Patrick Shadle knows the town and the stadium well and the Morgantown High graduate makes his second homecoming in WVU’s annual homecoming Saturday. He knows he’ll be hearing it from the stands, which tends to happen when you’re a kicker and is amplified when you’re a visitor in your home. That said, he’s provided an obstacle for the insults this time.

Going home also means being targeted for some hometown needling. Shadle said Connecticut fans have been nastier than those in Morgantown, though he said everyone likes to get on him about his weight issues. Shadle lost 35 pounds in the offseason and said they’ll have to find something new.

“All the comments are about being big and being heavy,” Shadle said. “I don’t fit into that category this year. I’m pretty excited to go down there and avoid some of that trash talking.”

Good for him. Covered him in high school and have spoken to him a few times in college and I always enjoyed the chats. I think he could have been the Pat McAfee here — if he isn’t already that in Syracuse. Not only that, but it’s pretty hard to find a reason to heckle someone whose mom is graciously hosting a crowd for the weekend.

“There will be no road kill served, I know that,” said Shadle, poking fun at his hometown’s famous hick image.

Woops.