Pittsburgh native Pat McAfee returned home for this week’s College GameDay as the Panthers take on Notre Dame, with a potential playoff berth on the line. According to PFSN’s playoff meter, Pittsburgh has a 21.13% chance of reaching the postseason.
Despite never playing for the Panthers, McAfee’s return to his native state was billed as the feature piece for this weekend’s College GameDay. However, the former NFL punter tried to sneak in a reference to one of his former college alma maters, West Virginia.
Pitt Fans Troll Pat McAfee During College GameDay
During his time in college football, McAfee spent three years at West Virginia. During this time, the former Indianapolis Colts punter had multiple meetings with the Panthers. In today’s preview, the former West Virginia punter had an unfortunate moment involving Pittsburgh fans.
Pat McAfee gets trolled with a “13-9” chant from Pitt fans after he tried to sneak in a singing of Country Roads. McAfee missed 2 FGs for second ranked West Virginia in the 2007 Backyard Brawl. pic.twitter.com/Q41VCZvn6E
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 15, 2025
“Pat McAfee gets trolled with a ’13-9′ chant from Pitt fans after he tried to sneak in a singing of Country Roads. McAfee missed 2 FGs for second-ranked West Virginia in the 2007 Backyard Brawl,” Awful Announcing tweeted.
As a 28.5-point underdog on the road going into the 2007 backyard brawl, Pittsburgh managed to stun the Mountaineers with a 13-9 victory. West Virginia’s setback cost them a chance at the program’s first-ever national championship.
During the game, McAfee missed two field-goal attempts from 20 and 32 yards in the first half. With the Panthers, who were 4-7 and coming off back-to-back losses to Rutgers and South Florida, scoring 13 points in the second half to force a 13-9 upset.
Had the Mountaineers won against Pittsburg, West Virginia would have secured a place in the BCS national championship against Ohio State. Instead, following the loss, that spot went to the No. 2-ranked LSU, which ultimately defeated the Buckeyes.
“It was like something out of a movie. I just drove. I got all the way to Virginia through Maryland. I was gone for a couple days. I drove, parked, slept and kept driving. I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know where I was headed. I didn’t know what was coming next.” McAfee revealed his thoughts after the game in an interview.
During the interview with Sports Illustrated, McAfee said he received death threats, as well as his car being vandalized. The former NFL star also revealed that he had even contemplated suicide after the game.
McAfee finished his career at West Virginia in 2008 and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, going on to become one of the best punters in NFL history. Following his career, the former Colts punter is now also arguably the most popular sports analyst in the USA.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or at http://988lifeline.org.
