FORMER KC RANGER NAMED BOWL MVP! | Holloway, Ford-Dement help Texas State beat Rice

Back in the day when they were running buddies at Kilgore College, linebacker Brian Holloway and defensive back Kaleb Ford-Dement were winning championships and bowl games and having fun.

And turns out, they’re still doing that, and they’re still running buddies – and they’re reunited at Texas State.

And it feels so good. (You knew that last line was coming, right? Look it up, kids. Here you go. Reunited || Lyrics || Peaches & Herb)

Now, I ask you: can a newspaper or TV news bring you a link to 70s hits? Only ETBlitz.com can do that.

Back to Holloway and Ford-Dement.

Those guys helped the Bobcats run over, around, and through Rice on Tuesday night in the ServPro First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, a Texas State defense that forced five turnovers – five interceptions, let’s be specific – in a 45-21 rout.

It was the first bowl win in Texas State program history, and got coach G.J. Kinne, the former Canton standout, a victory bath afterward.

Holloway returned not one but two interceptions for touchdowns in the game: one for 36 yards in the second quarter and then another in the third, this one for 48 yards. That last one pretty much ran quarterback A.J. Padgett from the game. Padgett was a substitute for regular starter T.J. Daniels, the oft-traveled transfer who had been to Georgia, Southern Cal, and West Virginia, as well. Daniels was injured in November and couldn’t play in the game.

And that all but rendered useless the Owls’ best player, receiver Luke McCaffrey, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Luke did have an early touchdown, but didn’t do much of anything after that: he was barely targeted at all. In fact, it appeared Rice was more interested in running the clock out. The Owls went down 38-21 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and the score remained the same until Texas State scored the final touchdown with just over two minutes left.

Jahmyl Jeter ran for three touchdowns for the Bobcats, who finished the season with an 8-5 record.

By the way, Ford-Dement also had one of those five interceptions. Ford-Dement finished the season with 21 solo tackles, seven passes defended and two picks.

Holloway finished his senior season with 56 solo tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, the two picks and three forced fumbles.

The two were teammates on the 2018 Kilgore College Rangers, helping them win the Southwest Junior College Football Conference Championship.

Holloway, then a freshman out of Clear Lake High, had 45 tackles, four for loss, 1 1/2 sacks, six fumble recoveries and an interception that season, before transferring to Southern Methodist, coincidentally where the First Responder Bowl was played Tuesday night.

Ford-Dement in that 2018 season had one heck of a year: 34 tackles, seven interceptions (two of them for touchdowns), and 10 pass break-ups. He’s originally from Whitehouse High.

Other former Rangers on the Bobcats’ roster include corner Matthew Gregg, linebacker Derek Mourning, and defensive end Victor Obi.

Texas State (and former Kilgore College) linebacker Brian Holloway (center, number 0) celebrates after returning an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of the ServPro First Responders Bowl in Dallas. Holloway had another pick-six in the second half and was named the game’s most valuable player!. Holloway and teammate Kaleb Ford-Dement were also teammates at KC. (Photo by LM OTERO / Courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)