WVU's Biggest Night in Years Could Tell Us If the Mountaineers Are Really Back

Can night games in Morgantown become a nightmare for opposing teams again?

Nov 8, 2007; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers fans cheer before the start of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV. West Virginia won the game 38-31. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a minute since Milan Puskar Stadium hosted a big-time matchup with something more on the line than bragging rights over heated rival Pitt. I'd argue the last really intense night game the Mountaineers had was against Oklahoma in 2018, playing for a spot in the Big 12 championship.

It's one thing for the crowd to be juiced up because you're playing a rival; it's a whole other thing when the place is buzzing because the team is playing well deep into September, showing some signs of a group that could be a dark horse contender in the Big 12.

A lot is on the line for West Virginia in this one — the 8th 4-0 start to a season since 2000, a 1-0 start in Big 12 play, and a potential spot in the AP Top 25 poll, which would put an end to an eight-year drought.

Night games in Morgantown used to be a death trap for opposing teams. The Mountaineers were consistently ranked, playing for something more than a bowl game, and because of that, the crowd was a headache for the opposing offense.

It hasn't been that way for a while. The fans are always into it, and the passion has never wavered, but they haven't had much to be excited about. Now, they absolutely do, and head coach Rich Rodriguez is expecting one hell of an atmosphere on Saturday night in Morgantown.

"I've always believed this, and I said it when I was a player and, as a coach, the first time; this is one of the greatest places to play college football in America," he stated. "It's the environment, it's the importance to the state, it's the fan engagement. And one thing: having been around the country like myself and some of the staff has been, we've experienced a lot of different environments. We can kind of tell. It's funny because, some of the players the last couple of weeks, including this past weekend, some of the new guys were like, 'Man, coach, this is really neat!' You could tell how much fun they were having. When you recruit them, you sell them on that."

For West Virginia to truly get back to its winning ways and be in the national conversation, this is a MUST-WIN type of game. You are playing well; you have playmakers all over the place on offense, a defense that is getting better each week, and a crowd that is going to do everything it can to will you to victory. The fact of the matter is, you're not going to amount to much if you can't protect your home field.

While last week's win over Virginia revealed a lot about this team, we're going to truly find out how close to being "back" WVU is.