WVU football's first road trip of the 2025 season is a rather short one, as the Mountaineers trekked roughly 2.5 hours across the border of The Buckeye State for an away game against the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio. The close proximity of the two programs allowed for West Virginia fans to turn out in impressive numbers for the game – but those Mountaineer faithful learned quickly they weren't in Morgantown anymore.
Despite being a small university and a Group of 5 program, Ohio has long been ranked alongside West Virginia on numerous 'top party school' rankings, and their raucous supporters have earned the moniker "The Best Fans In The MAC." With a large contingent of Mountaineer fans in attendance and a Power 4 opponent visiting Athens a rare opportunity, the contest had a sellout crowd in attendance and the Ohio fan base showed up with electric energy. As WVU fans filed into Peden Stadium, they were treated to hostility they don't likely see on many road trips.
A number of WVU fans were seated on the side of the stadium home to most of the Bobcat fans, as well as Ohio's marching band. As each group of Mountaineer supporters made their way down the bleachers to their seats, they were greeted by raucous boos and jeers from the Ohio fans, which can be seen in video footage below.
WVU fans are getting a not-so-friendly welcome to Athens from the Bobcat faithful. #HailWV pic.twitter.com/6hUuJRRI8U
— Joe Smith (@joesmithwrites) September 6, 2025
A quick walk down on the home side of Peden Stadium alongside some WVU fans. A number of Mountaineer fans have tickets seated at the end of this stretch, and this is the greeting they're getting from Ohio fans. pic.twitter.com/BbnejFSZ4P
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 6, 2025
One fan even decided to remind WVU fans and their head coach, Rich Rodriguez, of one of the darkest days in the history of both the program and Rodriguez himself. He held up a sign that read "Rich Rod still has nightmares of Dec. 1, 2007" – a reference to Rodriguez's last game during his first tenure in Morgantown, where the Pitt Panthers defeated WVU 13-9 in The Backyard Brawl and shattered the Mountaineers' hopes of a national championship appearance.
It's clear that Ohio fans know how to provide just as crazy and energetic of an environment as WVU fans present at Milan Puskar Stadium, despite the fact that they're a smaller program. The atmosphere in Athens on Saturday will certainly be one to remember.
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