Played annually since 1895, the Backyard Brawl is the nickname of the college football rivalry game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The close proximity of the schools, roughly 75 miles apart, is the basis for the nickname.http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Morgantown,+West+Virginia&daddr=Pittsburgh,+PA&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=40.033924,-80.104065&sspn=0.927387,1.790771&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=9
The 2010 Backyard Brawl took place on Friday, November 26, 2010, as West Virginia defeated Pittsburgh 35-10.http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303300221 Airing on ABC on television and ESPN3.com online, the game was held at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Panthers, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Neither team entered the game ranked among the top 25 teams in the BCS standings. West Virginia had a better overall record, going 7-3 as compared to the 6-4 overall by Pittsburgh, however the Panthers had the edge in Big East games with a 4-1 conference record compared to a 3-2 conference record for the Mountaineers.http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=303300221&confId=10
In the 2009 Backyard Brawl, West Virginia defeated the 15th-ranked Pittsburgh 19 to 16 on November 27 at West Virginia.http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
In the 2008 meeting, the Panthers defeated the Mountaineers, 19 to 15, on November 28, 2008, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=283330221&confId=80
100th Backyard Brawl
In addition to being the 100th anniversary of the rivalry game, the 2007 was especially notable. The unranked Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the second ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 13 to 9. West Virginia, who would have played in the BCS Championship Game had they won, dropped to the Fiesta Bowl and finished the season in ninth place.[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07336/838564-233.stm
Recent Games
- 2007: Pittsburgh 13 - West Virginia 9http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2006: West Virginia 45 - Pittsburgh 27http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2005: West Virginia 45 - Pittsburgh 13http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2004: Pittsburgh 16 - West Virginia 13http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2003: West Virginia 52 - Pittsburgh 31http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2002: West Virginia 24 - Pittsburgh 17http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2001: Pittsburgh: 23 - West Virginia 17http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 2000: Pittsburgh 38 - West Virginia 28http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 1999: West Virginia 52 - Pittsburgh 21http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
- 1998: West Virginia 52 - Pittsburgh 14http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/pittsburgh/opponents_records.php?teamid=3502
2009 Backyard Brawl
As shown in highlights from the 2009 Backyard Brawl, the game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers was very close. Teams were tied at 16 points each with three seconds left in the game, putting the game in the hands, or foot, of West Virginia redshirt freshman kicker Tyler Bitancurt. The kicker made the field goal, giving the Mountaineers the win.