Homecoming
October 03, 2006 09:14 AM | General
October 2, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - It is always good to go back home again. On Saturday afternoon, West Virginia junior tight end Brandon Tate will get that chance when the Mountaineers take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
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| Backup tight end Brandon Tate grew up about 30 minutes from the Mississippi State campus.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
The Macon, Miss., native grew up 30 miles from the Starkville campus and admits that as a youngster he followed the Bulldogs regularly.
“I followed them the most of all the Mississippi schools because they were so close to my home,” Tate said.
Tate, who is better known to his teammates as “Mookie,” says that having been to a few Mississippi State games in person he knows the atmosphere awaiting the Mountaineers will be daunting.
“It is going to be hot and the fans are going to be really loud. The one thing you can’t forget or prepare for are the cowbells. I can’t say that enough,” he said. “They will ring them all day, whether they are winning or losing. The sound rings in your ears even after you leave. It will ring with you for a while.”
The Mountaineer coaching staff has tried to prepare for the noise. On Saturday afternoon they greeted the team with a noisy surprise inside the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility.
“On Saturday the coaches got some cowbells and we were ringing them as we practiced in the indoor facility. Coach Rod was ringing them and guys that were off the field were ringing them. It was a lot of noise but it wasn’t near as loud as it will be on Saturday,” Tate said.
Tate, who has ties to a lot of the players on the Bulldog roster, played at Noxubee County High School with Mississippi State senior quarterback Omarr Conner and junior wide receiver Joey Sanders.
Tate believes Conner, a one-time WVU recruiting target, will provide a much-needed spark to the MSU offense. “Omarr Conner is a really good player,” Tate said. “They moved him back to quarterback from wide receiver when both their quarterbacks got hurt. I think that is where he needs to be and I think he makes them play their best. He brought them back to win one game and he is a really good quarterback with a lot of speed.”
Tate also believes Sanders will eventually add another weapon to the Bulldog arsenal.
“Joey lived a couple houses down from me growing up. We were always really close friends and we rode the bus together in school,” Tate said. “He is a really good receiver. I think he has been hurt off and on so he rally hasn’t gotten to play much but he’s a great player. I think when he gets a chance to get out there he will do big things for their offense.”
Tate, who was recruited by Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi in addition to WVU, says that as the recruiting process went on he started getting the urge to leave the Magnolia State.
“At one point I wanted to stay close to home for college but as I kept getting recruited more and more, I kind of wanted to leave. I was at Mississippi State a lot growing up. I would always go visit Omar and Joey and all my friends there,” Tate said. “My friends that went there always came back and forth on the weekends to their hometown because it was only 30 miles away. I thought, man I am seeing these guys too much.”
Tate, who has added about 30 pounds since playing wide receiver in high school, said it was the bond of togetherness within that Mountaineer program that made him want to call Morgantown home.
“When I visited West Virginia it really felt like a family,” he said. “That is something that I didn’t notice when I went to Mississippi State. Here it was a big family and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I bonded with Coach (Rick) Trickett and his family in the recruiting process so as soon as I got here I knew it was where I wanted to be.”
Trickett heavily recruits Alabama, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. The game Saturday will serve as a bit of a homecoming for all the West Virginia players who reside in those areas. Patrick White, a native of Daphne, Ala. says his relatives are planning to bring two buses full of family and friends to the game.
“It is in my area of the country so it will be exciting,” White said. “I’m excited that my family and friends that don’t normally get to see me play will get to see me play. I get excited when I think about it now but when the game starts I won’t be thinking about it. I’ll be all business when the game starts.”
Tate admits that having a game in his native state has made his preparation both exciting and hectic.
“Pat and I have been joking around a lot lately about who will have the most family at the game. Right now I’ve been able to come up with 22 tickets and I am still getting more so it is going to be like a home crowd for me,” Tate said. “I’m going to be excited to play down there. My family gets to see me play. I get to see my brothers and my mom and dad. I’m looking forward to it. It is going to be a great experience for me to go back home.”
As of Tuesday morning there is no live television scheduled for the game. Kick off from Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field is set for 2:30 p.m. E.T.
