West Virginia University students will have an opportunity Thursday, Oct. 30, to congratulate Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez following the teams impressive upset of the Virginia Tech Hokies last Wednesday night.

The coach will make an appearance in the Commons area of the Mountainlair from 12:15-1 p.m. Thursday.

We want to let the coach and players know we appreciate one of the greatest Mountaineer wins of all time,said Ken Gray, vice president for Student Affairs, referring to the teams 28-7 victory over the third-ranked team in the country.Students and others are encouraged to stop by and tell Coach Rod and the team they did a great job.

Rodriguez said the appearance also will give the team a chance to thank the WVU community for its support.

The fans are our 12th man,Rodriguez said.No question, having such a great turnout against the Hokies helped our efforts on the field. We need that positive support to continue Saturday and during all of our three remaining home games.

But with that said, Gray noted,we also need for fans to be respectful of the opposing team and fans; to stay in the stands and celebrate victories responsibly; to keep the goal posts intact to avoid serious and life-threatening injuries; and to treat the City streets and property of Morgantown as your homeafter all it is.

This Saturdays game against Central Florida is Homecoming at WVU . Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.

Students and fans are encouraged to attend the game and to celebrate a potential victory responsibly, Gray urged.

Anything less is unacceptable and consequences for students such as suspension, expulsion and injuries could result,he said.We absolutely will continue to havealong with the City Police and Fire Departmenta no tolerance policy in place against destructive and unlawful behavior.

He added,Clearly, we want everyone attending our games to have a good time, but safety has beenand will continue to beour primary concern.