WATCH: 49ers' Brock Purdy makes former Iowa TE George Kittle wear Iowa State helmet following Hawkeyes' rivalry loss
San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went 19 of 29 for 231 yards in his team's season-opening 32-19 win over the New York Jets. Tight end George Kittle, Purdy's teammate and former Cy-Hawk rival, registered 40 yards on four catches in the game.
Purdy came to collect a bet from his 49ers teammate after his alma mater Iowa State Cyclones beat Kittle's Iowa Hawkeyes 20-19 during week two of college football action.
While addressing reporters from the 49ers' locker room, Kittle was made to wear Purdy's old Cyclones helmet as part of a bet between the teammates. The TE explained how much the quarterback enjoyed it.
"Pretty quickly," said Kittle when asked how long it took for Purdy to text him the score of Iowa State-Iowa. "He texted me the score instantly. I said, 'Thank you, Brock. You ruined my whole weekend.' I tried to put a dark visor on this (Purdy's helmet), but Brock didn't want me to."
Purdy watched the Cyclones make a comeback from 13-0 at halftime to win on a 54-yard field goal by kicker Kyle Konrardy. They win only their second Cy-Hawk rivalry in the last eight years and two of the last three to continue an upward trajectory in the game. Purdy and Kittle will put old rivalries aside as they attempt to return the 49ers to the Super Bowl again.
Brock Purdy and George Kittle's shared Cy-Hawk destiny
Although Brock Purdy arrived in Iowa in 2018 after George Kittle had left the other side of the Cy-Hawk divide, both players have held onto their shared Iowa roots even in the NFL.
When Iowa beat the Iowa State Cyclones 20-13 last year, Kittle made Purdy wear the Hawkeyes' mascot head to a news conference in front of reporters.
“Whoever lost the game had to wear the other team’s mascot helmet up here,” Purdy said. “So here we are.”
Kittles averaged 5.0 touchdowns in his last two years as a Hawkeye and was drafted No. 146 by the San Fransisco 49ers in the 2017 NFL draft. Meanwhile, Purdy broke almost all conceivable Iowa State records on the way to famously being drafted No. 262 in the 2022 NFL draft.
The pair has reached two Super Bowls losing twice to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. But they started their quest for a third appearance in an efficient fashion against the New York Jets.