Five Takeaways from Backyard Brawl

West Virginia was defeated by Pitt 38-34 in the Backyard Brawl Saturday.

The Mountaineers led by 10 in the late stages of the game, with five minutes left, but we were unable to close out the game successfully as Pitt took advantage. There are many takeaways from WVU after the game, the following lists five notable ones.

Secondary Continues to Struggle

This is now the third straight week where West Virginia’s secondary weaknesses have been exposed. The Mountaineers got beaten deep by Pitt, which turned out to be huge late. The Panthers had nine gaines of 17+ or more yards in the air, including two gains of 40+, one of which was a touchdown under five minutes that helped them claw back after WVU went up by two scores. Pitt’s quarterback, Eli Holstein, finished with 21 completions on 30 attempts (70%) for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 14.3 yards a completion. WVU has given up over 300 yards in the air in back-to-back weeks; this season, they’ve allowed eight passing touchdowns and have not picked up an interception.

Need to Contain QB

While West Virginia did its part in creating pressure and limiting the run game, Holstein was able to slip out, do it with his legs, and continue drives for Pitt. He finished as their leading rusher with 59 yards on the ground and a long run of 24. Drew Allar has had similar success against the Mountaineers in week one, rushing for 44 yards. With West Virginia’s upcoming game against Kansas, containing the QB and limiting scrambles could be a huge are of concern with the Jayhawks’ dual-threat signal caller Jalon Daniels. However, besides the scrambles, the WVU front did its job for the most part, which takes us to the next takeaway.

Pass Rush, Run Defense Has Improved

Since week one, West Virginia’s pass rush and run defense has improved. While some may take the success against UAlbany with a grain of salt, the Mountaineers’ defensive front showed they can perform against a power-four team. WVU sacked Holstein five times pushing Pitt back a total of 29 yards. They picked up 11 tackles-for-loss overall, setting Pitt back a total of 50 yards. Defensive lineman TJ Jackson led the way with four tackles-for-loss and one-and-a-half sacks. Although, Pitt running back Desmond Reid hurt them in the passing game, the Mountaineers limited him in the running game. He finished for just 26 yards on 11 carriers, averaging out a 2.4 yards per carry. Coming into the game Reid had 293 rushing yards across Pitt’s first two games. WVU looked to limit him on the ground and did so.

Need to Be Better on Third Down

While West Virginia was 3-4 on fourth down, they were 3-14 on third down. The Mountaineers were set to punt it away four times, but Oli Straw took it himself for a first down one of those times. In the fourth quarter alone, WVU was 1-5 on third down and 2-9 in the second half. Not only do successful third-down conversions extend drives in general and in the red zone, giving the Mountaineers the opportunity to score a touchdown instead of taking a field goal.

Greene Continues to Spread the Ball Out

Through three games, it doesn’t seem that WVU has a clear-cut No. 1 option wide receiver. One player ended with four or more receptions and that was tight end Kole Taylor. No Mountaineer pass-catcher finished with 50 or more receiving yards. Besides Taylor, Greene looked to Traylon Ray the most, with three catches on five targets. Jaden Bray came up with a big catch for 44 yards, his only catch on his only target. Justin Robinson also only had one catch, a 20-yard touchdown grab. In total, West Virginia had 10 guys pick up a reception Saturday, seven of them only had one. Rodney Gallagher was the only other, along with Ray and Taylor, that had multiple, with two catches for 38 yards.