Once one of college football's premier rivalries, the Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia Mountaineers will battle in the famous 'Backyard Brawl' after an 11-year hiatus. The long-time rivals now reside in different conferences as the Panthers are the defending ACC champions while the Mountaineers do battle in the high-scoring Big 12 conference. Pittsburgh comes into the season ranked 17th nationally while West Virginia is unranked. The Panthers will host this matchup and the opening kickoff is set for 7:00pm EST in Pittsburgh.
Residing in a conference known for its offensive production, the Mountaineers had difficulty generating the kind of consistent offense in 2021 to match up with the majority of the team's in the Big 12. They finished just 4-5 in conference play last season and 6-7 overall in failing to earn a bowl spot. This season, West Virginia returns all five of its offensive lineman, which should be a good starting point for offensive success. Head coach Neal Brown brought in a new Offensive Coordinator in Graham Harrell who favors a big passing attack. At quarterback Harrell will have JT Daniels, transferring in from Georgia. Daniels had difficulty staying on the field, first at USC and then at Georgia, but has all the intangibles to be a highly successful college quarterback. An experienced offensive line in front of him should keep Daniels upright. Daniels will have two returning wide receivers from last season in Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who ha d 42 catches and three TDs in 2021, and Sam James, who had 42 catches as well and five TDs. The running back position could be a concern as the current roster does not contain one player with a college touchdown as of yet.
Coming up at 9 AM ET on @SECNetwork@NealBrown_WVU joins @MartySmithESPN & @ESPNMcGee to preview the 105th Backyard Brawl pic.twitter.com/PK3dwfNsOU
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) August 27, 2022
Defensively, the Mountaineers hope to just keep pace with last year's unit. Last season, the team allowed 350 yards per game, which is reasonable in the high powered Big 12 and could be more than efficient if West Virginia's offense develops under Harrell like they are expected to do. Brown had to be active in the transfer portal to get this year's team up to speed. WVU added Hershey McLaurin and Marcus Floyd at safety via the transfer portal as well as cornerbacks Rashad Ajavi and Wesley McCormick. Brown also went the transfer route at the linebacker spot, bringing in Jasir Cox, Lee Kpogba, Tirek Austin-Cave and Lance Dixon to strengthen the middle of the field and edges. The Mountaineers welcome back one of the best interior lineman in the country in Dante Stills and has returning players at defensive end as well. Brown will need to find a few gems out of this group in order to give their new offense time to grow.