Welcome to the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl. Not too far from kickoff, which can be seen on ESPN. The current line is somewhere around 28 — here’s to hoping things don’t get too ugly. Lou Holtz gave his fictional pep talk to Pitt this week on ESPN’s College Football Live — said something about the Panthers winning to gain some “respecth” — so hopefully Wannstedt proclaims a similar message.
7:32: Post by Chas over at the FanHouse about WVU’s couch burning problems, plus a newspaper ad asking for fans to be responsible. Waiting for this Oklahoma State vs. Washington hoops game to finish up…
7:40: Lou Holtz reminds us teams play tougher in a rivalry. Rece Davis points out that teams ranked #2 ranked have lost plenty of games this season. Many reasons to get hopes up, only to have them quickly crushed. Ugh…
7:50: Kickoff. Go Pitt.
7:53: Bostick already throws a poor pass, which is picked and returned to the Pitt 30. Crap.
8:00: Holy crap, The Paul Rhoads Bend-But-Don’t-Break Defenseâ„¢ didn’t look too bad. Add a Pat McAfee field goal miss and we get the ball at the 20.
8:11: Bostick gets eaten alive by 7 defenders for a 3rd down sack. Punting…
8:19: Greg Romeus fails to keep containment on White and he gets the huge run. On 3rd and 1 they give it to Owen Schmitt for the short run — measurement confirms the first down. Defense looks good except for White’s huge run.
8:22: McAfee misses another chip shot! Hah, gotta love it!
8:27: We can’t get a first down. LaRod was just body slammed, and the WVU defensive line is getting all sorts of penetration. Time for the Wildcat?
End of 1st quarter, tied at 0-0.
8:31: Fumble!!! Pitt ball!!!
8:34: Blah. Two more bad throws by Bostick and a bad punt through the end zone.
8:47: Bostick is 4 of 4 passing. Four throws and four horrible passes, that is. Screen play to Shady equals 1st down and first decent Bostick throw.
Nevermind, he throws another pick on his 5th bad throw of the night.
8:49: Does Wannstedt use the old-school wood crutches so they easily snap when he hits people with them? I suppose the newer metal ones would hurt a bit more.
8:55: Pat White looks like he’s in a ton of pain from a thumb injury — dislocation? Ew.
8:59: The goddamn backup is as good as White! Pitt takes a timeout.
Text message from a WVU fan/friend: “Dude Bostick is pretty fast and while I’m still lying I’ll say he’s good too.”
9:05: Wrapping White’s finger with a huge bag of ice. Things don’t look great for him. We make a 3rd down stop and Duhart makes a stupid move and gives them a first. WTF?!?
Even though the o-lineman flopped you still don’t push him.
Touchdown West Virginia, with the backup QB running in for the TD.
WVU 7, Pitt 0 — 1:43 left, 2nd quarter
9:19: Conor Lee! From 48, his new career long. He drilled the kick, showing Pat McAfee how to do it.
Only down 4 at halftime, not bad at all. Maybe Lou Holtz’s “respecth” speech worked? Anyways, I got the sense from watching McCoy those last few plays that he’s starting to physically feel those hits he’s taken from all these carries. Defense has tackled well, hopefully carrying through to the 2nd half. Offense is one-dimensional, with absolutely no passing threat.
Pat White will return if/when he “regains feeling in his thumb” according to Rich Rodriguez.
We’ve been close to WVU the last two years going into halftime, only to get destroyed in the second half. Time to break that streak.
WVU 7, Pitt 3 — Halftime
9:35: Fumble on the kickoff and Pitt got it!!!
9:39: Fake punt formation, Shane Murray takes the snap for the first!
9:46: Bostick to OD, who barely hangs on…Collins then Shady each take a carry…McCoy again to the 10 inch line…Bostick pushes into the end zone!
Pitt 10, WVU 7 — 9:48 left, 3rd quarter
9:55: 3 & out by the WV offense. As long as we can hold onto the ball and keep taking time off the clock I’ll feel good. I get nervous every time McCoy carries though after some of those fumble problems in the past — and now I probably just jinxed him. Super.
9:58: Shovel pass to LSH. Did Cavanaugh actually call a smart play for once? Shady breaks a nice run followed by 5 more from LSH. WVU fans, we can’t hear you.
10:00: Conredge Collins gets high for the first on 4th and short. Driving…
10:05: Turner called for questionable holding added with a Conor Lee miss gives all of the momentum back to West Virginia.
10:10: Big East refs seem to be continuing their year of excellence. Brown lost the ball but recovers anyways. Pitt defenders are friggin’ pumped up. Final quarter of the season; let’s hope they leave it all on the field. (Hooray for clichés!)
10:21: Nice boot by Brytus to pin WVU inside the 5, but Brown gets a nice run for the first.
10:24: Tommie Duhart makes up for it with a fumble recovery. Pitt ball inside the 20!!
10:33: McCoy with a beautiful move for a 1st inside the 5. Smelling the end zone — timeout Pitt (2 remaining). Pat White looking to return…tossing a ball around on the sidelines but still doesn’t look great.
Had 3 tries to power it in but couldn’t. Would have been huge to get in, but whatever — we’re Pitt, it’s expected. Lee FG is good.
Pitt 13, WVU 7 — 6:17 left, 4th quarter
10:38: Pat White back in game, Slaton can’t get what he needs on 4th down. Pitt ball, under 4:00 to go.
10:45: Holding call of Turner then not called on the pass. Talk about getting jobbed. Conspiracy theory? Confirmed.
10:53: Refs still trying to screw us, even when we do something right. Pitt ball attempting to run out the clock.
11:03: Oh my god we just won. We really just won. Unbelievable. More coming soon.
Holy crap!!!!!
Pitt 13, WVU 9 — FINAL
BCS = Run by clowns
I still feel like I dreamed that entire game!!
I new I saw progress in this team throughout that year, and they showed it bigtime tonight.
This team’s only getting better next year too!
Christ I hope Chas made it out of Morgantown alive!!!!
It was only a two year winning streak for WVU, but it felt like a decade!!! We beat ’em in 04 too (that was an underrated Brawl BTW).
This young team showed heart in the 2nd half of the year, and it was good to see that it finally translated into a big win on a national stage!
How’d that taste WVU?
One more point I forgot – how about those chumps having their marching band spell out BCS at halftime? They would argue that it is just them pointing to their BCS birth, but you know it meant the title game…
Sorry about that.
Hail to Pitt.
touchdowns hanging right now !!!
I’m crying…fucking crying…and it hasn’t even sunk in yet.
Waht a fucking game.
I could care less who backdoored a national championship – as i said before, as long as WVU (And PSU) aren’t playing for a national championship, i’m fucking estatic.
Now all the bitches are doing 180s rambling about Pitt this and Pitt that…fuck you, you didn’t believe…we finally put togehter one of those games, the games we knew we were capable of – where the most talented team, athlete and coaches were able to accomplish what was ours, against all odds.
Who says Wannstedt shouldn’t get an extension now?
I said if we won this game and went 1-11, i’d be fucking happy. Look it up. Its in writing.
I’m happy.
unfreaking real listening to Herpiestriet compare pitts win to App St’s w over Mich. He & Corso both giving Pitt a ton of credit. (MUCH DESERVED) Can’t belive Pitts D Wow I’ve been impressed all year so proud of how well they’ve played Looks like P. R. has finally remembered how to coach an aggressive D. Man we really kicked the shit out of WVU Mountoursisters. gonna go on some WVU sites & rub it in now. Hail To Pitt. (Get a QB please)
HAIL TO PITT
F’ yeah! What a win! Fair play to Pitt.
F the Refs. What a mess they were…somebody needs to check their pockets before they leave the stadium.
Hail to Pitt!
-desmondo
Hello WVU fans!
Very nice site you have here! But I must say that I am sorry to see that “Ziggy” doesn’t feel that Pitt has class. Class is a subjective thing. See, WE OWN you guys. I LOVED being there tonight and seeing the looks on your faces. You KNEW in the 3rd quarter that it was over. You were finished, done, defeated. Beaten by a 4-7 (excuse me 5-7) team. NO SUGAR BOWL FOR YOU!!!!!! You were beaten by a 5-7 team! GET USE TO IT! PITT IS BACK! You should have seen the looks on your pathetic little faces; it was WONDERFUL, DELIGHTFUL, FANTASTIC! We’ll see you next year in PITTSBURGH for number 101! HAIL TO PITT!
It’s a shame you can’t see the cute little “smilely icons they gave you to use!
This is the BEST day ever!
WVU could “name its score” vs. Pitt
Les Miles was new Michigan coach.
0-2.
IVE BEEN ON THIS SITE FOR 3+ YEARS NOW, AND I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY LMAO
FROM PETERS TOWNSHIP INITIALLY, NOW EDINBORO, I AM DRUNK AND ECSTATIC THEY WON
UNBELIEVABLE
Have another one on me! It feels great to win! God bless us all!
HAIL TO PITT
Since the dawn of DW, something God-like, astounding and miraculous happens. And through it,
a belief midway through the 3rd qtr. where the game wasn’t just “ours to lose.”
..There was this vibe coming from the field contending that ANYTHING outside of a WIN was (literally) UNACCEPTABLE. There wasn’t a player on the field — not even a member of the coaching staff, FCS — who had me think otherwise. And they seemingly (all of them) believed it, too.
“Turn your TV back the F on, PITT’s NOT LOSING TONIGHT; it’s not going to happen” when my brother (’93) tells me he’s finished in the 4th after denied TD; O.Turner, holding.
If it wasn’t a “spiritual” moment of clarity,” then I don’t know what else to call it. For the record, though, I would caution anyone inclined to interpret the victory as anything more than “divine intervention.” (It was pretty damn special, but I’m not convinced that this W meets “spiritual awakening” criteria for nonbelievers doubting the program’s potential for a Natl. Championship.)
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There’s an unfortunate conflict in all this (for me and anyone whose posted similar comments):
…do I now have to apologize to the likes of (most recently) Zeise; that DC Rhoades has the D units looking champship caliber? (F*CK!)
If there’s any truth behind Chas’ post about a DW extension (under Pederson?) — just glimpsed it — then I haven’t a thing to say about any of it.
yet…
Regardless, can’t recall being this excited about football since Gameday 2005 (Pitt v. ND). And this pretty much ends that streak. HOOOORRAAAAHH!
HAIL PITT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I listened to the first half on WVU radio while driving back from the Army-Navy Game and post game tailgaiting…and finally caught the 2nd half on the tube..
Q: where has that D been all year ?…what a game….as slow and plodding this team looked last week on a deteriorating Heinz Field….they were the antithesis of that tonight…flying to the ball…penetrating, disrupting what a game by our D…best they’ve looked since Hugh Green dayz….
Offense…OK Bostick was tight as turtle pu#$y in the first half….but we did manage to eat clock and put pressure on their D….2nd half implosion didn’t happen…we got better…and by the middle of 3rd…you could tell that smell of fear was in the air from WVUs sideline…and our guys were on it…
This couldn’t have gone better for Dave and his crew….A National Game…one of only a few on the TV….plenty of people tuned in….and the team plays great…..against all odds…can this win turn the corner….yes….and as many have posted already….how many potential recruits saw this and said…”I can get in there…and help this team get better ”
Again my prediction of 48-17 WVU is happily tossed aside for great Pitt victory…truly the first time in a long time time that Pitt looked hungry and played lights out…
Beautiful