Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
There are plenty of college football fan bases that have a reputation for their ability to get their drink on, and the University of West Virginia certainly falls under that umbrella. People who root for the Mountaineers don’t really need an excuse to pound some beers before a game, but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made the questionable decision to give them some extra motivation ahead of this season’s Backyard Brawl.
If you’ve never attended a college football game that kicks off after the sun goes down, you’re missing out on what should be a bucket list for any serious fan.
There’s something about night games that simply hit different, as stadiums tend to be buzzing with a noticeably more electric atmosphere thanks in no small part to the spectators who have some extra time to catch a buzz before heading into the venue.
There’s no real way to quantify the college football programs with the fans that go harder than the rest on that particular front, but there are plenty of schools that stand out from the pack due to the reputation that precedes them.
Wisconsin is definitely near the top of the list when you consider the Badgers play in what is firmly the “drunkest” state in America due to the number of people who imbibe excessively on a regular basis, and while West Virginia is second only to Utah on the opposite end of that spectrum, you wouldn’t know that’s the case if you witnessed the tailgating scene at a Mountaineers game.
On September 13th, West Virginia will host Pitt for the 108th edition of the rivalry game known as “The Backyard Brawl,” and while that contest should probably be a night game every single time it’s played, we recently learned fans will have to settle for a 3:30 PM kickoff time this year.
Pat Narduzzi seems a bit relieved about that development based on what he had to say during a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan where he asserted WVU fans won’t be as intoxicated as they would have been if the game had started a few hours later, saying:
“They’ll probably be less liquored up. Probably less likely to throw a full beer can at you on the field. Hopefully, they’ll still be interested in drinking it first and maybe it’s an empty one.”
It’s pretty clear Narduzzi was joking around based on his tone, but if he genuinely thinks WVU fans aren’t going to be sufficiently lubricated by the time the game starts, he is obviously not too familiar with the members of the Mountaineer faithful.
It’s worth noting the Panthers coach has only experienced a single Backyard Brawl in Morgantown during his tenure (a 17-6 loss in 2023 that began at 7:30 PM), and he’s probably going to be in for a bit of a rude awakening when he heads back there for his second.