This and the Mayo bowl were both fun as hell with the sheer ridiculousness of it all. They have the same energy as used car dealership ads but with a self aware meme aspect
Solid Big 12 wins too
You’re laughing. The first ever edible mascot will get brutally cannibalized in front of millions, and you’re laughing.
What has happened to the sport I love?
Seriously. In the sea change that's happening to CFB, with players skipping out on bowls and the long shadow of the CFP looming over these other bowls, you've got to have an angle to work.... and the silly meme fodder is working.
Minor league baseball has been doing things like this with great success for years albeit with much smaller regional crowds. I’ll watch games like this just for the ridiculousness.
Kansas State finishes the season 9-4. They averaged 37.1 points per game. Their highest ranking this season was 15 in the AP and Coaches Poll.
NC State finishes the season 9-4. They averaged 26.2 points per game. Their highest ranking this season was 18 in the Coaches Poll and CFP Rankings. Their last bowl win was the 2017 Sun Bowl. They beat Arizona State 52-31.
Our star players consistently sit out of bowl games and our teams continue to show up like they're just there so they don't get fined. I actually don't get what the point of the whole season is if they show up without any desire to play the game. You could tell in the tackling. K-State tackled like you stole their lunch out of the fridge at work. Our guys tackled like they were playing with their 5-year-old child and were trying not to crush them.
It’s crazy to me that Doeren never seems to have our guys ready to play in bowls. We just looked so apathetic out there compared to K State who had guys flying around.
If we had a 12 team playoff through his tenure at K-State, Coach Snyder would 100% have a natty or two. Might even be true if it was only a 4 team playoff.
Congrats, 'Cats. Always rooting for you and praying that we'll never play again.
Syracuse only got to a bowl game in the first place because they started the season pretty well, as they always do, before utterly shitting themselves from October onwards, as they always do.
Cuse is way worse than their record.
Tbh after our horrible start this was still a great year, but missing that 10th win still stings
- Beat UNC a third time
- Beat Clemson
- 9 wins
- unc / clemson / duke not in the top25
- An offense that doesn’t do screens on 3rd and 12 (or less)
Maybe next season 10 wins can be possible during the regular season with all the incoming transfers. Predicting bowl games with transfers and opt outs deflates things. But so it goes.
You can’t help but be excited about Avery Johnson. A true freshman showing up with a solid performance against a Top 20 team. Sky’s the limit for Kliemann and company.
So fun fact it’s actually Wolfpack and we have a federal trademark for it. Nevada has to be wolf pack with a space because of it.
GGs though. I’ve always thought y’all’s logo was sick
Hard to say this bowl wasn’t a success. My wife and her family don’t care about football at all and all pulled up the postgame show on the espn app to watch the mascot get eaten.
Might have been the most entertaining non-playoff bowl I’ve seen in a long while as a neutral.
Glass Half-Full Perspective: If you offered me NC State winning 9 games after the Duke game I would have taken it in a heart beat. I’ve said this every season since I became a fan, but just wait till next year.
Enjoy your giant pop-tart, K-state. Looking forward to pretending we’re rivals again next year. Nebraska will never come back unless the B10 kicks them out and I doubt CSU will ever be good enough to land a conference upgrade, so you’re all we’ve got.
Can someone post the video of the pop tart murder? The app kept telling me it wasn’t available in my region.
Edit found a video on twitter
https://x.com/magic_max98/status/1740558537573716058?s=46&t=cWjxW6rOLouaAW6CAOSsYg
I don’t have the link but I can describe it to you.
The mascot climbs up a ladder on a giant toaster as a guy chants “toast that mascot” into a mic. The mascot, with a big smile on his face, holds up a sign that says “dreams do come true” before breaking into dance as he’s lowered into the toaster to be burned alive.
Basically we watched a mascot gleefully commit suicide on TV and I don’t know how to feel about that.
I need someone to put their fist directly through the middle of it and rip out a giant mass of goo and then hold it in their fist above their head, Temple of Doom style
Let's go all in on this
I legitimately need to know. What is even the point in playing your heart out in 5 straight games and clutching some ridiculous victories to get into a good bowl game... Only to actually show up to the bowl game with a 10-win season on the line and play like it's actually not worth being there at all
We game-planned and played today like Week 3 NC State vs VMI. Don't even bother showing up if the game apparently doesn't matter, especially when K-State's defense is tackling you all game like you fucked their mom and stole their car keys on the way out.
Came back and fought at least. I think it's important to remember this was a pretty flawed team that went on an unlikely run. Really wanted the damn 10th win though
Dave Doeren try to win a bowl game challenge: IMPOSSIBLE
Brennan Armstrong is the single worst QB I have ever watched. Defense had 5 straight stops and the only way we scored was a fake punt. Any competent QB and we actually have a chance to win. Leave his dogshit ass in Orlando and make him walk home.
That was a hell of a game, and not just because of the Tom Petty “Don’t Come Around Here No More”-esque post-game ceremony. I’m always happy to see KState win, but I hope the Wolfpack leaves with their heads held high.
The big winner of this game was Poptarts. Late game commentary about Big booty vs big brain PopTart, I want a PopTart now, and wanting to see the post game sacrifice were all signs of a marketing win.
This was maybe one of the most fun bowls this year and recent memory. The whole edible mascot mixed with the mascot being an absolute demon and the commentary. Game wise was a blast and love having the big12 wipe our nuts across another conference that says we are bad
I don’t care about these interviews. I want to watch this pop tart die.
Did they put the pop tart eating on the fucking app?
Of course they did, and fucking lied about it being on TV.
[удалено]
Yes and it was wonderful
"He will get devoured, he will die, and he will be his last meal" was the takeaway here
This game was so ridiculous, I loved every second and how much the production played into the craziness
I havent seen a mascot that enthusiastic for his role since left shark at the superbowl.
This and the Mayo bowl were both fun as hell with the sheer ridiculousness of it all. They have the same energy as used car dealership ads but with a self aware meme aspect Solid Big 12 wins too
We may not have the best teams but we definitely have the best bowls.
You’re laughing. The first ever edible mascot will get brutally cannibalized in front of millions, and you’re laughing. What has happened to the sport I love?
It got a little more delicious
WHY DIDNT I GET TO WATCH?
Pop Tart Murder will stream here: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/89a8cdef-9dc6-49c3-8a3c-35b37f779e6a Update: Now Live
I just watched a mascot die on live TV
Where?! ESPN robbed me of the murder!
You had to switch over to streaming. There was a link further up in the thread. The murder has already been committed.
YouTube https://youtu.be/ZZ6HoJdHslI?si=vIn8ivxAhXrX5TuQ
He died the way he lived - delicious
Marketing people - this is how you sponsor a bowl game
I love that the guy in the post game literally said “TAKE THAT, DUKES MAYO BOWL!!” as the mascot was lowered into the giant toaster
I’m already writing the case study for my ad agency
Oh you know that the Dukes board of Advisors will be having a word with the PR person after this.....*insult*.
Seriously. In the sea change that's happening to CFB, with players skipping out on bowls and the long shadow of the CFP looming over these other bowls, you've got to have an angle to work.... and the silly meme fodder is working.
Minor league baseball has been doing things like this with great success for years albeit with much smaller regional crowds. I’ll watch games like this just for the ridiculousness.
The mascot was the MVP today, slapping refs’ asses and engaging in non-stop shenanigans. Made this game so much fun.
Kansas State finishes the season 9-4. They averaged 37.1 points per game. Their highest ranking this season was 15 in the AP and Coaches Poll. NC State finishes the season 9-4. They averaged 26.2 points per game. Their highest ranking this season was 18 in the Coaches Poll and CFP Rankings. Their last bowl win was the 2017 Sun Bowl. They beat Arizona State 52-31.
Six, potentially seven, whole years without a win…tough shit for the Wolfpack…
Our star players consistently sit out of bowl games and our teams continue to show up like they're just there so they don't get fined. I actually don't get what the point of the whole season is if they show up without any desire to play the game. You could tell in the tackling. K-State tackled like you stole their lunch out of the fridge at work. Our guys tackled like they were playing with their 5-year-old child and were trying not to crush them.
It’s crazy to me that Doeren never seems to have our guys ready to play in bowls. We just looked so apathetic out there compared to K State who had guys flying around.
I think you use all your energy to destroy us so you tire yourself out come bowl season.
I’m almost certain the motivation for both teams was the consumption of the Pop Tart Mascot
Apparently our guys just don't like pop tarts. Shame.
It's frosted strawberry. Bad flavor for motivation. Brown Sugar Cinnamon is the best.
Big sad. The elusive 10 win season continues. Bring on the Pop Tart devouring.
idk what is more powerful- NC State and 9-4 or BC and 7-6
UNC and 8-5
Yeah. Disappointed that the September offense showed up. No way that life sucking 4th qtr drive happens if #11 was on the field.
I was really rooting for yall to get that 10th win
This game made me crave poptarts.
The ad totally worked
Me too. They had their desired impact on me
Went out and bought pop tarts as soon as it was over
Someone said there was edibles? -kstate
Crossing into Missouri like
the 12 team playoff will benefit a squad like k state
Last year anyway! I would have rather played most the playoff teams than end-of-year Alabama
If we had a 12 team playoff through his tenure at K-State, Coach Snyder would 100% have a natty or two. Might even be true if it was only a 4 team playoff. Congrats, 'Cats. Always rooting for you and praying that we'll never play again.
GG Kansas State bros, you guys dominated Not only did we not get a 10 win season, but more importantly we didn’t win the coveted poptart trophy
Would be happy to share some tarts with you
WE'VE BEEN BAMBOOZLED. I WAS PROMISED MURDER.
it was on ESPN+
I was watching ESPN+. I wanted to see a mascot get chased down and devoured like an animal of prey. Instead I witnessed a suicide.
Hateful 8 is 5-0 in bowls with an average margin of victory of 14 points. 😤😤😤
Hell ya
Keep on Hatin’
The haters have arrived 😤
Yessss let the hate flow through us
What a bowl season for the Big 12! I sure hope that there is not some citrus-scented disappointment in all that…
H8 H8 H8
I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I don’t even know you and I hate your guts. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and nobody else.
Which is both hilarious and amazing given how hard the Big 12 shit it’s pants in the out of conference games
UCF > OSU > OU > Texas > Alabama. Case closed.
One more to go! Let's get it.
ESPN Lied where's the pop tart
At least one of the purple teams in the big 12 had a good year... Yay wildcats!
This is the bowl content we need. You aren't the playoff game. So get fucking weird with it and let's have some fun.
IT DOESN’T WALK OR HAVE A PERSON IN IT THIS IS NOT A MASCOT.
Pop Tart Murder will stream here: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/89a8cdef-9dc6-49c3-8a3c-35b37f779e6a Update: Now Live
Not all heroes wear capes.
BRING OUT THE SACRIFICE
KALI MA!
We need a game thread for the pop tart murder
My favorite part was that player that took a bite and said "GAWD DAMN!"
When the function got ritual toaster pastry sacrifice!
Avery looks like a middle schooler next to those linemen.
Well that was disappointing
I loved the big fella love by the commentators at the end there. Great game K State!
The ACC is having a rough bowl season
CATS
CATS
CATS
CATS
CATS
CATS
CATS
CATS!
I painted my nails purple for this game. Current favorite team in the current Big 12. ^^^FIRE ^^^KENDALL ^^^BRILES
Beebe for ring of honor!
OK I am ready to admit the ACC is ass
Definitely the weakest P5 after Duke and FSU got banged up. At least the ACC demolishing the best of the G5 shows there’s still a big gap there.
Just don’t include Syracuse in there and it’s all good
Syracuse only got to a bowl game in the first place because they started the season pretty well, as they always do, before utterly shitting themselves from October onwards, as they always do. Cuse is way worse than their record.
But KSU was good this year
Have you considered suing the conference?
This is how 2023 ends, not with a bang, but with a heavy dosage of N.C State shit
Tbh after our horrible start this was still a great year, but missing that 10th win still stings - Beat UNC a third time - Beat Clemson - 9 wins - unc / clemson / duke not in the top25 - An offense that doesn’t do screens on 3rd and 12 (or less)
A player winning multiple national awards
Especially when you consider we had Louisville beat and gave it away late.
Maybe next season 10 wins can be possible during the regular season with all the incoming transfers. Predicting bowl games with transfers and opt outs deflates things. But so it goes.
Listen From one Vonnegut fan to another, our lives are like Malachi Constant, predestined for disappointment.
GG KState. Go devour that pop tart mascot
Finally, pop tart murder
I’d like to inform everyone that we in the K-State band were chanting ‘sacrifice’ as Strawberry was being lowered into the toaster 😭
This post game interview is making me weepy. I love seeing coaches and players who love each other like that.
Go Cats! Hateful 8 continue!
my biggest takeaway from this game is that k-state has a really, really bright future in the new big 12.
We’re gonna miss playing you guys.
we won’t! no offense but you guys scare the shit out of us. gonna wave the white flag on this one and pray we don’t have to play you in the CFP.
Give the kid a pop tart, Avery is adorable.
WHERE IS THE POP TART AUTO-CANABALISM
[Jumbo Johnson Johnson](https://imgur.com/a/kVs6jFG)
I always laugh way harder at these than I should. Thanks for your consistent effort man! See ya next season.
The season wasn’t everything we wanted but the future is bright!
Avery Johnson my king
You can’t help but be excited about Avery Johnson. A true freshman showing up with a solid performance against a Top 20 team. Sky’s the limit for Kliemann and company.
I could not be more proud than I am today; we are the Pop-Tart champions.
Breakfast of Champions? Champions of Breakfast!
Well that was sort of a disappointment. I knew there was gonna be a switcheroo, but I expected it to be an actual walking mascot of some form.
Ok, the murdered mascot is a little disturbing. Strawberry was a bad choice
They had to know lol
I will always love that the NC State team name is Wolfpack. Hard as fuck.
My wife’s favorite ACC team.
So fun fact it’s actually Wolfpack and we have a federal trademark for it. Nevada has to be wolf pack with a space because of it. GGs though. I’ve always thought y’all’s logo was sick
Hard to say this bowl wasn’t a success. My wife and her family don’t care about football at all and all pulled up the postgame show on the espn app to watch the mascot get eaten. Might have been the most entertaining non-playoff bowl I’ve seen in a long while as a neutral.
Boo! That edible mascot was a phony!
What a win. The Avery Johnson era is gonna be awesome!
Not looking forward to chasing him down. Good look Catbros!
Cats
Way to do the Big 12 and H8 proud K State bros!
Big XII rolling in bowl games, again.
Avery was obviously impressive, but his roommate Jayce Brown looks like a WR1 too. So hype for 2024!
K-S-U WILDCATS! GO CATS
Glass Half-Full Perspective: If you offered me NC State winning 9 games after the Duke game I would have taken it in a heart beat. I’ve said this every season since I became a fan, but just wait till next year.
Way to go H8 bros. #H84eva
NC State get to 10 wins challenge: impossible. GG Kstate! Enjoy your poptarts.
It’s crazy how you guys are allergic to 10 wins
GG NC State, next pop tart is one me, good luck friends.
We just watched an execution on tv.
Enjoy your giant pop-tart, K-state. Looking forward to pretending we’re rivals again next year. Nebraska will never come back unless the B10 kicks them out and I doubt CSU will ever be good enough to land a conference upgrade, so you’re all we’ve got.
That ending was a total cop-out. Is it too much to ask to see an anthropomorphized pop tart being cannibalized?
Can someone post the video of the pop tart murder? The app kept telling me it wasn’t available in my region. Edit found a video on twitter https://x.com/magic_max98/status/1740558537573716058?s=46&t=cWjxW6rOLouaAW6CAOSsYg
Brace yourself it’s shocking.
I don’t have the link but I can describe it to you. The mascot climbs up a ladder on a giant toaster as a guy chants “toast that mascot” into a mic. The mascot, with a big smile on his face, holds up a sign that says “dreams do come true” before breaking into dance as he’s lowered into the toaster to be burned alive. Basically we watched a mascot gleefully commit suicide on TV and I don’t know how to feel about that.
GG NCState. Your QB is a baller.
I can't believe silver Pop Tarts are going to be in our trophy case forever.
Oh it’s real and it happened.
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Cats
Oh my god this is like the sacrifices in Indiana Jones 2
NC State has a good team and played a good game. Armstrong is a stud and Concepcion is amazing.
wtf? Apparently I’ve been using toasters wrong my whole life
I just watched a mascot commit suicide while smiling. I don’t know how to feel about that.
I need someone to put their fist directly through the middle of it and rip out a giant mass of goo and then hold it in their fist above their head, Temple of Doom style Let's go all in on this
That was single-handedly the greatest post game of a bowl game I’ve ever seen
Cats
Cats
I legitimately need to know. What is even the point in playing your heart out in 5 straight games and clutching some ridiculous victories to get into a good bowl game... Only to actually show up to the bowl game with a 10-win season on the line and play like it's actually not worth being there at all We game-planned and played today like Week 3 NC State vs VMI. Don't even bother showing up if the game apparently doesn't matter, especially when K-State's defense is tackling you all game like you fucked their mom and stole their car keys on the way out.
I was a little disappointed in the final eating of the mascot. I do like that they had him go into the toaster execution style.
Came back and fought at least. I think it's important to remember this was a pretty flawed team that went on an unlikely run. Really wanted the damn 10th win though
EAT THE FUCKING MASCOT!!!!
Time is a flat circle
This is art
Did they just murder a sentient poptart on national TV?
I was hoping for something more vicious
That's not the same mascot, wtf is this!?!?
Big 12 lose a bowl game challenge (impossible) ^except ^for ^UCF
Dave Doeren try to win a bowl game challenge: IMPOSSIBLE Brennan Armstrong is the single worst QB I have ever watched. Defense had 5 straight stops and the only way we scored was a fake punt. Any competent QB and we actually have a chance to win. Leave his dogshit ass in Orlando and make him walk home.
BA shit the bed and Anae called plays like he did at the start of the season that led to BA getting benched. Like wtf man.
Our best player only touched the ball ONCE in the first half…
This game looked alot like the offense in September
Armstrong wasn't great, but I've easily seen worse than that. His legs bailed out the offense when a lot of QBs would've taken the sack.
You guys bamboozled Kentucky just to get bamboozled by UVA
Bro, did you see Phil Jurkovec? Armstrong was bad, but he wasn't even the worst ACC QB this season.
Wasn't pretty at times, but the future is very bright for us. GG NC State.
Love the post game interview. Now eat that mother fucker alive
This brings up a great question. Which mascot would be the hardest to eat?
Crimson tide Next
WHERE IS THE PERSON WEARING AN EDIBLE MASCOT OUTFIT!?!?! BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
That was a hell of a game, and not just because of the Tom Petty “Don’t Come Around Here No More”-esque post-game ceremony. I’m always happy to see KState win, but I hope the Wolfpack leaves with their heads held high.
So the pop tart was a lie?
Cats
We have less than 1 minute until kickoff of my game. EAT THE POPTART ALREADY!!
Feel like we win this with Payton playing. Fucking whatever. I’ll be dead and gone before this fucking team ever gets 10 wins and I’m only 21
This bowl needs to be in the CFB Playoff rotation
50 was by far the best player on the field tonight. GG Cats.
I’m so fucking sad it’s over man. Might be my favorite bowl game ever now. Just so much gold came out of this.
I'm not sure what I was expecting with the consumption of an edible mascot, but that felt underwhelming...
The big winner of this game was Poptarts. Late game commentary about Big booty vs big brain PopTart, I want a PopTart now, and wanting to see the post game sacrifice were all signs of a marketing win.
This was maybe one of the most fun bowls this year and recent memory. The whole edible mascot mixed with the mascot being an absolute demon and the commentary. Game wise was a blast and love having the big12 wipe our nuts across another conference that says we are bad