Pat McAfee Reacts to West Virginia's Comeback Win in the Backyard Brawl

The Backyard Brawl is known for tight, down-to-the-wire finishes, epic comebacks, and the unthinkable happening. Former West Virginia kicker/punter Pat McAfee was a part of one of the most disappointing losses in program history. And while last night's overtime win was redemption for head coach Rich Rodriguez, it was also something that McAfee has waited a long time for.

McAfee taped his reaction to the final play of the game where Eli Holstein overshot his wide-open receiver on fourth down to end the game.

“That’s what I’m talking about, boys. What a win in Morgantown. Sorry Narduzzi. Sorry, Pittsburgh Panthers. West Virginia’s a DAMN GOOD team. Look at that place striped out. Electrifying environment. Watch out, Big 12. We might have found our hard edge.”

WVU MIGHT’VE FOUND THEIR HARD EDGE BABY pic.twitter.com/vbPmCljgQZ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 13, 2025

“My life changed immediately that day. It was a terrible f------ night, to be honest with you," McAfee told Ross Dellenger, formerly of Sports Illustrated, a couple of years ago. "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.”

It took a few years for McAfee to get close with the university and football team again, and understandably so. It was not an easy situation to move on from. And while there's no way to go back and change that outcome, seeing his former head coach come back and beat Pitt on 9/13 has to make him feel a lot better and have some sense of relief.

Over the last handful of years, McAfee has been a huge promotional tool for the Mountaineers, constantly talking about the team and the university's other sports teams every chance he gets. Sometimes he may go a little overboard with it, but that's just his true passion for the program coming out. He wants to see the Mountaineers win and get back in position to chase down that elusive national title.

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