Pat McAfee had something to say.
Not a lot of people expect West Virginia to beat Penn State under the Beaver Stadium lights in the season opener Sept. 2.
Logic indicates that Penn State will win.
After all, Penn State is playing at home, is coming off an 11-2 season in which it finished in the top 10 and won the Rose Bowl and returns most of its 2022 production.
West Virginia went 5-7 last season, and there are probably more WVU fans who are expecting coach Neal Brown to be fired at the end of the year than there are fans expecting the team to make noise in the Big 12.
Along with common sense, Las Vegas feels Penn State will not just win, but won convincingly. PSU is a three-touchdown favorite.
It’s not clear yet if former WVU punter and current ESPN personality/media superstar Pat McAfee genuinely believes that West Virginia will pull off a stunner in Happy Valley Week 1, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a show for Twitter.
McAfee tweeted at his friend and former Penn State All-American center, A.Q. Shipley:
“WATCHU GONNA DO WHEN WVU RUNS OVER PSU IN HAPPY VALLEY WEEK 1?”
Hey @aqshipley..
WHATCHU GON’ DO WHEN WVU RUNS OVER PSU IN HAPPY VALLEY WEEK 1?! pic.twitter.com/ABvnjhYNXZ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 13, 2023
Accompanying the tweet was a picture of WVU quarterback Garrett Greene holding the West Virginia state flag.
Shipley replied to the tweet:
“Bro… I literally just laughed out loud. What we bettin…”
As of this writing, McAfee has yet to reply to the tweet, but plenty of Penn State fans were more than happy to.
Easiest money AQ will ever make😂
— Ghost of Tim Riggins (@Linebacker_U) August 14, 2023
Ask him to bet his show. If WVU loses he never does a public appearance again. His on air career is done.
— FOX (@jfox2088) August 13, 2023
Pat has to burn his jersey on a couch after WVU gets run out of the building. I get @PatMcAfeeShow 's hype, I heard their coach on xm too! Dude has to amp up his dudes but if WVU gets to a bowl it'll be a W for them. Smash the over and lay the points on this one for PSU.
— EmptyB (@321AddyDaddy) August 14, 2023
McAfee and Shipley are each western Pennsylvania guys who, in the early 2000s, starred at Plum and Moon high school, respectively, before each going on to have successful careers at both the college and NFL levels. McAfee punted for the Indianapolis Colts for eight seasons, twice making the pro bowl and, in 2014, being named first-team All-Pro. Shipley also played for eight seasons, starting in 2012 when he was teammates with McAfee in Indy, where he rejoined the team in 2014 after a stop with the Ravens in between. He then played five seasons with the Cardinals before ending his career in 2020, winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.
