Ahead of the 106th edition of the Backyard Brawl, we look back at some of the most memorable brawl moments.
No. 5: The Final Brawl
In 2011, the talk of the country was conference realignment. Although not known at the time, this would prove to be the final installment in the rivalry between Pittsburgh and West Virginia for 11 years. It was announced at the start of the season that Pitt would be leaving for the ACC soon while just a month later the Big 12 had officially extended an invitation to West Virginia. The Mountaineers came into this game with a record of 7-3 and Big East Championship hopes. Down 20-7 in the third quarter, West Virginia, led by Geno Smith and Tavon Austin, would comeback to win the game 21-20 for the first rivalry win of the Dana Holgorsen era. This would prove to be a pivotal moment in the Mountaineers season as they would go on to win the Big East and defeat Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
No. 4: Pat White and Steve Slaton run wild
The Mountaineers of the late 2000s are remembered partly due to the two names above, Pat White and Steve Slaton. In 2006, White and Slaton combined to be responsible for 639 of West Virginia’s 641 yards that night. White finished with 204 yards through the air with another 220 on the ground, while Steve Slaton had 215 yards on the ground and another 130 as a receiver. In a game where Pitt was up 27-24 at halftime, West Virginia came out at halftime and never looked back, scoring 21 points in the second half to win 45-27.
No. 3: The Tyler Bitancurt game
In November of 2009, the No. 8 ranked Pitt Panthers came to Morgantown for a Friday night edition of the Backyard Brawl. West Virginia would be led by the rushing of Noel Devine who finished the game 134 yards and one touchdown, but it was Tyler Bitancurt’s four field goals that would prove to be the pivotal factor in this game. This includes a game winning 43 yard field goal as time expired to give the Mountaineers a 19-16 win.
No. 2: Bill McKenzie wins it
The 1975 Pitt Panthers were led by future NFL Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett, who had helped them reach a ranking of No. 20 coming into this edition of the Backyard Brawl. A game that saw no scoring until the third quarter, was now tied at 14 with the Mountaineers driving on their home field. On the last play of the game, walk-on kicker Bill McKenzie would send a field goal from 38 yards out through the uprights to give West Virginia a 17-14 victory.
No. 1: The entire 1994 Backyard Brawl
100 years after the first Backyard Brawl, the 1994 edition would prove to be one of the most entertaining games in the history of the rivalry. The game featured 900 yards of offense, a historic comeback, and a game winning touchdown. The Mountaineers found themselves up 31-6 on the Panthers, but they had not quit. Pitt would come back and take a 41-40 in front of their home fans. With 15 seconds left, West Virginia quarterback Chad Johnston would find Zach Abram for a game winning 60 yard touchdown pass.
