In case you haven’t been watching ESPN’s College GameDay – its flagship college football pregame show – over the past two years, Pat McAfee is trying to do his part to inform fans how difficult kicking a field goal is. Each week, McAfee – who kicked and punted for West Virginia and the Indianapolis Colts – pulls a fan out of the crowd and puts up some of his own cash. If the fan makes the kick, they get to keep the cash.
It has created some memorable moments on the show, like last season when a fan drilled one of ESPN’s cameras at Duke. A few weeks ago, a Cal student won $100,000 while kicking a field goal in slip-on shoes.
On Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, this experiment went horribly sideways, when the fan picked to kick apparently tore his ACL, according to McAfee.
And so, GameDay had to find a second kicker.
“Jeram, the first kicker, Jake, tore his ACL warming up behind the stage. You’re the second pick. If you make this kick, both you and Jake will make $100,000. So, this is not just for you, it’s for a knee that was blown out earlier.”
Jeram had the distance. But the accuracy? Not so much.
The first kicker Jake tore his ACL warming up..
If you hit this kick both you and Jake will win $100,000 💰💰
NO GOOD #CollegeGameDay https://t.co/Q3uEUN6UGw pic.twitter.com/osfuh2ltPW
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 26, 2024
Better luck next week, GameDay kickers. And a speedy recovery to the dude who tore up his knee.