Larry Fitzgerald didn’t just take a shot at West Virginia. He aimed at the whole state.
During an appearance on Pardon My Take, the former Pitt star unloaded on WVU with a line that went well beyond football.
“A WVU degree is like… It’s worth about as much as a cup of water out of Lake Tahoe. What are you going to do with it?
They don’t have any fluoride in the water in Morgantown. Have you seen their teeth?
It’s crazy. Like they don’t have a dentist in the whole state, it seems.”
That kind of venom fits the Backyard Brawl, a rivalry where the bad blood runs deep and never really fades. Players can leave campus, move on to the pros, and still carry it with them.
Fitzgerald had his chances to beat West Virginia in 2002 and 2003, and both times the Mountaineers got the better of Pitt.
In his freshman season in 2002, West Virginia beat Pitt 24-17 at the home of the Steelers. Fitzgerald was responsible for both Pitt touchdowns, finishing with 11 catches for 159 yards, but it wasn’t enough. WVU starting quarterback Rasheed Marshall only had to throw the ball nine times as the Mountaineers walked out of Heinz with the win.
The next year was even worse for Pitt. West Virginia rolled to a 52-31 victory in Morgantown over the 16th-ranked Panthers.
Fitzgerald again found the end zone twice, but Quincy Wilson owned the night for the Mountaineers, piling up 208 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries. KayJay Harris and Rasheed Marshall each added 43 yards on the ground.
So yes, Fitzgerald has every right to feel a certain way about the rivalry. But it’s hard not to notice that he reached for academics, teeth, and dentists instead of sticking to what happened between the lines.
The Brawl is on pause again, though not for nearly as long as the stretch that followed the collapse of the Big East. The series is set to return in 2029 in Pittsburgh, with the venue alternating through 2036. West Virginia won the most recent meeting, erasing a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and pulling out an overtime thriller.
In Other News...
WVU Has A 2027 Target Suddenly Changing The Recruiting Conversation
The EYBL Session IV stop in Las Vegas is giving West Virginia a useful early look at a 2027 class that is starting to take shape, and a few names tied to the Mountaineers have already stood out for different reasons. Paul Osaruyi has been productive enough for Arizona Unity with 7.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while Javion Tyndale has been one of the more dynamic guards on the floor, averaging 19.3 points and 3.5 assists for UPLAY Canada as his team keeps winning.
The more interesting part for WVU is how quickly the conversation around this group can change once the live evaluations keep rolling in. Tyndales strong play has only added to the attention around him, and with a visit to Morgantown coming in early September, the Mountaineers have a real chance to deepen that connection. Osaruyi, meanwhile, still brings size and production, but the next round of recruiting talk may hinge on whether his efficiency catches up to the rest of his game. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez May Have Found The Answer To WVUs Run Game
Rich Rodriguez went into the transfer portal looking for a way to jump-start West Virginias rushing attack, and he appears to have made running back Cam Cook the centerpiece of that effort. Cook arrives after leading the nation in rushing yards last season at Jacksonville State, which is exactly the kind of production Rodriguez wanted to plug into a ground game that has been a priority since he got back to Morgantown.
The fit is about more than one back, though. Rodriguez also brought in Jacksonville State offensive line coach Rick Trickett and added linemen Amare Grayson and Cam Griffin, giving the Mountaineers a familiar framework around Cook as he transitions into a new offense. If the run game is going to look the way Rodriguez envisions it, this is the group that will help determine how quickly it gets there. [Read more 🡒]