If pre-game hype had anything to do with winning or losing, the Mountaineers would have won their opener against Number 8th ranked Penn State. Unfortunately, hype is 1-0 and the Mounties started the season 0-1. The build up to the game was unbelievable with the Pat McAfee Show in Morgantown on Friday afternoon before Saturday’s kickoff drawing nearly 20,000 people to the site of old Mountaineer Field. Then the next day, Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff pre-game rolled into town bringing with them Grammy nominated musical guest mgk, live from Morgantown. I must fess up here. I had no idea who mgk was let alone what the acronym stood for. Machine Gun Kelly, a multi-faceted musician and rapper, performed his new song “Lonely Road” which was inspired by John Denver’s iconic Take Me Home Country Roads. I didn’t hear it live but listened to it after the game on our way home from a weekend trip to Columbus. The song is ok, but I’ll still take the original anytime, but the kids seemed to like it, so there you go.

Pat McAfee was his normal self, chugging beer and leading cheers firing up the crowd that didn’t need much encouragement. University students packed the campus for the former WVU/Colt’s punter that brought his popular ESPN talk show back home to his old stomping ground. Then he invited other former Mountaineers to join him. New York Knick’s guard Deuce McBride really gave the crowd something to go crazy about. McAfee said he’d cover a student’s tuition if Deuce could sink a shot in a basketball hoop set up in the crowd about a half court length away. You guessed it. After a practice shot and one that clanked off the rim, Deuce sunk the shot and McAfee and the students lost their minds. Pat was also very generous to the university giving one million dollars to the WVU NIL fund. The game, however, did not go well for the sold-out Mountaineer Field crowd with the Mounties falling 34-12. It was very disappointing for all of WV. Neil Brown took full credit for his team’s poor showing simply saying, “We played poorly in all aspects of the game.” By the time you read this the Mountaineers will be 1-1 as lowly Albany comes to Morgantown for our traditional weak-sister game. And hope is not lost as the Mountaineers still feature a very talented squad, and I look for big improvements as they prepare for the Big 12 schedule.

One new rule that was implemented this year in college football is the two minute time out. In the NFL this is called the two-minute warning. Beginning this season, when the game clock is running and the ball is not live, the referee will stop the clock with exactly two minutes left in the second and fourth quarters. If the ball is live, the clock will stop immediately after the play ends. I like the rule as it provides extra strategy for each team going down the stretch in both quarters.

Speaking of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) funding, a controversial plan surrounding the use of QR codes on the back of players’ helmets allowing viewers to send money directly to an individual player, got nixed by the NCAA. Oklahoma State’s announcement that they would be using the QR codes this season was shot down by the NCAA. The NCAA says it is a form of “advertising and/or commercial marks,” and is prohibited. Oklahoma State disagrees with the ruling but will abide by the decision.

Nothing surprises me regarding paying college athletes. I believe if a university is profiting from players in different sports, then the players deserve to be compensated. It does, however, give a big advantage to richer schools in recruiting and must be reined in somehow. It’s a little bit like trying to lock the barn door after the horse has bolted. Good luck pulling that off!

Lastly on the NIL here at home, the first NIL pub opened in Morgantown this past week. The GOAT Country Roads Pub opened its doors at 364 Suncrest Town Centre Drive and is in partnership with the Country Roads Trust which oversees the WVU NIL funding. All proceeds go to WVU athletics. The pub is the first NIL bar of its kind and owners say patrons are in for a great atmosphere with great food and beer. This is big for WVU and their ability to compete against big money schools and even out the playing field. For more information check out their Facebook page (The GOAT Country Roads Pub).

The PGA wrapped up their season with the Tour Championship at East Lake over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta. It was Scottie Scheffler winning and picking up 25 million dollars for his effort. Only the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup point standings make it to the Tour Championship. If you are young and thinking about a career, being a caddie on the PGA Tour is not a bad way to go. Caddies are paid according to how their player finishes, the higher the player finishes the higher the percentage paid to the caddie. Usually, 10 percent of the winnings is paid to the winning caddie and in this case Scheffler’s caddie made 2.5 million for carrying the bag. It is not an easy job due to everything else a caddie does for his player. They are always first out on a course during the practice rounds laying out the plan for each hole and pin placement. If you watch golf, you will see players and caddies looking at their notebooks determining where to hit the ball on each shot for the best chance for success.

Local high schools started their 2024 football season over the Labor Day weekend with Tyler Consolidated, Paden City and Valley each winning their opener. Tyler Consolidated opened with a 55-7 victory over Ritchie County, Paden City defeated Fox Fire, out of Zanesville, Ohio 38-24 and Valley defeated Tygarts Valley 46-33. Hundred fell to Clay Battelle 44-6. River is not off to their usual start falling to 0-2 to start the season. Magnolia will start the season on September 6 at home against Wirt County. By the time you read this, week two will be in the books. Let’s hope the winning ways continue for our hometown favorites.