#85 Marshall

Huntington, WV

Joan C. Edwards Stadium

November 8, 2025

JMU 35 - Marshall 23 (ESPN Recap)

Sometimes I question this mission when I spend $900 in effective credit card point redemptions for roundtrip flights and two nights of hotel rooms to the middle of nowhere West Virginia to attend a football game where the ticket cost $9.84…

But then I encounter an airport (HTS) with a single check point, single gate, and a mini arcade that includes a coin pusher machine and a faulty change machine. This is the good stuff!

I saw the coin pusher on my late-night Friday night arrival to Huntington and made a mental date with the machine Sunday morning before departure. I have a very strong track record with coin pusher machines that have prizes resting on top of the quarters due to dozens of hours playing the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory arcade game. The rake on the coin pusher was 20-25%, even when playing optimally (ie. patient drops to avoid layering or wasted tip overs). Play through of $5 in quarters and scoop out $3.50-$4.00 in quarters from the bin at the bottom to recycle again, all while pushing the big prizes closer.

I surveyed the prizes and selected the right corner, which had a hidden $20 bill underneath a FBI coin, while also avoiding the negative externalities in the left corner and center.

What I did not underwrite, and makes me contemplate my life decisions, was a faulty change machine. I inserted $5 and got 20 quarters. I played those quarters inclusive of recycling. I inserted another $5 bill and the change machine did not accept the bill. When I went to grab it, I noticed another $5 bill on the ground and I thought “dang Mike, I don’t feel tired or hungover. Very unlike me to drop a $5 as I am

feeding one into a change machine.” I put one back in, got 20 quarters, and returned the dropped $5 into my wallet. Ten mins later it was time to put in my third $5 bill into the change machine, when it happened again… but this time I witnessed it: it rejected the bill, spitting it back with it’s friend…another $5 bill. That’s right, I put in $5 and it gave me no quarters but $10 back. Possibly the best change machine to ever exist. One of the $5 bills, one fell to the floor and one was sticking out of the machine. Hard to describe the giddy feeling I unlocked. Now also knowing I didn’t previously drop a $5 bill and that my cost basis was not $15 but now just $5. I pushed coins, and then decided to video record the change machine. On my 6th submission of a $5 bill, for the third time my money doubled (each even entry it doubles and each odd entry it worked as it should have, giving quarters).

This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever taken.

With the change machine rebate, I was easily able to win a large FBI coin, but more importantly the $20 bill that was sitting under it. It cost me $15 (and $30 of playing) to win these items and I still had $4.25 in coins when I won, but I played those through because I didn’t want to travel with 17 quarters.

Similar to Pullman, WA, there was no ride share at the HTS airport…however, this sign for Taxi Tommy’s (not Tommy’s Taxis) saved me. Called the number and Brad arrived 6 mins after I called, which was sort of unbelievably fast. $48 to get to hotel felt cheap…but in hindsight, Taxi Tommy’s (not Tommy’s Taxi or Brad’s Taxi) is running a nice little late-night airport monopoly.

When I arrived at my hotel, I was presented with a very West Virginia sign.

Watched the late night Friday night barn burner where Coach Sumrall and Tulane upset Memphis and knocked them out of the CFP, then crashed for a noon kick Saturday.

The Marshall tailgate was squarely a 3.5/10.0. About 60% of parking spots taken, a handful of cornhole boards, some interesting table sitting and birthday tents. While walking around, I met John from Santa Barbara who approached me to say he is also on the same journey as me, though today’s game was stadium #123 for him. He is a retiree and averages 15/year. I would love to add his Instagram to the "Inspiration" page of the blog but I forgot to ask him for the handle.

It was “the 75 game” for Marshall, which is the annual home game that commemorates the 75 athletes, coaches, and trainers who died in a plane crash on 11/14/1970. The West Virginia Governor was in the house to flip the coin, despite WVU also having a home game today.

Second stadium that really went hard at AC/DC’s “Thunder,” though for the Thundering Herd, it made a lot more sense than the bastardization of the song by Tulsa.

They do chant "We are! Marshall!" multiple times a game to give the movie some historical accuracy.

No streamers for JMU at away games which was disappointing.

I made friends with some alums of both schools in my section: FBI Jim to my right gave me a solid history lesson on the 75 game including pulling up the photos of the cemetery where they were all buried during Q2. Jim was a freshman fall of 1970 which must have been so sad.

Cynthia and Gene were there supporting the Blue Wave and the Dukes. Gene rocking a JMU “I married into this” as Cynthia was the alpha fan of the relationship (who also happened to have degrees from both schools).

Jim/Maureen 52, Cynthia/Gene 43, and Mike/Catalina 5, combined for 100 steady years of marriage in our section.

I bet the O54.0 (and live O51.0) on the game, which did not start out the way I wanted at 7-0 end Q1, but picked up and covered all. Appreciated Jim cheering me on, even if it was JMU scoring against his squad. The QB for Marshall who’s last name is Del Rio Wilson, is not good.

Randy Moss and Chad Pennington played here and day-dreaming about that had me raise them to tied for 1st with Barry Sanders @ Ok St as the players I wish I could have seen play CFB live. Must have been incredible.

Walked to Memorial Fountain after the game.

I asked an Uber driver where a good spot to go watch games and eat would be and the response was: “I got a garage. I stay there. Drink beers there. It’s cheaper that way, plus I get to listen to my own music.”

Eventually, found my way to Roosters and within 5 minutes, a 21 or 22 year old kid on a date sitting next to me at the bar showed me a screen shot of a winning betting ticket. I don’t think in 20 guesses, you would have been able to guess what he showed me. It was a 7-way NBA SGP that hit last season in February, turning $25 into $1375. He then said “That’s the most I’ve hit for. What’s the most you hit for?” I told him “I definitely have never 50x’d a sports bet.” Then he started showing me highlights of his HS football teammates who now play D1 at various schools. This was all unsolicited and very distracting.

I wanted to be watching the CFB on the screens at the bar, and his date wanted to be on a date with him and was visibly pissed that he was on a YouTube highlights date with me instead. We did all of that in only ~15 mins sitting next to each other before his date told him they were leaving. As he stood up, he asked me for my Instagram to which I said I am too old for Instagram and do not have it. I don’t think he was into me as much as he just desperately needed some male gambling friends. Almost went to Vandy today and would have been a wild one to catch the OT win over Auburn.

Was too tired to spend quality time at Boots, but seemed to be the best bar for after dinner. I bought a craft IPA draft and gave $100 bill. Bartender counted back $97 as change and at first I thought he just broke the bill for me, but it was $3. This place also charged $9 for a bucket of Miller Lites.

The move would be to buy this house: Zillow value of $41,400 in the heart of campus and night life, drink $2-$3 beers at Boots, and have $20 AYCE dinners at Roosters, learn how to hit 50x NBA SGPs, and pay for your lifestyle with the broken change machine at the airport. If the change machine gets fixed so that it works properly, rotate to beers in the garage.

There was rideshare downtown and around campus, all of which were $5-$12, including a $12 fare back to the airport on Sunday morning. Taxi Tommy’s (not Tommy’s Taxi) got me good!

On my way to WV on Friday, I saw Ryan Howard checking his golf clubs curbside and took a selfie with him. He was on his way to Vegas to award the NL ROY trophy to Drake Baldwin. On my last flight from Charlotte to PBI on Sunday, Anquan Boldin and his wife were sitting 1st class. This is the third time I’ve flown on same plane as him and I don’t know why he would stalk me or why I would stalk him, but it’s sort of happening.

I didn’t make it there, but everyone was raving about the spaghetti at Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti House. “They have top notch spaghetti.”