Fans across West Virginia are pumped up for the U of L-West Virginia football game next Thursday. They don’t seem to be too concerned about whether they will win, that seems to be a given for them. They do respect Louisville, however. and a capacity crowd of 60,000-plus is expected.

— Even though it’s a night game, visiting U of L fans may still need sunglasses. WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez is encouraging Mountaineers fans to wear gold. “I’d like everybody to wear something gold — a shirt, jersey, jacket, hat, scarf, shoes,” he said. “It would look impressive, particularly at night.”

— Members of the Mountaineer Maniacs, a group consisting of more than 4,500 students, are being encouraged to get to their seats 90 minutes before kickoff. They earn loyalty points for football based on home attendance. The more home games they attend, the better their chances of getting tickets for the big games.

— Mountaineer fans without tickets at the stadium can still see the ESPN broadcast on the big screen in theaters at theaters in Morgantown, Charleston and Beckley. The Morgantown theater also is giving away 120 free passes and is offering free food.

— The West Virginia defense, which takes a back seat to Pat White and Steve Slaton, is third nationally in total defense (262.13 yards per game), fourth in scoring defense (14.9 per game), third in turnover margin (1.38), tied for 11th in turnovers gained (22) and tied for 12th in fumbles recovered.

— Mountaineer Coach Rich Rodriguez on Brian Brohm: “He’s one of the best not only in the Big East but in the history of NCAA football,” he said. “I think it’s a great story for college football that he decided to come back (for a senior year). Obviously, he’s carried that team. He has stayed healthy this year. He’s competitive and a very good athlete.”

It’s Halloween, easily the most dizzily dissonant holiday of the year. Ancient tradition holds that Halloween is the time of year when ghosts of the past make contact with the physical world.

So we were not surprised to see the face of Bobby Petrino haunting various sections of Papa John’s last Saturday. Apparently he was a bit disturbed over some of the shots aimed his way since he vanished in January.

Actually that’s Erin Kenney behind the mask. I would have preferred her face to Petrino’s. Maybe next time …

Steve Kragthorpe apparently pulled off quite a coup in notching a verbal commitment from Darius Ashley, a speedy 5-9 running back from St. Xavier in Cincinnati who has put up some incredible numbers.

Over three seasons, he has racked up 56 touchdowns and 3,896 yards rushing while helping lead St. X to one Ohio Division One championship and earning all-state honors each year. He is the real thing; see his video highlights, thanks to Rivals and Card Chronicle.

Assuming he plays next year, U of L would have quite a stable of running backs. He would join highly touted Victor Anderson and Dale Martin, along with Serio Spencer and George Stripling. I can hear the skeptics now, wondering if current offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs will be able to manage all that talent.

It’s Halloween, easily the most dizzily dissonant holiday of the year. Ancient tradition holds that Halloween is the time of year when ghosts of the past make contact with the physical world.

So we were not surprised to see the face of Bobby Petrino haunting various sections of Papa John’s last Saturday. Apparently he was a bit disturbed over some of the shots aimed his way since he vanished in January.

Actually that’s Erin Kenney behind the mask. I would have preferred her face to Petrino’s. Maybe next time …

Steve Kragthorpe apparently pulled off quite a coup in notching a verbal commitment from Darius Ashley, a speedy 5-9 running back from St. Xavier in Cincinnati who has put up some incredible numbers.

Over three seasons, he has racked up 56 touchdowns and 3,896 yards rushing while helping lead St. X to one Ohio Division One championship and earning all-state honors each year. He is the real thing; see his video highlights, thanks to Rivals and Card Chronicle.

Assuming he plays next year, U of L would have quite a stable of running backs. He would join highly touted Victor Anderson and Dale Martin, along with Serio Spencer and George Stripling. I can hear the skeptics now, wondering if current offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs will be able to manage all that talent.

A current complaint from fans is why many corporate seats go unused at football games. A company makes a big donation, and deservedly gets tickets in return. But why do many tickets go unused? The reasons are as varied as the companies.

I’ve got a suggestion for Tom Jurich. Why not put their corporate names or brands on the seats? That way the companies would get more of the public recognition they all seem to want so badly.

Even more important, fans could finally see which companies are or are not following through on their sanctimonious commitments as “good corporate citizens involved in the community.” Fans would thank the companies for their support, or, in the case of the empty seats, ask them directly about why the tickets aren’t used.

The best result would be to spur the managers with the tickets to get off their butts and distribute them to employees.Do you know your company’s policy on distributing tickets?

A fellow Card fan invited me to join him at the Lady Birds’ kickoff luncheon Monday and was I glad. There’s a lot of optimism under new coach Jeff Walz. The pep band and crowd were so revved up you could feel the third floor shaking at the Galt House where 500 fans had gathered.

Seated at our table was a great representative of the team, Brandie Radde, a sophomore guard. She is as charming off court as she as at shooting three-pointers. Brandie says the point of emphasis is speed, meaning fast break offenses and pressing defenses.

The Lady Cards have sold a record 4,000 season tickets thus far. They aim to sell out Freedom Hall on Jan. 12 for the UConn game.

Fan of the Week honors go to Joey Strader, a fan of the football Cards for more than 25 years. Joey was tailgating at a U of L-UK game in Lexington in 1995 when his wife Lisa said she felt a little funny. After returning from a restroom, she told Joey that they would soon deliver their first child.

A friend informed police, who began clearing a path for the Straders’ car. When asked if he wanted a police escort to a Lexington hospital, Joey replied, “There’s no way a kid of mine is going to be born in Lexington.” A few hours later, Hannah was born a Louisville hospital. (Hannah is the taller daughter in the photo, with dad and Rachel, 8.)