West Virginia’s home date with UT Martin on Saturday had already delivered one big headline before kickoff: a fight broke out in the Blue Lot, the longtime tailgating hub outside the stadium.
The Mountaineers entered the day 1-0 and looking to keep building momentum under Rich Rodriguez, but the scene outside was far less orderly than anything on the field. Video shared by Old Row shows a West Virginia fan in a bluish-gray shirt throwing another man in a black shirt to the ground. The man who was taken down had a camera hanging from his neck, suggesting he may have been filming the tailgate before getting caught in the middle of the altercation.
From there, things escalated fast. A shirtless fan jumped in right away, grabbing the man in gray and pulling him away from the fight.
That move sparked another reaction from a woman nearby, who took issue with his involvement. She struck him a few times before he backed off into the crowd.
Bystanders watched the scene unfold, and several appeared to record it on their phones rather than step in. The clip eventually settled down, but not before the chaos had spread through the packed lot.
The Blue Lot has a reputation as the top tailgating spot on campus, drawing season-ticket holders, major donors, and thousands of fans hours before the gates open. With the RV setups and tight crowds, it can turn into the kind of place where a confrontation catches fire quickly once tensions rise.
It’s not the only example of fan chaos making the rounds in college sports this season, and West Virginia’s athletic department has already dealt with its own skirmish earlier this year. A women’s basketball game against Duke ended with six total ejections after a bench-clearing incident.
It was unclear whether anyone was arrested or injured in Saturday’s fight. At the time of writing, West Virginia was up 28-0 at halftime, giving the Mountaineers a dominant start on the scoreboard to go with an unruly start outside.
In Other News...
West Virginia Hit With Shocking Staff Crisis Involving Familiar Name
West Virginias football staff is dealing with an unexpected off-field disruption involving a familiar name in Morgantown. Assistant running backs coach Noel Devine was arrested and booked on a felony strangulation charge in Monongalia County, a development that quickly shifted attention away from the field and back to a serious legal matter.
Devine has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 23. Rich Rodriguez has placed him on indefinite leave while the program waits for more information, leaving one of the staffs recognizable figures in limbo as the Mountaineers move forward without clarity on when, or if, he will return. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs 2-0 Start Feels Real In One Area And Risky In Another
West Virginias 2-0 start has the look of something sturdier than a September fluke, especially on offense. The Mountaineers are scoring 41.5 points per game, a sharp jump from recent seasons, and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has given the attack a steady, dual-threat edge with both his arm and his legs. Even the special teams piece has held up cleanly, with Jack Cassidy handling his work without a miss so far.
The part that still feels a little dangerous is what happens when the defense has to get off the field. West Virginia has kept its turnover habit alive from last season, which has helped paper over some issues, but third downs have been a problem and that can wear on a team over time. For a program trying to prove this fast start is real, the offense and the takeaways are doing their job, while the defense still has some answering to do. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia's Blowout Still Left Two Roster Concerns Hanging
West Virginias lopsided win over UT Martin had all the markings of a comfortable September afternoon, with 115 players in uniform and 95 seeing action as the staff spread snaps around in a 52-7 rout. The Mountaineers are 2-0 now and remain unbeaten against FCS opponents, but the bigger value from a game like this often comes in the depth chart, where young players and reserves get a longer look while the starters avoid unnecessary wear.
Even so, the depth picture is not completely clean. Defensive end Darius Wiley is done for the season with a leg injury, and freshman running back Chris Talley sat out for a second straight week because of a hamstring issue. Those absences do not change the result of Saturdays blowout, but they do leave West Virginia with a couple of roster questions to sort through as the schedule stiffens and the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]