Iowa State QB Brock Purdy Channels Cheez-It Bowl Energy With Wild Pick-Six

Brock Purdy’s gut instincts did not exactly pay off in this play during the Cheez-It Bowl.

Iowa State’s Brock Purdy could have a future in volleyball if football doesn’t pan out. But unfortunately for him, the quarterback’s gut instinct to seemingly spike the ball turned into a disaster for the Cyclones. 

Down 13–3 to Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday, Purdy threw a dart on a second-and-five in the third quarter. But a Tigers defender tipped the ball, sending it into the air towards Purdy’s general vicinity. 

Cue the volleyball technique. 

Wild interception alert 😯

(via @ClemsonFB) pic.twitter.com/CTvpiPXU5q

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 30, 2021

The quarterback seemed to spike the ball, only for it to land in Clemson cornerback Mario Goodrich’s waiting arms. He ran it back 18 yards to loft the Tigers up three scores late in the third quarter.

The Cheez-It Bowl has had more than it's fair share of wacky moments and scorelines in the past (2018's 10–7 barn-burner between Cal and TCU comes to mind). Purdy's unwise interception is right up there with the best of them.