By Bill Nestor
This past Saturday marked the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl. West Virginia University and Pitt have been locked in a hate-hate (forget any love) series that have produced some exceptional games that have led to more than its fair share of heart aches for Mountaineer fans. Only 76.3 miles separate the schools, which makes the drive doable for whichever fan base is on the road. Both schools are always well represented regardless of location.
A sellout crowd was on hand at Acisure Stadium (home of the Steelers) to catch this epic battle. The Mountaineers were in must win mode after losing to another bitter rival from the Keystone State in the season opener and the thought of heading into Big 12 play with a losing record didn’t sit well with Mountaineer fans. There didn’t seem to be any cause for concern with as little as five minutes remaining and the good guys holding a double digit lead at 34 to 24, looking for a second series win in a row.
The Panthers, however, had a much different plan and they started their comeback a few minutes later with the help of a big play.
Pitt’s redshirt freshman quarterback, Eli Holstein, tossed a 40 yard scoring strike to make it a three point game with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. WVU couldn’t play keep away with the pigskin and Holstein would have an opportunity to orchestrate a second come from behind win in as many weeks (last week Pitt trailed Cincinnati by 21 points and claimed victory over the Bearcats) with two minutes left.
He would need less than that as Derrick Davis scored on a one-yard run with 32 seconds remaining.to provide the winning points.
West Virginia will host Kansas in a must win (for sure this time with no exceptions) game this SaturdayThe Jayhawks head into this battle with a bit of a limp, losing to Illinois and also, most recently, the University of Nevada Las Vegas. A third loss this early in the season would not be good for WVU or Head Coach Neal Brown.
The high school version of the Backyard Brawl in Clarksburg took place on Friday when Robert C. Byrd and Liberty locked up for the last time. Liberty is set to merge into RCB next school year. This has been a high energy battle every time these squads have met and this final edition was no exception.
A scoreless first quarter gave way to an explosive second stanza that saw the home team strike first. Liberty’s London Schoonover ended a 16-play drive with a six-yard scamper, followed by Danny Waterman’s extra point to provide a seven to nothing lead. Flying Eagle signal caller Junior Smith scored on a 10 yard run, but a failed point after left the score seven to sox.
With a Liberty drive stalling out at the RCB 41 yard line and just under a minute to go in the half, it seemed as if a defensive struggle would win out, but Smith and the Flying Eagle offense had other ideas. Smith connected with Elijah Chipps on a 59-yard pass play to the Mountaineer five. On the next play, Smith ran it in for a TD.
A 15-yard markoff on Liberty was assessed on the kickoff and Flying Eagle head coach Austin Scott opted for an onside kick. His team recovered and would score on a three-yard run by Smith. It changed the momentum of the game and RCB would go on to win 41 to seven.
Smith ended with a game high 140 rushing yards on 17 carries. He was four of five passing for 73 yards and ended with five rushing touchdowns. Latrell Jones had 101 yards on the ground in the win.
Quinten Hilliard paced the Mountaineers with 85 yards rushing on 23 attempts.
That will do it for now! Until next time . . . take care and God Bless!