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He hadn’t even sat all the way down when the questions started.
“Drew, what does this loss do to Drayton’s national-title chances?”
“Do you believe Tariq Brackens outplayed you tonight?”
“Does this change the Heisman race?”
“Can you take us through your last scoring drive?”
Drew adjusted the microphone and waited for them to stop talking over each other. “We lost to a good football team. The season isn’t over, and neither is anything else. We’ll watch the film, fix what needs fixing, and get ready for next week.”
A reporter in the second row didn’t bother waiting to be called on. “But did Brackens outplay you?”
“Tariq played a great game. That last drive was as good as anything you’ll see all year.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“No.” Drew looked right at the reporter. “I’m giving him credit for a hell of a game. That doesn’t mean I think he’s better than me. His team won tonight. Mine didn’t.”
“You threw for more than three hundred yards and didn’t turn the ball over. Do you feel like you personally did enough to win?”
“If I’d done enough,” Drew said, “we would’ve won.”
Another reporter jumped in.
“You and Tariq appeared friendly at midfield. What did he say to you?”
“He said I played a hell of a game. I told him the same.”
“Are you two friends?”
“We’re good.”
“Does that make losing to him harder?”
Drew shook his head. “Losing makes losing hard.”
A few reporters smiled, but the next question came immediately. “Do you think Tariq moved ahead of you in the Heisman race tonight?”
He’d known that one was coming. “Tariq belongs in the conversation. So do I.”
“You still believe you deserve the trophy after tonight?”
“I know what kind of quarterback I am. One loss doesn’t change that.”
More questions followed—about the national championship, the draft, what Coach had said, and whether Drew expected to see Tariq in New York. The cameras wanted him looking crushed, and the reporters wanted him to say something stupid. Whichever one he gave them would be tomorrow’s headline.
One voice cut through the rest. “Does tonight prove Brackens is the better NFL prospect?”
Drew leaned toward the microphone.
“Next question.”
Jed shifted against the back wall but didn’t step in.
Chapter Sixteen
The house was dark when Drew got home.
