Finally, a game to report on ... welcome from the press box at Mountaineer Field. Liberty and West Virginia are set to kick off here in about an hour or so.

First, to set the stage, a few pics snapped from the trusty Nikon point and shoot:

Hey, the money goes to charity, right? But no tailgating? What’s the point. The Boy Scouts were also pilfering fans $20 for the right to park near the stadium.

Overlooking the tailgate scene from just outside the stadium.

ESPN’s College Gameday is piped through on the big screen before the game. Notice former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. No one booed because no one was in the stadium at the time.

My home for the afternoon.

I grew up a Redskins fan, so I’m pretty embarrassed to admit I had no idea Sam Huff went to West Virginia.

The tunnel where West Virginia’s players will rush out from prior to kickoff.

****

Just spoke to Liberty athletics media relations maven Todd Wetmore, and he says there are no lineup changes on Liberty’s end. There’s really only not much more to say this point. We’ve all been writing about practice for nearly a month now, so it’ll be interesting to see how some of the storylines pan out starting today. So some random thoughts and observations:

1. Saw Extract last night. Pretty fun movie, if you’re into the Mike Judge Office Space type of genre. Mila Kunis is fetching, if not completely devious in the movie.

2. They weren’t kidding about the traffic. I left my Fairmont hotel at 8:40 this morning and didn’t get into the press box until 10.

3. Personal note: The first game I ever covered for the Collegiate Times, the student paper at Virginia Tech, was a Thursday night West Virginia-Tech matchup. The whole Thursday night thing was new back then (mid-90s) for Hokie fans, and a lot of the seniors on the paper’s staff weren’t interested in covering the game. They’d rather go out and have a Clydesdale or two at the tailgate and get immersed in the experience. So they asked me to write a sidebar on that game (ended up being a story on former Hokie tailback Ken Oxendine), my first journalistic assignment. I kind of got hooked on the rush of covering sports at that point, and a career was born. I managed to miss Morgantown during my college years. I covered Tech’s 1996 season, when the Hokies played in Syracuse, Boston and Miami. So I’m happy to finally have had a chance to get here. Just a great atmosphere in town, a buzz. Even at dinner last night, you can tell this town gets geared up about everything Mountaineer. Lots of jerseys, t-shirts and flags. Should be fun.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the stadium isn’t full for kickoff. This is the sort of game that folks might linger at the tailgate longer, figuring that Liberty won’t put up much of a fight.

4. Some things I think about this game (hi Peter King):

a. I have no idea what to expect from Liberty’s offense. None. Which Tommy Beecher is going to show today? The one who played with confidence in camp or the one who gacked up the starting QB job at South Carolina. Will Mike Brown be neutralized by West Virginia’s team speed on defense? Does Chris Summers wilt under the pressure or does he bloom today? I’ll be the first to admit I’m hard on Summers, but it’s tough love. The kid has a ton of talent, and he COULD have an amazing season if he gains confidence. So we’ll see how he performs under the lights.

b. Liberty could actually have an advantage in the trenches, especially in terms of the Flames’ defensive front. LU has two FBS-caliber players on the line in Asa Chapman and Daryl Robertson and a senior captain in Trey Jacobs. West Virginia’s offensive line is green, but eager to prove that it won’t be the weak link everyone thinks it will be.

c. Connecticut ‘05 will never happen again. Had UConn coach Randy Edsall had a mean streak in him that year, the Huskies could have hung a hundred on the Flames. Instead, they racked up 600 yards and beat Liberty 59-0. That’s how overmatched Liberty was. Under Danny Rocco, Liberty has only been embarrassed once—at Elon in 2007. I don’t think LU will be physically intimidated today, and the coaching staff has the players believing they can compete. I’m not sure that was the case in ‘05.

d. Liberty’s secondary will be tested today. The Flames have been susceptible to the pass for the last few years, and West Virginia’s starting receivers got 6-2, 6-8 and 6-3. QB Jarrett Brown is a strong-armed guy, and the Mountaineers will attack Liberty’s corners, especially 5-8 Tim Torrence.

e. Prediction: West Virginia 42, Liberty 17. For a team with this level of inexperience, an upset is simply too much to ask for. Depth will be a huge advantage for the Mountaineers, as Liberty’s second string is REALLY green.

5. One quick take on l’affaire de LeGarrette Blount, the free-swinging Oregon tailback who got suspended for the season. I don’t care the level of taunting involved. Adults don’t respond in those situations by throwing sucker punches. Poor decision, and it cost him.

That’s all for now. I’ll update the blog post-game with some thoughts and comments. For in-game commentary, the updates will come on the Twitter feed, which can be accessed here.