Let's make it clear: Coy Eakin called the Skyler Gill-Howard pick 6
Texas Tech put up another dominant performance against Kent State on Saturday with a 62-14 win over the Golden Flashes. The 1st and 2nd quarters were the best ones of the day for the Red Raiders, with the starters setting the tone for the rest of the game, leading 48-0 at halftime.
One of the most exciting plays of the game was when defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard got an interception and ran it back to complete the pick 6. Texas Tech’s AJ Holmes tipped the pass from Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields, and Gill-Howard was able to grab the tipped ball and take off towards the end zone with a big smile on his face.
The moment #0 got 6
Gill-Howard has expressed that he played some running back in middle school and high school, and that speed showed up today, running 55 yards for the touchdown.
“First career pick 6… unfortunately, (Quinten) Joyner’s out, so another #0 might have to step up to the plate. Y’all talk to coach Mack (Leftwich) about that,” Gill-Howard told the media on Saturday after the win against Kent State. “I have pretty good instincts, I like to say, but as I’m seeing it, just channeling the inner receiver in me, catching unbelievable balls… I don’t think I was moving that fast, but everyone told me I was… I’d probably say 22 miles per hour, but it was probably 18.”
Eakin speaking it into existence
Right before Gill-Howard got his moment of glory for the offense, quarterback Behren Morton and wide receiver Coy Eakin were sitting on the sideline talking about what they wanted to see next from their defense.
“It was kind of wild. Coy and I were actually sitting next to each other on the sideline, and I was like ‘we need a turnover,’ and Coy’s like ‘we need a pick six,'” Morton said. “And sure enough, you know, AJ made a great play, tipping the ball. Skyler heads up play for having his eyes up. As soon as he was running down the sideline, I was like, ‘he’s going, he’s going.’ It was awesome.”
“I made sure that everyone knew that I called it,” Eakin said. “I was like ‘I said that, I said that!'”
What big plays from this defense means for the offense
With big plays being made like that, it has made Morton and Eakin’s job on offense a lot easier when the defense goes out and does what they know how to do, and they get it done with a little bit of style and fun. That excitement on the field makes going and scoring on the other end even more enjoyable.
“It’s a game-changer to have that kind of defense. It’s not just the front, it’s the back end too,” Morton said. “If anyone gets past three yards, Cole (Wisniewski) is coming downhill and hitting them. They’re a really special group… they do their job, we do our job, everyone is happy.”
“You come off the bench and you only have a 50-yard field,” Eakin said. “You don’t have to worry about driving 90 yards, which, I mean, we can do that any day of the week, but it’s awesome coming off the bench and being like ‘okay, we got short yardage. Now we’re going to take a shot, because what’s a bad thing that could happen, we’re still on the 50-yard line.'”
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