How ‘bout them Hawkeyes?
George Kittle had some extra motivation to root for his alma mater this past Saturday, as Iowa traveled to Ames to face Iowa State for the CyHawk Cup. Not only did Kittle wanna see Iowa beat its in-state rival, but he wanted to win a bet with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
On Thursday afternoon, Purdy walked into the 49ers auditorium for his weekly press conference with a massively oversized helmet version of Herky The Hawk, Iowa’s mascot.
Ah, Purdy. Poor guy.
He sure didn’t look too happy about wearing that after putting his name down as one of the greatest players in Iowa State history. Purdy started all four seasons for Cyclones from 2018-21 and is the winningest QB in school history with a lifetime record of 30-17. George Kittle played four seasons at Iowa from 2013-16.
Luckily, he didn't have to answer any questions from reporters while wearing the Hawk head.
"He didn't say that," Purdy said. "That was not part of the deal. Nice try, George."
Saturday’s game was a close one, as Iowa State scored a touchdown with less than three minutes left and forced a punt to get the ball back, down 7 points. Ultimately, the Iowa defense stuffed Iowa State running back Cartevious Norton on a 4th-and-1 from his own 40-yard line with 1:23 remaining.
So, instead of Kittle wearing an oversized Cy The Cardinal mascot head from Iowa State, Purdy had to pay up.
"It was gonna be sent, yes," Purdy said of Iowa State's mascot head. "But ... no."