Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Preview

Remember the last time the Pitt Panthers traveled to Morgantown, W. Va.? Yeah, we thought so. The problem for coach Dave Wannstedt is that the West Virginia Mountaineers remember that occasion as well.

It all sets up for a potential ambush this Friday night in Appalachia. The homestanding Mountaineers - no longer in the running for the Big East title, and only able to play for pride - will turn Pitt's visit into their bowl game. When the Panthers take to the turf at Mountaineer Field, they'll be walking into a hostile den for the latest and greatest staging of the Backyard Brawl, a no-love-lost rivalry matching the city kids from Western Pennsylvania against the country boys from the state Virginia forgot.

Further fueling West Virginia's emotional surge in this showdown will be the memory of the last time these two teams met in Morgantown, a night that WVU fans have tried hard to forget... but simply can't. What took place on December 1, 2007, is burned into the hearts and minds of anyone who has invested emotions in the regional fight between the Mountaineers and the Panthers.

West Virginia entered that game with a 10-1 record and - thanks to an Arkansas upset of LSU - a road to the BCS Championship Game five weeks later in New Orleans. With Pat White - a legendary collegiate quarterback - at the controls and Steve Slaton in the backfield, then-coach Rich Rodriguez had a roaring turbocharged force on his hands. Noel Devine - now the featured running back for WVU in 2009 - was a backup on that squad, which also boasted explosive playmaking receivers such as Darius Reynaud and, perhaps most importantly, had the blocking fullback in Owen Schmitt who could create holes for any ballcarrier.

The word "juggernaut" was legitimately applied to that manly Mountaineer attack. More details tell a fuller story of the mismatch that existed on paper when these teams met two years ago.

West Virginia took the field with Pitt on that frigid December night just one week after blasting Connecticut by a score of 66-21. That 45-point thumping witnessed an overwhelming display, a max-out masterpiece that showcased the full measure of the Mountaineers' enormous talents. Even without an A-grade performance against Pitt, West Virginia figured to easily punch back a pack of Panthers that carried a 4-7 record, and a pop-gun offense, into Morgantown.

All Pitt could offer in that nationally-televised night fight was the running of LeSean McCoy. Yes, Mr. McCoy is now collecting a Sunday paycheck, but without a proven downfield passing game under shaky quarterback Pat Bostick, the Panthers couldn't earn the respect of WVU's linebackers, who kept crowding the tackle box and dared Bostick to throw. Sure enough, Pitt scored only 13 points in that game, an almost-certain indicator of defeat despite McCoy's 148 yards on 38 carries. It was laughable to think that Pitt's defense could hold West Virginia's awesome offense to fewer than 13 points.

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But someone named Wannstedt - alongside former colleague and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads (now the head coach at Iowa State) - wound up getting the last laugh after all.

Pitt held WVU to a shockingly-low total of just 183 yards. White got injured in that game, but the injury suffered by the stud quarterback pertained to his hand, and not his legs. Even with West Virginia's passing game in a compromised position, the spread option used by Rodriguez still figured to gash Pittsburgh for big plays, but it never did. Aside from one strong second-quarter touchdown march, the Mountaineers were not only shut down, but shut out, by the Wannstedt-Rhoads braintrust and a long roster of defensive heroes who repeatedly found answers in a stupendous second half. The game ended with West Virginia scoring points, but only in the form of a meaningless safety, as Pitt punter Dave Brytus ran out of the end zone to make the final score 13-9 in favor of the Panthers.

The memory of that nightmare - which sent Rodriguez into an emotionally disturbed state and precipitated the coach's abrupt move to Michigan - will never leave the West Virginia program. But now, two years later, with Pitt being the team in the top 10 and in search of a BCS bowl bid, it's West Virginia who will play the role of spoiler, and that's why Pitt's very best game will be needed to win on the road.

Can the Panthers produce a pigskin Picasso in hostile territory, in front of the fan base that so dearly wants revenge after the upset that shook up an already-insane 2007 season? Every ounce of nerve and skill possessed by these kids from the Steel City will be tested on Friday night. We'll see just how much flinty fortitude Wannstedt's team can display in the 102nd edition of a very big Brawl.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer