mark. Early in the quarter, quarterback Geno Smith found Tavon Austin on a deep ball, and Austin ran away from the Pitt secondary for a 71-yard score.
Smith would go right back to Austin later in the quarter when he threw a jump ball in the end zone. Austin came down with the ball over the defender for the 12-yard touchdown. WVU would take a commanding 28-10 lead into the final quarter.
WVU’s Ryan Clarke ran in a touchdown to put the game away with 7:45 left, and WVU went on to win 35-10.
Though it is a small sample size, the Backyard Brawl has proven to be entertaining for the college football world inside the home of the Steelers.
Neal Brown and his staff are preparing for potentially the largest crowd during his era at WVU, and the environment will be electric and hostile.
The Mountaineers will also take on the challenge of going into a hostile environment to try to pull off an upset, as the Panthers are ranked No. 17 in the preseason AP poll.
The resurgence of the Backyard Brawl will be on Sept.1 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
