WVU HC Neal Brown on Backyard Brawl: ‘It’s a Game That Needs to Be Played’

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Backyard Brawl creates a week like no other for West Virginia. No matter how much some argue the importance of the game has been minimized with the advent of the new rules for College Football Playoff, WVU head coach Neal Brown knows how much the rivalry means to the fans.

And as expected, West Virginia’s historic rivalry with Pitt that will reach its 107th edition all-time on Saturday was the focus of Brown’s weekly press conference on Monday.

Also as expected, Brown reiterated what he’s said in the past about the rivalry. Brown referred to the Backyard Brawl as one of the best rivalries in all of sports, and then detailed how the proximity of the schools being separated by only 70 miles and recruiting the same players adds something extra to the matchup.

WVU HC Neal Brown on Backyard Brawl: “We know a lot of guys on their roster. They know a lot of guys on our roster. This is one that’s really important to our fans.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 9, 2024

“We know a lot of guys on their roster. They know a lot of guys on our roster. This is one that’s really important to our fans,” said Brown, who also noted that WVU’s 2022 loss in Pittsburgh is still fresh on his mind.

West Virginia lost to the Panthers in Pittsburgh 38-31 before claiming revenge 17-6 last season in Morgantown.

Even though Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium is a road environment, Brown knows his team will have plenty of support from WVU fans in the crowd, either by West Virginia alumni who live in the Pittsburg area of people who will make the commute.

But after it was such a talking point two years ago, Brown won’t get into exactly how much friendly support he expects. “We’ll have a lot of fans there. The percentage, I don’t know. Our fans will find a way in.”

The 2024 edition of the Backyard Brawl will be followed by a final matchup in this recent four-game series before taking a brief break again. However, if it’s up to Brown, the Mountaineers and Panthers will brawl as often as possible.

“We need to get our schedule fixed. We’re in the process of doing that. It’s a game that needs to be played. We got Alabama, that ain’t fixed,” said Brown while also making a point about the out of conference schedule he’s had to deal with since arriving in Morgantown in 2019.

The initial betting line opened with WVU as a slim favorite. According to FanDuel, West Virginia is a 2.5-point road favorite over Pitt. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm ET and the game will air nationally on ESPN2.

For a related story, WVU’s secondary was exposed by Albany in West Virginia’s 49-14 win.