Eli Holstein guides late rally as Pitt slips by West Virginia 38-34 in the Backyard Brawl
Derrick Davis scored on a 1-yard dive with 32 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past West Virginia 38-34 on Saturday in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
The Panthers (3-0) trailed by 10 with less than 5 minutes to go before Eli Holstein, a redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama, led a stirring comeback that added another memorable chapter in a rivalry that dates to 1895.
Holstein found Daejon Reynolds with a 40-yard heave to the end zone with 3:06 remaining to bring Pitt within a field goal. The Panthers got the ball back with 1:59 left and Holstein deftly guided Pitt 77 yards, though Davis' go-ahead score came with Holstein on the sideline after the quarterback's helmet came off trying to bull his way into the end zone on the previous play.
No matter, Nate Yarnell — who lost a training camp battle with Holstein to be the starter — came on and handed it to Davis, a Pittsburgh native trying to resurrect his career after a stint at LSU.
The victory was Pitt's second in three tries against the Mountaineers since the series was renewed in 2022. It also marked the Panthers' second impressive comeback in eight days.
Pitt trailed Cincinnati by 21 in the second half before roaring back last week. The stakes were even higher and things considerably bleaker against the Mountaineers after WVU's Garrett Greene hit Justin Robinson for a 28-yard touchdown with 4:55 to play to put the Mountaineers up 34-24.
Yet Holstein was just getting started on a day he passed for 301 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 59 more. He was near perfect down the stretch to give Pitt its first 3-0 start since 2020.
Greene finished with 210 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns but was also picked off twice, including a desperation toss with 4 seconds remaining.
The Mountaineers (1-2) committed a handful of self-inflicted wounds along the way. They had a long touchdown pass in the third quarter called back after being flagged for holding then subsequently gave up a blocked punt that Pitt's Brandon George returned for a score that put Pitt up 24-17.
WVU reeled off the next 17 points and appeared to be firmly in control after Robinson made a leaping one-handed grab at the goal line — with his other hand in the facemask of a Pitt player — only to see Pitt's offense come to life late behind Holstein.
WVU: Neal Brown may have trouble backing up last year's somewhat surprising 9-win campaign. The Mountaineers remain a work in progress on defense and the offense might not be potent enough to overcome it.
Pitt: Holstein has emphatically ended the Panthers' search for a quarterback and a team that was picked to finish 13th in the expanded ACC looks as if it could be dangerous once conference play begins in October.
UP NEXT
WVU: begins Big 12 play next Saturday when Kansas visits Mountaineer Field.
Pitt: finishes up nonconference play next Saturday at home against Youngstown State.
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