MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A series of national media events are supercharging the city of Morgantown for the Mountaineer home opener with Penn State on Saturday. The Friday highlight is the live airing of the Pat McAfee Show from the Life Sciences Building at noon.
The Pat McAfee Show is a top-rated three-hour sports talk show that airs on ESPN. In March of 2024, the show traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, following the career of Caitlin Clark and the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Teaching Professor, in animal nutrition sciences, Crystal Smith arrived when the gates opened at 9 a.m. for what she called “an important part of campus culture.”
“I think it’s so important for everybody to get out this weekend for the first home football game of the season and support a great Mountaineer like Pat McAfee,” Smith said. “There are just some things that are more important than a Friday morning lecture.
Members of the WVU Swim Team will attend the broadcast wearing speedos to bring more attention to the sport and hopefully draw fans to their events.
“We just thought it would be good for publicity for the swim team since swimming is not well-known on campus,” Osborn said. “We ran it by our coaches, and the coaches gave us the green light, so now we’re here.”
Kara Blount is a junior majoring in early elementary education who came with a group who made signs with the goal of earning a spot on the national broadcast.
“This one says, “We Love Pat McAfee, and the other one says, “Country Roads Brought Pat Times 2 Home,” Blount said. “We want to be on TV! Fingers crossed, we want to be on TV!”
The multiple events drawing thousands are priming the fans for kickoff Saturday, as demonstrated by alumni Grant Gatewood, who has little doubt who will win the game Saturday.
“We needed this; we’ve needed this for a long time! We haven’t had a home opener like this since the 1980’s, and it looks like everyone is here for it,” Gatewood said. “This is what we want; this is what we need! This is Big 12 football, and WVU is on top.”
At the Mountainlair this afternoon, staff from the Big Noon Kickoff Show on Fox will bring pizza, drinks, and sign making materials. The students will make signs to display during the live broadcast Saturday, the winning sign will receive $500.