MORGANTOWN, WV — The honeymoon is officially over. During today’s matchup with Utah, frustrated fans at Milan Puskar Stadium let their voices be heard, chanting “Fire Rich Rod” as West Virginia stumbled through yet another embarrassing performance.
The chants reflect just how quickly the optimism surrounding Rich Rodriguez’s return has evaporated. Once hailed as the perfect hire and a program savior, Rodriguez is now being called out by the same fans who endured six seasons of Neal Brown’s failed “Climb” campaign.
The difference? It hasn’t even taken half a season for the mood to sour.
“Fire Rich Rod” chants in Morgantown today. These same people trusted Neal Brown’s climb for 6 seasons. #WVU pic.twitter.com/1tt2WEwQYe
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) September 27, 2025
It’s not hard to see why. WVU’s offense is a disaster. The offensive line is collapsing week after week, playmakers look small and slow, and the game plan is painfully predictable. With Nicco Marchiol injured and Jaylen Henderson struggling, the Mountaineers look utterly hopeless on that side of the ball.
Defensively, the unit is decent, but even the best defenses can’t survive being left on the field all game long. Utah — like Kansas a week ago — has pushed WVU around with ease.
Fans bought into Neal Brown’s promises for six seasons, clinging to “The Climb” even as the program drifted into mediocrity. Now, many of those same supporters are already fed up with Rodriguez, less than a month into his first Big 12 season.
It’s not just the losses — it’s how WVU is losing: looking undersized, unprepared, and uninspired.
Firing Rodriguez this early isn’t realistic, but the chants prove the patience of Mountaineer Nation is gone. After years of false hope, fans are demanding results immediately. Rodriguez promised to restore WVU’s toughness and offensive firepower. So far, it looks like more of the same misery — if not worse
“Fire Rich Rod” chants ringing out in Morgantown show just how fractured the relationship between West Virginia football and its fanbase has become. Whether Rodriguez can turn this around or not remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Mountaineer fans have had enough excuses.
