West Virginia

West Virginia schools cancel classes ahead of WVU-Penn State game, live Pat McAfee Show over ‘traffic’ concerns

Published

3 months ago

August 29, 2024

West Virginia schools cancel classes ahead of WVU-Penn State game, live Pat McAfee Show over ‘traffic’ concerns

Morgantown is gearing up for a BIG time matchup as local schools received an extra day off before the Labor Day weekend.

A day before West Virginia University football kicks off its 2024 campaign against 8th-ranked Penn State, local officials canceled classes for county schools on Friday as the area braces for increased traffic congestion ahead of the sold-out home opener.

“In consultation with MECCA 911 and local law enforcement, Monongalia County Schools will be CLOSED for students this Friday, August 30 due to the anticipated traffic congestion and potential delays affecting our bus services,” the school district announced Wednesday evening.

“Monongalia County Schools’ top priority is ensuring student safety. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this change,” the post added.

Monongalia County School District consists of 19 schools, which include 11 elementary schools, across the area.

While the Mountaineers and Nittany Lions face off at noon on Saturday, local officials are taking precautions surrounding the on-campus party 24 hours beforehand.

Pat McAfee, the two-time Pro Bowler and WVU alum, is returning to his old stomping grounds when he hosts “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday from 12-3 p.m.

“Our show will be live in Morgantown, West Virginia right before Penn State tries to walk into Morgantown,” McAfee said on a recent show. “Biggest home opener for the West Virginia Mountaineer Football team since 1998.”

“A lot of years since somebody like Penn State tried to walk in. Opening weekend, you have got to be kidding me. They don’t understand what these Morgantown fans are going to be like,” he said.

McAfee’s show will broadcast from the Life Sciences building on campus, near where the original WVU Football stadium, Mountaineer Field stood between 1924 and when it was demolished in 1987.

The show is located roughly 2 miles away from Morgantown High School, which was among Friday’s closures.

The 60,000-seat stadium’s capacity record was set on Nov. 20, 1993 when the then-number 9 Mountaineers defeated then-4th ranked Miami 17-14 in front of 70,222 fans.

Officials noted the increase in traffic will happen between 12 and 3 p.m. on Friday as McAfee airs his show and WVU classes are still in session.

Many people from out of town are expected to arrive on Friday as most local hotels are filled, according to WBOY.

Along with McAfee’s show on Friday, Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” will air from campus two hours before their noontime broadcast and will feature a live performance from rapper Machine Gun Kelly.

Friday’s school cancelations come on an already extended weekend as school’s and offices across the US observe Labor Day on Monday.

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West Virginia

Who Steps Up for West Virginia at Receiver with Traylon Ray Done for the Year?

Published

3 mins ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Who Steps Up for West Virginia at Receiver with Traylon Ray Done for the Year?

West Virginia’s passing game hasn’t struck fear into the hearts of its opponents all year long, but the Mountaineers lost one of their biggest receiving threats, Traylon Ray, last week in the loss to Baylor.

A Baylor defensive back landed on Ray’s leg on a deep ball in the second half, causing the sophomore receiver to be carted off the field. Over the weekend, Ray underwent a successful surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Prior to the injury, Ray hauled in 28 receptions for 426 yards and four touchdowns on the season, giving him an average of 15.2 yards per catch. He scored three of his four touchdowns throughout his final four games played and made some big catches deep down the field. He leads all Mountaineer receivers in touchdowns, is second in receiving yards, and third in receptions.

So, how do the Mountaineers go about replacing Ray’s production for the final two games of the season?

“I think similar to when Hudson (Clement) was out. We take a team approach,” head coach Neal Brown answered. “Now, we’re going to miss him. I think that by the time Traylon’s career is done here, he’s going to be a really high-level player, and I really think the NFL is in his future. This is a minor setback. He’ll make the full recovery. It looked bad, but he’s going to make the full recovery, and he’s in good spirits. We’ll miss him.

“But we also got some guys that we can plug and play,” he continued. “Preston (Fox) will take a bigger role. Jarel Williams will play a little bit more on offense. Justin Robinson needs to play more like he did against Cincinnati, not like he did against Baylor. And I believe he will. It will be a committee approach.”

DayDay Farmer is another one who will likely see more action, although he has been splitting reps in the slot with Rodney Gallagher III for the last couple of weeks. While Farmer, Robinson, Fox, Williams, and others may become a little more involved, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll see a significant increase in targets.

Instead, look for tight end Kole Taylor to see a healthy dose of targets in these final two games. Over the last two weeks, Taylor has combined for ten receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. He’ll likely play a big role in the season finale at Texas Tech, but with cruddy weather in the forecast for Saturday, Ray’s absence shouldn’t impact the Mountaineers too much against UCF.

West Virginia and UCF will kick it off at 3:30 p.m. EST. The action can be streamed live on ESPNU.

West Virginia

2026 DL O'Neal talks West Virginia visit, offer

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

2026 DL O'Neal talks West Virginia visit, offer

Cleveland (Oh.) Benedictine 2026 defensive lineman Tyrell O’Neal had been in contact with West Virginia for several weeks but made the decision to come to campus to get a first-hand look at the school.

O’Neal, 6-foot-3, 270-pounds, was impressed with the atmosphere overall but was excited when he found out that the Mountaineers were jumping into the mix with a scholarship offer.

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West Virginia

Deadspin | Sharp-shooting West Virginia doubles up Iona

Published

15 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Deadspin | Sharp-shooting West Virginia doubles up Iona

Oct 23, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries talks to media during the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Javon Small scored 23 points to propel West Virginia to a wire-to-wire 86-43 victory over Iona on Wednesday night in Morgantown, W.Va.

Small also had five rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Mountaineers (3-1), who atoned for a humbling loss Friday at rival Pitt in which they trailed by as many as 31 points.

Jonathan Powell provided West Virginia with an instant jolt of offense, scoring all 11 of his points less than 10 minutes into the game. Tucker DeVries contributed 13 points, three steals and three blocks while Amani Hansberry added 10 points and nine rebounds.

The sharp-shooting Mountaineers shot 51.8 percent from the floor and made 15 of 31 3-pointers (48.4 percent).

James Patterson scored 12 points and Luke Jungers added 10 points for Iona (1-4) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which committed 21 turnovers. West Virginia turned those mistakes into 26 points.

The Mountaineers held the Gaels’ top threat Dejour Reaves scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting. Reaves entered averaging 15.5 points per game.

Iona made 23.7 percent of its shots from the floor and 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) from deep in the teams’ first-ever meeting.

DeVries opened the scoring with a 3-pointer before Powell took over to put the hosts ahead by double digits.

Moments after he entered the game, Powell scored on a fastbreak slam after a DeVries steal and then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 10-0 that gave West Virginia a 21-7 lead less than seven minutes into the game.

Moments later, Powell added another trey, giving him 11 points in a span of 2:41 as the Mountaineers took a 27-12 lead.

Small took charge later in the half. His two 3-pointers highlighted a 12-0 surge that increased West Virginia’s lead to 39-17 with 6:55 left before halftime.

After the Mountaineers missed seven straight shots, Small delivered a three-point-play and followed with a triple to stretch the lead to 45-22 at the half.

From there, Iona never whittled the deficit to less than 21 points. West Virginia maxed out its lead at 82-38 when reserve Jake Auer drained the first of his two 3-pointers with 2:56 left.

–Field Level Media

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