MG Sports Talk

Morgantown, WV - Mountaineer Field readies for the 102nd annual Backyard Brawl which pits interstate rivals West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers and remains the 14th longest running rivalry game in the country.

The Panthers come into Friday night with a record of 9-1 and are undefeated in conference play. A BCS bid is in sight and a win over Cincinnati, regardless of tonight’s outcome, will get the Panthers there. Pitt’s freshman running back Dion Lewis holds 4th on yards per game nationally averaging 129. Panthers QB Bill Stull is 4th nationally in passing with 18 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. I wish the same could be said for West Virginia’s signal caller. WVU’s Jarrett Brown has shown flashes of Daunte Culpepper but has looked more like JaMarcus Russell (in a Raiders uniform) of late.  The Mountaineer offense has been flat while the defense has allowed 100 yard rushers in their last 3 games. This is not a good trend on either side of the ball for Coach Bill Stewart’s squad.

The last time these two teams met for the Backyard Brawl at Mountaineer Field, Rich Rodriquez was outcoached and the #2 Mounties dropped the ball in arguably the biggest game in WVU history while blowing an opportunity to play for the 2007 National Championship. Pitt came in unranked that year. The 2009 Brawl gives the Mountaineers and their fans a chance to get a small piece of revenge for that horrific night.

Neither team will be effected greatly with a win or loss in regards to conference standings. This is a matter of pride for the 2 schools that are seperated by only 75 miles of highway and yes, a state border as well. Maybe not as hyped as the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry or the Auburn-Alabama intrastate tradition, fans of WVU and Pitt know the history, intensity and importance of this game.

Last game’s playcalling was horrendous and I refuse to sit back and let the WVU administration ho-hum around a mediocre football program just because the coach is a likeable, homegrown guy. I want a winner, not a friend. A loss today and Bill Stewart’s career as a coach at West Virginia should be, without a doubt, over. Is it obvious who I am going with today?

Pitt -1 is a lock. Thanks Bill Stewart. You are bound to blow this game.   Who do you have ?

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Backyard Brawl, Bill Stewart, Bill Stull, Cincinnati Bearcats, Daunte Culpepper, Dave Wannstadt, Dion Lewis, JaMarcus Russell, Jarrett Brown, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Panthers, Rich Rodriquez, West Virginia Mountaineers | This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 6:37 pm and is filed under NCAA Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.