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Tommy Stevens praises Garrett Shrader: ‘I think he will win a lot of football games here’
By Brian Stultz
Published:
After Tommy Stevens got injured in Mississippi State’s game against Kansas State in Week 3, true freshman Garrett Shrader came in and filled the role of quarterback. While that game ended in defeat, Shrader earned his first victory the next week against Kentucky, throwing for 180 yards while rushing for 125 more in a 28-13 victory.
With Stevens trying to get back to playing health, it would be easy for him, who won the starting job in fall camp, to sort of feel threatened by Shrader’s play the last couple of weeks. That doesn’t seem to be the case, as Stevens went out of his way to praise how his fellow signal-caller played in the win.
“I thought he played awesome,” Stevens said. “He really took it upon himself to prepare himself for the game just like I feel all the guys have every week. We really grinded and made sure we all knew the game plan and kind of giving each other I guess the helping hand. It’s been a really good thing for us.”
If Stevens isn’t healthy, Shrader will have a tough test this Saturday as the Bulldogs travel to Auburn to play the No. 7 Tigers and a tough defense. His teammate is certain that he can get the job done just like against Kentucky.
“Garrett stepped up to the plate and played really well,” Stevens said. “Obviously the stats show that but it’s not easy to do as a true freshman. That makes Garrett very unique. He has a very bright future as I’m sure you guys know and I think he will win a lot of football games here.”
Brian Stultz covers SEC football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. A graduate of Auburn University, he is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @brianjstultz.
