The community surrounding the Pitt Panthers always expects the worst out of WVU football.
With The Backyard Brawl coming up this weekend, it's the time of year when players and coaches from both teams are getting peppered with questions about the rivalry. And when Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein broached the subject of the atmosphere during The Backyard Brawl, he had some peculiar thoughts on exactly what he's expecting to be subjected to in Morgantown this Saturday that might leave some WVU fans scratching their heads.
“It’s a hectic environment. It’s going to be a lot of fun. They said it’s crazy. There’s going to be little kids flipping me off, I’m going to get batteries and beer thrown at me on the sidelines, all types of stuff like that," he said.
It's likely at least some of this idea of the atmosphere in Morgantown came from Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi, who went on the radio to discuss The Brawl's 3:30 PM EST kickoff time over the summer and said he was grateful fans would be "less liquored up" and "less likely to throw a full beer can at you on the field."
While this isn't exactly an accurate portrayal of what to expect from the WVU fanbase in attendance this weekend, it will certainly be a rowdy environment as the Mountaineers host just the second Backyard Brawl at Milan Puskar Stadium in over a decade. Adding to the atmosphere is the fact that it's first game in the rivalry series since WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez returned to the program after his first departure from WVU came after a 13-9 loss to Pitt ended the team's 2007 national championship hopes.
And while Holstein might want to lay off on the predictions of batteries and beer cans being tossed at his helmet, he seems to be looking forward to the raucous environment he'll see in Morgantown.
"But I’m really excited. I’m looking forward to feeding off that energy," he said. "I think our team has that mindset to feed off that energy, feed off the hate and the pure venom and poison from them. Really looking forward to it and can’t wait to do it.”