Larry Fitzgerald Didn't Just Rip WVU — He Went After the Entire State

There are few rivalries in college football, if any, where there is more hatred than what exists between West Virginia and Pitt. The two can't stand each other, and it doesn't matter how many years a player is removed from playing in the game; that feeling never goes away.

When former Mountaineers or Panthers talk about the other side, it's usually not complimentary. Legendary Pitt wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald certainly had no problems lashing out his feelings toward WVU or West Virginians, for that matter, during an appearance on Pardon My Take.

What Larry said...

Larry Fitzgerald still has hate for West Virginia @PardonMyTake https://t.co/dn89TOAY8O pic.twitter.com/gaeDX85TFv
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) July 10, 2026

“A WVU degree is like… It’s worth about as much as a cup of water out of Lake Tahoe. What are you going to do with it? They don’t have any fluoride in the water in Morgantown. Have you seen their teeth? It’s crazy. Like they don’t have a dentist in the whole state, it seems.”

Revisiting Fitzgerald's two matchups vs. the Mountaineers

Oct 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reacts on the sideline against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In Fitzgerald's freshman season in 2002, West Virginia beat Pitt at the home of the Steelers, 24-17. Fitzgerald had the only two Pitt touchdowns in the game, so he did his part, catching 11 passes for 159 yards, failing to get help from anywhere else. WVU starting QB Rasheed Marshall only needed to throw the ball nine times in this one to leave Heinz with a win.

In 2003, the Mountaineers crushed the 16th-ranked Panthers in Morgantown by a 52-31 score. Fitzgerald also had two scores in this one, but it was Quincy Wilson who stole the show. The Mountaineer running back rushed for 208 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries. KayJay Harris and Rasheed Marshall each added 43 yards on the ground.

Anyone who has played in the Backyard Brawl is going to feel some sort of way about the enemy, and understandably so. You have to wonder, though, why he brought up academics and everything else other than the game played on the field. Perhaps going 0-2 against the Mountaineers had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, the Backyard Brawl is entering another hiatus. Thankfully, though, this one is not nearly as long as the one that lasted a decade after the Big East crumbled. The Brawl is scheduled to resume in 2029 in Pittsburgh, with the site alternating through 2036. West Virginia won last year's game in thrilling fashion, completing a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter and winning in overtime.

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