West Virginia comeback falls just short, unable to overcome late pick-six in Backyard Brawl

After over a decade without playing the rivalry matchup, the 2022 Backyard Brawl certainly didn’t disappoint. The No. 17 Pitt Panthers staved off the West Virginia Mountaineers 38-31 thanks to an improbable interception.

Knotted at 31 with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels‘ pass was tipped, falling right into the arms of Pitt’s MJ Devonshire who followed his blocks all the way into the end zone for the go-ahead score.

OH WOW PITT PICK SIX 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZF7WwYLFbc

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2022

Daniels and the Mountaineers needed to act fast, and Daniels connected with his tight end Mike O’Laughlin to bring WVU into field goal range before immediately being sacked by SirVocea Dennis. Now facing 3rd & 10 with 34 seconds remaining, the Pitt defense got the stop they were looking for, and earned the victory after the ensuing fourth down, though WVU almost converted at the goal line.

Now, Pitt moves to 1-0 on the season, and will now turn its attention to the Tennessee Volunteers, who they’ll battle in Pittsburgh next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET live on ABC.

West Virginia DB Wesley McCormick ejected for targeting

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 Slovisthrew 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.

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McCormick is now out of the game heading into crunch time. Once the defensive back was out of the game, Pitt went down the field to score. The game is now tied with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter

You can watch the full play here.

West Virginia CB Wesley McCormick was ejected for targeting on this play.pic.twitter.com/6wJSY939Jg

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 2, 2022

With the ejection, McCormick will now miss the first half of next week’s game. For West Virginia, they are not playing a nonconference 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.