Championship weekend has come and gone in the NFL and the match for Super Bowl LVII is set. Next Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles for the championship. Not only is this a clash of two number one seeds, but two Red Raider football alumni will also have a chance to win it all.
Patrick Mahomes and Zech McPhearson will share the field in Glendale, Arizona next week with an opportunity to win a championship. Mahomes is playing in his third Super Bowl in four years, winning in 2019, while McPhearson is playing in his first with the Eagles. Though they never played together in Lubbock, they both have one thing in common: representing Texas Tech and the football program on the game’s biggest stage.
For Mahomes, the road back to the Super Bowl was met with a few bumps. The Chiefs had an up-and-down year in 2021, but managed to make their fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance. A hard-fought game only saw the Chiefs lose in overtime to the Cincinnati Bengals on a field goal after Mahomes threw an interception. Looking for redemption, Mahomes put together another MVP-caliber season in 2022 and guided his team back to the championship game against the same Bengals.
Despite being hampered by a sprained ankle he suffered in a divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes played the entire game and threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He was limited in his ability to fight his way out of trouble, but the game was the only time he displayed his game-making prowess. Facing a third down in field goal range with the game tied, Mahomes fought back and caught the first down while also being assisted by a penalty kick that allowed his team to make the game-winning field goal.
For all the Red Raider fans watching, it was just another example of how much desire Mahomes has. His toughness and game was shown several times at Jones AT&T Stadium when he had to make something out of nothing. Sunday’s AFC Championship Game was just another example on his resume.
Zech McPhearson saw limited action in the Eagles’ NFC Championship win against the San Francisco 49ers. He spent most of this season playing on special teams, but managed to make one tackle late in the game. After the victory, McPhearson took to social media to express how happy he felt to have the chance to play in the Super Bowl.
McPhearson spent the last two years of his college career as a Red Raider after transferring from Penn State. Although his stats weren’t off the charts, he developed a good reputation for always being around football. His last two years at Tech were enough to convince the Eagles to draft him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.
While both former Red Raiders have a contrast in notoriety, each has contributed well to the school’s football program. Coaches, faculty, Texas Tech alumni, and everyone who cheers for the Red Raiders always love to see their athletes succeed at the professional level, so Mahomes and McPhearson make this year’s Super Bowl even sweeter for Red Raider fans.
