Ludwig: The Best Win Against West Virginia? The Next One

PITTSBURGH — “Alright, everybody, wow,” Pat Narduzzi said Saturday night, his forehead shining with sweat. “That’s the first thing I’ve got to say.”

If you weren’t sweating that one out, on either side of the Backyard Brawl rivalry, I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Narduzzi may not admit it, but he probably lost 10 pounds in water weight. And he’s probably not alone.

That was one helluva game, something that can only be delivered by the likes of a Backyard Brawl, one of the greatest rivalry games in college athletics.

It certainly wasn’t perfect, and Pitt did a lot of bad things. I mean, I think I was one of many who thought it looked pretty bleak as the Panthers were worn down on the offensive and defensive sides of the football — especially upfront. The offensive line was… rough. But a win is a win, and a win over the Mountaineers is always something to write home about.

“It was great,” Kenny Johnson said after the game. “Last year, we went down there and took a bad loss. They were very disrespectful; I really needed this game for my mental health.”

I think he speaks for just about every Pitt fan on the planet with that one.

Pitt showed a lot of resolve. There’s something to be said about finding ways to win. It wasn’t going well, WVU Justin Robinson just about ripped Ryland Gandy’s helmet off while he caught a touchdown pass to go ahead by 10 points late in the fourth quarter. But Eli Holstein and the Panthers battled.

It was the first Brawl for Holstein, who completed 21-of-30 pass attempts for 301 yards and three touchdowns (and added 59 yards on the ground), and it absolutely lived up to the expectations he had when arriving from Alabama.

“The crowd was there, I was surprised how many West Virginia fans there, it was loud on both sides,” Holstein said. “Pitt fans really brought it in the fourth quarter and helped us win that game. They brought a lot of energy, a lot of momentum, which is a big factor in football games and we needed that in the fourth quarter. Pitt fans helped us get that.”

The atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium was electric. Despite the heavy heat, Pitt fans stuck around. The Panther Pitt was loud — very loud — all day.

Pittsburgh Panthers Student Section September 14, 2024. Michael Longo/PSN

Pitt didn’t quit. It fed upon the Acrisure Stadium crowd, which loudly sang Sweet Caroline at the end of the third quarter, and it didn’t give up. The Panthers believed a comeback was possible throughout the struggles.

“I am so damn proud of our football team,” Brandon George said after the game. “The way we fight, the way we show fight through all four quarters, never wavering, never showing any down emotions. Always cheering each other on, that’s what a Pitt football team is supposed to look like. And that’s how we need to continue to win and play football games.”

Pitt is 3-0, coming off a massive win against West Virginia in front of dozens and dozens of critical recruits, and it feels different in Pittsburgh.

That’s back-to-back fourth quarter comebacks (2-0 this season when trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter; 0-72 when trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter between 2005-23). There’s something about being able to pull out wins.

“I love that locker room to death,” Narduzzi said after the game. “Our players never gave up. I’m sure some of the fans kind of gave up, and I thought, oh, there’s no way. But our guys didn’t give up. And if you didn’t learn that from last week, then hopefully you learned it from this week. And we’ll move on to the next.”

On to the next. The next is Youngstown State, which gives the Panthers a chance to finish non-conference play undefeated for the first time. Ever.

The next Backyard Brawl is next season in Morgantown, W.Va. It’s 363 days away, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the most recent win. But the best win against West Virginia will always the next one.