Posted: Today 2:42 AM
Thoughts from Boulder
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This was a disappointing night, and most WVU fans I polled as we were walking out of the stadium agreed that Stewart should either be fired or be pressured into resigning. NOT ONE of the 100 or so fans that I briefly talked to while walking out felt it was out of line to be considering Stewart's firing. This was not a well-played game by either team. WVU had plenty of chances to win, but in close games it comes down to coaching, and its clear that CU had the coach with the better track record.
I do not follow CU football but it is clear that they must have lost a lot of games in the past few years for their students to run on the field after beating a team that is 1-2 with one loss coming against a CUSA opponent. Did we run onto the field after defeating Mississippi State last year or even want to? Also, their students yell "Go Buffs" with a sort of shrill, weak tone that makes them sound like they are all out of it.
The stadium was not full--plenty of empty seats. Their students sit close to the field so their cheers are more organized, but the stadium was not loud. Nowhere near as loud as at PJCS in 2006 or at USF last year or the games at VaTech. The pregame atmosphere is quelled by the fact that the campus surrounds the stadium and these people are so worried about the environment that, unlike at SEC stadiums, no one pitches tents on the quads for tailgating. The tailgating was out in the parking lots and was minor league. The stadium itself is a decent facilty--wide aisles and behind the pressbox side is a massive fieldhouse that serves as a concourse--but the lines were very long for concessions.
The WVU fans that made the trip were vocal in support of their team, and there were about 4000 in the WVU sections. No way CU brings even 1000 to WVU in all liklihood. What is sad is this may be the high watermark for fan support for awhile.
Nearby Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful and I saw some Elk and coyotes--that will be the highlight of the trip. I do not regret coming out to the game because I always enjoy travelling to different places. I went to Wiscy in 2002 when the program was about where it has fallen to now, and I'll head to Auburn next year and to Mich State when we head up there because I love college football. I have lost patience, however, in Bill Stewart. If he had a winning track record as a head coach somewhere, I may be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it is becoming more clear that his 8-25 record at VMI is an accurate representation of his head coaching abilities--but we've been through bad years before in 1999, 2001, in the early 1990s--and we'll likely have a few bad years coming up, but eventually, we'll be successful again.