I’m not gonna lie- I was pretty darn torn up about the game, but for obvious reasons. Afterwards, there I sat, thinking about what had just happened, how they had just lost, and what, exactly, they had just lost. I’ll also admit that I was pretty bitter. Was.

I’m ashamed to admit that the only thoughts going through my head were that we were no longer winning a Big East title, and we were no longer in the running for a National Championship. But as I woke up this morning and grabbed my clock only to see it was 6 a.m., a few different thoughts were running through my head.

I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I started analyzing the game, trying to recall when it would be aired again so I could sit and watch, and again have that bitter feeling that only Mountaineer fans know after a lost. But for the first time in a long time, I started thinking about the boys. Not just the team, but the individuals on it, and a few things hit me.

These boys are my age. We place them on such a pedestal, expect so much out of them, and here they are, 19-, 20-, 21-year-old kids out there on the field playing the game that they love, having fun while they do it, and trying to win a few games in the process. Donors contribute thousands, even millions, to see them compete nationally, and they do so every week. Kids my age. So much rests on their shoulders, and the only thing I’m worried about is my athletic training practical next Thursday. They get tested every week on national television, while all I have to do is worry about one professor standing over me. Not only are these guys expected to excel on the field, but also in the classroom—and college ain’t easy.

All of them are students first. Their parents sent them to West Virginia University to get the best possible education. For some of them, playing football will be their career. But for most, what they do after college will depend, just like me, on getting a degree.

And so, as disappointed as I am about the loss, I refuse to be disappointed in the team. They played their hearts out, and obviously things didn’t go their way. But the season is not over, the Big East title has not been handed out, and, cough cough, last year’s National Champ also had one loss…

So as we continue to support our team, and support our boys, just remember this: where there is Mountaineer football, there is hope.