Post #400: Country Roads, take me home…

In 2008, my 50th post was about Rentschler Field at the University of Connecticut. Now, 350 posts later, I’m writing for the second time about Milan Puskar Stadium, home to the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Almost heaven, West Virginia, blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah River

In 2008, fans streamed out of the stadium in the fourth quarter. In 2010, fans streamed out of the stadium in the fourth quarter, but this time, they were happier than they were two years earlier; their Mountaineers were winning, and winning big.
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

As we got off the buses outside Milan Puskar, one student trainer sitting in front of yours truly noted, “This is nuts. I’ve never seen so many people tailgating.” Welcome to Morgantown.

Country roads, take me home, To the place, I belong, West Virginia, mountain momma, Take me home, country roads

Although the stadium wasn’t packed to capacity—and why would it be for two teams that were coming off of two-game losing streaks?—it was still loud and proud, just as I expected it to be.
All my mem’ries, gather ’round her, Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water, Dark and dusty, Painted on the sky, Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

I did enjoy the new “sound effects” that the WVU athletic department chose to employ for this game (and presumably they’ve been using them all season). Before certain UC drives, the voice of Steve Carell, who played Brick Tamland in the hit movie Anchorman, would scream one of his funnier lines from the movie: “LOUD NOISES”. I loved it.

Country roads, take me home, To the place, I belong, West Virginia, mountain momma, Take me home, country roads

As for the game, well, let’s not talk about that. I’m not sure even the most negative of UC fans could have predicted a fall off quite this bad for the team that went 12-0 last regular season. Before the season all eyes were on Jones, who has done this before, taking over for Kelly at Central Michigan and winning two MAC titles as head man in Mount Pleasant.

I hear her voice, in the mornin’ hours she calls to me, The radio reminds me of my home far a-way, And drivin’ down the road I get a feeling’, That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

Now, it’s three wins in three games for UC to be bowl eligible. No matter what happens in the end, I’ll have photos and more from Milan Puskar Stadium. Did I mention the WVU band? How could I not?

They might be one of my favorite bands in all of America, for only one reason…

Country roads, take me home, To the place, I belong, West Virginia, mountain momma, Take me home, country roads

Take me home, country roads...

Hopefully I have more opportunities to go visit Milan Puskar. It’s definitely one of the more fun places to visit it the Big East conference: win or lose.

Quarterbacks White and Mauk put on show in 2007 WVU-UC game

Ben Mauk picked apart the West Virginia defense to the tune of 323 yards and two touchdowns while his counterpart Pat White ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns of his own two years ago when the Mountaineers visited Cincinnati. West Virginia took the game 28-23 and handed the Bearcats their third and final loss of the 2007 season.

It was also the last time Brian Kelly and the ‘Cats lost a home game.

West Virginia rushed for 295 yards total and held onto the ball for just over 36 minutes, keeping Mauk and the high powered Bearcat offense off the field. Mauk completed 19 of his 34 throws for an average of 17 yards a completion.

It was once again the Marcus Barnett show for the ‘Cats. The redshirt freshman from Upper Marlboro, Maryland caught ten of Mauk’s passes for 210 yards. He scored both touchdowns through the air.

West Virginia’s 3-3-5 “stack” defense—which became a staple under then Mountaineer and current Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez—didn’t give UC fits through the air, but the ‘Cats only ran for 84 yards. Granted, much of the time UC was trailing and had to throw to get back in the game, but West Virginia’s defense did not hesitate to yield some yardage to the Bearcats through the air.

UC trailed 28-10 early in the fourth and was able to narrow the gap to 28-23 with 2:26 left on the clock but Jake Rogers’s onside kick fell in the hands of the Mountaineers’ Franchot Allen. Steve Slaton and company picked up a few first downs and the game was over.

Everyone who remembers last season’s tilt in Morgantown will recall that the Mountaineers scored 13 points in the final 1:11 to force overtime. West Virginia had to settle for a field goal and it took UC just three plays (Pike to Goodman for 10 yards—with a roughing the passer penalty, Ramsey rushed for five yards to the WVU two, and Pike hit Kazeem Alli for the two yard score) to win the game 26-23.

Alli celebrates after he caught the winning pass from Tony Pike last season in Morgantown

What kind of game will unfold this evening? Since the game is sold out, I suggest you tune in to ESPN2 at 8PM to see how everything turns out.

And remember…Country Roads, Take me home, to the place, I belong