THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: Thursday Night Rivalry Games: Good or Bad for West Virginia Fans?

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.

PRIMETIME RIVALRY GAMES

The West Virginia football team has its two biggest rivals on the schedule this fall, and the Mountaineers will be facing both Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech on Thursday nights! WVU will open the 2022 season with the Backyard Brawl at Pitt on Thursday, September 1st, in a night game. Three weeks later the Mountaineers will travel to Blacksburg to defend their Black Diamond Trophy against the Hokies in another Thursday night game. WVU will also have a home game on a Thursday against Baylor in October.

So, are these Thursday night games good or bad for the Mountaineers? The initial feeling for many fans is excitement. It will be nice to have WVU’s rivalry games in the national spotlight with minimal television competition on Thursday nights, but the weekday games will also prevent many fans from traveling to attend these games. This might be extra frustrating to fans considering they have been waiting for years for WVU to face its regional rivals so they can easily travel to the games, unlike the Big 12 road games which are more difficult for fans to attend. WVU fans traveled very well for the rivalry game at Maryland in 2021. Is it possible that the ACC wanted these games moved to Thursdays to prevent the rowdy Mountaineers from taking over its teams’ home stadiums? On the other hand, could these primetime games be an opportunity for the Mountaineers to show the ACC that they can attract larger television audiences than the conference’s intraleague?

Ultimately, I think these Thursday night games are great for the WVU football program, the rivalries, and the fan base. Weekday games could present traveling difficulties for some fans, but I doubt that WVU will have any trouble selling out its allotment of tickets for both of these games. Having the Mountaineers back in the primetime spotlight is exciting and college football fans around the country will definitely tune in for these rivalry games. And if you’re not already pumped for these games, these two hype videos should help:

DEUCE GOES OFF, AGAIN

Former West Virginia men’s basketball player Miles “Deuce” McBride has spent much of his rookie season flipping between the New York Knicks NBA roster and the franchise’s G-League team. While playing for the Westchester Knicks in the G-League on Tuesday, Deuce put on an incredible performance. The former Mountaineers was one rebound shy of a triple-double, with 39 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds!

Every time New York sends McBride down to the G-League he shows he is far above the competition at that level. The Knicks even indirectly acknowledged that this week by pulling Deuce back up to the New York roster approximately 15 minutes after his amazing game.

HEARTBREAKING LOSS

The West Virginia men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss at #8 Baylor on Tuesday night. The Mountaineers put forth a valiant effort, but fell to the Bears 81-77. Fifth-year senior Taz Sherman had a career night with 29 points, before being almost-literally knocked out of the game.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• The Texas Tech fan base captured the attention of the college basketball world on Tuesday night, as they cheered on their #14 Red Raiders to a 77-64 win over #14 Texas. The TTU fans were riled up for the must-see game since they were hosting their former head coach, Chris Beard, for the first time.
• There was another basketball game between two ranked Big 12 teams on Tuesday. #10 Kansas went on the road and defeated #20 Iowa State.

AROUND THE NCAA

• The Creighton men’s basketball team upset #17 UConn on Tuesday, 59-55.

ODDS AND ENDS

• The Washington Football Team has finally decided on its new name after years of contemplation: The Washington Commanders.

Have any tips, suggestions or requests for what you want to see in The Shotgun Throwdown? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us on social media.

Follow us!

Twitter: @smokingmusket

Facebook: The Smoking Musket