Kirk Cousins wasn't the only NFL player hyping up student-athletes at the NCAA Final Four this weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Texas Tech alumnus Patrick Mahomes was in attendance for the Red Raiders' 61-51 victory over Cousins' Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night. But Mahomes' presence at U.S. Bank Stadium proved as important before the game tipped off.
Mahomes, who left Texas Tech for the draft just two years ago, reportedly gave the team a rousing speech during a film session on Saturday, one that stirred emotions among the players.
"It was great," redshirt senior Norense Odiase said after the win, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "He was excited. You could see his blood rushing, veins popping. He was turnt.Travis Kelce was there as well. It was a blessing to have those guys come."
"He came in our film session, and he said he's proud of us," sophomore guard Davide Moretti added. "We did something that nobody [at Texas Tech] has done before. He was cheering for us, and he said that we've got this because he knows how hard we play and how hard we've worked for it. He'll cheer his butt off for us."
The gist of Mahomes' speech was reportedly that Texas Tech would thrive as underdogs against blue-blood Michigan State, not that Mahomes has known much about being an underdog lately.
The Chiefs quarterback threw for 5,097 passing yards and a league-high 50 touchdowns in 2018 en route to MVP honors and an AFC Championship Game appearance.
Unlike K.C., however, the Texas Tech men's basketball team finds itself in the title game, its first in school history.