Win over Pitt ideal for seniors

Reed Williams was a high school junior when he first realized the importance of the Backyard Brawl.

On Nov. 13, 2003, Williams was on hand to watch West Virginia receiver John Pennington catch a 28-yard touchdown pass to lift the Mountaineers to a 52-31 win over then-No. 16 Pittsburgh and future NFL standout receiver Larry Fitzgerald in front of the fifth-largest crowd in Milan Puskar Stadium.

"That's when I started to really appreciate it. I could see how important and how emotional this game was to our fans, and how much we needed to win," Williams said.

"But I don't think you can really appreciate the rivalry until you take part in it."

Friday, the West Virginia linebacker and 20 other seniors will play not only their final Backyard Brawl, but their final game at Mountaineer Field when they take on No. 8 Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.

Playing against their biggest rival in front of a national audience couldn't have been scripted any better, according to the seniors.

"It means a lot to me. I'm glad they're ranked as high as they're ranked," said WVU senior quarterback Jarrett Brown. "It makes it better, especially on a Friday night."

The game is especially important considering the Mountaineers haven't beaten the Panthers since 2006.

Pitt hasn't beaten West Virginia three consecutive times since 1982 when it won seven straight over WVU.

The Mountaineers' loss to Pittsburgh in 2007 under then-head coach Rich Rodriguez cost West Virginia a national championship berth.

It's a night that senior offensive lineman Selvish Capers will never forget.

"Everybody was just shocked. We came into the locker room, got down on a knee, but no one really said anything. Coach Rod was just standing there like ‘what the hell?'" Capers said. "It was something we didn't expect. A lot of people didn't say anything and when you did say something, you didn't want to say the wrong thing."

For Capers, his years at West Virginia have flown by. So much so that the senior didn't even realize tonight was senior night until last Wednesday when cameramen showed up at practice to film a special feature on the senior class.

"I was wondering why the camera was on me the whole time," Capers said. "I thought ‘what is going on?'

"It went by fast, really fast, but I've loved every minute of it."

After sitting out the majority of last season with a medical redshirt and missing his previously planned senior night, Williams will finally play his final home game tonight.

The Moorefield, W.Va., native said he and teammate/roommate Nate Sowers took time to think back on their careers as Mountaineers after WVU's 24-21 loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 13.

"I'm not ready to call it quits. I feel like I still have some left in the tank," Williams said. "I just can't believe five years have already come and past.

"It's down to the last home game. You never think it's going to come, but now it's here and you can't push it away any longer. It's going to be a special night."