PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Many of the current Pitt players have no or very little idea about the Backyard Brawl. Most of them were in elementary school.
They've been getting a crash course over the last few days, weeks and months and here is what the Panthers are saying.
Junior safety Brandon Hill
"It's one of the games you dream of.
It's one of the games you record on TV if you can't see it. Just to be a part of one of those games is just crazy."
Junior linebacker SirVocea Dennis
"Definitely, it's what you play the game of football for, games like this. Once we put out Pitt script on our helmets, whoever they say we don't like. We don't like. It's not hard to generate that hate at all. Once we get in-between those lines we are ready to go, no matter who it is. If it's a rivalry game, we get fired up even more."
"It's a big deal. The atmosphere of this game is going to be wild, we understand that. We know the feel it's going to have, we think this will be another level."
Senior corner Marquis Williams
"We can't wait. We've been talking about this all summer. Everyone has this one game circled. We need our respect. Even though we won an ACC Championship last year, we don't feel the respect is there. We want our respect."
"We learned a lot lately about how much they hate us, we hate them too. We are going to see them September 1st and we lock them gates."
Junior corner MJ Devonshire
"September 1st will be the craziest game you ever played. I know the fans are going to go back and forth. There are probably going to be some fights somewhere in the crowd or outside. Hopefully it doesn't involve my parents."
"I know fans are crazy about this game. I feel like the energy will be there, two great teams going at it."
Senior defensive lineman Tyler Bentley
"We have to let them know that just because we are Pitt, we aren't suckers. We acknowledge the football they play over there. We are here to show the Pittsburgh way to do it."
Senior receiver Jared Wayne
"A lot of hatred. As a player we treat every game the game, but this definitely has a special atmosphere to it. We've developed some of that hatred."
Senior defensive lineman John Morgan
"They are pounding it in our heads saying this is a big game, don't take it lightly. They hate you. We hate them."
Senior defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado
"I did not know much until this year. I had to learn quick, all the tweets, all the stories. It has a lot of history as a great rivalry, I'm excited to play in it."
Junior linebacker Bangally Kamara
"I'm from Ohio, this rivalry is not the thing over there. What I've learned is a very deep, deep rivalry between West Virginia and Pittsburgh. There is a lot of hatred between this two teams. We understand it's a big game, we have to focus on the x's and o's and execute."
"Great players have played in that game-LeSean McCoy, Darrelle Revis and we want to make our own mark. We want people to look back at the Backyard Brawl in 2022 and saying we want to do that."
Senior defensive back AJ Woods
"They are heavy in preaching to us the last time they came here how much the fans hated us and how much our fans hated them. We play their song ('Country Roads' by John Denver) in our weight room to get us fired up. It will be a dogfight out there."
Senior safety Eric Hallet
"I'm not going to lie, before I knew that was West Virginia's song, I kind of liked it. That song is (now) like a Devil's chant."
These games are what built the popularity of college football. Pitt players are now up to speed. Enjoy the game. Kickoff at 7p on 93.7 The Fan.
