Two days before Erik McCoy made the first start of his college career, he was headed home to Lufkin to say goodbye.
He arrived less than 48 hours before Texas A&M's 2016 season opener for the funeral of his paternal grandfather, James Henry McCoy. Just earlier that week, Erik had pulled tickets for James to sit with his family for the Aggies' at UCLA.
By kickoff, Erik couldn't bring himself to look into the stands at Kyle Field because of who wasn't there.
"I had to go from mourning to preparing myself -- mentally, physically and emotionally -- to playing a game," he said.