MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After their second drive, West Virginia was without starting quarterback Garrett Greene. That would be no problem for the Mountaineers as their running game and defense propelled them to a 17-6 win over rival Pitt in the 106th Backyard Brawl.
Without Greene, WVU turned to sophomore CJ Donaldson who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, while the defense forced three interceptions in the victory.
The Mountaineers lost Greene for the remainder of the game after he was injured on a quarterback draw. He would stay in for one more play but would limp off the field and not return.
In came true sophomore Nicco Marchiol, holding the weight of the Backyard Brawl on his shoulders. Marchiol would seem flustered early, as he missed open receivers on his first drive, and then would stall on his second drive as well.
Marchiol would get the Mountaineers into Pitt territory before fumbling inside the redzone on a botched handoff. The Mountaineer defense would step up as two plays later Aubrey Burks intercepted a pass from Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec, returning it to the Pitt seven.
On the very next play, Marchiol found Kole Taylor on a 7-yard score, giving West Virginia a 7-3 lead. Marchiol’s night ultimately ended with him throwing for only 60 yards on 6 for 9 passing.
The Panthers used the run game early and often against the West Virginia defense. Pitt did not attempt a pass on their opening drive as they went 67 yards before settling for a field goal. They turned to their run game again on their last drive before halftime, moving the ball into WVU territory, before Ben Sauls hit his second field goal of the half, giving WVU a 7-6 lead heading into halftime.
Out of the break, Pitt received the kick and on third and 1, WVU’s Mike Lockhart stuffed the rush attempt, forcing a punt from the Panthers.
West Virginia’s offense capitalized on the play, as they handed the ball to Donaldson and let him take over.
Donaldson would rush for 47 yards on the drive, finishing it off with a 1-yard touchdown rush. The Mountaineers used 7:48 of game time, taking a 14-6 lead. Donaldson ran for the last 16 yards on the drive but was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he took his helmet off.
The penalty didn’t halt West Virginia’s momentum, as the defense got another interception in the form of Beanie Bishop, returning it to the Pitt 30 yard line. While West Virginia wouldn’t muster anything on offense, it was enough for Michael Hayes to connect on a 42-yard field goal, giving WVU a 17-6 lead.
That lead would hold to be the final score as the Mountaineer defense had four possessions in the fourth quarter, getting two turnover on downs, forcing a punt, and coming away with an interception from Marcis Floyd to seal the victory.
Both teams would finish the game with 211 yards of total offense. Jurkovec passed for 81 yards on 8 for 20 passing, while throwing the three interceptions. Rodney Hammond let Pitt in rushing with 14 carries for 49 yards.
Jaylen Anderson rushed for 62 yards on 19 carries, relieving Donaldson in the fourth quarter when he too was hurt with a leg injury. WVU went 4 for 12 on third down, and 1 for 3 on fourth down. Pitt went 4 for 13 on third down and was unsuccessful on both of their fourth-down attempts.
