SOURCE: www.pittsburghlive.com

The details are a blur, but the memory of a Backyard Brawl victory over West Virginia in Morgantown remains fresh in Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt's mind.

Wannstedt was a senior captain and starting left tackle when the 1-2-1 Panthers, behind freshman tailback Tony Dorsett's 153 rushing yards and three second-half touchdowns, stunned the 3-1 Mountaineers, 35-7, before 37,000 at old Mountaineer Field in 1973.

"That was the first win you remember the next week as a player looking back and saying, 'Hey, we beat a good football team on the road. We might be a decent team,' " Wannstedt said. "Psychologically, I think that game had a lot to do with the turning of our program back then."

Wannstedt will lead Pitt (4-7, 2-4) against West Virginia (10-1, 5-1), which has clinched the Big East Conference championship, in the 100th Backyard Brawl.

The Mountaineers are ranked No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll and No. 2 in the BCS rankings and have a BCS national championship berth at stake.

West Virginia has scored a combined 90 points and gained 1,092 yards in the past two meetings, both lopsided victories, and are 27½-point favorites in opening betting lines.

Yet Wannstedt has a clear message for his Panthers.

"Find a way to win this game," Wannstedt said.

"Regardless of how many wins we had at this point, you're talking about a team that some people, including the coaches' poll, have ranked as the best team in the country. In addition to the big rivalry, the 100th year, go down there and win this game and that's what people will remember about this season. It's a great opportunity."

It doesn't hurt that the Panthers have in LeSean McCoy a tailback who has broken Dorsett's school record for rushing touchdowns by a freshman, and a defense that ranks 11th nationally and has allowed only two 100-yard rushers.

Beating West Virginia would be a perfect ending to an imperfect year filled with season-ending injuries and last-minute losses for the Panthers.

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