Tonight the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by six-time champion quarterback Tom Brady kick off the biggest football game of the year against the defending champions, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Former WKU tight end Deon Yelder plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and will be making his second appearance in the Super Bowl in hopes to grab another Super Bowl ring in as many years.

Yelder left the Hill as an undrafted free agent and then signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2018. He then signed with the Chiefs prior to winning Super Bowl LIV. This season, Yelder had seven receptions for 36 yards. 

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship made them the first team in NFL history to host the super bowl in their home stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the AFC Championship to reach the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

Brady, who has won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots will be a player to keep an eye on throughout the game. Mahomes, who led the Chiefs to a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV last season will also be a player of conversation as he competes for his second Super Bowl ring.

The Super Bowl is one of the largest American sporting events, but for those who don’t follow football, there will also be a musical performance from the Weeknd during the halftime show. There will also be a variety of different commercials to keep people entertained. 

With the threat of spreading COVID-19, getting together with friends may seem hard to do, but not impossible. There is still one organization that will be providing a social environment to watch the big game.

WKU Christian Student Fellowship is a non-denominational campus ministry at WKU that has carefully followed and planned its event accordingly to meet COVID-19 rules and regulations to create a safe and secure space for a Super Bowl watch party.

Nathan Ayers is the associate campus pastor and is responsible for organizing and planning this year’s Super Bowl watch party.

“Our goal is to be smart but still offer something for students that have nothing to do,” Ayers said. “It’s important for us that students are taking care of their mental health and being safe.”

The specific event planned by Ayers and CSF has been planned to abide by the current COVID-19 rules and regulations to ensure the safety of all attendees. 

“It’s been hard, but we have to set a lot of limits and boundaries,” Ayers said. “We have to separate to multiple locations, require masks, have students text to reserve spots so we can control numbers and keep attendance at each location.”

The Super Bowl kicks off at 5:30 p.m. between the Chiefs and Buccaneers. 

Women’s basketball beat reporter Drew Toennies can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drew_toennies.