The Pittsburgh Panthers take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in Week 3 for the Backyard Brawl rivalry game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 16. Pittsburgh enters as a one-point road favorite.
Pitt (1-1, 0-0 ACC) defeated Wofford 45-7 in Week 1 before falling to Cincinnati 27-21 in Week 2. The Panthers’ quarterback this season is Phil Jurkovec, who was previously a backup at Notre Dame and a starter at Boston College. In the Cincinnati loss, Jurkovec threw three touchdowns, but was just 10-for-32 on the day.
West Virginia (1-1, 0-0 Big XII) lost 38-15 to No. 15 Penn State in Week 1 before running all over Duquesne in Week 2 for a 56-17 victory. Quarterback Garrett Greene passed for 162 yards and rushed for another 71 in the loss to Penn State. CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White have both made an impact on the run game.
Here’s everything you need to know and a pick for the game.
SP+ Rankings
Pittsburgh: 41 overall, 42 offense, 43 defense
West Virginia: 58 overall, 43 offense, 80 defense
Injury update
Pitt
OL Ryan Jacoby – Out (undisclosed)
West Virginia
S Davis Mallinger – Questionable (back)
WR EJ Horton – Questionable (undisclosed)
CB Montre Miller – Questionable (undisclosed)
WR Devin Carter – Probable (undisclosed)
WR Traylon Ray – Questionable (undisclosed)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
Pittsburgh: 1-1 ATS
West Virginia: 1-1 ATS
Total in 2023
Pittsburgh: Over 2-0
West Virginia: Over 2-0
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: West Virginia -2.5
Total: 47.5
Moneyline: West Virginia -135, Pitt +114
Weather
55 degrees, cloudy, 4 MPH winds SSE
The Pick
West Virginia -2.5
The Mountaineers lost the Backyard Brawl last year after a late-game pick turned the momentum around in Pitt’s favor, but I like West Virginia at home this year. I think that Greene is going to be able to step up to the plate for this game. He’s a solid dual threat, as he showed against Penn State, and I think he will be able to outplay Jurkovec.