Neal Brown 'In Favor' of Playing Backyard Brawl Annually

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is counting the days until his first Backyard Brawl

The Big 12 Conference kicked off its annual football media days Wednesday morning. 

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown was third on the docket and was sure to note the Mountaineers are counting the days until rekindling the Backyard Brawl in his opening statement.  

"We're 50 days away from the Backyard Brawl, the return of the Backyard Brawl - 19 days until we have our first practice," he said.

It's been nearly 11 years since West Virginia and Pitt squared off on the football field after the two programs departed the Big East Conference and landed at two different destinations. However, the two came to a four-year agreement in 2015 to renew the annual battle this upcoming season through 2025. In April, they extended the series starting in 2029 and running through 2032.

"I wasn't there when the initial contract was signed to play Pitt. Shane Lyons, our athletic director, asked me about the continuation of the series, which we'll do later in the decade and I was all for it," said Brown.

Jul 13, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown is interviewed during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium / erome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

"It's really important for us to play regional rivalries," continued Brown. "The Backyard Brawl, this will be my first opportunity to be a part of it. Our fan base is extremely passionate about that game. So, it's a game that I would be in favor of playing each year. I think it's a great kickoff for college football." 

The Backyard Brawl has been traditionally played in October or November. The last 14 of the last 15 meetings were in November while the lone game was on December 1st. Out of the 104 meetings in the series, 10 have been season openers. Pitt holds a 6-4 edge in those openers. However, West Virginia dominated the last game to open the 1996 season 34-0, highlighted by Amos Zereoue's 69-yard touchdown run for his first collegiate carry.  

The return of the Backyard Brawl brings extra excitement to the season but opening the season with an old rival adds fuel to the fire.

"We're not playing on so-called week zero, but we are the premier Power Five game versus Power Five opponent on Thursday night, and our guys are excited," said Brown. "It's been a great carrot for our guys as we've gone through winter, through spring ball, now through summer workouts to know that man, we've got not only a game to look forward to but it's a rivalry game that's going to be on prime time."

West Virginia and Pitt kickoff September 1st at 7:00 pm and is airing on ESPN. 

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