Taylor-Demerson, Brooks post career nights en route to Tech victory
Early in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game between Texas Tech and TCU, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson appeared to have intercepted Horned Frog quarterback Josh Hoover. The joy was short-lived however, as the pick was called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. Several times after, Taylor-Demerson had hands on passes that could have been intercepted, but fell short. Finally, in the third quarter, the man they call “Rabbit” saw a pass fall right into his hands for his first interception of the night.
“I just wanted to be a game changer today,” Taylor-Demerson said following the Red Raiders win over TCU. “I was telling myself all day like, I’m gonna be the reason this game changes. Then when I got the one that counted, I knew (the offense) was gonna give the ball to Tahj (Brooks) and he was gonna go score.”
Taylor-Demerson’s first interception helped set up his teammate Tahj Brooks to set a milestone of his own. On the drive ensuing, Brooks took a seven-yard scamper to the TCU nine yard line, which pushed him past the 1,000 yard mark on the season. Brooks became the first Red Raider since DeAndre Washington in 2015 to reach that tally. A play later, he scored a touchdown to help give Tech a 28-21 lead.
“Really just a blessing,” Brooks said of his accomplishment. “Shoutout to the big guys because they make it happen. They tell (offensive coordinator Zach) Kittley that they want to run the ball, they choose to run the ball. Shoutout to those guys… just really having that “one guy can’t bring me down” (mentality). We express that through the whole building. I just think like one guy can’t tackle me and that’s just the monster I have.”
On either side of the ball, Brooks and Taylor-Demerson have been mainstays for Tech. Brooks is one of the leading rushers in all of power five football, Taylor-Demerson has been a rock in the secondary for the Red Raiders.
The interception in the third quarter was not the only takeaway Taylor-Demerson would force, however. On the final offensive drive for TCU, the Red Raider defense was called upon again to make something happen to keep the Horned Frogs at bay. In Tech territory, Hoover dropped back to pass, connecting not with his own side, but with Taylor-Demerson to seal the game.
“I just had to do it again,” Taylor-Demerson said. “I wanted to end the game so bad. Coach McGuire came to the huddle and looked at me, and I was like ‘I got you, bro, you don’t even gotta say anything, I got you. I don’t know when it’s gonna come but I got you.’ It means a lot.”
The Red Raiders were coming off a bye week that was perhaps, perfectly timed. The time off allowed quarterback Behren Morton to get healthy, as well as spurring the return of linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. With the off week giving Tech a chance to regroup, the final result swung the way of the red and black.
“It really just showed the football and the display that we put on,” Brooks said in regard to what the team gained out of the bye week. “Going back to Wyoming we were straight healthy, now y’all see the big hits from defense and on offense, the willingness to do everything in a disciplined way. With Behren taking us in the right plays, we’re running, the offensive line is blocking hard, the receivers catching balls downfield and blocking as well. Really being that one-dimensional team and going off that.”
Playing on a Thursday will give the Red Raiders some time to rest up before going back to the drawing board ahead of a trip to take on Kansas.
“We expected this, I ain’t gonna lie to you,” Taylor-Demerson said. “It was good to win this, but at the end of the day, we expected to win this game, we expect to win every game. We go in every week preparing to win the game… this was much expected. It’s good to celebrate this so we’re gonna celebrate this and then tomorrow it’s over and you’re getting ready for Lawrence.”
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