Takeaways: Red Raiders talk win in Austin, extending season and more
Four members of the Texas Tech football team met with the media on Tuesday. WR Cameron Batson, OL Paul Stawarz, DB Jah’Shawn Johnson and DL Mychealon Thomas spoke about the bowl game and their experience against Texas.
- Batson said the biggest thing all year was to extend their season – meaning either a Big 12 Championship appearance or a bowl game, which the Red Raiders secured with a win over Texas.
- Batson mentioned that being an Oklahoma guy and beating the guys down in Austin once, yet alone twice in his career, put a smile on his face.
- Batson was noted of being very emotional following the final home game in Lubbock in a loss to TCU.
- The senior receiver shed tears and asked his team to put it all out there against Texas for the seniors and the team to play December football.
- “It was definitely received,” Batson said. “Those guys, they came out against Texas and went hard. Each and every play we were just trying to figure a way to overcome the adversity that we were dealing with in the first half and just come back and win that game.”
- The go-ahead score against Texas was Batson’s lone reception of the day. He said he credits the defense for giving the team that opportunity on the road with so much on the line. However, he said that no outside noise of Kliff Kingsbury being on the hot seat was in his mind. He went out to win the game.
- Batson reminisced on the Sunday following the TCU loss and said he remembers when QB Nic Shimonek went up to him and said, “it was fun playing with you. McLane will be starting this week.”
- Batson continued by saying Shimonek was obviously down the whole week but continued to prepare as he normally would.
- That’s when Stawarz said Shimonek was on the sideline talking to himself saying that he was ready to put in. He even said that the two were joking on the sideline when Shimonek said, “what if I went in and won it for us?”
- Stawarz compared Carter and Shimonek but said the two aren’t very different QBs.
- Moving away from the win over the Longhorns, Stawarz touched on which offensive lineman are improving in practice.
- To the fans delight, Stawarz said Will Farrar and Dawson Deaton are both showing out and are a bright spot for the future of the offensive line.
- The bowl game Texas Tech clinched a spot in is the Birmingham Bowl against South Florida on Dec. 23 at 11 a.m.
- Johnson said the USF Bulls, guided by former Longhorn coach Charlie Strong, are a strong team that will really test the Red Raiders.
- South Florida’s all-time leading scorer is current QB Quinton Flowers. Johnson was asked about the Bulls and what they possess.
- “He’s a great player,” Johnson said. “They’re a physical team. They like to run the ball and they do it well. They’ve been playing great all season ... It’ll be a great challenge for us and that’s what we want to end the season.”
- Thomas agreed with Johnson and said the defense will come full-circle from the beginning of the year and emphasize stopping the run game.
- The ties to Birmingham are there for the Red Raiders including for Johnson and Thomas.
- Johnson mentioned a familiar name in Tevin Madison, who transferred to West Alabama back in February after announcing his departure in September 2016.
- Johnson said he communicated with Madison every day and will likely meet up with him during the week of the bowl game.
- Thomas’ connection goes in the direction of family. His grandfather was born and raised in Birmingham before moving to Dallas and meeting Thomas’ grandmother.
- Thomas said it’s an honor to play his final game in the red and black in the city his grandfather was from.
- “It’s a blessing. My grandpa passed away three years ago so just to finish it off in his hometown is a blessing,” Thomas said. “He was kind of like my best friend. I could tell him anything. He taught me mostly everything since I’ve been growing up so it means a lot to finish it off in his home city.”