Published: October 06, 2008 11:33 am      

Former Leopards Teaming Up at Texas Tech

By DARIN ALLRED

Register Sports Editor

LUBBOCK – Maybe it’s the red and black uniforms or perhaps it’s all the winning and the success they are enjoying. But for Texas Tech University football players Darcel McBath and Clint Stoffels, 2008 is starting to look a lot like 2003.

Flash back to 2003 when both McBath and Stoffels were standouts for the Gainesville Leopards. Back then, McBath was a senior safety and wide receiver and Stoffels was a sophomore offensive and defensive lineman. The duo helped lead the Leopards to the Class 3A Division I State Championship that year.

At Gainesville High School in 2003, McBath was a three-year starter and elected team captain his senior year. Stoffels had caught the coaches’ attention as a freshman the year before and despite his size, continually made plays against bigger opponents. That season, the Leopards went 15-0 and were ranked in the Top 10 throughout the year.

Now fast-forward back to 2008. McBath is in his third year as a starter at safety for the Red Raiders and was elected team captain this season. Stoffels, who got the attention of coaches as a freshman and played in 11 games, is seeing action on the defensive line. And Texas Tech, who just happens to use red and black as their uniform colors, is ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.

The similarities haven’t been lost on both the players.

“Itís pretty funny because there are a lot of things like that,” said McBath. “We have a young defensive line like we did then, we have older guys in the secondary, we’re getting a lot of turnovers, we’re scoring on defense, our offense is clicking like it always does, so there are a lot of similarities.”

McBath redshirted his first year at Tech and only saw action in six games as a freshman after recovering from a preseason injury. For a young man who was on the field just about every play during his career at Gainesville, being on the sideline those first two years at Tech was difficult.

“It was pretty hard. I was struggling with that. It definitely wasn’t my favorite part so I vowed that I would be starting the next year and I accomplished that,” he said. “It was real tough. I used to not even want to come to the games knowing that I couldn’t play. Back then most of the teams in the Big 12 ran the ball so I wouldn’t get in much because I was only in on nickel and dime packages.”

Since those first two years in Lubbock, McBath has been hard to get off the field. He was named second team All-Big 12 as a sophomore and had 75 tackles and three interceptions. As a junior, he was honorable mention All-Big 12 and had 73 tackles and two interceptions. This season, he already has two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown against the University of Massachusetts.

For both players, it was a big adjustment from playing at Gainesville and facing Pilot Point, Whitesboro and Pottsboro to being at Texas Tech and taking on Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.

“The speed of the game is different,” Stoffels said. “Everyone is a lot better and a lot faster here more than anything. I needed to get my size up. I was a little undersized. That was my main thing along with my speed and technique. Just a little bit of everything. It was exciting though. Coming from small, little Gainesville to the big time was pretty cool.”

“Itís not like Gainesville,” McBath added. “Half the time there I didn’t even have to practice and I could still go out and perform really well. Here we have to bust our tail in the offseason and all year round.”

For Stoffels, who earned the nickname “Turbo” from teammates, the chance to play at Texas Tech was even more special since his grandfather, Ronnie Herr of Gainesville, was a three-year letterman at both cornerback and running back for Tech from 1953-56. In addition, Clint’s older sister Lauren was already a Tech student.

“My family gets really excited about Texas Tech football,” Stoffels said. “My grandparents come out quite a bit and my parents come to every home game and a lot of the away ones too. They love it. My mom really loves it.”

McBath, who is scheduled to graduate in December, was honored before the season started when his teammates elected him as a captain. There are 114 players in the Texas Tech football program and McBath was one of only four selected to be a captain. Captains at Texas Tech not only go out for the coin-toss, but they are team spokesmen at weekly press conferences and also leaders in the locker room.

“It means a lot because these fellas, we’re all like brothers now,” he said of being elected captain. “This is my fifth year so I feel like these guys can call me if they need anything. I’m glad they look up to me and I’m just proud of it. Those press conferences get old. They ask the same questions every week and I pretty much give them the same answers. It’s just part of it. I love leading these guys. It’s work but I don’t see it as a hard job.”

Both players have had to adjust to not being able to get back home to Cooke County much. Being a Division I football player is a year-round job.

“We only get a chance to go back on holidays,” Stoffels said. “I think the last time we went back was Fourth of July.”

“It’s hard, but after a year or two you kind of get used to it,” McBath added. “I’m used to my three trips home a year. Sometimes I get to go home for Christmas, sometimes not. Maybe Thanksgiving, maybe not. I know I’m going home for the Fourth of July and spring break. I’m used to it now. I call my Mom every day and as long as I can hear her voice it’s alright.”

McBath and Stoffels aren’t the only players on the Tech roster from small towns and they offer advice to athletes who are still in high school who want to play college football.

“Just work on playing hard every play and whatever position you play, just work on your technique,” McBath said. “Everyone is not going to make 1,000 plays, but just make plays when they come to you and do your job. That will help you get to the next level.”

“He has to work hard in the weight room and train,” Stoffels added. “It’s all about your training. You have to work hard and you really need to go to the camps they have. You have to have talent too.”

Despite not being able to come home often, both say they still follow the Gainesville Leopards and hope the team can turn around their fortunes and get back to the glory days earlier this decade when the team advanced to the State Championship game twice in three years.

“If Coach (Mike) Leach would give us Friday off, I would come and suit it up for y’all,” McBath joked. “Just stick at it and never give up. We believe in y’all.”