Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
WVU to Begin Preseason Grid Work on Monday
July 30, 2022 09:00 AM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The countdown clock to the beginning of preseason football camp is winding down to zero.
On Monday morning, the West Virginia University football team begins preparing for its 2022 season opener against Pitt on Thursday, Sept. 1 at the newly christened Acrisure Stadium.
That is Week Zero for college football with the Backyard Brawl being the marquee matchup of the night. ESPN College GameDay will also be in Pittsburgh to preview the 2022 college football campaign - WVU's fifth appearance on the popular show.
"I think it's a great kickoff for college football," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said at Big 12 media day in Arlington, Texas, in mid-July. "We are the premier Power 5 game versus a Power 5 opponent on Thursday night, and our guys are excited."
It will be the first meeting between these ancient rivals since 2011, the last year the two were members of the Big East Conference. Pitt left the Big East for the ACC and West Virginia departed for the Big 12 soon after.
This will be Brown and Pitt's Pat Narduzzi's first Backyard Brawl on the sidelines of their respective teams. Brown said he has spent the last nine months since the Guaranteed Rate Bowl familiarizing himself with one of Eastern football's most storied rivalries.
"It's an important rivalry," Brown explained. "The Backyard Brawl will be my first opportunity to be a part of it, and our fan base is extremely passionate about that game, so it's a game that I would be in favor of playing each year."
Narduzzi agrees.
"I'm excited. It's something I grew up with," Narduzzi said during last week's ACC media day in Charlotte. "I love rivalry games. We loved the Pitt-Penn State rivalry we had – we had an opportunity to play three. I think it just adds major flavor. I think the city of Pittsburgh is excited about this game. There is an excitement and buzz about this game from our fans."
Narduzzi said his cellphone has been buzzing with text messages from local high school coaches wanting tickets for the game. His Panthers are coming off their best season in more than 40 years, winning the ACC Championship and playing Michigan State in the Peach Bowl.
Meanwhile, Brown said the rivalry's renewal has been a big offseason motivator for his football team coming off a disappointing performance in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix. During the offseason, Brown tweaked his coaching staff by hiring Graham Harrell to coordinate his offense, and 33 new players have been added to the roster since the end of last season.
"(The game) has been a great carrot for our guys as we've gone through winter, through spring ball, and now through summer workouts to know that, 'Man, we've got not only a game to look forward to but it's a rivalry game that's going to be in prime time,'" Brown said.
Speaking of Harrell, he has intimate knowledge of the two quarterbacks who could potentially end up starting the opener – Pitt's Kedon Slovis and West Virginia's J.T. Daniels.
Harrell had both quarterbacks when he coordinated USC's offense from 2019-21. Daniels moved on to Georgia and now to West Virginia, while Slovis transferred to Pitt last January and took part in spring drills for the Panthers.
Narduzzi said Slovis and Nick Patti, who played the first two series of the Peach Bowl against Michigan State before getting injured, will compete for the starting job at the beginning of fall camp starting Monday morning at the Panthers' Southside Sports Complex.
"Those two guys are battling," he said. "They both had great springs. I think we can win a lot of games with both of them. I think we'll have a very, very competitive August camp with them."
Brown, too, said the quarterback job is up for grabs when practice begins Monday morning. Returners Garrett Greene, Will Crowder and touted freshman Nicco Marchiol got lots of quality reps in the spring learning Harrell's new system.
Now, Brown is eager to see what all four can do when they hit the field next week.
"I think it's important for people to understand that J.T. has got to go and win the job," the fourth-year coach explained. "That's something that we were really clear with him during the recruiting process is nothing was going to be handed to him.
"I'm really proud of how he's handled it," Brown continued. "He wasn't here during the spring because he had to get his degree from Georgia, and he came in during the middle of May, and he's gone to work. He's done a really good job of connecting with our team. He's done a really good job of kind of directing our offseason throwing sessions, so I'm pleased."
Daniels was 7-0 in the games he started for Georgia before an oblique injury ended his season. He's performed well in the games he's played at USC and Georgia – he's just played in so few of them over the course of the last three seasons.
His most productive year came in 2018 as a true freshman when he completed 59.5% of his pass attempts for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's thrown 32 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 21 career college games.
Slovis has six more games of college experience than Daniels and has completed 68.4% of his passes for 7,576 yards, 58 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while at USC. He was 12-5 as a starter for the Trojans.
He will be also be quarterbacking in a new offensive system with Frank Cignetti Jr. taking over the Pitt offensive coordinator duties last winter. Cignetti is the son of former West Virginia coach Frank Cignetti Sr., who coached four Backyard Brawls for the Mountaineers from 1976-79.
It was revealed in April that the Backyard Brawl will be extended for four more years beginning in 2029.
"I knew we were working on it before and I didn't want to spill the beans, but eight of the next 11 years we will be playing West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl – something we just redid with their athletic department," Narduzzi said. "It's something we're excited about. It's right down the road and it's a heck of a game."
"I wasn't there when the initial contract was signed to play Pitt," Brown added. "Shane Lyons, our athletic director, asked me about the continuation of the series, which we'll do later in the decade, and I was all for it. It's really important for us to play regional rivalries."
Later in September, West Virginia will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech in a return game following last year's 27-21 Mountaineer victory in Morgantown. That contest will take place on Sept. 22.
The Panthers and Hokies give West Virginia 11 Power 5 opponents in 2022 - once again among the most in college football.
"We play a tough schedule and it's been well-documented – two nonconference games, two rivalry games on the road, 11 Power 5 opponents and then a great schedule in the Big 12. It's going to be a big challenge for us," Brown said.
West Virginia is scheduled to have 12 practices before the first day of the fall semester begins on Wednesday Aug. 17.
Practice work will resume on Aug. 18 leading into the Thursday night opener against Pitt, to be televised nationally on ESPN.
On Monday morning, the West Virginia University football team begins preparing for its 2022 season opener against Pitt on Thursday, Sept. 1 at the newly christened Acrisure Stadium.
That is Week Zero for college football with the Backyard Brawl being the marquee matchup of the night. ESPN College GameDay will also be in Pittsburgh to preview the 2022 college football campaign - WVU's fifth appearance on the popular show.
"I think it's a great kickoff for college football," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said at Big 12 media day in Arlington, Texas, in mid-July. "We are the premier Power 5 game versus a Power 5 opponent on Thursday night, and our guys are excited."
It will be the first meeting between these ancient rivals since 2011, the last year the two were members of the Big East Conference. Pitt left the Big East for the ACC and West Virginia departed for the Big 12 soon after.
This will be Brown and Pitt's Pat Narduzzi's first Backyard Brawl on the sidelines of their respective teams. Brown said he has spent the last nine months since the Guaranteed Rate Bowl familiarizing himself with one of Eastern football's most storied rivalries.
"It's an important rivalry," Brown explained. "The Backyard Brawl will be my first opportunity to be a part of it, and our fan base is extremely passionate about that game, so it's a game that I would be in favor of playing each year."
Narduzzi agrees.
"I'm excited. It's something I grew up with," Narduzzi said during last week's ACC media day in Charlotte. "I love rivalry games. We loved the Pitt-Penn State rivalry we had – we had an opportunity to play three. I think it just adds major flavor. I think the city of Pittsburgh is excited about this game. There is an excitement and buzz about this game from our fans."
Narduzzi said his cellphone has been buzzing with text messages from local high school coaches wanting tickets for the game. His Panthers are coming off their best season in more than 40 years, winning the ACC Championship and playing Michigan State in the Peach Bowl.
Meanwhile, Brown said the rivalry's renewal has been a big offseason motivator for his football team coming off a disappointing performance in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix. During the offseason, Brown tweaked his coaching staff by hiring Graham Harrell to coordinate his offense, and 33 new players have been added to the roster since the end of last season.
"(The game) has been a great carrot for our guys as we've gone through winter, through spring ball, and now through summer workouts to know that, 'Man, we've got not only a game to look forward to but it's a rivalry game that's going to be in prime time,'" Brown said.
Speaking of Harrell, he has intimate knowledge of the two quarterbacks who could potentially end up starting the opener – Pitt's Kedon Slovis and West Virginia's J.T. Daniels.
Harrell had both quarterbacks when he coordinated USC's offense from 2019-21. Daniels moved on to Georgia and now to West Virginia, while Slovis transferred to Pitt last January and took part in spring drills for the Panthers.
Narduzzi said Slovis and Nick Patti, who played the first two series of the Peach Bowl against Michigan State before getting injured, will compete for the starting job at the beginning of fall camp starting Monday morning at the Panthers' Southside Sports Complex.
"Those two guys are battling," he said. "They both had great springs. I think we can win a lot of games with both of them. I think we'll have a very, very competitive August camp with them."
Brown, too, said the quarterback job is up for grabs when practice begins Monday morning. Returners Garrett Greene, Will Crowder and touted freshman Nicco Marchiol got lots of quality reps in the spring learning Harrell's new system.
Now, Brown is eager to see what all four can do when they hit the field next week.
"I think it's important for people to understand that J.T. has got to go and win the job," the fourth-year coach explained. "That's something that we were really clear with him during the recruiting process is nothing was going to be handed to him.
"I'm really proud of how he's handled it," Brown continued. "He wasn't here during the spring because he had to get his degree from Georgia, and he came in during the middle of May, and he's gone to work. He's done a really good job of connecting with our team. He's done a really good job of kind of directing our offseason throwing sessions, so I'm pleased."
Daniels was 7-0 in the games he started for Georgia before an oblique injury ended his season. He's performed well in the games he's played at USC and Georgia – he's just played in so few of them over the course of the last three seasons.
His most productive year came in 2018 as a true freshman when he completed 59.5% of his pass attempts for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's thrown 32 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 21 career college games.
Slovis has six more games of college experience than Daniels and has completed 68.4% of his passes for 7,576 yards, 58 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while at USC. He was 12-5 as a starter for the Trojans.
He will be also be quarterbacking in a new offensive system with Frank Cignetti Jr. taking over the Pitt offensive coordinator duties last winter. Cignetti is the son of former West Virginia coach Frank Cignetti Sr., who coached four Backyard Brawls for the Mountaineers from 1976-79.
It was revealed in April that the Backyard Brawl will be extended for four more years beginning in 2029.
"I knew we were working on it before and I didn't want to spill the beans, but eight of the next 11 years we will be playing West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl – something we just redid with their athletic department," Narduzzi said. "It's something we're excited about. It's right down the road and it's a heck of a game."
"I wasn't there when the initial contract was signed to play Pitt," Brown added. "Shane Lyons, our athletic director, asked me about the continuation of the series, which we'll do later in the decade, and I was all for it. It's really important for us to play regional rivalries."
Later in September, West Virginia will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech in a return game following last year's 27-21 Mountaineer victory in Morgantown. That contest will take place on Sept. 22.
The Panthers and Hokies give West Virginia 11 Power 5 opponents in 2022 - once again among the most in college football.
"We play a tough schedule and it's been well-documented – two nonconference games, two rivalry games on the road, 11 Power 5 opponents and then a great schedule in the Big 12. It's going to be a big challenge for us," Brown said.
West Virginia is scheduled to have 12 practices before the first day of the fall semester begins on Wednesday Aug. 17.
Practice work will resume on Aug. 18 leading into the Thursday night opener against Pitt, to be televised nationally on ESPN.
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