PITTSBURGH — West Virginia head coach Neal Brown has manned the sidelines at Acrisure Stadium only once before.
Back in 2022, the Mountaineers lost a late lead, with the Panthers scoring a pair of touchdowns in a 43-second stretch late in the fourth quarter to prevail, 38-31, in the season opener for both squads.
Much has changed since that matchup and both teams largely have new personnel, but Brown and the visitors seek a different outcome in a return trip when the Mountaineers and Panthers meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the 107th installment of the Backyard Brawl. The game will air on ESPN2.
“First time in Acrisure Stadium since the disappointment back in ’22,” Brown said. “That’s still very fresh in my mind.”
An abundance of unknowns remain for West Virginia (1-1) to this point after a lackluster showing two weeks ago in a 22-point home loss to Penn State, which was followed with the expected 49-14 victory over Albany of the FCS.
Pitt, meanwhile, was projected 13th in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference, but started with a 31-point win against Kent State and completed a 21-point rally to win last Saturday at Cincinnati, 28-27.
Brown is hopeful his first win at Pitt comes in his third time coaching against the Panthers after the Mountaineers earned a measure of revenge last season with a 17-6 home victory.
“A huge game. One that our fans always circle,” Brown said. “One of the best rivalries in all of college sports. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”
The Mountaineer pass defense has struggled thus far and will be put to the test by Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein, who has thrived early on in an uptempo system put in place by first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell.
Holstein, a redshirt freshman and Alabama transfer, threw three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes against the Bearcats. He’s completed 50-of-75 passes for 638 yards with six TDs and two interceptions through two games, and Brown says Holstein’s mobility stands out as well. He has 37 rushing yards through two games.
“The quarterback is really efficient. I’m impressed with how he’s ran,” Brown said. “He’ll probably be excited after watching our tape, because quarterbacks have been able to run versus us. He’s done a nice of that through two weeks.”
Wideouts Konata Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson have combined for 17 receptions for 284 yards and Mumpfield has three of the four receiving touchdowns between the duo.
Tailback Desmond Reid, also a key factor in the passing attack, leads college football in all-purpose yardage and 293 yards on the ground with 117 receiving to this point.
The Mountaineers are seeking a more consistent pass rush to boost what’s been a leaky pass defense that allowed 309 yards through the air against the Great Danes. They’ll be without defensive lineman Eddie Vesterinen for the foreseeable future starting Saturday.
West Virginia has yet to intercept a pass among 57 attempted by opponents, 24 of which have generated first downs.
“We have to play with better technique. At corner, we have guys that can play well,” Brown said. “They’ve played well before. Trying to do too much and eyes aren’t in the right spots. We didn’t play good team pass coverage. We’re primarily a zone team and our underneath droppers weren’t where they’re supposed to be — our mike, will and spear and a lot of times our spur to the boundary. We have really firm rules about where they’re supposed to be and they just weren’t there. Some of it is because they were looking in the backfield too much and we coach them to sprint to their drop and then go back. Disappointing, but correctable.”
The WVU offense took a step in the right direction last week after struggling in its opener.
Quarterback Garrett Greene has limited experience in the Backyard Brawl after leaving last year’s matchup for good with a first-quarter injury.
Greene has completed 32-of-51 passes for 397 yards and three touchdowns in his final collegiate campaign. He’s yet to throw an interception after finishing with only four on 277 passes last season.
For Greene to operate at the level both he and Brown desire, the Mountaineers need to establish a ground game that was among the best in all of college football a season ago. Tailbacks CJ Donaldson (167 yards, 2 TDs) and Jahiem White (133 yards, 1 TD) are the focal point, while Greene is also a plenty capable runner.
“It all starts with Garrett Greene,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He and Donaldson in the backfield, with Jahiem White as well, and they like to run the ball. They’re going to use RPOs [run-pass options]. They have really talented receivers out there — deep ball guys, intermediate guys and guys that can make plays. We’ll see a bunch of RPOs and deep balls. We’ll see everything they have. You can throw every record out. This will be a knockdown, drag out battle at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. They’ll be ready, we’ll be ready and I know our team is excited for it.”
West Virginia’s offense seeks success against a Pitt defense Brown believes presents many of the same challenges it has each of the last two seasons.
“It’s a typical Pitt defense. Very aggressive and they play a lot of match quarters and cover man,” Brown said. “The d-line is really aggressive. They’re moving more than they have and playing a lot of guys up front.”
While the Panthers and West Virginia are scheduled to play again next season in Morgantown, this marks the Mountaineers last trip to Pittsburgh for five years until the series resumes in 2029 following a three-year hiatus.
“They’re playing very well. They’re 2-0 and coming off a huge win at Cincinnati,” Brown said. “They’re 2-0 and probably haven’t played their best. They’re going to have a lot of confidence going into the game Saturday.”
Pitt is 42-22 all-time at home against West Virginia and leads the series, 62-41-3.