Everything was toasted in the Pop-Tarts Bowl — from the pastries themselves to the secondaries. No. 18 Iowa State got a touchdown in the final minute to knock off No. 13 Miami 42-41 in an exciting game that featured little defense, and plenty of sponsor shenanigans.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht scored on a 1-yard sneak with 56 seconds left, but it was his arm that did most of the damage. He finished with 270 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air. Miami’s Cam Ward surprised a lot of people by playing in the game — and threw for 190 yards and 3 touchdowns of his own — but didn’t play in the second half. He accomplished it all in the first 30 minutes, and did so without Miami’s leading receiver Xavier Restrepo, Isaiah Horton or Sam Brown (a trio that combined for 161 receptions, 2,252 yards and 18 TD).
Before checking himself out of the game, Ward set the NCAA Division I record for career passing touchdowns with 156.
Even without Ward in the second half, Miami was able to lean on its run game, as Damien Martinez rushed for 179 yards, but as has been the case all season, no matter what Miami’s offense did, its defense couldn’t get the stop when needed most. Becht led an incredible 15-play, 84-yard drive to put the finishing touches on it, but he was not alone. Jaylin Noel, who could’ve opted out, caught eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown while Carson Hansen paced the Cyclones on the ground with 82 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The win gives Iowa State a record of 11-3 on the season, the first 11-win season in program history. The loss dropped Miami to 10-3 on the year, and extends their bowl losing streak to six straight and 12 of their last 13.
But while all of that’s important, what matters most is which Pop-Tarts mascot was ritualistically sacrificed and eaten alive by the winning team. Rocco Becht’s four total touchdowns led Iowa State to the win, and it also gave him the chance to choose which mascot to devour after being names the game’s MVP.
Becht chose the Frosted Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tart, and the Cyclones feasted upon its delicious insides after toasting it alive.
As gruesome an end as it may seem, fear not. Pop-Tarts are eternal, as we learned earlier in the game when last year’s sacrifice — Frosted Strawberry — made a miraculous return. Though it did look a little worse for wear.
How can you not be romantic about college football, folks?
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