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Look: SpongeBob, Patrick learn about Iowa football, punting in Super Bowl 2024 – yes, really

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Look: SpongeBob, Patrick learn about Iowa football, punting in Super Bowl 2024 – yes, really


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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?

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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!”

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“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.

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Regardless, it was a funny moment that brought Iowa football, however briefly, into the national spotlight on Super Bowl Sunday.



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Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State Prediction, Odds, Picks – December 28, 2024

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Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State Prediction, Odds, Picks – December 28, 2024


Data Skrive

The Miami Hurricanes play the Iowa State Cyclones in the Pop-Tarts Bowl as 3.5-point favorites on December 28, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The over/under is 55.5.

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The Hurricanes lost to the Syracuse Orange, 42-38, in their last contest. In their last contest, the Cyclones lost against the Arizona State Sun Devils, 45-19.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

USWNT dominates Guardians Top 100 & Christian Pulisic is the solo USMNT player | SOTU

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse reacted to Christian Pulisic being disrespected by the UK news outlet The Guardian, which ranked him as the 95th best soccer player in the world. On the other hand, the USWNT dominated the field, with five players in The Guardian’s Top 10 alone.

Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State Game Information & Odds

  • When: Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
  • TV: ABC
  • Live Box Score on FOX Sports

More College Football Predictions

Miami (FL) vs Iowa State Betting Information updated as of December 25, 2024, 9:45 p.m. ET.
Favorite Spread (Odds) Favorite Moneyline Underdog Moneyline Total Over Moneyline Under Moneyline
Miami (FL) -3.5 (-111) -172 +144 55.5 -112 -108

Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State Prediction

  • Pick ATS:

    Miami (FL) (-3.5)

  • Pick OU: Over (55.5)
  • Prediction: Miami (FL) 34, Iowa State 27

Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.

Learn more about the Miami Hurricanes vs. the Iowa State Cyclones game on FOX Sports!

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Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State Betting Insights

  • Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the game is Hurricanes 30, Cyclones 26.
  • The Hurricanes have a 63.2% chance to win this meeting per the moneyline’s implied probability. The Cyclones have a 41.0% implied probability.
  • Miami (FL) has put together a 7-5-0 ATS record so far this year.
  • Iowa State has put together a 7-5-0 ATS record so far this year.

Miami (FL) vs. Iowa State: 2024 Stats Comparison

Miami (FL) Iowa State
Off. Points per Game (Rank) 44.2 (2) 30.2 (37)
Def. Points per Game (Rank) 23.9 (52) 21.5 (46)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank) 13 (28) 15 (40)
Turnovers Forced (Rank) 18 (55) 21 (28)

Miami (FL) 2024 Key Players

Name Position Stats
Cameron Ward QB 4,123 YDS (67.4%) / 36 TD / 7 INT
196 RUSH YDS / 4 RUSH TD / 16.3 RUSH YPG
Xavier Restrepo WR 69 REC / 1,127 YDS / 11 TD / 93.9 YPG
Damien Martinez RB 823 YDS / 9 TD / 68.6 YPG / 5.7 YPC
16 REC / 198 REC YDS / 0 REC TD / 19.8 REC YPG
Jacolby George WR 51 REC / 728 YDS / 7 TD / 60.7 YPG
Francisco Mauigoa LB 87 TKL / 7 TFL / 2 SACK / 1 INT
Tyler Baron DL 37 TKL / 7 TFL / 5.5 SACK
Wesley Bissainthe LB 53 TKL / 3 TFL / 1 SACK / 1 INT
Mishael Powell DB 30 TKL / 2 TFL / 1 SACK / 5 INT

Iowa State 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Iowa WR's absence on bowl game depth chart not a cause for concern

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Iowa WR's absence on bowl game depth chart not a cause for concern


The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) recently revealed their depth chart against Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.

Iowa freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee wasn’t listed, but Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed that it’s not a cause for concern.

“I don’t know when we wrote that depth chart, it was probably last month. He’s fine. Practicing well. In fact, coming off the field last night, asked him how he felt. He feels great. He’ll be in the rotation,” Ferentz said last Friday.

This update is consistent with what Ferentz has said in the buildup to the bowl game versus the Tigers.

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Ferentz said both Vander Zee and offensive tackle Gennings Dunker were tracking to play in the bowl game two weeks ago after Iowa’s bowl foe was revealed on Dec. 8.

“Yeah, both those guys are on track right now,” Ferentz said. “Not sure where they’re going to be this week, but I think we are a lot closer.

“Reece got to work—we worked a little bit on Friday—he was out there, so that looks really encouraging. Dunk’s probably a couple days away yet, but he’s doing really well, on a good path. Both those guys are eager to play.”

Vander Zee has caught 14 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns during the 2024 season. The 6-foot-4, 207 pound freshman hasn’t played since starting but then subsequently exiting the Northwestern contest and sporting a walking boot.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.

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Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF



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Titans Linked to Sleeper Iowa State WR

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Titans Linked to Sleeper Iowa State WR


Heading into the NFL offseason, the top question surrounding the Tennessee Titans will be about what they’re going to do at the quarterback position.

Will Levis and Mason Rudolph are clearly not clear-cut options long-term.

Outside of that question, the Titans will also need to figure out how to add more weapons for whoever their starting quarterback ends up being. Pursuing another quality wide reciever should be something that they try to do.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, there are ways for Tennessee to address both of those issues. Taking a look at wide receivers in the third or fourth round would make a lot of sense.

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With that in mind, Justin Melo of Titan Sized has suggested a sleeper wide receiver out of Iowa State. In his recent five-round mock draft, Melo had the Titans taking Jayden Higgins in the fourth round.

“Are the Titans going to reunite Tee Higgins with Brian Callahan? Callahan’s offense will need an offseason addition to play “X” receiver next season. If Higgins proves to be too expensive, drafting a big-bodied weapon like Jayden Higgins offers an alternative route. Higgins does an outstanding job high-pointing the football at the catch point,” Melo wrote.

Higgins has put together an impressive 2024 season with the Cyclones. He has caught 87 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns.

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Higgins would bring great size to the Tennessee wide receiver room. His size would make him a lethal threat, especially in red zone situations.

Throughout his entire college career, Higgins has racked up 227 receptions for 3,317 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has proven himself to be a more than capable playmaker.

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Taking a flier on him in the fourth round would be a very wise investment. He may not pan out, but if he reaches his full potential he could end up developing into a starter.

He may be a sleeper and wouldn’t be a “flashy” addition, but Higgins has all of the makings of being a draft steal for a team like the Titans who could use a little more help at the position.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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