Pitt Players Excited for Revenge Matchup in Backyard Brawl

The Pitt Panthers are excited for the Backyard Brawl vs. the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Sep 16, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers fan holds a towel during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will face off against their bitter rival in the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl this weekend on Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m.

Pitt and West Virginia started off playing 1895 and they've faced off 106 times since then, with Pitt holding a 62-41-3 lead in the rivalry.

The series recently restarted in 2022, which Pitt would win late on a pick-six from M.J. Devonshire, 38-31 at Acrisure Stadium. West Virginia got their revenge in 2023, winning 17-6 at home, with Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec completing just 8-of-20 passes and throwing three interceptions.

Pitt players who suffered that defeat last season have approached this game differently. That loss is something they haven't forgotten and has given them motivation heading into the Backyard Brawl.

Redshirt sophomore Kyle Louis has started at Star linebacker in 2024. As one of the leaders of the defense, Louis didn't enjoy last year's game whatsoever.

“Last year was a rough year," Louis said. "We came in there, we had our helmets on going in there. That was my first rivalry game away. Came in there, had a bad game. That was definitely one game to remember. So we definitely got that chip on our shoulder going into this week.”

This year, Pitt has some momentum going into the Backyard Brawl compared to last season, when they lost to Cincinnati at home before facing West Virginia.

The Panthers defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes in a 55-24 blowout at home in the season opener on Aug. 31. They then faced adversity vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats in the River City Rivalry on the road, down 27-6 midway through the third quarter, but mounted an historic comeback to win 28-27, capped off by a late field goal from redshirt senior place kicker Ben Sauls.

One player who starred in the win was senior Konata Mumpfield, who made five catches for a career-high 123 yards, plus two touchdowns and the late catch to win the game from redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein. He earned ACC Receiver of the Week honors for his performance.

Mumpfield experienced both the incredible win vs. the Mountaineers in 2022 at home and the 2023 defeat. He doesn't want to look towards the past and instead focuses on his current team, which holds an improved mindset heading into the Backyard Brawl.

“Obviously last year wasn’t how we wanted to play against, but I mean, this year, we're a completely different team, completely different offense, completely different mentality. It's completely different," Mumpfield said. "We're confident, we're going into the game confident and we're excited for what's going on. Good game plan and we’re ready."

One of the biggest changes for the Panthers comes from new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who worked to implement his fast paced, up-tempo, spread attack that is contrary to the slow, huddle up, NFL pro-style offense that previous offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. led, resulting in the worst offense in the ACC last season.

Bell came from FCS program Western Carolina and brought a few of his players along with him to Pitt, including junior running back Desmond Reid, who has starred for the program so far, leading all Division I FBS players in all-purpose yards.

He had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown, plus 19 carries for 145 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown on the ground in the win over Kent State. He then had an even better game against Cincinnati, with six catches for receiving 106 yards and a touchdown and had 19 carries for 148 yards, recording the first game a Pitt player had 100+ yards receiving and rushing.

Reid will play in not just his first Backyard Brawl, but his first real rivalry game in his career, despite playing football in the Miami, Fla. area and for Western Carolina. Despite this, he learned quickly about the matchup and what it means to both fanbases.

“Oh yeah It’s hate, between both of us," Reid said. "They hate us, we hate them. Coach [Narduzzi] showed us a couple videos of the West Virginia fans last year, how they was acting. That will make it fun, you know. Shoot, we just gotta come out and play good. We gotta start fast, shoot, we’ll be good.”

He is most excited to see a full, packed out Acrisure Stadium, and to continue playing at the high level he has so far this season.

“I mean, yeah, I thought about me scoring and then all the fans going crazy," Reid said. "I’m just ready for the game to be honest. It’s going to be a fun game to watch.”

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Nate Matlack transferred from Kansas State and has experience playing West Virginia, defeating them both on the road in 2022 and at home in 2023.

He didn't know much about the rivalry growing up, but when he saw the 2022 edition on television, he truly understood the rivalry, while learning even more about it after he joined the team in January.

"I’ve learned a ton, honestly," Matlack said. "I think it was, pretty sure it was like two years ago and I think I saw the game on TV and I was watching it. I didn’t realize, I was like, “Why is this such a big game?”, but then I realized it was a rivalry. From the midwest, I got no idea. I didn’t know about the rivalry until really about then, but I mean, now I know how big it is for both programs, how close we are, 40 minute drive is what I heard. So I understand it’s a huge rivalry and I feel like I take pride in it already so far, even though I haven’t been here too long."

Louis wants to bring back the energy and feel of 2022, when he first got introduced to the Backyard Brawl and what a rivalry really means. Doing so will keep Pitt undefeated and keep the momentum going for a program looking to put 2023 in the past as fast as they can.

"That was crazy," Louis said. "That was like, my first college game I ever went to. That was my first, even a NFL game I went to. I never went to an NFL game too. So, Introduction to college for me. Stadium packed out. MJ had the game winning pick-six. The stadium was like, I didn't even know it could get that loud. So, I’m definitely looking forward to try and bring energy this year. Definitely win, that’s our first goal, but definitely get the energy back in the city."

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