The night before football

‘Twas the night before kickoff, and all through Mo-Town, fans were dreaming of a Big East Conference crown.

The RVs were parked in the Blue Lot with care in hopes that a gameday atmosphere soon would be there.

OK, I am going to save us all the trouble and just stop before this gets out of hand. What I'm trying to say is that I will have trouble sleeping tonight, and I'm sure many of you reading this will as well.

Tomorrow is opening day, the dawning of a new chapter in West Virginia history. Just writing that last statement gave me chills.

This is a big year for myself and the Mountaineer football team. It will be my last season to witness games as a student (barring senioritis kicking in early, and I begin to tank. Don't worry mom, I'm on top of everything).

It is also a sink or swim season for WVU head coach Bill Stewart.

It is his third year at the helm – a good gauge on how he has implemented his system. With an explosive team coming back, it will definitivly be an exciting season to bear witness to.

The team will do its part, but more importantly, you need to as well.

I'm talking about you, students.

I want to see a packed student section decked out in Old Gold from the time the gates open at 2 p.m. Those upper, lower and senior spirit sections better be packed from top to bottom.

This may be wishful thinking, but students please try your hardest to put down the beer, throw a final corn hole bag and rush over to Milan Puskar Stadium before the game starts.

Enjoy the ambiance of trekking to the stadium and find your place in the stands. Watching pregame practice is one of my favorite gameday traditions.

It all assimilates with about 45 minutes until kickoff when Van Halen's "Right Now" is blared over the speakers and the team goes into its high-five circle ending with an accumulation of a huddle. When I see that, I know it's game time.

Perhaps nothing else aside from the game itself can make a gameday afternoon other than the "Pride of West Virginia," the Mountaineer marching band.

Man, Ohio State may be the "Best Damn Band in the Land," but WVU's band provides "the Finest Thrills in the Hills."

Freshmen, if you don't get chills when they play "Simple Gifts," you don't have a pulse.

Now during the game, when the Mountaineers are on defense and it's third down, I'd like to quote T-Pain when I say "Everybody hands go up." Throw your hands up, start yelling and make your hands "stay there."

Make the Coastal Carolina offense wish they'd never come to Morgantown.

ESPN was tough on us last year in terms of our crowd experience. Students, make sure the television commentators know that Morgantown will always be the toughest place to play in the Big East and in the whole country.

On offense, the first down cheer. Ever heard of it? Throw your hands up once again. Start with a loud "ooooo." When the public address announcer says "first down West Virginia," slam your arms down while chanting "WVU." It will cause a ruckus louder than a 5 a.m. Towers fire alarm. Then, make the first down arm movement toward the goal line.

Not only is it one of West Virginia's favorite traditions, it also makes the game more exciting anticipating the next first down.

At the game tomorrow, the most important thing I can stress is to stay the whole time.

There is nothing more satisfying than singing "Country Roads," with Stewart, the team and 60,000 of your closest friends.

It is a very rare occurrence to see a full stadium on opening day after a big win.

Change that tomorrow.

Swing arm in arm and belt out the song you've heard at Club 228 at midnight for the past two weeks.

It is the most fulfilling memory you will have for quite some time.

At the end of a fun day, have an even better night celebrating responsibly after your Mountaineers are 1-0.

As I heard radio announcer Tony Caridi exclaim with glee, "It's a great night to be a Mountaineer, wherever you may be."