Friday, Saturday, Sunday in Texas Page 16

  This was just seven days after Randle flew over the top and scored and was told after that play, and then several times during the week in team meetings, not to stretch the ball over and expose it to defenders. The play was called on the field as a fumble, so when Randle went to the bench, he was met by a furious coaching staff, including his position coach, Gary Brown, who had already kicked over the metal benches.

  But since all turnovers are reviewed by instant replay, the officials went under the hood to check the play, and it was determined that Randle actually put the ball a few inches over the goal line before it was knocked out. The play was reversed, and the Cowboys were awarded a touchdown.

  Randle, who had been hearing it on the sidelines from several coaches during the three-minute review, stood up with his hands in the air after the touchdown was announced, and he expected to get some apologies from the staff and his teammates. It didn’t happen, which set him off even more. That’s when Randle fired back and had to be restrained by a couple of players on the sidelines.

  To Randle, he didn’t understand the problem. Sure, he wasn’t supposed to hold the ball out and fumble. But he scored. He didn’t fumble—so why all the fuss?

  The Cowboys actually benched Randle for the next two series, and it might have been for longer had another season-ending injury not occurred. Dunbar opted to return a kickoff eight yards deep from his inside and got his knee caught in the field turf under him as he was knocked backward. As the trainers rushed toward him, Dunbar could only lie there, knowing he had likely torn his ACL in his knee, which would end his season.

  That’s exactly what occurred for the fourth-year tailback, who was having a breakout season through four games.

  Injuries kept piling up throughout the game at the worst times. Sean Lee, who probably would’ve been a three-time Pro Bowler by now in his career if he could have stayed healthy, got banged up again, suffering a concussion near the goal line, and he didn’t return. Newly-acquired receiver Brice Butler, who was traded for to give the offense some speed, hauled in a 67-yard bomb from Weeden and was headed for a touchdown before he pulled up with a hamstring injury at the 10-yard line. The Cowboys didn’t get a touchdown out of the drive, and Butler would miss seven of the next eight games.

  Still, the Cowboys had a chance, trailing just 20–13 in the last four minutes. Weeden engineered a masterful drive that ended with a fourth-and-7 pass to Williams, who made good on his promise to come through in the clutch. Williams’ diving touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone tied the game with 1:56 to play.

  The Cowboys got a gift at the end of regulation; after Brees had carved up the defense and put the Saints in position to win, New Orleans kicker, Zack Hocker, clanged a 30-yard field goal off the left upright, sending the game into overtime.

  “It’s a new game, men,” Garrett shouted on the sidelines. “It’s a new game. Let’s go win it.”

  The problem was, the Cowboys didn’t win the coin toss. The Saints got the football first and on first down, backup linebacker Andrew Gachkar, who had been playing the entire second half with Lee out, had to limp off the field with a leg injury.

  Scrambling, the Cowboys rushed rookie Damien Wilson onto the field, where he was quickly asking his teammates where to line up and whom he needed to cover.

  Meanwhile, Brees saw all of this. He knew he hadn’t seen 57 (Wilson) in the game, so he motioned running back C.J. Spiller out to the flat and changed the play to a wheel route. Wilson looked back toward the defense when the ball was snapped and never had a chance. Spiller ran right by him, hauled in Brees’ perfect pass, and raced eighty yards to victory. It just so happened to be Brees’ four-hundredth career touchdown pass.

  Just like that, the Saints had won in what became the shortest regular-season overtime victory in NFL history, lasting just 13 seconds.

  Just two weeks earlier, the Cowboys had boarded a plane in Philadelphia, riding the wave of a 2–0 start, despite the injuries to two key offensive players. Still, there was never-ending support as the fans, and even media pundits, thought this could be the early making of a dream season.

  Now, they hopped on the American Airlines charters with a 2–2 record, and even more injuries added to the mix. And now, it wasn’t just the media bagging on the Cowboys, but their own state representatives.

  Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to Twitter immediately following the game, posting:

  “*#%>! @Cowboys defense. More porous than the Texas border.”

  Uncalled-for shots by political figures or not, the Cowboys boarded the plane at 11:55 p.m. When they landed around 1:45 a.m., it officially was the start of Week 5 in the NFL. And with that, defensive help was about to be on the way.

  Of course, they were going to need all the help they could get, because the defending champions and their future Hall of Fame quarterback were about to be on the way, too.

  Chapter 7

  MISMATCHED

  Friday

  Senior quarterback Matt Keys woke up Saturday morning just hoping that the night before was a bad dream. Losing to rival Plano West in the final seconds despite being down inside the 5-yard line with a chance to tie the game was bad enough. But now he had an injured right hand that could be broken.

  When he went to bed, the frustrated and heartbroken eighteen-year-old wanted it all to be over. But by the next day, the ultracompetitive, always-smiling senior was back to his usual self. He knew he needed to see the Plano training staff about his hand, but it was starting to feel much better, and he was happy about that.

  “When I got up Saturday, I was ready to get into it again,” Keys said. “The trainers told me the swelling had gone down, and it was going to be okay. I was relieved. I wanted to finish this season strong. We knew we still had a chance to get into the playoffs, but we had to win.”

  The Wildcats’ rivalry with the Plano East Panthers might not be as intense for the current players, who live closer to and have more crossover with their West peers, but to the alumni and older fan base, the East game is always THE game.

  As many as 15,000 fans would pack John Clark Field when the two high schools started their rivalry, one that surprisingly got rather competitive in a hurry. After Plano won the first three meetings from 1982 to 1984, the 1985 Plano East squad finally beat the Wildcats for the first time. One of the Panthers’ varsity players then was Joey McCullough, now the head coach of Plano East and the younger brother of the current Plano coach, Jaydon McCullough.

  Joey was also an assistant on the 1994 Panthers squad, the same year Jaydon was in his first season on the Wildcats’ staff. While Plano East won the game, 28–7, both teams would remember that season for much different reasons.

  Plano East went on to play in one of the most famous high school games in sports history. Trailing by 24 with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter of a playoff game at Texas Stadium against John Tyler High School, the Panthers made an epic comeback, using three successful onside kicks to eventually grab a 44–41 lead with twenty-four seconds left. However, on the ensuing kickoff, John Tyler returned the ball ninety-seven yards for a touchdown, spoiling what could’ve been the greatest comeback in high school football history. John Tyler would go on to win the Class 5A Division II state title.

  Meanwhile, the Wildcats cruised through the playoffs in the 5A Division I bracket and claimed their seventh state championship in that same 1994 season.

  Plano East would later win eight consecutive games in the rivalry (1997–2004), but the Wildcats had since turned the tide, winning three straight after a 34–6 victory in 2014, the first “McCullough Bowl” in the rivalry.

  Always trying to deflect attention away from himself or his family, Jaydon winces when he hears the “McCullough Bowl” reference.

  “We really try not to make it about us,” Jaydon said. “He’s my brother, but it’s not me against him. Plano versus
Plano East is much bigger than that. I always support him and he supports me. We really never try to make it personal between us. It’s really about the kids.”

  During the week, Jaydon said he didn’t have much contact “at all” with his younger brother, whom he had always called his best friend. Head coaches typically don’t chat throughout the week, and this was no exception.

  Jaydon knew his younger brother had one of his better teams in a while. The Plano assistants, especially the defensive ones, couldn’t believe the talent the Panthers had on offense.

  “When you look at their skill guys,” defensive backs coach, Chris Fisher, said, “they’re just as good, if not better, than Allen. They’ve got two really big playmaking receivers and a quarterback who is probably as good as we’ve faced all year. They’ve got a lot of guys to worry about.”

  Plano’s offense had a few things to worry about as well. Keys’ right hand was sore all week, but by game time, he was gripping the ball well enough to function. He knew, though, that if he took a few hits to his hand, it could become a problem.

  What he didn’t know was that the first such hit would come from his own player. On Plano’s opening possession, the Wildcats had a third-and-5 and called for a run to Brandon Stephens. Nate Browne, a sophomore just called up, was in the game at fullback and making his varsity debut. But as Keys turned to hand the ball off, he collided with Browne, who took the wrong angle for his block. The ball fumbled to the ground, and while the Wildcats were able to recover, they wasted a chance for a first down. Keys also took an unnecessary shot to his hand, perhaps signaling what kind of night this would be.

  Thanks to two long punt returns by the Panthers, Plano East had built a 17–0 lead by halftime. The Wildcats once again couldn’t get Stephens going as the offensive line struggled to create space. Meanwhile, Keys had little time to throw, getting hit early and often, spending what seemed like most of the first half on his back.

  At the break, Jaydon McCullough is usually the last one up the tunnel because of the quick radio interview he does with a sideline reporter. But as he was hustling up the ramp, he caught up to a few slow-moving players who had their heads down as if there weren’t two more quarters to play.

  “Let’s go hustle in,” McCullough said briskly. “Get your heads up. We’re not out of this game.”

  The Plano coach carried the same message into the locker room.

  “Men, we’ve come back from leads like this before,” McCullough said. “And we’ve had leads like this and seen other teams come back on us. We have to play twenty-four more minutes and fight to the end. That’s all we can do. I know we haven’t played our best. We are better than that. Let’s go show everyone what type of team we can be.”

  All of a sudden, McCullough had the visitor’s locker room fired up again. Once every season, Plano finds itself as the visiting team at John Clark Field, something that never seems to sit right with the players and coaches.

  “It’s just weird being over there,” Keys said. “It’s like a totally different stadium when you’re in the other locker room.”

  As the Wildcats came down the tunnel, Stephens ran past a familiar face in Stanford running backs coach Lance Taylor, who was one of the Plano running back’s key recruiters. While Stephens had already committed to the Cardinal earlier in the season, Taylor was on hand to get a closer look at what he believed to be a future member of the squad.

  The Wildcats got the ball in the second half and engineered their best offensive drive of the game: a 13-play jaunt that was highlighted by a fourth-down conversion by Keys. Down by the goal line, Stephens appeared to have turned the corner for a touchdown, but was jolted by Plano East linebacker Anthony Hines, who sent the running back flying nearly four yards out of bounds. Not only that, the vicious shot pressed Stephens’ helmet into his right ear, causing a huge gash down the side of his face. While Stephens was getting looked at by Plano head trainer, Chris Reynolds, McCullough immediately thought the running back had broken one of his team rules.

  “Are you wearing an earring?” he asked, figuring that’s what caused the cut.

  Both Stephens and Reynolds assured him that wasn’t the case, although in reality, McCullough’s main concern was when his best running back would be able to return to the field. So concerned that his offense couldn’t punch it in without its star ball carrier, the head coach took off down the sideline, trying to get the attention of the side judge, who was standing at the 1-yard line.

  But just before McCullough could get a timeout, Keys snapped the ball, calling his own number. And sure enough, standing in his way was Hines. But this time, Plano got the best of the matchup, as Keys wouldn’t be denied the goal line, capping off the drive with the Wildcats’ first touchdown of the night.

  “I couldn’t believe I won that battle,” Keys said of Hines, a junior with hundreds of Division-I scholarship offers. “I just knew we had to score, and I wasn’t going to be stopped.”

  For a moment, it appeared the Wildcats had a shot to rally. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as the Panthers broke loose for two long fourth-quarter touchdown runs to pull away, cruising in the second half to a 32–15 win.

  As he walked off the field, Keys knew he had to be the vocal leader for his teammates. But inside, he was anything but confident.

  “What started out so great, winning games and getting all kinds of attention, turned out to be not very fun,” Keys said. “I was taking a physical beating. People were starting to question me as a quarterback. I just wasn’t having any fun.”

  But it wasn’t like others around him were partying it up, either. McCullough had just lost two city games in consecutive weeks, including a 17-point defeat at the hands of his younger brother. Afterward, he once again refused to acknowledge the family ties.

  “It’s about us and Plano East, and they were the better team tonight,” McCullough said just before getting on one of the waiting buses that would take the team back to the school. “They are well coached, and they have great players. I give them a lot of credit. They’ve got a good team. There are a lot of good teams in this district.”

  But now, with a 1–4 record and only three games left to play, McCullough had to wonder if his team was considered one of them.

  Saturday

  Baylor football fans were used to these types of games. Only twenty years ago, and for more than a decade after that, the shoe was on the other foot.

  When the Bears joined the Big 12 conference in 1996, they were instantly the punching bag of the league, taking everyone’s best haymakers without delivering any return shot of their own.

  These current players weren’t around for the gloomy Baylor days that saw them win only eleven conference games in their first twelve seasons in the Big 12. But the fans still remembered the feeling of entering a game expected to lose by as much as fifty points.

  Now, Baylor was on the other side, heading into their matchup with Kansas.

  As a father of three, Art Briles knows better than to say he has favorites. The same goes for his players and his coaching staff as well.

  Now, considering his own son, Kendal, has been on staff with him at Baylor since 2008, you’d like to think he takes the top spot. And his running backs coach, Jeff Lebby, is now his son-in-law and someone he’s known since birth after he coached with his dad, Mike, back in Sweetwater, Texas.

  But family members aside, there’s no way Baylor strength coach Kaz Kazadi would be too far down any list for Briles, who has tried to instill hard work, dedication, energy, and toughness into all of his football teams.

  No one has been able to epitomize Briles’ message at Baylor better than Kazadi, who might be the most intimidating person walking around the campus these days. Now, those who know him say he’s got a softer side with a big smile and a bigger heart; but make no mistake, when it’s time to get to work, no one can be m
ore demanding on the players than Kazadi. Just his scowl alone can be menacing, although he enhances that with a rock-solid physique that once helped him play five seasons of pro football, including a short time with the San Francisco 49ers, with stops in both the Canadian Football League and NFL Europe.

  Kazadi’s true calling, though, has been in athletic performance training, which began with a two-year stint working for the Kansas City Chiefs and then the University of South Florida before becoming one of Briles’ first full-time hires in 2007, when he became the Bears’ head coach. At the time, Kazadi was one of just four full-time strength coaches at Baylor, overseeing all sports. Now, with his help and a greater emphasis being placed on conditioning, Kazadi runs a department with nine full-time strength coaches and six more student assistants.

  While Kazadi does work with other sports on occasion, his first priority is the football team, and his job goes far beyond making sure they’re in good shape physically. The mental advantage he brings is something that is hard to duplicate.

  On the sidelines, his look is quite intimidating. Built like a chiseled rock, the bald-headed Kazadi matches that menacing appearance with a piercing glare that could seemingly burn a hole inside the weak-minded.

  Kazadi has obviously never taken a snap for the Bears, but his hard-nosed intensity has undoubtedly given the football team an edge. If nothing else, he’s slowly helped change the image Baylor had as being a Baptist-school pushover that couldn’t compete with the big boys in the Big 12.

  Of course, none of Kazadi’s in-your-face antics would garner any attention if the Bears hadn’t improved on the field as well. But Briles doesn’t just think it all goes hand-in-hand. He knows it.

  “When I first met Kaz, I knew he was the right person for this job because we shared the same goals and the same approach,” Briles said. “He’s tough, he’s creative, and he knows how to train people both mentally and physically. We want our kids to be tough on the field, but also tough-minded.”