A new non-edible mascot named Ched-Z arrived at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and is the show you didn’t know you needed.
Unveiled prior to Tennessee’s bowl game with the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl delivered one of the great moments of bowl season as a Cheez-It mascot appeared from a massive box of the snack as “Lose” by DMX played, hyping the crowd.
The themed bowl is also the Citrus Bowl, but let’s say Cheez-It clearly won the battle for eyeballs with this massive display on Monday.
Ched-Z was also seen getting a massage on the sideline during the game.
At the end of the game, Tennessee emerged victorious with a 35-0 score, and rather than doing the usual Gatorade shower, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was rained on with the cheese snack.
The game was impressively managed by true freshman five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava, who figures to take over the starting quarterback slot in 2024.
He ran for three touchdowns on just 27 yards while throwing 19 times for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Iowa’s defense is the best in the country, allowing 3.9 yards per play, the lowest among all Division 1 AA schools.
As for mascots, this isn’t the first delicious debut we’ve seen from some creative marketing teams.
During the Pop-Tart Bowl, a delicious, edible mascot was seen during the game, making a similarly theatrical debut.
After the game, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman began devouring the humongous Pop-Tart.
But this Cheez-It was specifically not edible, as it made abundantly clear with a sign.
Next year, we might need a Pop-Tart Cheez-It Bowl competition between the two mascots with special guest referee Eggo fo supremacy