On Thursday night, a classic rivalry will return, as the Backyard Brawl, featuring the Pittsburgh Panthers football and West Virginia Mountaineers football programs, takes center stage. It's been 11 years since the two teams last met, but the animosity is still there. If you don't believe that, just take a look at the actions of local Pittsburgh law enforcement ahead of the clash. Chandi Chapman of Pittsburgh Action News has the details.

“Pittsburgh police plan to beef up patrols and work with other law enforcement agencies to keep University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University football fans safe during the “Backyard Brawl.”

Local police are “beefing up” their patrols and working closely with other law enforcement agencies ahead of Pittsburgh football's clash with the West Virginia Mountaineers at Acrisure Stadium.

Why would police need to be more heavily involved, you ask? Look no further than the history of the Backyard Brawl, which has actually been insane. Pittsburgh Panthers football players have been pelted by Mountaineers fans as they were riding the bus into West Virginia.

Ex-Pittsburgh football head coach Dave Wannstedt detailed a wild incident that occurred on the first play of a 2007 game between the two squads, per ESPN.

“Both these guys dropped their gloves and just started wailing on each other, and the whistles were blowing,” Wannstedt said.

On the first play of the game. Yeah, these two teams don't like each other. And it's not just the players, either. Both schools have fans with blue-collar mentalities, though the urban-based Pittsburgh Panthers football faithful have never seemed to see eye-to-eye with the rural-based West Virginia Mountaineers football brethren.

No wonder Pittsburgh Public Safety is on high alert.