Pat Narduzzi says Pitt had to beat West Virginia 'and the officials' in Backyard Brawl

Pat Narduzzi was not a fan of the officiating in Pitt’s narrow win over West Virginia on Saturday night.

The Panthers won 38-34 thanks to a game-winning touchdown run with just 32 seconds left on the clock. Pitt was able to stifle any potential response from West Virginia by picking off quarterback Garrett Greene in the game’s final seconds.

In his postgame media hit with ESPN, Narduzzi didn’t hold back when sharing his complaints about the officiating in this game.

“Some of the calls we got … I’ve never seen anything like it. Wow! We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and we beat the officials too in one game,” Narduzzi said.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi slams the officials after beating WVU.

"Some of the calls we got. Late hit out of bounds. They catch a ball with a hands to the face. I ain't never seen anything like it.

We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. And we beat the officials, too." pic.twitter.com/tnTZdm4vc7

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2024

A quick look at the box score may explain some of Narduzzi’s frustration. The Panthers were called for 12 penalties totaling a whopping 112 yards on the day.

Despite what Narduzzi would term as bad officiating, Pitt pulled off a remarkable come back in this game. The Panthers scored 2 touchdowns in the final 3:06 of this contest to secure the win.

Pitt is now 63-41-3 all-time against West Virginia. The Panthers have also now won 2 of the last 3 meetings in this series since it was restarted in 2022.