Not all of Thursday’s college football excitement revolved around a newly engaged superstar couple in Kansas City.
Enter Pudge the Cat, the famed locker room feline of Bowling Green’s football team, who captivated the internet’s heart as the Falcons opened their season with a dominant 26-7 win over the Lafayette Leopards.
The 3-year-old cat even made an appearance on ESPN as Bowling Green kicked off first-year coach Eddie George’s tenure with a victory.
“This is just the start,” George began postgame. “We just stepped up and did a great job. Offensively, we need to get the ball more in space. We have to figure out some things specifically in the passing attack. That’s almost expected coming into the first game and trying to find a rhythm. It didn’t help that we had a 30-minute stop for the first quarter, so it was tough to find that rhythm, but I’m excited about where we can grow. It’s a great starting point. I’m so appreciative of the win. The guys feel like they got a solid win, but we have to get better. “
George, a Heisman Trophy winner and former All-Pro running back, was named head coach of the Falcons in March after four years at Tennessee State.
He played collegiately at Ohio State and was drafted 14th overall by the then-Houston Oilers in 1996. George played his final NFL season with the Cowboys in 2004.
Now entering a new era at Bowling Green, George is adapting to his new team and its unofficial mascot, whom he’s technically allergic to.
“Pudge is cute, my wife loves Pudge. He’s become part of the family. Pudge stays out of my way, I stay out of his way. We are fine,” George told WHIO earlier this month.
Pudge waltzed his way into Bowling Green lore when his owner, senior long snapper George Carlson, brought him to the locker room in early August to help lift the spirits of a teammate, according to the Toledo-based WTOL.
Later that month, Pudge appeared in a TikTok video shared by senior wideout Finn Hogan that captured the feline lounging in the locker room — a clip that tallied more than 900,00 views.
“I am enjoying just making people happy and putting smiles on people’s faces,” Carlson said. “He’s done that for me for so long, so wanted to share that joy.”
Bowling Green visits Cincinnati next Saturday..
The Bearcats fell to Nebraska on Thursday night, 20-17, at Arrowhead Stadium, where Cincinnati alum Travis Kelce watched with his new fiancée, Taylor Swift.