Iowa
Look: SpongeBob, Patrick learn about Iowa football, punting in Super Bowl 2024 – yes, really
George Kittle better than Travis Kelce? Antonio Gates thinks so
Antonio Gates shares why he thinks 49ers tight end George Kittle is one of the best in the business.
The NFL on Sunday employed its most ambitious Super Bowl broadcast in recent memory.
How else can you describe SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star — characters from the eponymously named Nickelodeon program — learning about Iowa football’s punting prominence?
The NFL, of course, featured a kid-friendly broadcast of the big game on the Nickelodeon network apart from its main broadcast on CBS. As part of the broadcast, SpongeBob and Patrick, arguably two parts of the biggest intellectual property in network history, were featured in a small corner window providing live game commentary.
REQUIRED READING: How former Cyclone Brock Purdy and former Hawkeye George Kittle fared in the Super Bowl
The abundance of punts in the first half of the Super Bowl allowed broadcaster Noah Eagle to make a tongue-in-cheek comment about the Hawkeyes. Eagle made his quip on the third straight punt of the game, the only outcome for either offense (apart from a fumble by 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey) to open the Super Bowl):
“Hey SpongeBob and Patrick, have you ever heard of a place called Iowa?” Eagle asked.
“Iowa?” SpongeBob responded. “It sounds exotic!”
“Well in Iowa,” Eagle responded, “they say, ‘Punting is winning.’”
REQUIRED READING: What is ‘Tight End U’? George Kittle headlines Iowa tight ends, ‘Tight End University’ camp
Of course, Iowa football created headlines throughout the 2023 college football season for the team’s inability to muster a consistent offense. Subsequently, that allowed punter Tory Taylor to enjoy a historic punting season. He set an NCAA single-season record for most punt yards in a season, at 4,479 en route to becoming a Unanimous Consensus First Team All-American.
That said, Iowa’s offensive averaged a dismal 15.4 points per game in 2023. That ranks second-to-last out of 130 qualified FBS teamss, just barely ahead of Kent State’s 14.7 points per game. It also was roughly 10 points lower than the 25 points per game clause that was built into offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s contract. Iowa ultimately did not meet that threshold, and Ferentz will not return to Iowa in 2024.
Regardless, it was a funny moment that brought Iowa football, however briefly, into the national spotlight on Super Bowl Sunday.
Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol said it responded to 206 calls for service after another weekend winter storm Saturday.
From 5:30 am to 5:30 pm, ISP said it covered 88 crashes, with 74 resulting in property damage.
Officials said one person died and 13 others were injured.
The patrol had 118 motorist assists.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
See Iowa DOT snowplow camera capture moment SUV rear ends plow
An Iowa DOT snowplow was hit while clearing snow along Iowa Highway 60 in Sioux County on Nov. 29, 2025. The crash was caught on the plow’s cameras.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, for a large swath of the state, from northwest Iowa to much of central Iowa and southeast Iowa.
Drivers should expect slippery conditions.
Snow fell through the morning with accumulations of 2 to 3 inches across most of Iowa, according to the National Weather Service. The light, fluffy snow will taper off in the afternoon.
The weather service advises that snow-covered roads will make travel slick and more difficult and to use caution.
The counties affected include Pocahontas, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Boone, Story, Marshall, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Warren, Marion, Mahaska, Monroe, Wapello and Davis.
Where did snow fall the most in Iowa?
Southern Iowa felt the brunt of the snow Saturday morning, with some areas experiencing nearly five inches of accumulation. Here are the highest totals so far in Iowa:
- Milton: 4.5 inches
- Parnell: 4.5 inches
- Norwalk: 3.8 inches
- Badger: 3.5 inches
- Bloomfield: 3.3 inches
- Carroll: 3.2 inches
- Buffalo: 3.2 inches
- North English: 3 inches
- Winterset: 2.6 inches
How much snow has fallen in Des Moines?
The Des Moines International Airport reported 1.2 inches of snow as of 6 a.m. Saturday. Norwalk, just south of Des Moines, reported 3.8 inches of snow by 10:30 a.m. Clive reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
How much snow did Iowa City get?
North Liberty, just north of Iowa City, reported three inches of snow as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Tiffin, which is to the northwest of Iowa City, reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
Roads across the state are covered in snow
The Iowa DOT reported that, as of 11 a.m., many of central Iowa’s highways and interstates were completely covered with snow. The organization said travel on I-80 from central Iowa to the Illinois border is not advised.
“Visibility and road conditions are deteriorating rapidly, causing multiple crashes and closing lanes,” the DOT said in a social media post around 11 a.m.
More snow followed by frigid temps
A cold weather advisory is in effect for much of northern, central and southeastern Iowa into Sunday morning. In the Des Moines area, wind chill values could drop to as low as -15. Wind chills across the state are expected between -20 and -30 starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.
(This article has been updated to include new information.)
CLARKE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa man was charged Friday in connection to a deadly horse-drawn buggy crash that killed a teenager last month.
Jacob Wright, 41, of Grand River, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
The crash happened in Clarke County on November 12. According to the crash report, Wright’s car hit the back of the buggy and ran it into a ditch.
Elmer Borntrager, 16, was thrown from the buggy and died at the scene.
Police found Wright’s damaged vehicle days later about five miles from the crash scene.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
California, other states sue Trump administration over $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
‘Hamnet’ seemed ‘completely lost.’ How four days saved the year’s most emotional film
L.A. Affairs: I had casually known her for 5 years. Was I finally ready to make a move?
Commentary: Is Newsom blazing a path to the White House? Running a fool’s errand? Let’s discuss
California’s summer COVID wave shows signs of waning. What are the numbers in your community?
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
In Khartoum, exhumation of makeshift graves reawakens families’ grief
Manhunt under way for attacker after two students killed at US university
Video: At Least Two Killed in Shooting at Brown University
FBI ousts reinstated whistleblower over unauthorized media talks, ‘poor judgment’
EU dismisses Russia’s lawsuit against Euroclear as ‘speculative’
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Ohio1 week agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Washington5 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa7 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH7 days agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World6 days ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
