Jonathan Crum — a die-hard West Virginia fan — never misses a Backyard Brawl.

“This has always been probably the highlight of the year,” he said. “I’ve been to every game in Morgantown since probably 1989.”

Saturday marks the 108th installment of the Backyard Brawl between the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University, a much-anticipated display of the schools’ longstanding rivalry.

Crum, 43, of Charleston, W.Va., said the draw to the Backyard Brawl is that it’s “coal mines versus steel mills.”

“It’s city versus country,” he said. “It’s pure hatred — we don’t like them; they don’t like us, and the best thing about this is we get to settle it on the field.”

Pitt and West Virginia just announced an extension of the Backyard Brawl for four years from 2033 to 2036.

The four games will be split between Acrisure and Milan Puskar stadiums, with Pitt hosting WVU on Sept. 10, 2033, and Sept. 8, 2035. The Mountaineers will host on Sept. 9, 2034, and Sept. 13, 2036.

Crum was ecstatic when he heard the news.

“First of all, it’s a crime that it ever took a break from 2012 until 2022,” he said. “West Virginia and Pitt is what college football is all about. This should be extended to eternity in my opinion.”

Jonathan Warrell’s reaction to the extension was three words: “as they should.”

“I think the game is important to both teams because it brings in a lot of revenue for both campuses,” he said.

Warrell, 30, now lives in Morgantown, but graduated from Pitt in 2017.

“I’m a Pitt fan, obviously, but living in Morgantown now, I root for WVU now,” said Warrell, who was sporting a Pitt T-shirt Saturday.

The Backyard Brawl puts both football teams “on the map,” he said.

“It brings excitement to NCAA football whether they’re high ranking or not,” Warrell said.

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