MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Pitt didn’t have enough points, energy or discipline to stave off a comeback effort in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday afternoon. Their 10-point lead evaporated as quickly as it had arrived, and the sting of a 31-24 defeat in overtime to the rival Mountaineers will linger at least until the next meeting in 2029.

The most painful part of Pitt’s ugly loss to West Virginia was how unavoidable it was.

In any one-score game, the line between winning and losing is thin, but Pitt did everything it could to stay on the wrong side of that line.

“I don't think we played our best game by no means. Left a lot of plays on the field,” Narduzzi said. “Starts with me. I guess I didn't have them ready to go.”

The Panthers played pitifully for the vast majority of this game and still

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