Update: The two schools announced Friday that the rivalry has been officially extended, adding another four-game series from 2033-36, on top of the existing 2029-2032 schedule.
It’s one of Jordan Pinto’s earliest memories: He’s 6 years old, watching the 1994 Backyard Brawl as West Virginia native and walk-on wide receiver Zach Abraham streaks past the Pitt defense to haul in a game-winning, 60-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds.
“My whole family was going nuts,” said Pinto, a WVU grad and lifelong fan. “One of the first things I learned, being born into a Mountaineer family, was the ‘Eat Sh– Pitt!’ chant. Then, when I became a parent, it was one of the first things I taught my girls. That’s the only time they’re allowed to cuss.”
The Panthers are prepared to hear a lot of it when they travel Saturday to Morgantown for the 108th edition of the Backyard Brawl. Pitt faithful know full well that the home stadium will gleefully troll their tradition of singing along to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” replacing the customary “Let’s Go Pitt!” during the bum-bum-bum chorus line with the Mountaineers’ preferred three-word slogan. (And then replacing each “So Good!” with more “Eat Sh–!”)
Even when the song isn’t playing, WVU fans will still shout it within earshot of any Pitt players or sympathizers who venture behind enemy lines. And the Panthers will welcome it as a badge of courage.
“I’m preparing myself for a lot of antics and choice words from people who, perhaps, may be well hydrated,” said Pitt athletic director Allen Greene, who will be on hand for his first Backyard Brawl. “I love that they hate us with a passion. It’s fun for us to be in their kitchen a lot. Don’t mind occupying space up in their heads.”
That’s right — administrator trash talk. This constant dance of slights and taunts, chasséing back and forth, is at the heart of a college football rivalry so fierce that even the suits venture into the ring.
Squaring up for the 108th time 🥊@WVLottery pic.twitter.com/nhylf12Tv0
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) September 10, 2025
Separated by 75 miles of Interstate 79, the schools met for the first time in 1895 and every season from 1943 to 2011. The proximity and kinship of the two fan bases — a blue-collar clash of steel and coal — have long stoked biblical levels of pride, bitterness and drunkenness. The rivalry briefly became a casualty of realignment when the Big East football conference fell apart, only to be revived in 2022 with a four-game series that concludes this Saturday.
Pitt holds a 63-41-3 lead in the all-time matchup, but the home team has won each of the past three meetings. It’s a trend West Virginia hopes to continue in what is sure to be an epic display of Appalachian revelry.
“There’s gonna be 60,000 people in the stands, no seats open,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, “and another 15,000 in the parking lot drinking moonshine, wishing they could get in, but not really remembering why they came.”
Rodriguez also revives an element of this rivalry. A self-described “hillbilly” and son of a coal miner, Rodriguez grew up an hour from Morgantown. He played at WVU in the 1980s and served as head coach from 2001 to 2007, during which he went 4-3 in Brawls, marking one of the most prolific runs in program history.
His return this offseason marked a surprising yet fitting full-circle journey. It also exposed an old wound that will be fresh in the minds of both teams.
December 2007 was the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl — or what Pitt fans refer to as “13-9.” That was the final score when the Panthers, a 28.5-point underdog, upset No. 2 West Virginia at home in the regular-season finale, knocking the Mountaineers out of the national title race. It spoiled one of the greatest seasons in program history and precipitated Rodriguez’s leaving to take the Michigan job two weeks later.
“For a lot of die-hard fans, that 2007 game is probably one of the worst nights of their life,” said Pinto.
Pitt still revels in it. Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi told The Athletic that when he heard offseason rumors that Rodriguez could be returning to WVU, he sent Rodriguez a text.
“I told him, ‘Get this job, it will make the Backyard Brawl even better,’ ” said Narduzzi, who has been at Pitt since 2015 and is 2-1 against WVU.
It was a genuine sentiment for an opposing coach that Narduzzi has respect for, but it didn’t stop him from dredging up 2007.
“I think his last game was 13-9,” said Narduzzi, noting both sides will be more than ready to go.
The Panthers enter as a touchdown favorite behind quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid, coming off a pair of blowout wins over inferior opponents.
Mountaineers fans have welcomed back Rodriguez and the return of his “hard edge” mentality despite his acrimonious departure. His team has already lost star running back Jahiem White to injury, and it’s understood that he’s taken on a project, as evidenced by the addition of 70 new players and a Week 2 road loss to Ohio University. However, a home upset over Pitt would help soothe lingering scars.
“It would bring some closure for a lot of West Virginia fans,” said Page Walker, a WVU grad who runs the popular @EerRational social media account.
“It was the worst moment of my professional career from a game standpoint,” Rodriguez said this week. “I tried to move past it a long time ago, so from that regard, it’d be good to get a win, but it’s not going to ease the pain from that. It will still always be there.”
Key players and moments become legendary in rivalries, like Abraham’s touchdown in 1994 and Pitt’s 2007 upset, or Noel Devine’s 88-yard touchdown run for WVU in 2009 and M.J. Devonshire’s pick six for Pitt in 2022. It provides a crash course, even on a refurbished roster. So does having former Mountaineers greats like Devine and quarterback Pat White on the coaching staff.
“You hear about this game just about every day in this state,” said Rodriguez.
Pitt fifth-year defensive back Javon McIntyre described the game-day atmosphere as a “real-life stadium pulse,” referencing the college football video game — generations of bad blood, stuffed inside a sold-out stadium.
“I don’t like nothing with West Virginia at all. I know they don’t like nothing with Pitt,” said McIntyre. “It’s just true hatred, all year round. That’s a good thing.”
There’s also an off-the-field culture that embodies the game. Tailgating is a down-home art form in Morgantown, and it elevates for the Backyard Brawl. The town’s population swells as folks gather from across the state.
West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker stated that in 2023, the last time the game was held on campus, the university had to open its RV lots a day earlier than usual to manage the influx of traffic. Baker figures they could sell another 30,000 tickets if they had space in Milan Puskar Stadium.
Instead, those fans will come to town without tickets, packing the famed Blue Lot, between the stadium and the university hospital. That’s where Harry and Linda Grandon have parked their 1977 Volkswagen Transporter for the past three decades, with its custom paint job and gold and blue flowers. Harry expects he’ll be in line by 5 a.m. Saturday, two hours before the lot opens, to secure his customary spot.
The Blue Lot is reserved for hospital staff and visitors — except on game days. West Virginia has a state law that prohibits open alcohol containers in cars — except on game days. WVU is a smoke-free campus — except on game days.
“It’s kind of wild when you think about it,” said Harry.
It’s time to brawl 🥊 #HailWV pic.twitter.com/mvrkvvwaCC
— EerRational (@EerRational) September 8, 2025
The Grandons host around 30 regulars for most home games; kids who grew up attending their tailgate now bring their children. Harry expects they’ll have an even bigger crowd for the Brawl, undeterred by last week’s loss. He has chili cheese dogs and his wife’s famous baked beans on the menu.
Homemade pepperoni rolls and small-batch moonshine will fuel others.
“You won’t have too much trouble finding a jar of moonshine, if you’re interested,” said Pinto. “We’re talking backwoods, basement moonshine. It’s the real stuff. You gotta be careful with it.”
Granted, mileage varies on Morgantown’s party vibes. Despite the easy drive for Pitt fans, few are expected to make the trek this weekend.
“It’s nasty in the stands,” said Narduzzi, who famously had his players wear helmets when they got off the bus in 2023 as protection. “There are so many bad feelings that (our fans) don’t care to go, they’ll watch the victory on TV.”
West Virginia faithful push back at that characterization. Sure, every fan base has a few bad actors. And one year, the rows of portable restrooms were adorned with signs that read “Pitt Alumni Club.” However, nothing beyond the pale.
“I’m not saying that no one has a bad experience,” said Baker, who added that in 2023, he saw Pitt fans peacefully tailgating with the WVU masses. “Look, I went to the game at Pitt last year and had a few curse words hurled at me. But that’s sports.”
If nothing else, it’s an excuse for more trash talk.
“It’s nothing we don’t get when we go up to Pittsburgh,” said Pinto. “But maybe West Virginia fans are a little more hard edge than Pitt fans, so we can deal with it.”
After Saturday, the rivalry takes a break until 2029, when another four-game series in four years resumes. There’s nothing else on the docket just yet, though Greene and Baker each said they have talked and would like to play as often as possible.
That didn’t stop Narduzzi from throwing another jab this week about how West Virginia replaced a canceled home-and-home against Alabama with a pair of Group of 6 opponents over the next two years. Still, both schools understand the game’s importance, and Baker expects an announcement to be made soon.
“It’s just a rivalry,” Baker said, “that deserves to be played.”
(Photo of Backyard Brawl in 2023: Michael Longo / Imagn Images)