PHOENIX — A lot is being made about the quarterback matchup in Sunday’s Super Bowl, and for good reason.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is making his third Super Bowl appearance, while Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is playing in the title game for the first time.
The dominant storyline to their matchup is that, for the first time, two Black quarterbacks will be starting against each other in the Super Bowl — both players have commented on the historic significance of this moment.
There is also a little hometown (and home conference) connection as well.
Sunday’s Super Bowl (4:30 p.m. MST, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona) will be the first time two Big 12 quarterbacks face each other in the NFL’s championship game.
Mahomes was at Texas Tech for three seasons, while Hurts played at Oklahoma as a senior after transferring from Alabama.
“I think you’re just seeing that the Big 12 has quarterbacks that have always been able to have success but we’re getting those shots now. It’s definitely cool,” said Mahomes, who was named the NFL MVP on Thursday night.
He also gave a shoutout to the Big 12’s basketball dominance: “We’ve had three of the four in the Final Four teams, too.”
Hurts was a finalist for NFL MVP honors after having a breakout year in his third pro season.
“I’ve always had a very high respect for offense in the Big 12 and football in the Big 12. My respect for the conference definitely grew when I played in the conference,” he told reporters Wednesday.
“You see all the quarterbacks that come through the Big 12 and obviously, Pat and myself playing in this game is a great representation of the conference. There’s a lot of good football in the Big 12.”
The pair both call Texas home — Mahomes hails from Tyler, Texas, while Hurts is from Houston.
“I always brag about Texas high school football and how great it is,” Mahomes said. “To have two quarterbacks from Texas and two quarterbacks from the Big 12, even though Alabama still tries to claim Jalen, it will be fun to go out there and compete against another guy from Texas.”