Pat McAfee's GameDay Expense Surpasses $9.3M Despite Iowa Student Missing Seven-Figure Kick

 

RUDRA DUBEY

Updated Sat, October 3, 2026 at 1:30PM EDT

Pat McAfee’s Kicking Is Easy contest hit a rough patch in Iowa City on Saturday as Iowa freshman Finley Banfig missed a seven-figure field goal opportunity on ESPN’s College GameDay.

The latest attempt ended in disappointment, although former Iowa Hawkeyes star Dallas Clark ensured the morning still delivered a solid charitable contribution with a throw, helping Finley Banfig to secure $150,000, which was matched by Pat McAfee, taking the final amount to $300,000.

“We’ve got more than nine million dollars,” McAfee said, highlighting the money distributed through prizes and charitable contributions.

Prior to that, Banfig had missed the $2 million field-goal attempt kick.

The $9.3 million figure is the all-time total for the College GameDay kicking contest. It adds up what has been given away over the years, including this season. Clark’s $300,000 from Iowa City, on top of the more than $9 million from earlier, pushed the total.

The segment had already produced several big winners, including a Tennessee football fan who captured $1.5 million in Week 4 while NFL legend Peyton Manning watched.

Banfig, a freshman at Iowa, entered Saturday’s challenge hoping to join that list. The biology pre-med student told McAfee she planned to pursue orthopedic surgery, but her immediate priority was finding a way to pay for college.

“Well, you know, I have to pay for my school, so I gotta lock in,” Banfig said before her attempt, as Pat McAfee shared on X.

Unfortunately, her first kick traveled only a few yards forward. The student received another opportunity, but that attempt also missed the uprights, ending her chance to win the million-dollar prize.

The result marked a frustrating end to a successful stretch for McAfee’s weekly segment, but he still reassured her, as he said, “That’s okay,” to comfort her.

Students from Ole Miss, Texas and Tennessee had combined to win millions of dollars over the previous three weeks, raising expectations ahead of Iowa’s appearance on College GameDay.

Despite Banfig’s misses, the morning was not without a financial reward. Dallas Clark, the former Indianapolis Colts tight end and Iowa football legend, joined McAfee for the segment and helped give the home crowd another reason to celebrate.

Clark, who returned to Iowa after retiring from the NFL in 2014, threw a football through the field goal uprights. His successful attempt secured $150,000 for Banfig and another $150,000 for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. The donation held particular significance in Iowa City.

Kinnick Stadium is famous for the Hawkeye Wave. At the end of the first quarter of home games, fans and players turn toward the children’s hospital next door and wave to the patients. Clark’s donation added one more good moment to a tradition the program is already known for.

The former NFL tight end also had nice things to say about Iowa on the broadcast. He talked about the football fans, the hardworking people, and the welcoming community. His appearance helped the segment end on a good note, even after Banfig missed her kicks.

Saturday’s show was the first time in 20 years that College GameDay came to the Iowa City campus, with the Hawkeyes getting ready to host Ohio State.

Banfig couldn’t match what the earlier contestants did. Still, Clark’s $300,000 gift gave the morning something meaningful, even without the million-dollar prize.

 

How 3 plays show why Tyler Linderbaum’s record-setting Raiders deal is worth it

Tyler Linderbaum's athleticism allowed the Raiders to score their first touchdown of the season. Ethan Miller / Getty Images

 

By Sam Warren

Sept. 17, 2026 Updated 8:15 am EDT

HENDERSON, Nev. — Klint Kubiak inherited a roster with the NFL’s worst offensive line from a season ago.

The first-time head coach, coming from coordinating one of the league’s top-performing units for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, wanted to ensure the same issues wouldn’t plague his scheme. So the Las Vegas Raiders paid up for center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, giving him a record-setting three-year, $81 million contract to anchor their front five.

“I’m really glad we have him,” Kubiak said during training camp.

In Las Vegas’ season-opening win over the Miami Dolphins, Linderbaum looked like he’ll be worth the investment. He helped keep Kirk Cousins upright; the quarterback wasn’t sacked once. Linderbaum didn’t allow a single pressure in the game, according to TruMedia. He also led the way for running back Ashton Jeanty to post his third career game with 100-plus rushing yards as the Raiders totaled 130 overall.

Yet more can still be done, Linderbaum said.

“I thought we left a lot out there,” Linderbaum said. “I think we can do more. So, proud of Game 1, but we’ve got a bunch more ball games left.”

Kubiak was pleased with his star lineman’s first game.

“He’s a really good athlete,” Kubiak said. “He’s a premier athlete at his position, and then to play center, you’ve got to be the smartest guy on the field. So, he gets everybody on the same page. He plays with great effort, plays with great athleticism.”

Linderbaum’s effort, athleticism and intelligence could have a major impact on Kubiak’s offense going forward. Three plays against the Dolphins exemplify each aspect of the center’s game. Linderbaum and his Raiders teammates detailed those snaps to The Athletic.

Athleticism

As Kubiak said, Linderbaum is one of the most athletic centers in the game, and he showed that on the Raiders’ first touchdown.

Tyler Linderbaum's athleticism already shines for the Raiders

Sam Warren

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/video/ZH3A6O56FGgWMsx/?source=athletic_user_shared_video_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

Linderbaum handled Zeek Biggers after shotgun snapping to Cousins in the red zone, preventing the Miami defensive tackle from penetrating as he rushed to his left. But as Biggers pursued, the center saw Chop Robinson following in from behind. Miami was setting up a stunt for their edge rusher to loop inside for a free shot at Cousins, and Linderbaum was out of position.

In the split second the center had to recognize the move, he found a way to foil it. Linderbaum disengaged from Biggers, dropped his right foot at more than a 180-degree angle and drove off his back leg to block Robinson. He somehow got both hands on the rusher with enough momentum to throw him from Cousins’ throwing lane, allowing the quarterback to thread the ball through traffic to receiver Jack Bech.

“He is a great athlete,” Cousins said of the play. “I think he’s a great example of somebody who plays with a lot of urgency and quickness and twitch and speed. I’m sure it showed on that play and a lot of other ones throughout the game.”

Linderbaum said the Raiders’ protection was a simple three-man rule to Robinson’s side: himself, left guard Spencer Burford and left tackle Kolton Miller blocking the three rushers who were lined up ahead of them. When Robinson looped, he became Linderbaum’s responsibility, with the center having to “bump off” Biggers to Burford.

“And then that’s NFL football for you,” Linderbaum said. “It’s a game of inches, so you try to get a hand on the guy. And what a great play by Kirk and Jack to find the end zone.”

Raiders backup guard Caleb Rogers called the play “incredible” on Linderbaum’s part.

“We want to be able to pick that up a little bit cleaner where he’s not having to rely on his athleticism,” Rogers said. “Awesome to do, awesome to see, but there’s more there for us and our best can be better.”

The Raiders don’t want to be caught in positions of near-sacks, but Linderbaum showed his agility can make up for mistakes.

Effort

Linderbaum made a statement in his first rep as a Raider.

Kubiak called an inside zone run to start Las Vegas’ opening offensive drive. While a zone scheme typically calls on a lineman’s blocking finesse for success, Linderbaum exercised brute force on Miami defensive tackle Jordan Phillips off the snap.

Linderbaum burst from the line and got under Phillips’ shoulder pads. The initial contact toppled the defender, leaving him on his knees as Jeanty rushed into the hole Linderbaum just blew open.

The center wasn’t done with Phillips, however, even after Jeanty was yards downfield. As Phillips tried to get to his feet, Linderbaum re-engaged and found firm hand placement on the defender’s chest plate. Linderbaum then re-accelerated just as Phillips rose, forcing him backward before shoving him to the ground yet again.

Linderbaum said he knew he had an opportunity to assert his presence upon hearing the play call. He did so with a rare double-pancake block.

“First play of the game, we’re running the football, and it’s an opportunity to set the tone early,” Linderbaum said. “That just kind of has to be the mindset of the offensive line, how we wanted to start it. That’s basically what it came down to.”

Rogers said Linderbaum’s block riled him and the rest of the offensive linemen up on the sidelines.

“That’s kind of what we expect from this group,” Rogers said of the play. “That’s kind of the standard that we’re looking to push towards and to hold every single day. Our job every single day is to hold the standard and raise the standard. And he does a great job of helping us do that.”

Linderbaum played with similar effort throughout the rest of the game, driving defenders downfield to give Jeanty and others room to run. With the center setting that standard, the Raiders can count on their offensive line to work tirelessly in the run game.

Intelligence

With Linderbaum in charge of communicating blocking assignments, the Raiders don’t expect many errors. The center has been praised for his command at the line, and that was displayed on a third down midway through the fourth quarter.

The Raiders were backed up in their own territory in danger of a three-and-out with just over nine minutes to play. They were in an obvious position to pass on third-and-6, and Miami geared up to bring pressure with linebacker Jacob Rodriguez showing blitz right over Linderbaum. The center sensed the look was a trap.

Linderbaum called to Jeanty in the backfield that Linderbaum would be blocking down on Dolphins defensive lineman Malik Herring, who was lined up all the way between Burford and Miller. By pointing at Herring, he effectively communicated to Jeanty that Rodriguez was his responsibility.

Vacating a zone with a perceived blitzer head-up and passing duty to a running back is a gutsy call, but Linderbaum was proven correct. After Jeanty made initial contact with Rodriguez, the linebacker looped outside while Robinson replaced him. The Raiders deciphered the moves and stonewalled the rushers, giving Cousins more than enough time to hit tight end Michael Mayer for a first down.

When asked, Linderbaum declined to go into detail on how he diagnosed the rush and why Herring was his responsibility, but said the Raiders’ scheme helped him sort things out.

“That’s just some of our protection rules,” Linderbaum said. “Just trying to do our protection how we’re coached to do.”

While the drive eventually ended in a punt, the conversion allowed a Raiders offense that was struggling some in the second half to bleed three more minutes off the clock.

Linderbaum’s smarts up front give the Raiders an edge at the line of scrimmage. His command can keep the group on the same page, erasing most of the unforced errors that besieged this offensive line a season ago.

Linderbaum showed he can raise the level of the Raiders’ offense in his first game. While impressed, Kubiak emphasized the win was a small sample size. He’s excited about the center’s play so far, but the challenge for Linderbaum is to stay consistent.

“He’s played one game,” Kubiak said. “He’s got to play a whole season, so I’m still expecting more out of him.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7602625/2026/09/17/tyler-linderbaum-raiders-debut-film-study

Katie Smith is ringing Ohio State's victory bell Saturday - and she's the first woman ever to do it

 

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