The Backyard Brawl is ‘where the beast lives’ for Pitt, WVU

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pitt and West Virginia renew one of college football’s oldest rivalries this week when “The Backyard Brawl” returns. The series dates back to 1895 but went on a break in 2012 after both schools left the Big East for other conferences. Alumni on both sides have tried to impart the importance of the rivalry to a current crop of players that have no personal history against each other. Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis says getting up for the game shouldn’t be hard. Dennis said once he pulls on his Panther jersey, “whoever they say we don’t like, we don’t like.”