Quick Argument (Rant) on Why You Should Attend the WVU game!

As great as the unchallenged, easy-going experience of attending a home game of your favorite team can be, one thing I’ve found is that most fans hugely underestimate the excitement and intensity created by a split-crowd event.   The few games we’ve been to that fall into this rare category are great evidence. Even as a neutral fan, attending the Maryland/Florida ’02 Orange Bowl and the Boise/VT ’11 game at FedEx were fantastic games because of that back-and-forth and pregame jitters created by the mixing of supporters.  For the record, that Maryland/Florida game was nearly as lopsided in its pointspread and outcome as this one is likely to be.  Still didn’t diminish the thrill of anticipation from either side during the run-up to the games.   JMU/Montana in ’04 was incredibly fun before we ever realized we might actually win the thing for the same reason.  Even JMU @ W&M that year, most JMU @ GMU hoops games, and pretty much every Philly @ Washington game in any sport (at least when Philly fans have a winner to back), make for fun matchups because the crowd splits.  Yes, it’s frustrating when your team loses and all those clowns are in the stadium to point that out, but this is West by God Virginia we’re talking ‘bout here so any post-game bragging on their part is unwarranted at best and moonshine-related, comedic lunacy at worst, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Quietly, the Danny (Skins owner Dan Snyder) has been freaking out about blackouts and the public’s obvious knowledge that his waiting list and sellout streak are Oz-like charades.  He’s actually removed more than 10,000 seats and FedEx capacity now stands at only 79,000.  Given that quite a few of those are suites that don’t contribute much to the noise level, atmosphere, or look of a decently-filled arena, anything over about 50k would make for an outstanding fan experience that would compare favorable with other non-national college games held there recently.  But we’re not there yet.  While a) as much or more falls on WVU and b) a bad JMU turnout has zero consequences on potential FBS plans (though a good turnout might  turn a head or two and clearly wouldn’t hurt), it still warrants a comment from JMUSB headquarters.

Yes, tickets prices were steep originally, but they’re down to 35 per on Stub Hub now.

Yes, West Virginia may hang 60 on the Dukes, but that’s actually bull shit and you haven’t been paying close enough attention (much more on this to come next week).

Yes, JMU HC Mickey Matthews has taken these payday games against big-name teams “somewhat less than seriously” in the past, using our reserves in a losing cause the same way our FBS opponents have on the other side, but 21-16 changed all that.  In fact, we’ll have a lot more on that too next week mainly focusing on the fact that 34 passes against St. Francis and a likely repeat performance against Alcorn St. this weekend is all a ruse for an old-school Mickey, shove-it-down-their-throat-milk-the-clock-run-to-setup-the-run performance he’s about to unleash on the big stage.

Yes, FedEx is a dump for an NFL Stadium, but it’s a great game atmosphere given how close the stands are to the field, especially in a split stadium situation (e.g. VT/Boise St.)

Yes, FedEx is a dump owned by the Danny, but the tailgate lot is still NFL caliber in size and really creates pre-game excitement by having everyone essentially in one huge location in a way that Bridgeforth, MilanPuskar (WVU’s stadium), and most other college stadiums just can’t pull off.  The on-campus stadiums and lots were built AFTER the universities and towns grew up around them, forcing the lots to spread out and meander a bit more.  That’s awesome in its own way and I wouldn’t trade the variety of P-Lot, baseball lots, even Convo and ISAT lots for anything as the usual JMU gameday experience, but this setup creates a level of communal debauchery that’s tough to top absent a time machine that can take you to a Newman Lake Boat Race officiated by Uncle Ron and won by AST’s on a sinking turtle-ship thingy made out of kegs that defies all logic and laws of physics!

Finally, and we’re not [really] encouraging overdoing your tailgate by reverting to junior-year-in-the-Burg form, we are talking about an absolutely unprecedented matchup of the Princeton Review’s Top 1-A Party School against the Top 1-AA Party School.  Seriously, #1 v. #1 in a tailgating barnburner of epic pyrotechnic potential.  Bring your spare liver and your own damn sofa and show these bumpkins how it’s done!  (Just don’t turn this into a Forest Hills block-party situation, please, at least not on our bus, please!).