They can’t wait.
Thousands of West Virginia University graduates who make their homes in Texas are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Mountaineers in Austin for their big match-up Saturday night against the University of Texas Longhorns.
Huntington native Joe Mock, a 1980 WVU graduate, has been in Austin for a dozen years. He says the announcement last year that his school was joining the Big 12 was exciting enough but when the football schedule came out it was almost hard to believe.
"It was too much to hope for. We would never have dreamed of that kind of thing happening," Mock told MetroNews from Austin Wednesday. "The excitement level here cannot be overstated."
Mock is part of the leadership team of the WVU Alumni group based in Austin called the Hill Country Mountaineers. The group will have a big dinner and party in Austin Friday night—it’s already sold out. Members will also join the WVU Alumni Association for activities Saturday at The Stage on Sixth in downtown Austin.
Mock says visiting Mountaineer fans will find Austin "the most un-Texas town in Texas."
"People tend not to dress like they do in the rest of the state. People tend to be different politically here in the Austin area than they are in the very, very conservative rest of the state," Mock said.
Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World."
Mock, a graduate of WVU’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, predicts Mountaineer fans will treated well by their Texas counterparts. He also says there’s no reason to be intimidated by a stadium that seats more than 100,000 fans and the fact that more than 90 percent in the stands Saturday night will be rooting for Texas. Mock says Texas fans can be less than enthusiastic at times.
"Mountaineer Nation will definitely make its presence felt in the Longhorns Stadium Saturday evening. It should be a great, fun time," Mock predicted.
Mock recommends two "must sees" for West Virginia fans visiting Austin the first time. He says the Texas state capitol building is full of history with great tours. He also recommends the lakes in the hill country just west of Austin. He says sunsets at The Oasis are unmatched.