Everyone knows what’s next.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Panthers head to Morgantown, West Virginia, to battle the Mountaineers in the 108th edition of The Backyard Brawl.
Pitt defended its home turf with blowout victories over Duquesne and Central Michigan. West Virginia did the same with a 45-3 win over Robert Morris in week one. ESPN’s College GameDay was preparing to cover The Backyard Brawl if both Pitt and West Virginia were 2-0, but the Mountaineers fell to Ohio 17-10 in week two. After the loss, College GameDay and much of the excitement from outsiders around the Backyard Brawl shifted elsewhere.
But for Pitt, West Virginia and the fans, it’s still the Backyard Brawl — a rivalry that’s fire is not contingent on either team’s quality or record.
In the last two weeks, Pitt played with home-field advantage against overmatched opponents. So, the “keys to victory” were really keys to feeling good about the win. Now, the Panthers hit the road, and the keys could be the difference between victory and defeat.
First Key: Prevent West Virginia’s offense from heating up
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, star junior running back Jahiem White suffered a season-ending knee injury in their loss to Ohio. White rushed for 1,820 yards and 14 touchdowns in his 27 games played for West Virginia. Last season was a productive one for White while sharing the backfield with CJ Donaldson Jr., who transferred to Ohio State in the offseason, meaning the Mountaineers are now without both of their top backs from last season.
Without White, West Virginia will have to give one of the five non-quarterbacks who got carries against Ohio a promotion. The most likely candidate is sophomore running back Clay Ash, who has only had nine carries for 25 yards as a Mountaineer.
West Virginia’s WR2, senior wide receiver Jaden Bray, suffered a repeat foot injury against Ohio that will keep him out for the season. Although not known for their passing attack, Bray’s absence leaves a huge hole. Outside of sophomore wide receiver Cam Vaughn, who leads the Mountaineers on the season with nine catches for 170 yards, no other West Virginia wide receiver has caught more than two passes through two games.
The Mountaineers are in a rough spot. They ask junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol to carry a lot. He’s averaging 23 passes and 12 carries — the same as White — through two games. With two of his go-to weapons out, Marchiol will have to take on an even heavier load, or trust very inexperienced players in one of the most heated rivalries in college football to perform.
On the road in front of a hate-filled crowd, the Panthers have to stifle the Mountaineers’ scraped-together offense from the start. If the home team can pull energy from its rowdy crowd and build confidence on offense early, Pitt’s job on defense could get a lot more difficult.
Second Key: Contain Marchiol’s carries
Marchiol is a dual-threat quarterback. As mentioned, he’s recorded 24 carries in only two games. While his 2.7 yards per carry isn’t stellar, historically, Pitt has struggled against that archetype of player.
In last year’s Backyard Brawl, West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries, including the game-winning touchdown. Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea rushed for 40 yards on 14 carries.
Pitt’s defensive scheme gives quarterbacks, especially mobile ones, more opportunities than usual to gain yards on the ground. All it takes is for Marchiol to have one or two explosive runs to put the Panthers in a blender defensively. Stopping the ground game, especially when Marchiol is carrying the ball, is crucial to defeating West Virginia.
Third Key: Don’t force the run game
The Panthers’ run game relies on senior running back Desmond Reid, one of the most explosive players in the country. Thus far, Pitt’s down-to-down run game has not performed up to expectations. Reid has 112 yards on 18 carries through two weeks of the season, but a 53-yard touchdown run heavily skews his 6.2 average yards per carry.
It’s tough to blame Reid, considering Pitt saw what he was capable of on the ground last season and that he’s 16th in the country in all-purpose yards per game this season. But that doesn’t change the fact that Pitt currently ranks 87th in the FBS in rushing offense.
I make it sound like a bad thing — Pitt won its previous two outings with an impressive passing attack. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Eli Holstein was the first to throw four touchdowns in consecutive games since Kenny Pickett in 2021.
While Holstein has had a few poor plays in Pitt’s first two contests, his overall performances were impressive. If the run game does not excel against West Virginia, it’s key that head coach Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Kade Bell don’t force it. Of course, keeping the defense honest with a few runs — even if unsuccessful — is helpful, but Holstein and his arm can certainly win the 108th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
The post Three keys to victory in the Backyard Brawl appeared first on The Pitt News.