WVU players want '12th Man' to show up Saturday | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo courtesy of BlueGoldNews.com. A West Virginia fan keeps the tension high during a key snap from a past game.

MORGANTOWN – Our good friends north of the border in Canada play football with a 12th man on the field.

In American football, there are only 11 players per team, but this week, when Penn State comes to town to open the 2024 season with a 12:00 p.m. kickoff at Milan Puskar Stadium, broadcast on FOX, the Mountaineers coaches and players want to change that rule and look for an advantage over WVU's “12th Man”, this fan base that Scott Van Pelt boasts about.

Not that they need to turn up the volume, which is almost always at full blast on a West Virginia football Saturday at Mountaineer Field, but coaches and players expect a crowd participation level above and beyond the norm for this game.

At a school where goalposts were deliberately destroyed after big wins and where couches were burned during victory celebrations all over town (an event hated by the local police and fire department but welcomed by the local furniture stores), you'd think fans would need a reminder of that.

But this game is so big, and the Mountaineers remember the problems they had at Penn State last year when a crowd of 110,000 – twice the expected crowd at that sold-out WVU Stadium – disrupted WVU's communications.

WVU wants to drag Penn State into a noisescape to drown the team in mourning after a loss.

“Last year the noise affected our communication,” said defensive player Eddie Vesterenin this week. “In this game, the fans have to give 100%. I wish I couldn't hear anything on defense. If that happens, they won't hear anything on offense. We have to play as loud and energetic as possible. That will help us on defense.”

Here's how the player they call Eddie V. explains what happens when the crowd goes wild as the offense lines up for a play.

“That's probably going to mess up the O-line defense. If we make a few mistakes there, it could give us a big win. Last year at Penn State, I couldn't hear a few checks, so I hope they can't hear their checks here.”

This is so important that defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley has issued a challenge to WVU fans.

“I challenge our fans,” said Lesley during his weekly briefing. “That can be a big factor in the game, and not just when everything is going well.”

It's easy to cheer when everything is going well. It's harder when the opponent has made a big hit. And don't worry, Penn State will have its moments during the game, warns Lesley.

“They have good players. They're going to make some plays. They're a good team. I tell our players to look out for the next play.” said Lesley. “In other words, if they make a big play, it's over. Move on. I think the fans should have the same attitude, just be as loud as they can.”

Now, the Mountaineers don't want to dampen the enthusiasm of their fans, but admit that if they have to turn the volume down, it will only be when WVU has the ball and is trying to make its calls and signals clear.

“I want our fans to be as loud as possible when Penn State has the ball and a little quieter when we have the ball … until we score.” said head coach Neal Brown. “Then they can be as loud as they want.”

Offensive tackle Ja'Quay Hubbard summed it up best.

“When the defense is on the field, every fan should leave with a croaking voice,” he said. “I want this to be the most challenging atmosphere in America. Mountaineer Nation, I know you will. I want you to step up.”

But …

“Now when we are on offense, they should take a deep breath and calm down, let us make our calls, make our checks … and then when we score, they can get just as loud as when we are on defense,” said Hubbard. “I want to see some timeouts, false starts when we're on defense. I want the fans to get pumped up.”

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Five new WVU players whose careers I am most excited to see begin with the Mountaineers and who will have a decisive influence on the course of the 2024 season:

Redshirt freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter; transfer cornerback Garrett Hollis Jr. from Northwestern; transfer cornerback Ayden Garnes from Duquesne; transfer wide receiver Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State; and transfer wide receiver Justin Robinson from Mississippi State.

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Although former WVU wide receiver Tavon Austin announced his retirement from the NFL a week ago, the Mountaineers are well represented in the league.

Rookie Zach Frazier proved himself in the preseason and will be the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting center, and fellow former Fairmont senior and WVU teammate Dante Stills made the Arizona Cardinals' final 53-man roster and will continue his NFL career this season.

Frazier's WVU teammate Beanie Bishop not only made it through the final cutdown list as a non-drafted free agent with the Steelers, but will also be the No. 1 nickelback for Pittsburgh.

In addition, quarterback Geno Smith returns to Seattle this year, linebacker David Long, who has developed into one of the league's best at his position, returns to Miami, Tony Fields is back with the Browns, and Kyzir White continues to be one of the league's best hitters with the Cardinals.

Also on defense, Rasul Douglas returns to the Buffalo Bills for another year as cornerback, while offensive tackle Colton McKivitz continues his career with the San Francisco 49ers.

And as a nod from the haberdashery and baseball worlds, Daniel's of Morgantown provided the custom jackets worn by Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland and Manny Sanguillen when they were inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.