West Virginia SHOCKS #3 rankes Virginia Tech at home, 28-7. The only Hokie score was on a disputed fumble recovery and endzone run. Police used pepper spray to stop a surge of fans from tearing down the goalposts in Mountaineer Field. Students reveled around bonfires on Grant Avenue after the game.
About the bonfires... (from the Dominion Post/Morgantown)
The initial fire call came at 10:55 p.m. when a couch on North Spruce Street was set on fire. Moments later, the fire was extinguished -- someone put it out with a can of water, fire officials said. The couch was then doused to prevent a re-ignition of th e fire.
A second fire call came at 11:05 p.m. on Stewart Street. Most fires were doused within minutes of their start by Morgantown firefighters.
Another fire came shortly after 11 p.m. on McCullough Street off Willowdale, but firefighters had it under control in about 10 minutes.
Police spent time between the stadium -- where students attempted to tear down the goal posts and rip up turf -- and the neighborhoods where revelers lit couch fires.
Police made some arrests at the stadium, subduing celebrating students who rushed the field in hopes of tearing down the goal posts.
Police and emergency personnel also scrambled in the minutes following the game as people were reportedly injured. One man was unconscious and bleeding from the head in the Blue Lot within minutes after the game. Others were reporting minor injuries from being caught in the post-game celebration.
All of this seemed minor compared to the fires that broke out on Grant Avenue shortly before midnight. Those fires summoned police and fire personnel to the scene, where they battled the blazes for more than half an hour as hundreds of students gathered for celebration. One police officer estimated the student total surpassed 5,000 as the fires raged.
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