LAUREN CEBALLOS / SPORTS EDITOR

The 58th Super Bowl took place on Sunday Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Allegiant Stadium. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl against the 49ers, allowing for their third win in the last five years and their fourth overall Super Bowl Championship title, making them back-to-back champs for these last two seasons. 

This matchup occurred before, in 2020, when the Chiefs and 49ers played in Miami with a final score of 31-20, resulting in a win for the Chiefs. This year’s Super Bowl was an even closer game with a final score 25-22 in favor of the Chiefs once again.

Not only was the matchup a case of déjà vu, it was also only the second Super Bowl in history to go into overtime. The first occurrence was in Super Bowl LI where the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons went head to head, resulting in a victory for the Patriots. During that game, Kyle Shanahan, the head coach for the 49ers this Super Bowl, was working as the offensive coordinator for the Falcons at the time.

Tensions and energy were high for Super Bowl LVIII. From fans bringing massive amounts of spirit, to the repeated matchup, Swifties praying for Kelce’s success, to Taylor Swift haters praying for his downfall, Christians supporting Brock Purdy for his outspoken Christian faith and underdog turn around, Patrick Mahomes fans supporting him for his powerful arm and strategy, 49er fans hoping that Mahomes would be in his head, conspiracy theories that the game was rigged by the government, predictions for the halftime show and — finally — people all around the world putting money on who would win the game, score the first touchdown, and make the first field goal, etc. 

Usher was the star of the halftime show, which also featured Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Lil Jon, Ludacris, Will.i.am and Jermaine Dupri. 

Another form of entertainment throughout the game is the advertisements. This year, the multitude of advertisements that played throughout the Super Bowl sold for an average of seven million dollars per 30-second advertisement. Within the Super Bowl, there were 59 ads. The top three according to USA today were “Like a good Neighbaaa” by State Farm, “The DunKings” by Dunkin and the “Perfect 10,” by Kia about The Kia EV9.

    The first points of the game were scored by the 49ers with a field goal, kicked by Jake Moody, of 55 yards which beat out the record for a 54 yard kick by Steve Christie of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII. On Sunday Moody was dethroned by Harrison Butker, the Chiefs kicker, in the third quarter of the game.

  The two teams went into overtime (OT) with a score of 19-19. Moody scored the first OT points, with a 27-yard field goal, making the score 22-19, and then Mahomes made a three yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman, tallying six points for the Chiefs. With three seconds left in overtime, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl 25-22.

  Winning   quarterback  Mahomes, is currently tied for second with quarterback Joseph Clifford Montana Jr., Joe Montana, for three MVP Super Bowl titles. Montana played for the 49ers, leading them to four winning Super Bowls and earning three titles.  Mahomes earned his third MVP title on Feb. 11. Another accomplishment that Mahomes scored this Super Bowl is being the first  “QB with three, 10+ point comeback wins in Super Bowl history,” according to the NFL on X.

 Purdy,  the  opposing quarterback, on the other hand, has the underdog appeal. 

 “Purdy,  who  was  Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, will become the lowest-drafted quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl,” according to CBS sports.

 USD students from both sides were not at a loss of words after the game.

    USD first-year Danica Woods expressed her excitement.

  “I thought this game was absolutely crazy, I had no expectations really going in and I felt like so many of the plays were unexpected, and it was really interesting to watch… I was rooting for the Chiefs and at first I was like ‘oh, they’re not gonna win,’ but they really turned it around and tied it up and I was so surprised. I can’t believe they just won… it was so exciting to watch that, it was crazy,” Woods said.

 USD first-year Caden Leonard wasn’t as happy with the outcome of the game.

   “Very frustrating after seeing the Chiefs win so much in the past, I’m a little bit tired of them, they’re a little arrogant and cocky so I didn’t really want to see them succeed today. Sadly they came away with the win. It’s very hard to respect them, but I can respect them overcoming adversity and winning,” Leonard explained.

     Some fans watched the game for the genuine love of the sport which Leonard seemed to enjoy.

     “From a football standpoint, it was a really fun game to watch I think just because of how close it was. A little boring the first half, but I think it picked up in the second half and while the outcome wasn’t the greatest, it was still a good game to watch so overall I’m not too sad because I’m not a fan of either team so it’s alright,” Leonard shared.

  USD junior Deuce Turner was rooting for Mahomes as one of his favorite players and was happy to see how well the Chiefs performed. As a basketball player, he resonated with the athletes in terms of the pressure of a game and the stress in overtime.

   “I can relate to the players and see what they are going through, especially the coaching staff. When things get chaotic, I can kinda relate to that and put myself into the game, and I watch how players respond to it, and that gives me a different outlook on who they are as players,” Turner explained.

    While other fans may have watched for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, USD junior Claire Herzog was not one of those fans.

  “There’s  no way I’ve seen more headlines   about  Travis  Kelce  and Taylor Swift kissing on the field after the game than headlines about the fact that the Chiefs just won their third Super Bowl in five years, which hasn’t been done in 20 years,” Herzog said.

    Super Bowl LVIII evoked a lot of emotions in its players and viewers, resulting in a championship, records, awards, memes, money, music and a win. The Chiefs won the game  in historic overtime, wrapping Super Bowl LVIII.

Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to victory in the Super Bowl which ended in a 25-22 score.  Photo courtesy of @pubitysport/Instagram