Devonshire intercepted West Virginia’s JT Daniels on a tipped pass and ran it back 56 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 left to give No. 17 Pitt a 38-31 win over the Mountaineers. Thursday night’s matchup was the first game in the long-running rivalry known as the Backyard Brawl since 2011. West Virginia led 31-24 with just over 10 minutes left, but Pitt tied it with 3:41 left after Kedon Slovis hit Israel Abanikanda for a 24-yard TD run. Two plays later, Devonshire was in the end zone and the largest crowd in Pitt football history was in a frenzy. The Mountaineers had another chance to tie the game and almost had a fantastic chance to do so. Reese Smith nearly made an incredible diving catch near the goal line on fourth down with 22 seconds left, but the ball skidded to the turf as he tried to bring it to his body. Pitt’s late streak was the third instance in the second half of a team scoring 14 straight points. The Panthers did that in the third quarter to take a 24-17 lead before losing the lead to the Mountaineers in the early stages of the fourth quarter. West Virginia took the lead thanks to a running game that looked to be a tired Pitt defensive front. The Mountaineers averaged over six yards a carry and CJ Donaldson rushed for 125 yards on just seven carries. But West Virginia coach Neal Brown fended off a fourth-down opportunity, having a yard to go right into Pitt territory with just over six minutes left. Pitt is 1-0 and beat West Virginia for the first time in 14 years. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) Brown instead opted to take a delay-of-game penalty and set it back to Pitt. That punt set up Pitt’s 92-yard drive to tie the game. All but four of those yards also came from the pass. A renewed focus on the run seemed to be the goal for coach Pat Narduzzi in the offseason after offensive coordinator Mark Whipple went to Nebraska, Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jordan Addison transferred to USC and Heisman finalist QB Kenny Pickett was drafted in the first round by the Steelers. And while Pitt remained committed to the run game Thursday night, it was a futile commitment. The Panthers were much better passing the ball and should have thrown the ball more. Kedon Slovis finished with just 24 passing attempts while the Panthers had 29 rushing attempts. Slovis was 16-of-24 passing for 305 yards and could have had a lot more. A potential long TD pass to a wide open Bub Means in the third quarter slipped through Means’ hands. The win means Pitt’s Week 2 matchup at home against Tennessee will be one of the biggest games of the weekend. The Vols easily beat Ball State at home on Thursday night and are widely expected to finish second in the SEC East. West Virginia, meanwhile, will be mourning a golden opportunity to begin a crucial fourth season for the Browns with a victory in the rivalry game. The Mountaineers face Towson in Week 2 as they look to win more than six games in a season for the first time in Brown’s tenure.
