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West Virginia football: Thursday nights are for rivalry games?

By Christopher Mangum

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Wide receiver Sean Ryan #10 of the West Virginia Mountaineers attempts to catch a pass against defensive back Justin Walley #0 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field on December 28, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Golden Gophers defeated the 18-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Wide receiver Sean Ryan #10 of the West Virginia Mountaineers attempts to catch a pass against defensive back Justin Walley #0 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field on December 28, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Golden Gophers defeated the 18-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The West Virginia athletic department confirmed that two key games would be scheduled for Thursday night on Monday evening. Both games will both be played on the road and in September. On September 1st, the Mountaineers will travel to Pittsburgh to kick off their season against Pitt, and on September 22nd, West Virginia will face off against Virginia Tech.

For the Mountaineers, these are both must-win games. Two of West Virginia’s most prominent rivals will be played on Thursday nights, meaning they will likely be the only notable college football games on television each of those nights.

Though the Mountaineers are 17-18 under current head coach Neal Brown, they have not lost to Pitt since 2008 and have not lost to Virginia Tech since 2017. West Virginia has not played Pitt under coach Brown and has played Virginia Tech once. The game came in 2021 and saw the Mountaineers defeat Virginia Tech, 27-21.

Both games will be played on the road and under the lights. That being said, there is a chance West Virginia can level the playing field.

Tickets are available to both fan bases, and the Mountaineers travel exceptionally well. While Virginia Tech fans typically take up most of their stadiums seating, Pitt fans do not. Even as early as January and February, Mountaineer fans have started planning to help make West Virginia’s 2022 kickoff game as neutral as possible.

Both Pitt and Virginia Tech are winnable games; after all, the Mountaineers handled the Hookies in 2021, and Pitt will be losing key starters. Without star quarterback Kenny Pickett, the Panthers will likely fall back to their previous state and allow West Virginia to capitalize.

On April 23rd, the Mountaineers annual Gold-Blue Spring Game will be held at Mountaineer field and is set for a 1 pm kickoff (EST). Even though West Virginia’s real season will kick off in September, the spring game will be the fans’ first glimpse of their 2022 squad.

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