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This Saturday, the Pitt Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers will hook up in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl.  West Virginia comes in with a record of 10-1, ranked number one in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and #2 in the AP poll.  It's the first ever trhat the mounatianeers are ranked #1 in any of the polls.  Pitt is 0-12 all time vs #1 ranked teams.  Pitt comes in with a 4-7 record and has lost two straight to WVU but still holds an advantage in the all-time series with a 59-37-3 record versus the Mountaineers.

Pitt's offense is led by a pair of Freshmen.  Quarterback Pat Bostick will make his 9th consecutive start and has been very inconsistent all season.  At running back, the Panthers feature the Big East's second leading rusher in Freshman LeSean McCoy.  Joining McCoy in the backfield is Junior LaRod Stepens-Howling.  The two have proven to be a very formidable tandem, helping the Panthers win several ballgames this season.  The Pitt offense faces a very tough challenge going up against a very stout, athletic defense.  The mountaineer defense is led by linebacker Marc Magro and Defensive Lineman Johhny Dingle.  Pitt will have to play nearly mistake free football against this very good defensive unit. 

On offense for the Mountaineers, Quarterback Pat White and Running Back Steve Slaton are two of the most dynamic players in the country, with each running for over 1000 yards this season.  The biggest difference between the WVU offense this year and the offenses of the last few years in that White has developed into a true duel threat, being able to beat defenses with his arm as will as his legs.  His favorite target is a dynamic playmaker at wideout in Darius Reynaud.  West Virginia faces a statistically much improved Panthers defense led by the leading tackler in the nation, Linebacker Scott McKillop.  While the defense for Pitt has been much better this year, they have struggled against teams with more athletic teams and mobile quarterbacks.  For Pitt to have any chane in this game, it is crucial for the Panther defense to contain White and Slaton.

Keys to the game

Will Pitt be able to contain the dynamic duo of Pat White and Steve Slaton?

Which team will control the time of possession?

Will Pat Bostick be able to effectively manage the offense and limit his mistakes?

Can LeSean McCoy and Larod Stephens-Howling establish an effective running game, opening up plays in the passing game?

Which team will be able to make more big plays?

Which team will be able to make a big play in the return game?

This is the last game of what has turned out to be a very long season for the Pittsburgh Panthers.  There is no bowl game in their future, so this is their bowl, their chance to ruin the National Championship hopes of their biggest rival.  I expect to see the Panthers, and especially the seniors, come out and play with passion, but ulimately the Mountaineers are too fast and too talented.

West Virginia 42, Pittsburgh 24