Missing key cogs, West Virginia braces for Pitt in 'Backyard Brawl'

Field Level Media|published: Thu 11th September, 09:02 2025

Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Ohio, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jahiem White (1) runs the ball for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The "Backyard Brawl" will be missing plenty of its expected punch when West Virginia hosts Pitt on Saturday afternoon at Morgantown, W.Va.

West Virginia will play the rest of the season without two key offensive performers after star running back Jahiem White and wide receiver Jaden Bray were lost to injuries in a 17-10 defeat at Ohio last Saturday.

White is scheduled for knee surgery this week following a horse-collar tackle in the second quarter of a game in which he had gained 40 yards and scored a touchdown. The preseason All-Big 12 selection was coming off a season with 844 yards rushing and seven TDs.

Bray had a recurrence of a foot injury that limited him to five games last season.

The Mountaineers (1-1) will be out to avenge a 38-34 road loss to the Panthers last season.

"It's obviously the biggest game on your schedule when you're at West Virginia," said Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez, who will return to the rivalry for the first time since a crushing West Virginia loss in 2007. "I don't know if Pitt will tell you that, but I know from our standpoint, and from our fans' standpoint, Pitt is the biggest game we play."

Pitt (2-0) has a chance to defeat West Virginia for the third time in four seasons, which would be the program's best run in the series since a seven-game winning streak from 1976-82.

The Panthers have been an offensive machine this season, with an average of 53 points per game that is tied for eighth best in the nation. Their average of 321 passing yards per game is 16th best.

The passing attack continued to flourish in a 45-17 victory over Central Michigan last Saturday, with Eli Holstein throwing for 304 yards and four TDs. Holstein's eight TD passes this season are tied for fifth most in the country, while his 10.2 yards per pass is 15th best.

After Saturday's game, the football version of the "Backyard Brawl" will take a three-year hiatus and return in 2029. Pitt has a 63-41-3 lead between the teams all-time.

"For us as a football team, all the things in the crowd and the stands, what happens when you're driving on the bus, doesn't really matter," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. "... The team that's going to stay focused best on the task at hand is winning the football game. That's what we're going down there to do, is trying to win a football game."

--Field Level Media