Saturday, the Pitt and West Virginia football teams will meet for the 107th time on the gridiron, in the 2024 Backyard Brawl.
The two programs first faced off on Oct. 26, 1895, making it the 14th-oldest rivalry in the United States. The Mountaineers won 8-0 at home that season.
Since then, the rivalry has only grown in intensity and popularity. The name “Backyard Brawl” comes from each University being in the other’s “backyard,” located 75 miles away from each other in nearly a straight line on Interstate 79, the universities have trademarked the term.
The Panthers currently hold the all-time series lead over WVU, with a 62-41-3 record. Their longest winning streak was 15 games from Oct. 12, 1929, to Sept. 28, 1946.
The Backyard Brawl, in 1921, was the first college football game to be broadcast on the radio. Now, the rivalry game is almost always broadcast on national television; this year, it will be on ESPN2.
Another notable game in the series was when Pitt upset the Mountaineers in Morgantown during the 100th meeting, killing their chances at a national championship game. The Backyard Brawl series took a decade-long hiatus from 2011 to 2022 after Pitt left the Big East for the ACC in 2011 and West Virginia left for the Big 12 the following year.
The rivalry was renewed for a four-game series from 2022-2025. Pitt defeated WVU in an electrifying contest with ESPN’s College GameDay in town at home in 2022 in the first matchup since 2011. The Mountaineers got their revenge at home the next year, last season, in a 17-6 victory.
More numbers and records include West Virginia’s longest winning streak, which lasted five games from Sept. 12, 1992, to Aug. 31, 1996. At home, WVU is 18-19-3 and 22-43 on the road. Their smallest margin of victory was 21-20 on Nov. 25, 2011, and their largest was 52-14 on Nov. 27, 1998. While playing as conference opponents, West Virginia holds a 14-7 advantage. In the last 10 matchups, the Mountaineers are 6-4, 4-1 in the last five.
Kickoff Saturday for the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl is set for 3:30 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Photo by Dale Sparks, All Pro Photography
