Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, himself known for handling pressure well, affirmed as much after the game Saturday. Before trotting out to silence from some 69,000 Titans fans, McPherson gave a quick word of assurance to his team’s bench.
“That guy is unbelievable,” Burrow said to reporters. “He was talking to [backup quarterback] Brandon [Allen] as he was going out to kick, give[s] a little warm-up swing, and he said, ‘Looks like we’re going to the AFC championship.’”
Confidence has always been strong enough among the McPherson boys to push each other without the fear of being overshadowed. Logan motivated Evan to treat practices like they were games. Evan’s state record fell to Alex, who will play at Auburn next season. It was actually Alex’s second 61-yarder that night, but the first one was disallowed with a penalty that pushed the attempt back to 66 yards, which he missed.
Years ago when Logan, now a punter at Louisiana Tech, lost his school-record 57-yarder to Evan’s from 60 it meant the fulfillment of a goal not for Evan, but for his big brother.
“When he finished high school, Logan told Evan, ‘My job is to make you better than me,’” Amber said. “It’s just in their mentality. They’re soooo competitive, but they encourage each other to get better and better. When Alex broke the record, Evan went crazy, he was so proud.”
The McPherson brand of confidence will take the road to Kansas City this weekend, where the Bengals will be the underdog again. The stage will be big and lights bright, with Evan on the field and family making the trip from northeast Alabama.
A win is the goal and even expected, but if it doesn’t happen it’s not the end of the world. For as they all know, God is good.
This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.
