West Virginia Outlasts Pittsburgh in Overtime Thriller
West Virginia defeated Pittsburgh 31-24 in overtime on Saturday in a highly competitive matchup. The Mountaineers covered the 7-point spread while the game finished at the over-under of 55 points.
The contest featured dramatic momentum swings throughout, with lead changes defining the back-and-forth affair. Pittsburgh's offense produced explosive plays, including a 68-yard completion to Bryce Yates in the second quarter and a 67-yard pass to Raphael Williams Jr. in the third quarter. However, a crucial interception by West Virginia's Darrian Lewis in the second quarter proved pivotal.
West Virginia's passing attack, led by Scotty Fox Jr., kept the Mountaineers competitive. Fox Jr. connected with Justin Smith-Brown for a 56-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, while backup Nicco Marchiol contributed a 34-yard completion late in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh mounted a strong second-half comeback, scoring 21 points in the final two quarters, but West Virginia's offense managed enough in overtime to secure the victory. The game remained tight throughout, showcasing both teams' offensive capabilities on a day when both defenses made impactful plays.
AI-generated recap · Aug 17, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | OT | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pittsburgh | 0 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
 West Virginia | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Pittsburgh | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 22-38 | 22-32 |
| Pass Yards | 303 | 260 |
| Rush Yards | 47 | 174 |
| Total Yards | 350 | 434 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd Down | 4-17 | 5-17 |
| Penalties | 14-118 | 6-60 |
| Possession | 28:59 | 31:01 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Ethan Head kickoff for 46 yds , Deuce Spann return for no gain to the PITT 19
Eli Holstein sacked by Curtis Jones Jr. for a loss of 11 yards to the PITT 8 Eli Holstein fumbled, recovered by PITT Justin Holmes , return for 0 yards
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Desmond Reid
Eli Holstein pass complete to Cataurus Hicks for 1 yd to the PITT 9
Caleb Junko punt for 41 yds , Preston Fox returns for 2 yds to the PITT 48
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 20 yds to the PITT 28 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 3 yds to the PITT 31
Nicco Marchiol run for a loss of 2 yards to the PITT 33
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Grayson Barnes for 7 yds to the PITT 26
Kade Hensley 44 yd FG MISSED
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 3 yds to the PITT 29
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 11 yds to the PITT 40 for a 1ST down
Desmond Reid run for 8 yds to the PITT 48
Desmond Reid run for 3 yds to the WVU 49 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Eli Holstein pass complete to Kenny Johnson for 7 yds to the WVU 42
Desmond Reid run for 3 yds to the WVU 39 Pittsburgh Penalty, Illegal Block (Deuce Spann) to the WVU 49
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Caleb Junko punt for 39 yds, fair catch by Preston Fox at the WVU 10
Clay Ash run for 9 yds to the WVU 19
Clay Ash run for 3 yds to the WVU 22 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol run for a loss of 3 yards to the WVU 19
Nicco Marchiol sacked by Francis Brewu for a loss of 5 yards to the WVU 14
Nicco Marchiol sacked by Blaine Spires for a loss of 7 yards to the WVU 7
Oliver Straw punt for 46 yds
Desmond Reid run for 2 yds to the PITT 49
Eli Holstein pass complete to Kenny Johnson for 7 yds to the WVU 44
Desmond Reid run for 10 yds to the WVU 34 for a 1ST down
Desmond Reid run for 4 yds to the WVU 30
Eli Holstein run for 1 yd to the WVU 29
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Justin Holmes
Eli Holstein pass complete to Malachi Thomas for 22 yds to the WVU 7 for a 1ST down Pittsburgh Penalty, unnecessary roughness (Jaeden Moore) to the WVU 22 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein sacked for a loss of 5 yards to the WVU 27
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 2 yds to the WVU 25
Trey Butkowski 43 yd FG MISSED
Tye Edwards run for 12 yds to the WVU 37 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 2 yds to the WVU 39
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 6 yds to the WVU 45
Tye Edwards run for 4 yds to the WVU 49 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Cam Vaughn for 18 yds to the PITT 33 for a 1ST down
Tye Edwards run for 9 yds to the PITT 24
Tye Edwards run for no gain to the PITT 24
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Grayson Barnes for 11 yds to the PITT 12 for a 1ST down
Tye Edwards run for 12 yds for a TD (Kade Hensley KICK)
Ethan Head kickoff for 65 yds , Deuce Spann return for 20 yds to the PITT 20
Juelz Goff run for 1 yd to the PITT 21
Eli Holstein run for 8 yds to the PITT 29
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
Caleb Junko punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Preston Fox at the WVU 30
Tye Edwards run for 2 yds to the WVU 32
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Preston Fox
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Cam Vaughn
Oliver Straw punt for 52 yds , Kenny Johnson returns for 23 yds to the PITT 39
Eli Holstein pass complete to Deuce Spann for 16 yds to the WVU 45 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 22 yds to the WVU 23 for a 1ST down West Virginia Penalty, Targeting (Ashton Woods) to the WVU 11 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein run for 5 yds to the WVU 6
Eli Holstein pass intercepted Darrian Lewis return for 10 yds to the WVU 10
Tye Edwards run for 5 yds to the WVU 15
Tye Edwards run for a loss of 1 yard to the WVU 14
Nicco Marchiol run for 2 yds to the WVU 16
Oliver Straw punt for 42 yds , Kenny Johnson returns for no gain to the PITT 42
(06:29) PENALTY PITT False Start 5 yards from PITT42 to PITT37. NO PLAY.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Justin Holmes for 5 yds to the PITT 42
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Eli Holstein run for 2 yds to the PITT 44
Caleb Junko punt for 53 yds
Tye Edwards run for 6 yds to the WVU 9
Tye Edwards run for 27 yds to the WVU 36 for a 1ST down
Cyncir Bowers run for 3 yds to the WVU 39
Nicco Marchiol run for 2 yds to the WVU 37 Nicco Marchiol fumbled, recovered by WVU Walter Young Bear
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Clay Ash for 3 yds to the WVU 40
Oliver Straw punt for 40 yds, fair catch by Kenny Johnson at the PITT 20
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Bryce Yates for 6 yds to the PITT 26
Eli Holstein pass complete to Bryce Yates for 68 yds to the WVU 6 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein run for 1 yd to the WVU 5
Cole Gonzales pass incomplete to Zion Fowler-El
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Trey Butkowski 23 yd FG GOOD
Clay Ash run for 3 yds to the WVU 28
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Preston Fox for 12 yds to the WVU 40 for a 1ST down
Clay Ash run for 2 yds to the WVU 42
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Cam Vaughn
Clay Ash run for 3 yds to the WVU 45
Oliver Straw punt for 50 yds , Kenny Johnson returns for 5 yds to the PITT 10
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Justin Holmes
Eli Holstein sacked for a loss of 6 yards to the PITT 4
Eli Holstein pass complete to Cataurus Hicks for 9 yds to the PITT 13
Caleb Junko punt for 56 yds
Pittsburgh Penalty, unnecessary roughness (12 Yards) to the PITT 42 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol run for 12 yds to the PITT 42 for a 1ST down Pittsburgh Penalty, unnecessary roughness (Blaine Spires) to the PITT 27 for a 1ST down
End of 2nd Quarter
Sam Carpenter kickoff for 65 yds , Jarod Bowie return for 25 yds to the WVU 40 West Virginia Penalty, Offensive Holding (9 Yards) to the WVU 9
Tye Edwards run for 2 yds to the WVU 11
Scotty Fox Jr. run for no gain to the WVU 11
Scotty Fox Jr. pass incomplete to Jeff Weimer
Oliver Straw punt for 44 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the PITT 45
Eli Holstein pass complete to Justin Holmes for 9 yds to the WVU 46
Juelz Goff run for 4 yds to the WVU 42 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein run for 2 yds to the WVU 40
Cataurus Hicks run for a loss of 2 yards to the WVU 42
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Caleb Junko punt for 42 yds for a touchback
Scotty Fox Jr. run for 3 yds to the WVU 23
Tye Edwards run for 18 yds to the WVU 41 for a 1ST down
Scotty Fox Jr. run for no gain to the WVU 41
Scotty Fox Jr. pass complete to Justin Smith-Brown for 56 yds to the PITT 3 for a 1ST down
Tye Edwards run for 1 yd to the PITT 2
Scotty Fox Jr. run for no gain to the PITT 2
PENALTY PITT Offside (Neal,Isaiah) 1 yard from PITT02 to PITT01. NO PLAY.
Tye Edwards run for 1 yd for a TD (Kade Hensley KICK)
Pittsburgh Penalty, Defensive Offside (Desmond Reid) declined
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 2 yds to the PITT 27
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 67 yds to the WVU 6 for a 1ST down
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 4 yds to the WVU 2
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 1 yd to the WVU 1
Eli Holstein 1 Yd Run (Eli Holstein Pass to Cataurus Hicks for Two-Point Conversion)
Scotty Fox Jr. run for 3 yds to the WVU 28
Scotty Fox Jr. pass intercepted Kyle Louis return for 21 yds to the WVU 14
Eli Holstein run for no gain to the WVU 14
Eli Holstein pass complete to Kenny Johnson for 7 yds to the WVU 7
(03:56) No Huddle-Shotgun Spann,Deuce rush left for 6 yards gain to the WVU01 (Bogle,Ben) PENALTY PITT Holding (Holmes,Justin) 9 yards from WVU07 to WVU16. NO PLAY.
Pittsburgh Penalty, Intentional Grounding (-12 Yards) to the WVU 28
Trey Butkowski 46 Yd Field Goal
Tye Edwards run for no gain to the WVU 25
Scotty Fox Jr. run for a loss of 4 yards to the WVU 21
Scotty Fox Jr. pass intercepted Braylan Lovelace return for 1 yd to the WVU 24
Scotty Fox Jr. pass intercepted Braylan Lovelace return for 1 yd to the WVU 24
Juelz Goff run for 7 yds to the WVU 17
Juelz Goff run for 2 yds to the WVU 15
(01:20) PENALTY PITT False Start (Gouveia,Keith) 5 yards from WVU15 to WVU20. NO PLAY.
PENALTY PITT False Start (Persi,Jeffrey) 5 yards from WVU20 to WVU25. NO PLAY.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Deuce Spann for 7 yds to the WVU 18
Trey Butkowski 36 Yd Field Goal
Jaylen Henderson pass incomplete to Clay Ash
Jaylen Henderson run for 4 yds to the WVU 29
PENALTY PITT Offside (Biles,Rasheem) 5 yards from WVU29 to WVU34. NO PLAY.
Tye Edwards run for no gain to the WVU 34
Jaylen Henderson run for 1 yd to the WVU 35 for a 1ST down
(13:20) No Huddle-Shotgun Henderson,Jaylen pass incomplete deep right to Vaughn,Cam thrown to PITT40 PENALTY PITT Pass Interference (Murray,Rashan) 15 yards from WVU35 to WVU50, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jaylen Henderson run for no gain to the 50 yard line
(12:52) PENALTY WVU False Start (Krahe,Nick) 5 yards from WVU50 to WVU45. NO PLAY.
Jaylen Henderson pass complete to Grayson Barnes for 4 yds to the WVU 49
Jaylen Henderson pass complete to Clay Ash for 8 yds to the PITT 43
Jaylen Henderson sacked by Sean FitzSimmons for a loss of 10 yards to the WVU 47
Eli Holstein pass complete to Malachi Thomas for 4 yds to the WVU 43
Eli Holstein pass complete to Juelz Goff for 3 yds to the WVU 40
Eli Holstein pass complete to Juelz Goff for 10 yds to the WVU 30 for a 1ST down
Juelz Goff run for 6 yds to the WVU 24
West Virginia Penalty, UNR: Unnecessary Roughness (MarShon Oxley) to the WVU 14 for a 1ST down
Raphael Williams Jr. 14 Yd pass from Eli Holstein (Trey Butkowski Kick)
Tye Edwards run for 9 yds to the WVU 34
Tye Edwards run for 11 yds to the WVU 45 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 14 yds to the PITT 41 for a 1ST down
Tye Edwards run for 2 yds to the PITT 39
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 13 yds to the PITT 26 for a 1ST down
Clay Ash run for no gain to the PITT 26
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Cam Vaughn for 3 yds to the PITT 23
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Clay Ash for 15 yds to the PITT 8 for a 1ST down
Clay Ash run for 4 yds to the PITT 4
Nicco Marchiol run for 1 yd to the PITT 3
Clay Ash run for no gain to the PITT 3
Kade Hensley 21 Yd Field Goal
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Zion Fowler-El
Juelz Goff run for 17 yds to the WVU 42 for a 1ST down West Virginia Penalty, UNR: Unnecessary Roughness (Kekoura Tarnue) to the WVU 43 for a 1ST down
Juelz Goff run for 1 yd to the WVU 42
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 2 yds to the WVU 40
Eli Holstein pass complete to Ja'Kyrian Turner for 3 yds to the WVU 37
PENALTY PITT Delay Of Game 5 yards from WVU37 to WVU42. NO PLAY.
Caleb Junko punt for 29 yds
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Rodney Gallagher III for 9 yds to the WVU 22
Tye Edwards run for 2 yds to the WVU 24 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Cam Vaughn
PENALTY WVU Delay Of Game 5 yards from WVU24 to WVU19. NO PLAY.
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Clay Ash for 6 yds to the WVU 25
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Grayson Barnes for 34 yds to the PITT 41 for a 1ST down
Clay Ash run for 3 yds to the PITT 38
Nicco Marchiol pass complete to Cam Vaughn for 13 yds to the PITT 25 for a 1ST down
Clay Ash run for 6 yds to the PITT 19
Clay Ash run for 2 yds to the PITT 17
Clay Ash run for 2 yds to the PITT 15 for a 1ST down
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Grayson Barnes
(00:21) No Huddle-Shotgun Marchiol,Nicco pass incomplete short middle to Vaughn,Cam thrown to PITT00 PENALTY PITT Pass Interference (Murray,Rashan) 13 yards from PITT15 to PITT02, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Nicco Marchiol pass incomplete to Rodney Gallagher III
Grayson Barnes 2 Yd pass from Nicco Marchiol (Kade Hensley Kick)
Ethan Head kickoff for 50 yds , Kenny Johnson return for no gain to the PITT 12
run for a loss of 1 yard to the PITT 11
End of 4th Quarter
Tye Edwards 1 Yd Run (Kade Hensley Kick)