MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University student body is ready to make their presence felt ahead of the highly anticipated season opener against Penn State.
Ahead of the nationally televised matchup, which includes appearances by former WVU punter and media personality Pat McAfee, along with the separate national broadcast of the Big Noon Kickoff Show on Fox, members of the Mountaineer Maniacs will host Mountaineer Friday in front of the Mountainlair starting at 11 a.m.
Tyler Faulstick, Executive Director of the Maniacs, encourages students to join in the festivities where free food and Mountaineer merchandise will be given away, along with special appearances by WVU coaches.
“This is the biggest home opener for the Mountaineers in probably two or three decades, so there’s a lot to be excited about in Morgantown this weekend,” said Faulstick.
Festivities include tailgate games, free food samples from the WVU Bookstore Cafe, and a live DJ who will host music throughout the afternoon. This continues a multi-year tradition for the Mountaineer Maniacs. While the event will coincide with separate events hosted by the Pat McAfee Show and Fox Sports at the same time, Faulstick feels Mountaineer Friday will complement the other activities that will take place on campus.
“We’ll have our membership t-shirts there, we’ll have music, a DJ, food and popcorn, stuff students can eat,” Faultick said.
WVU Football Head Coach Neal Brown is scheduled to make an appearance at the Mountainlair ahead of his scheduled appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. While there, Coach Brown will speak to the Mountaineers in attendance, sign autographs for fans, and take photos to help further hype up students for what is considered one of the biggest WVU games in close to a decade. While Coach Brown has attended previous Mountaineer Fridays in the past, Faulstick and the rest of the Mountaineer Maniacs expect the WVU student body to bring excitement that’ll carry over into Saturday.
“We’ll also have Neal Brown there at 12:15 p.m., and then, throughout the week, we’re preparing for Big Noon Kickoff,” Faulstick said.
Faulstick added that members of the Mountaineer Maniacs also plan to be the first in line for not only the Big Noon Kickoff Show on Saturday but also the live musical performance by Machine Gun Kelly, which will be shown at Almost Heaven Village on Saturday morning.
With the pre-game hype for the start of the WVU football season at a near all-time high, the Mountaineer Maniacs are ready to show WVU spirit to a national audience.
“We’re going to be the first people in the line, hopefully right behind the stage when it comes to Big Noon Kickoff, but we’re super excited to start the weekend,” Falstick said.