Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest is one of the must-see portions of ESPN’s College GameDay , and Saturday’s edition did not disappoint.
Appearing at the University of South Carolina ahead of the showdown between the Gamecocks and No. 16 LSU, McAfee invited South Carolina sophomore Joshua Watson to try a 33-yard kick.
The stakes started out at $45,000, but quickly rose to $120,000 after singer Darius Rucker, a CGD guest, offered to add $15,000. Then he and McAfee noted Watson wore a “Walk-On for Jake” T-shirt touting the Jake Panus Scholarship for walk-on athletes. So they decided to chip in another $60,000 toward that scholarship if Watson made the kick.
Watson invited some very bad karma when he mocked kickers before his attempt, saying, “It’s just so easy, it’s not a sport.” He then admitted he had never kicked a football before, but vowed “I’m gonna make it, because it’s easy.”
“All the trash you talked on kickers,” McAfee said, as Watson lined up for the kick.
Watson shanked his attempt; his shoe somehow flew further than the football.