Tye Edwards ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns, including one in overtime, as West Virginia rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 31-24 victory over Pitt at Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday to win the Backyard Brawl rivalry.
Nicco Marchiol was 19-of-25 passing with 192 yards and a touchdown for the Mountaineers (2-1), who defeated the Panthers for the fifth time in the last seven games of the series.
Edwards took charge as West Virginia’s starting running back after Jahiem White was lost for the season following a knee injury against Ohio last week.
The Backyard Brawl will now go on hiatus for three years until it returns again in 2029.
Eli Holstein was 22 of 37 for 303 yards and one touchdown for Pitt, but was sacked and threw an interception on the final two plays of overtime to end the game, after Edwards scored for West Virginia.
Raphael Williams Jr. had six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (2-1).
Pitt led 24-14 with 9:23 remaining before West Virginia scored the final 10 points of regulation.
The Mountaineers tied the game 24-24 with 11 seconds remaining, when Marchiol capped off a 13-play, 87-yard drive with a 2-yard TD pass to Grayson Barnes to force overtime.
Three Mountaineers quarterbacks saw action with Marchiol starting before Scotty Fox Jr. took over after halftime and threw two interceptions. After Jaylen Henderson led a second-half series, Marchiol returned.
After the teams combined for just 99 total yards in the first quarter, West Virginia took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 12-yard run from Edwards, while Pitt had a 23-yard field goal from Trey Butkowski just before halftime to pull within 7-3.
Both offenses came to life in the second half.
Edwards gave the Mountaineers a 14-3 lead with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter with a 1-yard TD run. Holstein then led Pitt on a run of 21 consecutive points, including his own 1-yard TD run in the third quarter and a 14-yard TD pass to Williams.
West Virginia started its comeback on a 21-yard field goal from Kade Hensley with 5:03 remaining to pull within 24-17.
–Field Level Media
