Neal Brown goes after refs following West Virginia loss, slams late-game calls

West Virginia coach Neal Brown wasn’t happy with the officials following the Backyard Brawl vs. Pitt on Saturday. He then showed his displeasure in the postgame press conference.

Cameras caught Brown going after the officials following his postgame handshake with Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi after the Mountaineers fell to the Panthers 38-31 in the rivalry game. Then, in his presser, he continued to voice his frustrations.

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Neal Brown is not happy with the refs pic.twitter.com/GexdteNTjs

— Derek Duke (@DerekDuke25) September 2, 2022

“Don’t ask me what targeting is,” Brown said. “Don’t ask me what a catch is because I don’t know.”

West Virginia defensive back Wesley McCormick was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter, and the game ended on a replay review of a potential game-winning touchdown catch. Officials overturned the fourth-down play, giving Pitt the ball back to take a couple knees and seal the victory.

West Virginia DB Wesley McCormick ejected for targeting during Backyard Brawl vs. Pitt

The Backyard Brawl can bring out a ton of emotions, especially in a seven-point game in the fourth quarter. However, something you don’t want to see is somebody ejected for targeting. Unfortunately for West Virginia defensive back Wesley McCormick, he is no longer in the game.

On a second down play deep in their own territory, Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis threw a quick out near the sideline. Rodney Hammond was the pass catcher before getting blown up by McCormick, making head-to-head contact. The referee immediately threw his flag for targeting and confirmed the call via replay.

McCormick was then out of the game heading into crunch time. Once the defensive back was out of the game, Pitt went down the field to score and, eventually, win the game.

With the ejection, McCormick will now miss the first half of next week’s game. For West Virginia, they are not playing a non-conference opponent, as most teams do early in the season. Their Big 12 schedule will get kicked off early, with a road trip to Lawrence against Kansas.