West Virginia (BIG 12) 2012

College:  West Virginia (BIG 12) 2012

Year:    2012

Games:   Oklahoma 50 West Virginia 49

Rating:   9 out of 10

Cost:  Low

Tickets:  Easy

Stadium:   I’ve run out of words to describe these stadiums.  I know I over use “excellent” and “top notch”, I just don’t have the VERNACULAR to diversify the descriptions.  Milan Puskar is just another top notch, excellent stadium where YOU CAN BUY BEER!

West Virginia Tailgate

Mountaineer Tailgate

Another Mountaineer Tailgate

Milan Puskar Stadium 

Milan Puskar at night

Mountaineer Field

Milan Puskar scoreboard

West Virginia fans

Milan Puskar Endzone

Coal Miner tribute

  

Even better than the stadium is the area right around it, and the campus in general.  WVU is in the mountains!  The campus is split up into a couple of different areas, downtown and up on the hill. The stadium is up on the hill.  One might ask, how do you move between different parts of campus?  They have a unique transport system called the “Personal Rapid Transit System”, I believe it’s the only one of its kind in North America.  Here is a link to learn more about it:

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/personal-rapid-transit-system-morgantown-west-virginia.html

and a vid here:

Description:   The fun started in the tail gate area which is all around the stadium.  Check that the fun started at Kegglers II a couple of hours before the game.    I’m confused about Kegglers, not sure if I went to the right one or if there is more than one or if they moved it or if this is even the bar they show on TV all the time (it only opened in 1994).  More research needs to be done.  The tail gate was very friendly, I was offered three shots of whiskey by complete strangers. People in WV love to drink!  After the third one I had to tap out and take a break lest I miss the game passed out in my truck so I just walked around for a bit.  Tail gate is similar in scope and feel to LSU.

The Game:  Out of all the games I’ve attended this was the most exciting. Both teams up and down the field all game.  West Virginia will remember this as the “Tavon Austin” game as he had 572 all purpose yars (344 rushing yards, 82 receiving, 146 return).  Oklahoma had the ball last and won.

I sat in front of a really nice guy Steve, I bought him a beer and he told me the history of WVU and showed me the tribute to the miners who were killed a few years back (a large piece of coal situated in the concourse).  He also told me after WVU wins the entire crowd hangs out and sings country road.  I’m going to go back to Morgantown every year until I get to partake in that sing along.  This years game is against Texas Tech.  Hopefully Holgorson will have them ready.  It should take Klingsbury longer than one year to develop the next Johnny Football.

Don’t Miss:  Kegglers, people mover, tribute to the coal miners who were killed in an accident a few years back.  60,000 people singing “Country Road” (but only after a win)

Avoid:   Not booking a hotel in advance and having to sleep in your car (already taken care of for 2013)

Attendees:  Bones

Game Recap  http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=323220277

West Virginia Football Ticket

Virginia (ACC) 2012

College:  Virginia (ACC) 2012

Year:    2012

Games:   North Carolina 37 Virginia 13

Rating:   7 out of 10

Cost:  Low

Tickets:  Easy

Stadium:   Scott Stadium was new and very well put together.  It was like a UVA co-ed:  beautiful on the inside and out, classy and with its own character.  Student section is a slanted grass section (The Hill) in one end zone surrounded by classic (Greek? Italian?) pillars.

Description:  This was the front end of a “Two Birds with one Stone” trip.  West Virginia was the back end.  This was actually a very good atmosphere for a game considering UVA was not very good.  I can only imagine what a big game would be like there. Unfortunately so can most of the fans as I can’t remember the last time an important game was played there.  But despite my sarcasm I bet the Virginia Tech game would be a fun take, it's early in the season and it's a big rivalry. 

The campus is pristine, it’s nice the way a lot of southern campuses are nice.  It looks like the dining room in your home that no one is allowed to actually use.  Everything is where it should be at all times.  I guess that says it’s very nice but it doesn’t look lived in.

I camped about 20 mins outside of Charlottesville at a private spot:  Misty Mountain. It did the job, had lunch at Blue Mountain Brewing on the way out of town (that REALLY did the job – good beer and a great pulled pork sandwich).  Drove Skyline drive on my way to WV.

It gets a 7 out of 10 because there wasn’t much of a tail gate and not much of anything going on after the game but I reserve the rigth to boost it to an 8 or a 9 when I go back.  It also gets downgraded slightly because I sat close to the action in a section that was clearly a bunch of rich white season ticket holders.  They didn't like a fresh face in their section, so fuck them.  

Don’t Miss:  Walking around the campus, spending a few minutes on The Hill with the students
If you want to make it part of a bigger trip:  You could merge one of their Thursday night games with West Virginia or Virginia Tech.  You can spend some time on the Blue Ridge parkway or Skyline drive.  You can visit Monticelo (Thomas Jefferson). 

Avoid:   Bar scene after the game was lame

Attendees:  Bones

Game Recap  http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=323200258

Virginia football ticket

NIU (MAC) 2012

College:  NIU (MAC) 2012

Year:    2012

Games:   NIU 63  UMass 0

Rating:   7 out of 10

Cost:  Low

Tickets:  Easy

Stadium:  Husky Stadium is what every small college program should be. Any remodeling of McGuirk should use Husky Stadium as a starting point (and will from what I've seen UMass fans!). NIU is in the middle of nowhere, about 90 minutes outside of Chicago. It doesn’t get a whole lot of press but it's actually a very good school and the people I've met from there are pretty high quality.  It's everything a state school should be.  The campus will never be called beautiful but it is functional.  

Description:   Our Alma-Mata, UMass, made the jump to the FCS in 2012 so we decided to catch a couple of games that were close by (Vanderbilt and NIU).  I’m glad we saw NIU live as they played in the Orange Bowl vs. Florida State later on in 2012.   It was a good, solid day of college football.    UMass was not really that competitive (hence the final score) but I’m glad I saw a game there and will definitely go back. The MAC loves to play Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the end of the season.. Every time they score they fire off a Howitzer Cannon (located in the south end zone)

Don’t Miss:  The firing of the Howitzer Cannon at Husky Stadium, Two Brother Brewing in Aurora
If you want to make it part of a bigger trip:  Chicago is about 90 minutes away

Avoid:   This is a day trip, no need to spend a night in DeKalb

Attendees:  Bones, Polychronopolous

Game Recap:  http://dailycollegian.com/2012/11/05/umass-football-stomped-by-northern-illinois-63-0/

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=323082459

NIU Football Ticket