Rich Rodriguez Addresses Rumors He Threw 2007 Backyard Brawl

The 2007 Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh is known for being one of the biggest upsets in the rivalry’s history.

The Mountaineers were predicted to win and potentially head to the BCS championship game, but ended up losing 13–9 to the Panthers, who were 4–7 entering the game. Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger spoke with then-West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez as he looked back at the infamous game ahead of the matchup’s return.

Following the loss and his move to Michigan two weeks later, a rumor surrounding the now-Jacksonville State coach began, stating that he threw the game.

However, the 59-year-old said he did not throw the “biggest nightmare” of his coaching career, as he called it. The West Virginia native admitted he even threw up after that year’s Brawl because of how poorly the result turned out.

“It pisses me off,” Rodriguez said ahead of the matchup’s return from an 11-year hiatus. “That is total bulls---. Bulls--. Those conversations didn’t take place until a week after that. Anybody who says that doesn’t know what the hell they are talking about.”

Rodriguez admitted that he believes “it was a mistake to go to Michigan,” on his part because the timing sparked rumors surrounding the game. He said the interview for the Michigan job didn’t come until about two weeks after the Brawl loss.

After he interviewed with the Wolverines, and before he decided to accept the position, he spoke with then West Virginia president Mike Garrison to see if there was anything convincing enough about the future of the program to lead him to stay. It did not end up being a positive meeting.

“We’ve done all we can; take it or leave it,” Garrison reportedly told Rodriguez.

“I was like, ‘Gee whiz,’” Rodriguez told Dellenger. “Most people don’t know that. I don’t think I’ve told anyone that before.”

There’s also the question of whether Rodriguez would have left his home state’s university if the team had won the Backyard Brawl game. John Antonik, who is the director of content for West Virginia athletics, commented on the big question.

“It’s the biggest ‘what if’ in our history. No doubt about it,” Antonik said. “I’ve had people ask me this as recently as just a month ago: Did Rich Rod throw that game?”

The 2022 Backyard Brawl takes place on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. ET.

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