Pre-Game background
Considering this game is Pitt’s Super Bowl, it was the first full-length football game I watched on my own, even after it went to overtime. During my freshman year in 2023, the Brawl was away, and WVU took the win. When I experienced my first Backyard Brawl in 2024, we won in our own backyard, and in 2025, we watched both teams battle it out on our TVs. It seems as though this rivalry is not only named Backyard Brawl because we are 75 miles apart, but because it’s almost easier to win in your own backyard. Considering this year’s Brawl win was so unexpected with the Mountaineers’ new lineup, former coach Rich Rodriguez making a return to save the series, and nearly being the final round for the next four years, let’s break this Brawl down together, with the help of Pittsburgh Dad — he knows what’s up!
First quarter: failed field goals
While WVU fans appeared organized in their color-coordinated stands with their tradition “Stripe the Stadium,” the plays on the field were anything but. This game was a MESS.
I knew this game would be low-scoring, though I didn’t expect both WVU and Pitt to miss their first field goals, which often make or break the Brawl and generally set the tone for any game. When Pitt missed their first field goal, my stomach dropped. Then, I remembered the Mountaineers missed theirs first — and suddenly, I didn’t feel so bad.
It turns out that Coach Rodriguez abandoned the Mountaineers back in 2007 after they missed most of their field goals in the Backyard Brawl, causing them a horrifying loss and Rodriguez becoming the next head coach at Michigan. After WVU fumbled the first field goal of the 2025 brawl, all Rodriguez faced were poor flashbacks of the team, making him question if his return was worth it. Of course, the cameras all zoomed in on the priceless look on his face; even Rodriquez couldn’t afford it. It’s true, Rodriquez received death threats for how bad his team was, and it haunted him for years. Mountaineer fans are surprised he even showed his face at the Milan Puskar Stadium that was filled to the brim with fans (that’s only because their stadium makes sense size-wise, rather than entertaining the idea of filling up a 70k-capacity NFL stadium.)
Since this year’s lineup of the Mountaineers was mostly filled with transfers or freshmen, I wasn’t worried. But actually, this game was their big break as WVU’s #2 rookie running back, Tye Edwards, helped the Mountaineers start the Brawl on the right foot, snatching the first touchdown for WVU.
SECOND QUARTER: SACKS, SURPRISES &
SETBACKS
Pitt’s arguably best quarterback in years (besides Kenny Pickett), Eli Holstein, had been humbled quickly after attempting to pass the ball to a teammate under pressure. When it went to a WVU player instead, who ran with it to the endzone with NO BLOCKS?! Are we playing right now? Oh yes, we are! And it’s only the biggest game of the year. Until our #1 receiver, Kenny Johnson, ran it back up to the 50-yard line to make a comeback for the Panthers.
If I’m being honest, I almost forgot we were playing football, because we were so busy sacking each other and getting “injured” to earn free timeouts. A Pitt fan made the wild prediction of a mouth guard falling on the ground. “We are gonna kick them in the mouth for 4 quarters, it’s gonna be electric,” the Pitt fan said. Later in the game, an actual mouthpiece was spotted on the field — talk about foreshadowing.
Something was in the air by the end of the second quarter, leading into the half, probably because the Mountaineers’ success swiftly caused a shift in Pitt’s momentum.
Speaking of surprises, WVU’s linebacker, Ashton Wood, was disqualified for targeting Holstein, and we saw quite the tantrum, with a headset thrown and an angry Pat Narduzzi right before the DQ was officially called.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, more touchdowns were made, and WVU’s Eddie Kelly Jr. was seen mocking Pitt with the shark symbol and his tongue out. It was all fun and games until there was a “malfunction at the junction” with Holstein’s NOSE INJURY, a big jumpscare for Pitt, thinking he was out for good. Refs consolidated Holstein during his walk off the field. This scare didn’t help anyone rooting for the Panthers, knowing Desmond Reid, our best running back, was also out for most of the game with a lower-body injury.
It was hard to stay serious through it all, actually — not only were the plays comical, but the jokes that sportscaster Quint “Q” Kessenich made were even sillier. Cole Gonzalez, Pitt’s backup QB, airmailed a ball so high that Q just had to say, “That thing was higher than San Francisco’s rent.” Even though the roast was towards one of our own, I had to agree. There’s no defending a toss like that when his father is the assistant head coach for the SEC football team at the University of Florida. I’ll admit my second-hand embarrassment.
You know that when the cameras panned to Kenny Johnson’s face of defeat, Narduzzi’s only option was to “reel” his sharks back in with affirmations like “let’s go white lightning” — like, our coach will say anything at this point!
Despite the hype Narduzzi gave our players, the sound of West Virginia’s victory song became blurry, knowing there was a personal foul of unnecessary roughness on the final play of the second quarter. Coach Rodriguez wasn’t having it, as he believed they should have the chance to run the play. This loophole play, however, never gets punished and isn’t illegal in the world of collegiate football, quick to be called a hollow penalty and not a lick can be done about it. Yes, it’s an “unsportsmanlike” penalty (in some cases) with no consequences, but Rodriguez was denied the request by refs to run the play in the second half.
THIRD QUARTER: THe pressure pumps up
Resuming from the halftime score of 3-7, Pitt’s arrhythmic offense suddenly began to beat steady again as the team began to play more aggressively. With WVU leading with 7 points, the sharks began sneaking their way back to the scoreboard.
Halfway into the third quarter, #5, Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr, weaved his way through to the endzone with no Mountaineers in sight … except for the other #5 from West Virginia, Jaden Bray. You know what they say, two lefts equal a right, which is RIGHT where they ended up. Literally, they ended up on the right side of the field, RIGHT before the endzone, which is the direction Poppi ran towards despite him hesitating for a moment. The second that Bray came up on Poppi, he remembered he was the shark, not Bray.
While WVU kept possession of the ball for most of the third, #0, Braylan Lovelace came in to sweep it again for an interception, one of the first few of the season!
One wild moment went down when Johnson dropped the ball in a good play, but #2 hit ’em mountaineers with a spin, catching the ball for the Panthers! Linebacker Kyle Louis also made a breakthrough for Pitt in the third, as he led the Panther pack with many tackles and made his presence known — he wasn’t afraid to intercept.
One of the biggest plays of the night also went down in the third quarter, as both rivals stared each other down at the one-yard line to find out who wanted it more. Holstein glided into the endzone but was quickly called into an “incomplete pass,” as he seemingly caught the ball PAST the endzone? We all know Holstein can hold his own on the field; even the Mountaineers were nervous to watch the replay, and rightfully so. We quickly see that he stared down his right foot, guaranteeing it come down before the endzone line ended. The play was called, and he got the touchdown for Pitt.
Moments later, #83, James London, was about to kick for a field goal, as the clock ran out and they headed into the fourth quarter with a 14-14 tie.
FOURTH quarter: Final Countdown
There were high hopes from Pitt fans in the 4th quarter, as that is when Pitt came back in their own backyard last year in the 2024 brawl. Behind the University of Miami and Florida State University, Pitt had the best season in the ACC last year, so a three-peat wouldn’t totally be out of their reach. Narduzzi began to hang his head on the defense, relying on them to switch the tone of the brawl. However, that one failed field goal I just mentioned actually was a success for Pitt in the fourth quarter, taking a 3-point lead over West Virginia.
Pitt played better defensively than offensively, and even a pass interference call was made by one of our most explosive receivers, giving Pitt an automatic first down. As Poppi stressed out WVU fans, we got another field goal. It’s too easy. Another TD was made momentarily, giving us a 10-point lead ahead of the Mountaineers as one of their players went down for the count, along with a few others, including Louis from Pitt as he limped off the field.
Reflecting on the score at this point in the game, knowing that Pitt was missing most of their key players, Holstein, Reid, and now Louis, Kessenich said these men were “battered, bruised, but not busted,” pointing out Pitt’s resilience.
Tensions rose with under 30 seconds remaining as the Mountaineers launched a pass into the endzone, when Pitt intercepted the TD. WVU receiver #4, Preston Fox, was given a second chance after a defensive pass interference was called.
On the next two plays, WVU fired twice more into the endzone, with a double occurrence of incomplete passes. After three missed open opportunities and the clock hanging by a thread, a TD was made in the final 11 seconds of the game. If only this were baseball, it could’ve been three strikes and OUT. Instead, we went into overtime …
O.g.’s go to ot
Just as Pitt was redeeming themselves with a tied score of 24-24, WVU sent the game to OT in the final few seconds of the fourth quarter. After a few more ouchies, one TD, field goal, false start, and final chance for Pitt later … the Mountaineers got lucky and claimed the title of victory over the 2025 Backyard Brawl.
Not that it’s Pat’s fault, but this game was a ‘Duzzi!
BACKYARD BRAWL SERIES RENEWAL
BREAKING NEWS FOR BYB FANS: The Backyard Brawl has been officially extended from 2029-2036!
Win or lose, the 200K TikTok influencer and Pitt Alum, @Joshrosen_, has our back with the BYB truth, making a TikTok video in honor of the annual game, stating, “the reason the Pitt-West Virginia game is such a big deal, is not because we actually view West Virginia as a rival, it’s ’cause it’s really fun to make the incest jokes one day a year”. (This video has since been deleted.)
Pitt has another opportunity to redeem themselves in the 2029 BYB. For now, Pitt will do their best to compete with their 2024-2025 football season’s seven-game winning streak until they brawl with WVU again in four years.
WVU gets this win, but we all know it actually stands for Winners Very Unlikely … they just got lucky. Don’t worry Panther Pitt, they won’t get the last victory in our endzone, the sharks are swimming back for more, baby, and our teeth are sharper than Rodriguez’s plays!
Messy Mountaineers, we’ll see you in 2029.