PITTSBURGH, PA — In a game billed as big-city Pittsburgh vs. country West Virginia, two QB’s from the University of Southern California in Kedon Slovis and JT Daniels stole the show Thursday night.
Slovis, a transfer quarterback from USC to Pitt, passed for 16-of-24 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown in his first start under center for the Panthers. Daniels, who transferred to West Virginia from Georgia, after being replace by Slovis at USC, was sure to not be outdone by his one-time Trojan teammate in front of a national audience.
In a game that was tied at 10-10 at the half, the second half was where all the fireworks would explode.
In the second half, there would be four lead changes and three ties, before the Panthers finally being sealed by a game-changing pick-six by M.J. Devonshire with 2:58 left in the game.
The pass, intended for WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, went right thru his hands before being caught by Devonshire, who would return it 56 yards for a touchdown.
Down 38-31, Daniels, who completed 23-of-39 passes for 216 yards and the aforementioned one interception, threw what was first considered a completion all the way down to the Pitt 2-yard line to Mountaineers WR Reese Smith in the waning seconds, that had the record crowd of 70,622 on pins and needles, before being reviewed and confirmed by instant replay.
After the incompletion was confirmed, the defending ACC champions, who unveiled their 2021 ACC championship banner with former Heisman finalist and current Pittsburgh Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett on hand, got into victory formation, sending Acrisure Stadium into a frenzy. There are very few games that live up to the hype, and the 105th Pitt-West Virginia Backyard Brawl delivered in spades.
Conference realignment aside, hopefully this game is a barometer to the ever changing college football world that some rival need to preserved and protected.
See you for Round 106 next year in Morgantown.
Ding ding!