Big East Notebook: More fire added to Pitt-West Virginia rivalry
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West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen speaks to the media during the Big East's football media day Tuesday, in Newport, R.I.
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NEWPORT, R.I. -- The slow burn that makes the Backyard Brawl the rivalry that it is has been stoked again.
New coaches Todd Graham of Pitt and Dana Holgorsen of West Virginia have a history of coaching against each other (dating from their Conference USA days) and a relationship best described as chilly. But players for both schools seem a lot less shy about sharing their thoughts about each other, which was evident Tuesday at Big East Conference football media day, generally a cordial event where players from each team spend time getting to know each other at a clambake.
West Virginia's loquacious defensive end, Bruce Irvin, made it clear, however, there would be no getting to know Pitt players this year. A few hours before the clambake, he posted a message on his Twitter, a message which read "I hope a sPitt player dnt Try to shake my hand. I will laugh and walk off."
Irvin did not back off of his comments when reporters asked about them ... well, at least until he realized that there were tape recorders and microphones in front of him.
"Those guys up the road, we don't talk about them in the locker room," Irvin said. "Only time we talk about them is the week before, and that is a hell week. It is a really serious, hated rivalry. [The Twitter message] is what it is, they know it. I mean, I don't want to give ya'all nothing to put in the paper because I know that's what ya'all are looking for but it is what it is.
"They Pitt, we are West Virginia and there are a lot of years and blood, sweat and tears go into this rivalry. So, we're just trying to carry on the tradition, and like I said, we don't [talk] to those guys."
When asked what he thought about Irvin's comments, Pitt defensive end Brandon Lindsey said that Irvin will have to back his words up on the field.
"We don't care nothing about that," Lindsey said. "There is no reason to say stuff like that in August, we don't see them until November, and we will talk about that then. There is nowhere to hide on a football field, and he still has to go up against our tackles and guards, so I wouldn't add any fuel to the fire."
First Published August 3, 2011 12:00 am
