PREVIEW + PREDICTION: West Virginia vs. Pitt
PREVIEW + PREDICTION: West Virginia vs. Pitt
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00:48 - It is the Backyard Brawl.
01:05 I'm Skylar Callahan here with Eugene Napoleon,
01:08 legendary West Virginia running back.
01:10 You are watching the Walkthrough Game Day Show
01:13 presented by Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning.
01:16 It take me home to comfort and gee, my goodness, man.
01:19 This is one we've all been waiting for.
01:20 It's been a long time since West Virginia and Pitt
01:23 have played in Morgantown.
01:25 Now, obviously these two got together last year
01:28 up in Pittsburgh.
01:29 Things didn't go necessarily the way they should have went.
01:33 The ball literally bounced in Pitt's direction at the end
01:37 as MJ Devonshire returned to pick six
01:39 to defeat Mountaineers 38 to 31.
01:43 But pause on that for just a second.
01:45 We're going to go quickly here into our thoughts
01:48 from week two with these two teams.
01:50 West Virginia getting a very convincing 56 to 17
01:54 win over Duquesne and Pitt falling 27 to 21 to Cincinnati.
01:59 So, Gene, we talked a little bit about it
02:02 on the post game show on Saturday,
02:04 but it was pretty much what you expected to see in this game.
02:08 It took a little while to get there.
02:09 Maybe the rain delay or the weather delay helped
02:12 kind of refocus this team.
02:14 But regardless, they got there.
02:16 They found a way to get that convincing, comfortable win.
02:19 Meanwhile, as we said, Pitt had to strain for four quarters
02:23 heading into this backyard ball,
02:25 and they didn't even come up with the win.
02:26 So how about that?
02:27 - Well, two things for sure.
02:30 One, the convincing win on our part, beating Duquesne.
02:33 Okay, we knew that was going to happen.
02:35 Very happy the way that we finally came together
02:38 to do what we need to do with them.
02:40 I'm not surprised at a Cincinnati win over Pitt.
02:43 Keep telling people Cincinnati is a grimy team.
02:48 They play, man.
02:50 They just line up and they play smash-mouth football,
02:53 which I've always known that program to do that.
02:56 I'm not surprised they beat Pitt.
02:57 I'm not.
02:58 So kudos to Cincinnati.
03:03 - Kudos to Cincinnati for sure.
03:05 And this is a great opportunity for West Virginia.
03:07 The Salt Mountain fans may have actually,
03:09 I don't know, I don't want to speak for anybody,
03:11 but there could have been a portion of the fan base
03:13 that was actually rooting for Pitt last week,
03:15 just so that there was a chance
03:18 they could sneak into the top 25.
03:21 It probably wouldn't have happened
03:22 even if they won anyways.
03:23 I don't think they would have made that significant
03:24 of a jump, but regardless, this is a one-on-one team,
03:28 and you've got a chance to send them back to Pittsburgh
03:31 under .500 three games into the season,
03:33 and maybe send their year into a tailspin.
03:36 They got a brutal schedule, Gene.
03:37 I don't know if you've taken a look at it yet,
03:39 but there's a lot of very challenging games.
03:42 I don't know that there's very many wins
03:44 left on the schedule.
03:44 So this is really a pivotal game,
03:47 not only for West Virginia, but for Pitt too.
03:49 But that's our quick, very quick recap
03:52 of West Virginia's game against Duquesne and Pitt.
03:55 Again, if you want to go back and take some more looks
03:58 at what we said, we've got the morning after,
04:00 and we also have the post-game show
04:02 that we posted earlier this week.
04:03 So we don't want to dive into any more of that nonsense.
04:06 There's plenty of other stuff for us to get to today.
04:09 And today, we're actually going to do something very fun.
04:12 Not that we don't ever do anything fun,
04:14 but this is a little something different.
04:16 And we kicked around some ideas before,
04:19 but, and I'm sure it's been done before too,
04:22 but we're going to do an all-time WVU offensive draft.
04:26 Okay, so what do we agree on here, Gene?
04:28 We're going two quarterbacks?
04:30 - Two quarterbacks, two running backs,
04:33 and you said three receivers.
04:34 - Three receivers.
04:35 - I'm going to stick with three receivers, okay?
04:37 I'm going to stick with three receivers.
04:38 - There we go.
04:39 So we got two quarterbacks, two running backs,
04:41 three receivers, and we want you guys to let us know
04:45 in the comments who puts together the better team.
04:47 Now this isn't necessarily for an entire season.
04:52 This, let's say that you have one drive,
04:56 or let's say one quarter,
04:57 so that way you can get some of the different aspects
04:59 of this offense involved here,
05:01 and you're not just airing it out.
05:03 You have the fourth quarter, you're down six,
05:06 and you need to get into the end zone to tie,
05:09 and then potentially win the game
05:12 to go to the national championship.
05:13 So we're going to put some real pressure here
05:16 on this offense, and the parameters here,
05:19 again, there really isn't on outside
05:21 of how many players we can pick at each position,
05:24 any time in WVU football history.
05:27 So it doesn't matter whether they played 40 years ago,
05:30 four years ago, the only stipulation
05:33 is they cannot be an active player.
05:35 So there you have it.
05:37 So Gene, I'll be the nice guy that I am,
05:40 and let you go first.
05:41 So you can have the first pick
05:43 of the 2023 Offensive Draft.
05:46 - At quarterback, super number nine, Major Harris.
05:52 - I knew it, I knew it.
05:56 I knew I shouldn't have done that.
05:58 But hey, I want to let you get your guy.
06:01 So I will counter that, and usually I would,
06:06 no, you know what, I'll stick with the quarterback spot.
06:08 I was going to go and try and jump you on one,
06:11 but you know what, actually I am.
06:14 I am going to go in another position,
06:16 because you've already got the best quarterback.
06:19 I'm going to take the best player outside of quarterback
06:22 in West Virginia history, in my opinion,
06:25 Mr. Tavon Austin.
06:26 So you already got your quarterback.
06:28 I don't need to get a second,
06:30 I don't need to get that quarterback right now.
06:32 I can hold on a second, so I'll go Tavon.
06:35 - Okay, you go Tavon.
06:36 Well, I'm going to trump you, and check this out.
06:42 I'm going to go with my second quarterback, Pat White.
06:46 - Oh no, I didn't think you'd do me like that.
06:49 I gave you the first pick, I was being generous.
06:52 Oh man.
06:54 - This is business.
06:55 (laughing)
06:58 - Oh my goodness, what am I going to do now?
07:00 Major's gone.
07:02 - I got a secret for you.
07:04 The reason, and I'm going to tell you at the end of this,
07:06 my strategy for picking Mr. Pat White there.
07:09 But go ahead.
07:10 - I should have known you were going to do that.
07:13 Oh man.
07:15 So you got Major White, Pat, or Major White, yeah.
07:19 Major Harris, Pat White.
07:21 - I've got Tavon with my second pick.
07:23 I'm very back and forth between two guys here.
07:30 You know, I could go recency bias,
07:35 but something in my gut tells me,
07:37 I'm going to go Mark Bulger.
07:39 I'm going to go Mark Bulger,
07:42 but since you got your two quarterbacks,
07:44 it doesn't really matter.
07:46 I'm going to end up taking, well,
07:47 we're more than likely, but I'll go Mark Bulger right now.
07:50 Okay.
07:51 Now I'm going to slide on down to the running back position
07:54 and I'm going to take Steve Slayton.
07:57 - No!
07:58 - I think I'm killing you right now, buddy.
08:02 - Yeah, I think so.
08:04 Man, oh man.
08:06 So now do I take RB2,
08:09 or do I go with another receiver?
08:12 Man, you got some different interesting names out there
08:19 and I don't want to start rattling them off
08:21 because I know you may steal one.
08:23 - Oh no, listen, I got my list already.
08:25 I ain't got to say nothing.
08:26 I got my list already.
08:28 - Oh man, man, man.
08:30 How do I want to approach this?
08:32 This is tough.
08:33 You know what?
08:35 Give me
08:38 famous Amos.
08:41 Amos Zerowit.
08:44 - That is a very good pick
08:45 'cause he was actually on my list.
08:47 - There we go.
08:48 I stole one.
08:50 - You stole one.
08:51 Famous Amos is on my list.
08:52 So now I'm going to go with my second back, Noel Devon.
08:56 - No, no, no, no, no.
08:57 That was my other guy that I was contemplating there.
09:03 - You contemplated too long and too late.
09:06 - So you're going, let's see,
09:11 you got, so now you got your two backs.
09:15 - I got my two running backs.
09:16 - We only got two, we're going two running backs, right?
09:18 - Yep, two running backs and three receivers.
09:21 - Noel, and the crazy thing is,
09:23 is Noel Devon and Steve Slate did play together there
09:26 for a tiny bit.
09:27 So that's crazy to think about.
09:30 But I mean, I think the obvious choice for me here,
09:34 if I want to get a running back here,
09:36 is going to be Avon Coburn.
09:38 So, I mean, you can maybe consider
09:43 Letty Brown, Quincy Wilson, but I mean, come on.
09:46 All time leading rusher in WB history.
09:48 I'm going to go Avon Coburn.
09:50 And you know what, right now,
09:52 the way our teams are setting up,
09:54 I would have thought it would have been the other way around.
09:56 You've got the guys that are more my era,
09:58 and I've got some of the guys that were,
10:00 I was in diapers when some of these guys were playing.
10:02 So interesting how that works out.
10:05 - Oh yes, so at wide receiver, my first pick,
10:08 Reggie Renberg.
10:11 - Ooh.
10:13 - The freak of all freaks.
10:15 Our, listen, our version of Randy Mars, you understand?
10:19 - Yes.
10:19 - West Virginia's version of, that's right, of Randy Mars.
10:23 Reggie Renberg.
10:24 - Now, did you, what was your time like,
10:28 like your interactions with him?
10:30 How was that?
10:31 - We played together, awesome.
10:34 - Yeah, that's what I mean,
10:35 like during the time that you two were together,
10:37 what was that like having that type of player on your team?
10:41 - Un-freaking-believable.
10:44 Can catch a BB in the dark, you understand?
10:47 - Yeah.
10:48 - This dude can flat out run, can catch,
10:51 and what a great teammate, fun.
10:56 Reggie is a fun guy to be around,
10:58 always cracking jokes,
11:00 was just, made my time at WVU a lot of fun, man.
11:06 Just a great all-around dude and a superb football player.
11:10 - Yeah, one of the guys that's very underrated, I think,
11:14 in the all-time history of WVU football,
11:16 in my opinion, is Reggie Renberg, so.
11:19 - Absolutely, but listen, you know what, real quick,
11:22 those who know, know.
11:23 - Exactly, and if you're a part of that '88 team,
11:27 I mean, there's a lot of guys on there
11:28 that probably don't get the love they deserve,
11:30 and you know that better than anybody.
11:33 - Especially at that position, like I said,
11:34 it was a toss-up because I got three or four on that team
11:39 that I would have drafted, please, absolutely.
11:42 - So I got my quarterback taken care of,
11:46 so I got one more quarterback to go,
11:48 but I made way to the end for that
11:49 'cause you're maxed out there.
11:51 We're both maxed out on running backs,
11:52 and now we're kind of duking it out for receivers.
11:55 - We're really not, but go ahead.
11:58 - You got Reggie Renberg, I got Steady Stedman Bailey
12:02 as my first guy. - And you know what,
12:04 and he was on my list, but you got him.
12:07 You got him, you stole one, you stole one.
12:10 - And that's okay 'cause you got, like you said,
12:12 you got some multiple guys on that team.
12:15 - Absolutely, so I'm gonna go with Kevin White.
12:20 - The life just sucked right out of me.
12:25 I didn't think you were gonna go with Kevin White,
12:27 I really did.
12:28 - I'm gonna go with Kevin White with them two twin towers
12:31 and that type of speed on the outside, woo!
12:34 You better watch me.
12:37 And I can tell you why I picked the way I picked
12:40 when we're all done with this.
12:42 I'm gonna give you education on this, young boy.
12:44 (laughing)
12:45 - We will.
12:46 So I've got Tavon and Steadman.
12:49 I've got one receiver spot open.
12:51 Man, and actually, you know what, Gene,
12:56 I'm gonna do this, I'll do this for you.
12:58 We'll go four wide, we'll go four wide.
13:00 That way we can both get one more pick in.
13:03 So one more receiver, or I'll go receiver again here.
13:07 I'm gonna go with,
13:08 ooh, ooh, I'm going slim.
13:14 Chris Henry, rest in peace, Chris Henry,
13:19 but really dynamic player.
13:22 Didn't play his whole career at WVU,
13:24 obviously the full four years,
13:26 but what a tremendous player.
13:27 22 touchdown receptions translated into the NFL.
13:31 I'm going Chris Henry.
13:33 - Yeah, he's a great one.
13:34 He was a great one, God bless him.
13:37 God bless him.
13:38 Now, since you did that,
13:40 because he was on my list as well,
13:43 I'm gonna go with an all-time great,
13:47 and some of us of a certain age would appreciate this,
13:52 and he's a little bit old, he's older than I am,
13:56 but boy, was he a great one, Danny Buggs.
13:59 - Danny Buggs.
14:01 And I had a feeling that, yeah,
14:05 I mean, he was well ahead of his time.
14:07 Like, obviously I was not even around,
14:11 but I mean, just everything that I've heard
14:13 from the older generation of Mountaineer fans,
14:17 like he was something special to really watch.
14:21 - Absolutely.
14:22 - Man, okay, so I've got Tavon Steady, Chris Henry,
14:27 got one more receiver to go,
14:30 and then I get my second quarterback here.
14:33 So, hmm, I could go so many different directions.
14:38 When you look at this, it's almost incredible
14:40 to see how many really good receivers
14:42 West Virginia's had in their time.
14:44 - Absolutely.
14:45 - But I'm going to go with David Saunders.
14:50 - Ooh, nice.
14:55 - Yes, sir.
14:57 I was thinking maybe I get a little,
15:00 a do-it-all guy like a Jock Sanders,
15:03 maybe get your throw-it-up guy like David Sills,
15:05 but I'm going right there with David Saunders.
15:10 - That's nice.
15:11 Now, for me to counter that,
15:14 I need a guy that can play in the slot,
15:19 but his hands are good enough to be an overall one receiver.
15:24 And he is none other than Gary Mullins,
15:27 Gary "Blue" Mullins.
15:29 - I like it.
15:30 - So, there you go.
15:32 We both have a little old and new on our rosters.
15:36 Okay, so for my last pick, I'm going to go Wilbrier.
15:40 He took the two best quarterbacks off the board from me
15:43 right off the get-go, so, and I'm not hating it.
15:46 Like, I think Willie G's a great quarterback,
15:49 and you could argue he was one of the best pure passers
15:52 in Mountain View history, so I'm okay with Wilbrier.
15:56 So now let's flash up this graphic here on the screen
15:59 so you can see our team side-by-side.
16:01 Team Eugene Napoleon at quarterback,
16:05 Major Harrison "Pat" White at running back,
16:07 Steve Slayton, Noel Devine, and then at receiver,
16:10 you got Reggie Rembert, Gary Mullins,
16:12 Danny Buggs, and Kevin White.
16:14 And then for me at quarterback,
16:15 you got Mark Fulger and Wilbrier.
16:18 At running back, you got famous Amos Zeroway
16:21 and Avon Coburn, and then at receiver,
16:24 Steady Stedman Bailey, Chris Henry,
16:26 David Saunders, and Tavon Austin.
16:29 So there are our teams side-by-side.
16:32 Let us know in the comments if you're on YouTube
16:35 who has the better team.
16:36 Hashtag Team Skyler, hashtag Team Eugene.
16:39 We'll count 'em up, we'll revisit this next week
16:41 so we can have a little banter back and forth on here
16:45 about who's got the better team on this thing.
16:47 And I think it's pretty clear.
16:48 I mean, I've got the two best receivers
16:51 in the history of Mountain Deer football.
16:53 Yeah, you may have the two best quarterbacks,
16:55 but I got a pretty good quarterback room too,
16:57 so we'll see.
16:58 But anyways. - You do.
16:59 You do. - Quick thoughts on your process,
17:01 'cause I know you said you wanted
17:02 to talk about that real quick.
17:04 - Absolutely.
17:05 Whenever you have a guy that can play multiple positions,
17:08 you're always safe.
17:10 If push come to shove,
17:12 and I need to get another athlete on the field,
17:13 I can always put Pat White in the slot.
17:16 I can always put him as a tell.
17:20 So if I wanted to go five receivers
17:24 and just let Major just throw it out there
17:26 to some serious athletes with all that speed and space,
17:30 woo, that's a lot, if I wanted to do that.
17:33 And if I really wanted to get tricky,
17:35 and there's no backs in the backfield,
17:38 put Noel Devine at slot.
17:40 - Yeah, I mean, there's so many different options,
17:44 and I feel almost guilty leaving a lot of some of these guys
17:47 out of this, but it's like,
17:49 we're really tightening ourselves up here, so it's tough.
17:52 But again, it is what it is.
17:55 Little fun activity for us here
17:57 on the Walkthrough Game Day Show,
17:59 but we're going to transition now into the backyard ball,
18:04 the best moments that have ever happened in this thing.
18:06 I mean, really, there's been moments on both sides of this.
18:10 We won't really talk about that one game in '07,
18:15 but Gene, you've played in this rivalry.
18:18 You've been a part of this rivalry on both sides of it.
18:21 For those that don't remember, Gene played
18:23 and started his career at Pitt
18:24 before transferring to West Virginia.
18:26 But for me, I'll go and get my thoughts out of this first,
18:31 because everyone wants to hear you, obviously.
18:34 But I think, to me, again, a lot of the games,
18:39 they were playing when I was a kid.
18:43 A lot of these things, when they stopped playing in 2011,
18:47 Big 12, and West Virginia going to the Big 12,
18:50 and going to the ACC, that's a 10-year gap.
18:53 So a lot of these games happened when I was younger.
18:55 I would say probably the two most memorable moments
19:01 on the West Virginia side would have to be
19:04 the Stedman-Bailey stiff arm, right, in 2011.
19:08 Just sticks the guy, turns the other direction,
19:11 runs into the end zone for the touchdown.
19:13 And then that same game, Julian Miller
19:16 just getting seemingly a sack on every play.
19:19 They found a way to come back and win that game.
19:22 And then I would have to go, obviously,
19:24 with Tyler Bittenkirk, the game-winning field goal
19:27 as the clock strikes zero, two years later,
19:30 on the same field, the first time those two teams played,
19:34 since that game that no one really likes to talk about
19:36 in West Virginia, where you could see the emotion
19:39 on Scooter Berry's face on the sideline,
19:41 just tears just rolling down his face.
19:42 And it was just a really touching moment
19:46 on the Mountain Deer sideline.
19:47 So those are my two, again,
19:49 I'm showing my age here, but Gene,
19:51 you can probably tell us a little bit more
19:53 about the history of this thing,
19:55 having played in it back in the '80s.
19:57 - Dude, it was crazy.
19:59 I think of when we went to Pitt and we beat them
20:04 during our undefeated season.
20:08 First off, let me, that trip down memory lane,
20:11 just thinking about that,
20:13 whenever, again, you beat Pitt,
20:17 backyard brawl means so much.
20:19 I don't think people really understand how much that means,
20:22 especially if you are not really a Mountain Deer fan.
20:26 You're kind of looking, it has the same firepower
20:31 as when you talk about back in the day
20:34 when Alabama played Auburn.
20:36 Those two hate each other, UCLA and USC for some,
20:41 you know what I mean?
20:42 So Nebraska and Oklahoma, when it was the big eight,
20:47 you know what I mean?
20:48 So this game means so much, but that particular win,
20:53 it really put the exclamation point on,
20:59 West Virginia arrived at that point to let them understand,
21:03 we are going to play for a national championship.
21:06 In beating you, it just goes to show you how dominant
21:11 we were that particular year.
21:14 Now, the funny thing I think about,
21:18 last year for some reason resonated with me
21:25 really, really hard.
21:27 And I think it was because the way that game was played,
21:30 everybody was talking about it.
21:33 It was a fever pitch, right?
21:36 And we played well enough to win the freaking game.
21:40 Now you would think I would go back
21:41 through the annals of time in the '80s,
21:43 and I just mentioned the one game,
21:45 but last year meant so much because first time playing Pitt
21:50 in a long time to kind of rekindle that rivalry, right?
21:55 And the way we fought in that game,
21:59 it showed me a little bit more about,
22:02 not the way that our team was coached,
22:04 but about the grit of those players,
22:07 and the young guys really understanding what this meant
22:11 to play Pitt as far as they played them.
22:13 I will remember that game for a long time,
22:17 wouldn't lose a draw because West Virginia
22:20 showed me a lot of heart.
22:21 The young pups showed me a lot of heart.
22:23 They showed me that they just was not gonna lay down.
22:27 I mean, I think whenever you have a rivalry like that,
22:32 and the game is played that way,
22:34 there's something special about that game.
22:36 It brings me even closer to what's about to happen
22:41 Saturday night in this upcoming game.
22:44 I always say, and it's cliche to say,
22:46 you can throw the freaking scores out the window,
22:48 you can throw the Rosses out the window.
22:50 What stands the test of time is the rivalry itself,
22:54 and the fact that if you're of a certain age,
22:58 the backyard brawl means almost more to you
23:02 than just the score.
23:03 - It does, yeah, absolutely.
23:06 - If you went and talked to your dad
23:08 about the backyard brawl,
23:11 I guarantee he's going to have some stories now.
23:15 He's gonna have some, it hits you in the gut almost
23:19 when you think about it.
23:20 You're not even thinking about the scores,
23:22 you're thinking about the matchups
23:24 and the fact that you might even go back and say,
23:27 the time period.
23:28 He may go back and say,
23:29 "I remember that game back in 19,"
23:32 and you're like,
23:33 that's the history of this freaking game, man.
23:39 And that's why I think the passion of it means so much.
23:43 So whether you, again,
23:46 obviously you want to be on the winning side of it.
23:48 I have the win, and then I have last year's loss,
23:53 but the passion is still the same, if that makes sense.
23:56 - Yeah, that to me is something that really shows
24:01 how meaningful rivalry is, right?
24:03 Because this thing had been dormant for over a decade,
24:06 or a decade, actually.
24:08 And when you have that level of hatred,
24:11 and again, this is a completely different world
24:14 of college football and college athletics that we're in
24:16 because of the transfer portal, right?
24:18 These kids, they don't necessarily come here
24:21 and play for all four or five years anymore.
24:24 They're bouncing all over the place.
24:25 You got 20, 30 transfers almost every year
24:27 on every single roster.
24:29 And you've got guys that, again, in this situation
24:32 where it's a rivalry that's now a non-conference game,
24:35 you don't have that familiarity with those guys
24:37 on the other side of the field.
24:38 So it's almost like you feel like
24:40 it should be a forced rivalry
24:41 because they don't really know them,
24:43 they don't really know you, yet still somehow that hate
24:47 and that passion for this rivalry still exists to this day.
24:52 And I think when we saw that last year at Heinz Field,
24:56 or Akershaw Stadium, whatever it's called now,
24:59 it showed how much this rivalry meant to college football,
25:03 and how much that this rivalry and others
25:07 around the country should still be going on
25:10 despite what happens with Conference Realignment.
25:13 You have to have these games.
25:14 They're meaningful to the fan bases, to the schools,
25:17 to the history of the program.
25:20 I don't give a crap about the dollars.
25:22 I know everyone else does, and the people
25:23 that make these decisions are about the dollars.
25:26 But at the end of the day, we've talked about it before here.
25:30 Actually, I think you said it on Between the Years,
25:32 that at some point you're going to start to see a decline
25:35 in interest from fan bases because they're playing teams
25:38 halfway across the country.
25:40 You're not getting the West Virginia Pitt,
25:42 the West Virginia Louisvilles,
25:43 the West Virginia Syracuse, West Virginia Virginia Techs,
25:45 you're getting West Virginia and Arizona State.
25:48 - West Virginia and BYU.
25:50 - Yeah, West Virginia, Colorado.
25:54 Like, I mean, come on.
25:56 So I don't like that aspect of it, but.
26:00 - Let's not be too hasty now.
26:03 West Virginia, Colorado, am I in?
26:05 - No.
26:06 - But, I mean, I think at the end of the day,
26:11 these rivalries have to find a way to exist,
26:13 regardless of what scheduling looks like in the near future.
26:17 I don't know, but that atmosphere last year
26:20 in Pittsburgh was electric.
26:21 And I know a lot of people thought West Virginia fans
26:24 were going to take over that stadium.
26:26 I myself thought that.
26:27 I show up and it's a pretty good turnout for both schools.
26:32 I couldn't really tell that there was one side
26:35 dominating the other.
26:36 It was pretty even.
26:38 This year, you obviously know it's going to be 90, 95%
26:42 West Virginia fans.
26:44 And I asked this question, Gene, on Twitter the other day,
26:49 that is this going to be the most electric atmosphere
26:52 we've ever seen at Mountaineer Field?
26:55 And I had so many people saying, "No, no way.
26:58 What the heck?
26:59 No, there ain't no way."
27:00 You're talking about the '88 season, the '93 season,
27:04 Oklahoma game in 2018, the LSU game in 2011.
27:07 And I get that.
27:09 I do.
27:10 But here's my point.
27:11 I'm not asking if it was the best game
27:14 in terms of the matchup.
27:15 I'm not asking if it's going to be the two best teams
27:19 that have ever played on that field.
27:20 I'm talking about the atmosphere,
27:22 because don't get me wrong,
27:23 those atmospheres were great in their own respect.
27:26 But you're talking about a rivalry
27:29 that has been dormant in Morgantown for 11 years.
27:32 You mean to tell me that an atmosphere
27:35 against a non-conference opponent in LSU back in 2011
27:39 is going to have a more crazy atmosphere than this game
27:43 when you are playing your heated rival
27:45 for the first time on your turf in over a decade?
27:49 I mean, I don't know.
27:51 To me, I think this is going to be a new --
27:56 the new or the top best atmosphere
27:58 in West Virginia football history,
28:00 setting the records and the teams aside,
28:02 just because it's been dormant for so long.
28:05 -I hope. I hope.
28:07 And the reason why I hope -- See, here's the problem with --
28:11 If people are not -- If you're not a historian, right?
28:14 Right now, our young people don't understand that history.
28:21 They don't, right?
28:22 So they don't go back and look at --
28:25 If you ask the average student, they're not going to know
28:28 that we hadn't played Pitt in 11 years.
28:30 -Yeah. -So to them,
28:32 it'll be just another football game and another night out.
28:35 And hopefully they show --
28:39 I hope that place is packed, right?
28:41 They don't understand that part of it.
28:44 I think if you went back maybe in 2012,
28:52 2013, 2014, 2015,
28:56 that fan is a different fan than we have now in 2023.
29:03 And no disrespect, I think the reason is
29:06 because of all of the jockeying with the freaking transfer
29:09 portal and these realignments with conferences,
29:12 it threw off that whole deal
29:15 where you would get so excited year in and year out.
29:18 We don't have that now.
29:20 It's just different, right?
29:22 The most electric -- Listen,
29:24 we've had some great games in Morgantown.
29:27 When we played Syracuse to seal our 11-0 season
29:32 in '88 in Morgantown, that night, for me,
29:37 was the most electric night of them all.
29:40 -Wow. Okay.
29:42 The Syracuse game.
29:44 -That stadium probably could have fell
29:45 into the freaking ground
29:48 'cause that thing was swaying from side to side.
29:52 Because you know why?
29:53 People watched history be made that night.
29:57 -That's a good point.
29:58 -We beat Syracuse to be 11-0,
30:02 to clinch a national championship berth at home
30:05 on national television.
30:08 So the whole country was watching that game.
30:11 All of college football was zoomed in on that game
30:15 because had we lost,
30:16 Nebraska would have been playing Notre Dame
30:19 for the national championship.
30:20 -Yeah. -So you know they were looking
30:22 with a vested interest.
30:25 -Yeah, I mean, now that I think about it,
30:28 like, I do think some of those games
30:31 like the one you're talking about,
30:33 like the -- I hate to say it, but the '07 pick game,
30:37 I mean, now, the atmosphere, I'm not sure.
30:40 I wasn't there.
30:42 I'm just assuming that the atmosphere
30:43 leading up into the game
30:44 and maybe even a little bit throughout,
30:47 it was probably up there because of what was on the line.
30:50 And you talk about the Oklahoma game in 2018
30:54 when they had a chance to go to the Big 12 Championship.
30:56 Like, that was electric.
30:57 I was there for that.
30:59 But again, I just think when you haven't played a rivalry
31:03 in so long in your home stadium,
31:06 I think that weighs a lot into why I think
31:10 this is going to be one of the top --
31:11 maybe it's not the top, maybe top three, maybe top five.
31:14 But if it's anything less than that,
31:16 I think it's a disappointment.
31:18 -And I'm hoping it's not.
31:19 I'm telling you, I'm hoping to sit back and watch this game.
31:27 I'm hoping that stadium is standing room only.
31:30 -Yeah. It is sold out.
31:32 It is sold out.
31:33 -I'm hoping it's so loud that my TV cracks.
31:39 -There's your challenge, fans.
31:40 If you're going to the game, make sure Eugene's
31:42 got to get a new TV next week.
31:44 After the game.
31:46 -I'm just so stoked for this game,
31:48 and I agree with you, Skyler.
31:50 This has all the ingredients and all the makings
31:53 of an all-time great game in Morgantown.
32:00 And the funny thing is, it's only week three.
32:04 -Yeah.
32:06 -That's what I love about it.
32:07 It only gets better from here.
32:09 But, boy, we can really get this thing
32:11 going with a victory against Pitt.
32:13 -Absolutely.
32:14 So we'll revisit this game here in just a few moments
32:18 when we get to predicting that game.
32:21 But we got some other games to predict first.
32:23 So let's go ahead and get into our weekly pick 'ems.
32:26 And, Gene, we had a little bit of a reverse record this week.
32:30 You go three and two. I go two and three.
32:33 That brings us each to five and five on the season.
32:36 We are deadlocked right now.
32:37 So someone's got to take a jump this week
32:40 and claim first place through three weeks of the season.
32:44 So let's kick it off with some Big 12 SEC action.
32:48 Number 15, Kansas State at Missouri,
32:50 12 o'clock noon on SEC Network.
32:53 Look, Kansas State demolished Missouri last year.
32:56 They don't have Deuce Vaughn.
32:57 That's something you got to keep in mind.
32:59 It was 40-12, I believe.
33:00 But this Kansas State team, I'm still very high on.
33:03 Like I said, they were my pick
33:04 to go to the Big 12 Championship.
33:06 I don't know if they win it, but I think they get there.
33:09 I think they win again today against --
33:10 or again this week against Missouri.
33:12 It's going to be closer, but it's still a two-score game.
33:15 I got Kansas State.
33:16 No doubt. Listen, I agree with you 100%.
33:18 I got Kansas State as well for very similar reasons,
33:20 but I really think when they come to play,
33:22 they come to play.
33:23 They make very little mistakes,
33:25 it's hard to beat Kansas State.
33:26 So I'm going with Kansas State as well.
33:28 In the SEC, number 11,
33:30 Tennessee at Florida, 7 o'clock ESPN.
33:32 Florida scuffling right now, Gene,
33:34 and everyone's kind of upset about the head coach,
33:37 Billy Napier, down there.
33:38 It seems like that seat's starting to get a little warm
33:41 early in this tenure.
33:42 So this is a big rivalry game.
33:46 I think Florida's going to hang in,
33:49 but I think Joe Milton and that cannon arm that he's got
33:53 is going to tear up this Gator defense.
33:57 I've got Tennessee edging out Florida.
34:02 He's a difference maker.
34:04 He's a difference maker, so I definitely agree.
34:06 I got Tennessee as well.
34:08 I don't think Florida, I got Tennessee.
34:10 Right now, they're coming apart at the seams, so to speak.
34:14 Yeah.
34:15 We got two games here to see if we separate on anything.
34:17 Maybe we just all pick the same things this week.
34:19 Who knows?
34:21 BYU at Arkansas, 7.30 PM ESPN.
34:24 This is the first test for both of these teams.
34:27 Arkansas's kind of played nobody.
34:29 BYU's really haven't played anybody yet.
34:31 BYU won 14 to nothing against Sam Houston, their opener.
34:36 They come back, they take care of business.
34:37 Look much better against Southern Utah,
34:39 but again, it's Southern Utah.
34:40 So this is a challenging game for BYU on the road,
34:45 traveling across the country.
34:47 Get used to that being in the Big 12
34:48 now that it's a partially Eastern conference.
34:51 But I think KJ Jefferson is the difference maker here
34:55 in this one.
34:55 Again, I'm going with the quarterback.
34:57 It sounds very cliche, very easy to go to,
34:59 but he is tough to handle when he is hot and he is rolling.
35:04 I'm going KJ Jefferson.
35:05 I don't think BYU can hang offensively.
35:09 That's what's funny.
35:10 I'm going BYU because I think I've told you before.
35:14 The one thing about BYU that people don't really understand,
35:16 they kind of misjudge, BYU plays defense.
35:19 And BYU always finds a way to come up with one or two
35:22 turnovers on special teams.
35:24 They max out on making you make mistakes,
35:30 and they capitalize.
35:31 They've always been that team.
35:32 I don't care who the coach is.
35:34 I don't care what their roster looks like.
35:35 It did something about that.
35:36 It must be in the water in Provo, Utah.
35:38 It must be in the water.
35:39 So I'm going BYU.
35:41 Man, dang it.
35:42 There's the one I'm going to lose on because I think we both
35:45 are going to agree on this next one.
35:46 So we'll see.
35:47 Maybe not.
35:48 In the Big 12, it is their Big 12 inaugural game,
35:53 I guess, if you want to call it.
35:54 And that is TCU at Houston.
35:58 The fighting Dana Holgerson's at 8 o'clock on Fox.
36:02 Houston's had a couple of interesting weeks.
36:03 They look really good, Gene, in week one.
36:06 They beat UTSA in a weird low-scoring game.
36:09 UTSA's got a really good offense.
36:11 So 17 to 14, you beat UTSA, a good football team.
36:15 You don't know.
36:16 Is your defense really that good and your offense is that bad?
36:18 Well, then you fast forward to week two,
36:20 and you lose to Rice and former West Virginia quarterback JT
36:24 Daniels in a shootout.
36:25 So now does that mean is your offense good
36:27 and your defense is terrible?
36:29 Who knows about this Houston team?
36:30 They are freaking bipolar right now through two weeks.
36:34 I can't stand that inconsistency.
36:36 We know about what that is like with Dana Holgerson.
36:39 Too much of this.
36:40 Too much up and down right now.
36:42 It's a young team trying to figure things out
36:44 in the tough league.
36:45 I'm going TCU.
36:49 You already know where I'm going.
36:53 That's why I said dang it on the last pick
36:55 because that's probably the one you'll win on.
36:57 Hey, look.
36:58 Go Horned Frogs, right?
36:59 Listen, I don't care if we're playing in the supermarket
37:05 and I got three cashiers out there against Houston.
37:08 I'm going to go with the three cashiers.
37:10 So let's go Houston.
37:13 There you have it.
37:14 And the game that we're all here for, it is the backyard brawl.
37:18 And again, like you said, it doesn't
37:19 matter where these two teams play.
37:21 It could be on the moon.
37:22 It could be on Mars, on planet Earth.
37:24 Who knows?
37:24 It doesn't even matter if it's the parking lot at Walmart.
37:28 When these two teams get together, there's bad blood.
37:31 There's hatred, passion between these two fan bases.
37:34 It's a heated rivalry between West Virginia and Pitt.
37:38 Coming up this Saturday at 730 on ABC,
37:42 here's a word from Neil Brown and Pat Norton.
37:44 I know this is one that's been circled for a long time.
37:46 It's been sold out for a long time.
37:48 I like coaching, period.
37:49 I like playing wherever we get to play.
37:51 And so, yeah, this is heated.
37:52 I like going to different places.
37:54 I think that's all part of the pageantry of college football.
37:56 I think it's a game that our fans, their fans, like to see.
38:00 But it's a football game.
38:02 That means a lot to a lot of people.
38:04 I think our Pitt fans are passionate.
38:06 West Virginia fans are passionate.
38:09 It comes down to passion.
38:10 A lot of people coming into town for this.
38:11 We'll learn more going down there.
38:13 I think the kids will really learn
38:14 what the rivalry is on the road and how hostile it is.
38:16 I hope it's a lecture.
38:17 It's a great opportunity.
38:18 And we understand that.
38:19 And our players look forward to getting back into that.
38:21 We want to see you play well in those games.
38:23 I am very excited for it, especially
38:25 after all of the guys explained some of the history behind it
38:28 and a lot of the hatred.
38:29 And just seeing that, not only from teammates,
38:32 but from fans, if I go into stores and go get food,
38:36 and if I have my West Virginia stuff on there,
38:39 they're like, it's B Pitt.
38:40 That's the main thing.
38:41 Even before the season started, that's the focus.
38:45 So having a chance to go out there and be part of history,
38:47 I think it's going to be exciting.
38:49 It's a different kind of atmosphere,
38:50 different kind of energy.
38:51 Sure, this has always been a big game.
38:52 I was always watched.
38:53 Every person that's been in that atmosphere,
38:55 has been in that situation.
38:56 You understand that feeling of the atmosphere
38:58 of that backyard brawl.
38:59 And it feels certainly different.
39:01 All right, Gene, so here we go.
39:05 West Virginia Pitt, the backyard brawl,
39:08 back in Morgantown for the first time in over a decade.
39:12 I can't go against the Mountaineers, can I?
39:15 I can't possibly do it.
39:18 I mean, if I'm being realistic, and maybe you--
39:22 and I hate to say this-- maybe you trust Pat Narduzzi
39:25 a little bit more, even though I can't stand Pat Narduzzi.
39:29 But you know what?
39:32 I've got to go with West Virginia.
39:34 West Virginia wins this game at home.
39:37 They get that revenge from last year's game, 38-31.
39:41 West Virginia should have won that game a year ago.
39:44 There's so many things that went against them in terms
39:47 of the way that game unfolded with the interception.
39:51 They didn't go for it on fourth and short.
39:53 Things change this year.
39:55 The crowd's behind them.
39:56 It's going to be an electric atmosphere in Morgantown,
39:58 we think.
39:59 And I think that will help West Virginia to victory.
40:02 Gene, give me who you got.
40:04 I know who you got.
40:05 But go ahead and give me your keys to the game, too,
40:07 while you're at it.
40:08 You already know who I got.
40:09 Listen, West Virginia will win this game.
40:13 They will be Pitt at home.
40:15 And you know what?
40:16 We're going to speak-- it will be an electric atmosphere
40:19 in Morgantown.
40:20 Keys to this game is dominate the one game in this game
40:25 for us.
40:25 Let's dominate the line of scrimmage.
40:27 Let's pound these Jokers for almost 200 yards
40:30 on the ground.
40:32 This game is going to be the game that--
40:34 you know what?
40:35 Mr. Green is going to become a legend in this game.
40:37 Mr. Green can become a legend.
40:39 Mr. Green is going to become a legend in this game.
40:41 Check this out.
40:42 Three touchdowns in the air, two on the ground.
40:45 I said it.
40:46 Three touchdowns in the air and two on the ground.
40:49 We beat Pitt 35-21.
40:53 You heard it here.
40:55 Wow.
40:55 A 5 TD day for GG in what ultimately
41:00 makes him a Mountaineer legend right out of the chute.
41:03 So I love it.
41:04 I'm lonely.
41:04 Let's go, young man.
41:07 That's going to do it for us here on the Walkthrough Game
41:09 Day show, presented by Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning.
41:12 That's Eugene Napoleon.
41:13 I'm Skylar Callahan.
41:14 Thank you guys for watching another week.
41:16 We'll be back here Saturday night
41:18 to recap the game on the Mountaineers Now Postgame Show.
41:20 Again, Sunday morning.
41:21 We'll have the morning after.
41:23 And then we're back to our regular schedule next Thursday.
41:26 We'll be back here to preview West Virginia and Texas Tech.
41:30 So it's time to brawl, y'all.
41:32 Thank you guys for watching.
41:34 And we'll see you on Saturday night.
41:36 Take care.
41:37 Do you have dirty air ducts?
41:38 Is your dryer vent plugged up?
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41:42 the answer to that question.
41:44 Fortunately for you, we know a guy.
41:45 Give Justin at Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning
41:48 a call at 304-639-3395 for your free home evaluation.
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