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Master Chief Delivers Trophy on a Warthog to Butch Jones at Xbox Bowl in Surreal CFB Moment

The ‘Halo’ protagonist was all over the new bowl game—including at the trophy presentation with victorious coach Butch Jones.

Dan Lyons

Master Chief played a major role at Thursday night’s inaugural Xbox Bowl.
Master Chief played a major role at Thursday night’s inaugural Xbox Bowl. / via SportsCenter on X

For better or worse, the College Football Playoff has irrevocably changed the importance of bowl games, the historic backbone of the FBS postseason. The games that draw attention now are often the ones that can effectively market themselves with some fun moments beyond the play on the field. For the inaugural Xbox Bowl—held between Arkansas State and Missouri State in Frisco, Texas Thursday—the move was clear.

Master Chief, protagonist of Xbox’s famed Halo franchise, served as the game’s mascot and, in many ways, emcee. To begin the game, the intergalactic commando conducted the coin flip.

Arkansas State, led by former Tennessee and Cincinnati coach Butch Jones in his fifth year with the program, came out on top, 34–28, spoiling the end to a strong first FBS season for Missouri State. Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, most of which went to Corey Rucker (six receptions, 166 yards, one touchdown), outdueling Bears quarterback Jacob Clark, who had his own impressive game (349 yards, four touchdowns).

It was a fun offensive display, and ended with a moment that the Halo fans in attendance could really appreciate.

To award Jones and his Arkansas State team the Xbox Bowl trophy, Master Chief rode out on a Warthog, the Humvee-like vehicle ubiquitous in the game franchise.

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In a bowl season landscape that features a winning coach having a jug of watered-down mayonnaise poured on his head and a winning team consuming a previously-live Pop-Tarts mascot, fresh out of a large toaster, Master Chief driving onto the field almost seems quaint. It fits in nicely.

When Butch Jones left Cincinnati for Tennessee, he probably saw much bigger games than this in his future—at least on paper. Many of the Arkansas State players on his roster may feel the same about their careers, as they weigh transfer portal decisions. But if we’ve learned anything from a college football era filled with uncertainty, it is to enjoy great moments and wins in the moment.

For the gamers on the Red Wolves roster, last night’s game—silly as it may have looked—was probably a pretty special one.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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