Photo by Jackson Saunders
Playing in Morgantown used to be a nightmare for opposing teams.
Milan Puskar Stadium was loud, WVU was winning and teams did not exactly look forward to making the trip to West Virginia.
But is that still the case?
The fans definitely are not the problem.
WVU fans still show up. The stadium can still get extremely loud, especially for a big game. Just look at the Backyard Brawl. When Pitt comes to town, Milan Puskar feels like one of the best environments in college football.
But lately, WVU has not given fans enough of those moments.
There was a time when beating the Mountaineers in Morgantown was really hard to do. From 2005 through 2011, WVU went 40-7 at home.
That is pretty crazy.
Teams were not just coming into a loud stadium. They were coming into a loud stadium knowing there was a really good chance they were leaving with a loss. That is the part WVU needs to get back.
The Mountaineers can still pack Milan Puskar. Before the 2025 season, WVU sold more than 33,000 season tickets, its most since joining the Big 12.
So people clearly still care.
But being loud only gets you so far.
If WVU wants Milan Puskar to become one of those places teams hate playing again, it has to start winning there consistently, especially against Big 12 teams.
That is where Rich Rodriguez comes in.
Rodriguez knows better than almost anyone what Morgantown can be like when WVU is good. During his first time at West Virginia, the Mountaineers were winning a lot of games, and Milan Puskar became a real home-field advantage.
Now he has the chance to bring some of that back. And there are still plenty of chances to do it this season.
Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas and Houston all still have trips to Morgantown.
Those are four chances for WVU to start making Milan Puskar feel like Milan Puskar again.
Because the fans are still there. The noise is still there.
The couch fires…well, maybe we do not need those back.
But the winning?
That is the part WVU needs again.
Milan Puskar Stadium can absolutely still be a tough place to play.
WVU just needs to start reminding teams why.
