Fans have waited a decade for another edition of the Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virginia. They were finally treated to one Thursday night, and it lived up to the hype and much more.
With the game tied heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers’ backs were against the wall until MJ Devonshire took an interception through the hands of one of his receivers, taking the ball 50 yards to the house.
PITT PICK-SIX FOR THE LEAD! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/d1KtHqhM1A
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 2, 2022
With the Mountaineers having a chance to tie it up, they managed to get the ball all the way to the one-yard line, where the Panthers were able to keep them out of the end zone to win the game 38-31.
West Virginia was this close 😳 pic.twitter.com/rLT831wVTf
— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2022
Both fan bases were very active on Twitter.
The Backyard Brawl is fucking awesome.
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 2, 2022
Wish we could get Backyard Brawl every year, but storied conference rivalries like WVU v. BYU take priority.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 2, 2022
Look, I covered 2016 Texas-Notre Dame. You never totally know what a thrilling opener says about a team.
But I do think Pitt and West Virginia are both gonna be good this year. Real glad we get Backyard Brawl in 7 of the next 10 years.
— Max Olson (@max_olson) September 2, 2022
We need the Backyard Brawl every damn year.
— Gabe McDonald (@GabeMcDonald_) September 2, 2022
With the win, we learned that both teams can be threats in their conferences. Pitt could take advantage of a weak ACC again but will have to fend off the likes of Clemson first before talks of repeating as conference champions start to begin in Pittsburgh.
As for West Virginia, they likely won’t win the conference, but they can certainly upset a few teams and find themselves in second or third place in the conference. Especially the way Daniels performed on Thursday, finishing the loss with 214 passing yards and two touchdowns.
About Jasper Jones
A native east coaster via Connecticut, Jasper is a writer for The Comeback and Audacy Sports. He decided to head south for college, attending the University of Kentucky and graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism. Prior to joining The Comeback, Jones spent a year writing for FanSided's college football blog, Saturday Blitz, covering news surrounding the sport and recruiting. He spent the same amount of time doing some freelance work for the tabloid/sports outlet BlackSportsOnline. In his free time, Jones loves to cheer on his Kentucky Wildcats, collect sneakers, read a good book, and get in some gains at the gym. You can follow him on Twitter @jonesj2342.