10th Anniversary of '13-9'
The Backyard Brawl. A fierce collegiate rivalry between schools that are only 70 miles apart. It's a rivalry that separates family members only for most of them to get together the next day to pull for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's dogs vs. cats, oil vs. water and city vs. country.
The two schools I'm talking about are the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh Panthers. The game that I will focus on took place at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia on a cold, snowy evening of December 1, 2007.
Pandemonium following the 1975 Brawl.
Before getting into the details of this game, let me paint a bit of a picture of the recent history of this rivalry. The 1975 game ended in a near riot after Bill McKenzie connected on a last second field goal to knock off #20 Pitt, 17-14. Mountaineer Field was rushed and the goalposts came down. Another crazy game happened in 1989 in Morgantown when the Mountaineers had that game safely in hand; 31-9, heading into the fourth quarter. Pitt roared back and kicker, Ed Frazier kicked a field goal on the last play to pull out a tie at 31. Pitt quarterback; Pete Gonzalez led the Panthers to a 41-38 overtime upset in 1997. There are several other last second wins and fierce battles between these two over the years. You can throw out the records on many occasions. But nothing was quite like the 100th edition of the Brawl in 2007.
Milan Puskar Stadium; Morgantown, WV.
The first day of the 2007 college football season started with a mind bending upset. Lower division, Appalachian State traveled to the Big House and pulled a miracle victory over the Michigan Wolverines. That set a tone for a season pock marked full of upsets; so much so that a two loss team won the National Title. Three months after that incredible Appalachian State upset, 13-9 happened. Pitt was a struggling football program for three years under coach, Dave Wannstedt. This would be a third consecutive year without a bowl game after five and six win seasons. Pitt came into this game with a 4-7 record. They lost their previous two games against Rutgers and South Florida. Even coach Wannstedt arrived on the field that night on crutches. Pitt wasn't totally bereft with talent though. Running back, LeSean McCoy and linebacker, Jabaal Sheard were on the 2007 Panthers. They both enjoy fine NFL careers to this day.
Pitt head coach; Dave Wannstedt.
West Virginia was loaded; period, back in 2007. The Rich Rodriguez spread option offense was torching defenses to the tune of over 40 points a game. That includes their 13 point output in their early season loss to South Florida. They blasted Connecticut the week prior of the 2007 Brawl, 66-21. Quarterback, Pat White ran the offense masterfully with his arm and legs. He had plenty of help with speedy running backs, Steve Slaton and five star phenom, Noel Devine. Darius Reynard was the deep threat. The Mountaineers were a four win Pitt team away for a chance to win their first National Championship; something that the Big East Conference really needed.
West Virginia head coach; Rich Rodriguez.
The Big East was still reeling from the defections of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College a few years earlier. The conference never received a break from the national sports media. West Virginia was the crown jewel of the conference, entering the 2007 season with back to back 11 win seasons.
College football is a funny and unpredictable sport. What walked onto that field that cold, December night was a home team ready to take a trip to the BCS National Championship Game being a 28.5 point favorite. The four win Panthers had other plans.
After a scoreless first quarter, West Virginia drew first blood after a Jarrett Brown, six yard touchdown run. The thought was the Mountaineers found their stride and about to take this game over. However, starting quarterback, Pat White left the game with a dislocated thumb. Pitt's Conor Lee kicked a 48 yard field goal to close the Mountaineer lead to 7-3 at halftime. The high powered West Virginia offense did not get on track and the close halftime score was beginning to catch the attention of the nation.
A feeling of full panic began to envelope the stadium in the third quarter when Pitt quarterback, Pat Bostick plunged into the end zone to give the Panthers its lead. Surely, West Virginia had to recognize that Pitt was loading the box with eight and nine men. The Mountaineers had to catch the Pitt defense off guard and start going downfield for big plays. That never happened. Another Pitt field goal in the fourth quarter lifted the panic even more. It was becoming do or die time for the heavily favored home side. Trailing by six and with Pat White returning, the Mountaineers twice moved the ball inside the Pitt 30 yard line. Mistakes and a failed fourth down conversion turned the stadium into a funeral home. Pitt punter, David Brytus put the finishing touch by running the ball into the back of his own end zone for a safety, running the remaining seconds off the clock. The biggest upset in Big East football history and one of the biggest upsets in college football history became reality.
The aftermath besides West Virginia not participating in the national title game, was that the Big East was never going to get the respect they were seeking. West Virginia fans sat with a stone faced expression; some crying. The small section of Pitt fans that made the trip cheered with joy; some of them crying, not believing what they just saw.
Both coaches were leading their alma maters at the time of this game. A distraught Rich Rodriguez was trying to find the words in his post game press conference while the Pitt players were noticeably whooping it up in a nearby locker room. The word he repeated several times over was nightmare. It must have been so much of a nightmare that he shockingly bolted for Michigan two weeks later. Another West Virginia alumnus succeeding Rodriguez was the very likeable, late Bill Stewart. He would lead the Mountaineers into the Fiesta Bowl and beat Oklahoma impressively. The following years under Stewart saw the offense regress and the win total decrease a bit.
Pitt head coach; Dave Wannstedt, guided his alma mater to its biggest win since their 1976 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia to win the National Championship. The game was the start of changing Pitt's fortunes, following up with a nine and ten wins over the subsequent seasons. Maybe the rocks and batteries that pelted the Pitt team buses when they arrived for that game was their kryptonite. Pitt is developing a reputation for knocking off second ranked football teams. It beat eventual National Champion, Clemson on the road in 2016 and defeated Miami at home the following year.
LSU slid into the National Title Game because of the West Virginia loss and the Bayou Bengals were too fast for Ohio State in that title game. The LSU fans should have a place in their hearts for the battling Pitt Panthers. The date of December 1st has become a holiday for Pitt fans. They greet each other with, 'happy 13-9 day' or even 'merry 13-9 day'.
Unfortunately, the rivalry has been put on hiatus since 2011. The great realignment of college football at the time saw West Virginia move to the Big 12 and continues to be a competitive program under Dana Holgerson. Pitt moved to the ACC along with Syracuse, essentially killing off the Big East football conference. Pitt has experienced head coaching upheaval that set the program back. Current head coach, Pat Narduzzi is trying to rebuild the program.
The Backyard Brawl comes back in 2022. Still way too long to wait for one of the most intense and heated rivalries in the sport. I'll put myself on record to say that the 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers were the best team in the land that year.
