Rich Rodriguez Knows Backyard Brawl Is About More Than Just Him

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Backyard Brawl is far more than a rivalry, but it may mean more to WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez than anyone else involved with either program.

For obvious reasons stemming from what happened on Dec. 1, 2007 and his subsequent controversial departure, Rodriguez is THE story surrounding the 108th Backyard Brawl. But knowing his team is in desperate need of a win, Rodriguez attempted to downplay what happened the last time he faced the Panthers.

While fans, and even his former players, are looking for revenge of some sort, Rodriguez just wants a win for his 2025 team. He even joked that most of his players weren’t even born in 2007.

With that said, he’s also not ignorant to the significance of this matchup, especially considering the rivalry will go on a break for a few years following this season’s game. The Backyard Brawl is set to go on a hiatus until returning to the schedule in 2029 for another series.

“Is it a sore spot when it’s brought up? Yeah…. It was the worst moment of my professional career, from a game standpoint. It would be good to get a win. It won’t ease the pain from that. It will always be there,” Rodriguez offered candidly.

And even though Rodriguez knows his players, most notably those from outside the region, may never feel as strong of an emotional connection to the rivalry as he does, that doesn’t change what he demands from them in a game like this.

“I don’t care if you’ve been here one year, or you got three years or whatever the case may be, this is Pitt week.”

WVU and Pitt no longer share a conference. The current College Football Playoff landscape makes a 13-9 scenario impossible – the 2007 Mountaineers would’ve still been granted access despite the upset loss for winning a major conference.

However, for Rodriguez, there’s no game bigger for West Virginia than the Backyard Brawl. No matter the dynamics of the sport toady compared to the past, that’s something that’s never going to change for the 62-year-old veteran coach.

Find more coverage of Rich Rodriguez and the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.