STILLWATER — Madre Harper lined up for the first play of his college football career in Boone Pickens Stadium last fall on punt coverage against Southeastern Louisiana.
Moments later, he was in the end zone with the football.
Talk about a quick introduction. What are the odds a true freshman cornerback would score the opening touchdown of Oklahoma State's 2016 season the first time he touched the ball? If Mike Gundy were a betting man in Las Vegas, “You could have made some good money on that one,” he said.
But back in Arlington, Texas, a group of coaches and players from Lamar High School who watched Harper streak down the field, track the fumbling return man, and dive on the loose football atop orange turf, were hardly surprised.