Rich Rodriguez’s WVU Receives Pat McAfee’s Clear Ultimatum as He Makes Huge College GameDay Announcement

Barely a month ago, Pat McAfee was fired up by Rich Rodriguez’s iconic roll cry, “Spot the ball, and get the f— out of the way.” For him, it was nostalgia, packed with an adrenaline kick, as he reminisced about his college days at the Mountaineers. But no more reminiscing now. Another edition of Coach Rodriguez is upon us, and they passed the first outing in flying colors. More importantly, the upcoming Saturday may have more in store than just another win for the Mountaineers.

Fresh from a dominant win against Robert Morris, McAfee is positive heading into this weekend. “WVU sure could be a real deal this year,” Pat McAfee said on his show. “They were absolutely buzzing. Terrible first half…35 zip second half,” he added. “Robert Morris really good team…It’s Nicco Marchiol here at the most. He stuck around. Okay? We thought he would leave. We thought he would leave. He did not shout it to him, sticking around.”

West Virginia’s season opener against Robert Morris was a dominant thrashing. A 45-3 win. QB Nico Marchiol completed 17 of 20 passes for 224 yards, along with a touchdown. He further ran 13 times for 56 yards and another score. McAfee continued. “And then we got a couple guys that are all over the field.”

Who are these guys? Well, Jaylen Henderson, Scotty Fox Jr., and Jaheim White. Yes, WVU had its share of penalties against Robert Morris. They fumbled three times in a span of four plays late in the second quarter. In addition to that, they were flagged nine times for 69 yards, but McAfee looks optimistic regarding their future prospects.

“Now, if we win this weekend against Ohio University, we’re only three-point favorites in Ohio, okay, which is certainly something I like us a lot in that, and then picked is able to get a big-time win. All eyes are on GameDay, potentially heading to Morgantown for West Virginia,” he said. That is the big news.

The Week 3 game against Pitt and West Virginia at Morgantown may see the College GameDay show visiting them at the campus. For that to happen, both teams need to go 2-0. That’s what will increase the stakes of the game. The show has been to Morgantown twice in the past. In 2014 and 2022. The third outing will be a special one for McAfee as he’ll be in all his glory, cheering for his alma mater.

Rich Rodriguez, backyard brawl, and the redemption arc

The weekend’s season-opener matchup accounted for Rich Rodriguez’s 61st victory with the Mountaineers. Out of that, a whopping 60 of those wins he witnessed during his seven-year stint back in 2001-2007. And Rodriguez would be all in against the Bobcats come week 2. Not just as a head coach, who would want his team to dominate the turf, but the Backyard Brawl awaits his redemption.

Back in 2007, the Mountaineers boasted a No. 2 rank in the country, a favorite pick to win the National Championship. But the Backyard Brawl saw Rodriguez’s heartbreaking defeat, 9-13, and WVU’s hope to make it to the natty came all crashing down. His reaction? “It’s just a nightmare. The whole thing’s a nightmare,” he said in post-game press. He had then left to join the Wolverines, but the fiery spirit to reclaim the turf never died down. This year, he awaits that redemption.