It’s Backyard Brawl week in Morgantown, West Virginia.
One of the oldest rivalries in college football is in the second year of its modern era after an 11-year hiatus, and both WVU (1-1) and Pitt (1-1) are looking for a statement win as a foundation with which to build the rest of their season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the the first Backyard Brawl in Morgantown since 2011.
WVU football vs. Pitt game information
- Date: Sept. 16, 2023
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia
- TV channel: ABC
- Stream: ABC App
- Radio: Find your local affiliate of the Mountaineer Sports Network
- WVU record: 1-1
- Pitt record: 1-1
- Tickets: SeatGeek
- Series history: Pitt leads 62-40-3 since 1914
- Last meeting: Pitt defeated the Mountaineers in a 38-31 battle at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh last fall.
WVU football vs. Pitt matchup preview
Yes, there’s always bad blood between West Virginia and Pitt, but tensions are running as high as ever leading up to the 2023 edition of the Backyard Brawl, the first in Morgantown since 2011.
WVU looked to be setting itself up for a win in last year’s battle when the tides turned for a game winning Panthers pick-six in the fourth quarter, and there has been a bitter taste in the mouths of West Virginians since.
Pitt comes to Morgantown following a disappointing 27-21 home loss to Cincinnati in which Boston College transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec completed just 31.24% (10-for-32) of his passes for 179 yards.
The Mountaineers took care of business last weekend against Duquesne – an FCS team – that acted as a reset game following the Week 1 loss to Penn State.
Junior quarterback Garrett Greene (26-for-45 / 402 yards / 4 touchdowns on the season) will make his first Backyard Brawl start, as will many of his teammates on both sides of the ball.
Sophomore running back CJ Donaldson broke out for 125 rushing yards on seven carries in his WVU debut against Pitt last year, and he is the surefire candidate to lead the rushing attack again this weekend. Donaldson ran for 4.42 yards per carry in the first two games this season.
WVU also hopes to see the return of redshirt senior wide receiver Devin Carter and freshman wide receiver Traylon Ray return from injury this weekend after missing the Duquesne game.
Mountaineer GameDay
WVU fans can begin every game day with Mountaineer GameDay. The pregame show returns to its regular time slot on Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon.
The award-winning WVU football pregame show will get fans up to speed on the latest news right up until an hour before kickoff as co-hosts Nick Farrell and Amanda Mazey bring you the latest news with GBN’s Anjelica Trinone and Ryan Decker.
