The stage is set for the most highly anticipated matchup between Lane Kiffin’s new team and his former team. However, Pat McAfee has stolen some spotlight from LSU and Ole Miss before the kickoff. What was meant to be a high-energy moment quickly caught viewers’ attention after the ESPN broadcaster made a blunt remark while military helicopters appeared on screen.

During the September 19 College GameDay in Oxford, Mississippi, ahead of the LSU and the Ole Miss game, an overhead military flyover took place. As the roaring jets flew past, McAfee hyped up the crowd by yelling, “We certainly appreciate the hell out of the American military. And if you’re not the United States of America and you hear that sound, your ass better run.”

McAfee wasn’t just praising the military during the show. He framed American military hardware the same way a wrestling commentator hypes up an unbeatable champion. Interestingly, McAfee has the experience of hyping up crowds, both in CFB as well as WWE.

College GameDay host Rece Davis immediately followed up McAfee’s message by saying, “That’s the one thing the two sides here can agree on, for sure,” referencing the split LSU and Ole Miss fan armies.

The flyover occurred early Saturday morning during the live broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay. A formation of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from the Mississippi Army National Guard roared directly over the outdoor set at a very low altitude. American AH-64s have been used in conflicts around the world, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Panama. Over the last two years, Israel has used it in the Gaza strip.

McAfee got too pumped up with the soaring of the jets. The ESPN broadcaster frequently hypes up the military, and this wasn’t the first time something like this happened.

While covering the live halftime broadcast of the Rose Bowl in January 2026, a massive military stealth bomber soared over the stadium. McAfee completely ignored the standard broadcast filters. He looked at his co-hosts on live TV and boasted that the sheer sight of the aircraft gave him chills. America is sending a message to the world here in Pasadena. “We got a B-2, and you don’t! Greatest country on earth. No questions asked,” McAfee said.

This public support is also reflected in the work McAfee carries out through his foundation. Early in his NFL career, the punter established the organization to support the families of military personnel. So far, it has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships to the children of active-duty US service members. In 2016, McAfee even participated in a week-long USO tour.

The College GameDay message at Oxford was in stark contrast to what happened last week. Rather than a message of unity, Senator Ted Cruz was met with boos when he came to Austin during the GameDay broadcast ahead of Texas’s matchup against Ohio State. Cruz was there to provide the rationale for the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA).

What else went down during the ESPN College GameDay?

Lane Kiffin spent six seasons coaching Ole Miss before abruptly leaving the program. What has been boiling the Rebels’ blood is that he took a job offer from their rival, the LSU Tigers. Because he left the Rebels right on the brink of a College Football Playoff berth, Ole Miss fans circled this Week 3 matchup for revenge on their calendar.

Early in the morning, the massive crowd gathered at The Grove. They began screaming loudly, “F— Lane Kiffin” chants live on the broadcast. It was so intense that even Pat McAfee had to temporarily pause his monologue. The fans are held hostile, with mocking signs behind the set calling Kiffin a traitor. 

The pitch fever is so high that Mississippi State officials deployed the largest law enforcement force for a college football game in the state’s history. Around 100,000 people converged on Oxford. Authorities brought in extra police units from New Orleans and Mobile. They deployed mounted patrols on horseback to ensure the hostile crowd did not get out of hand.