TU Football: Montgomery On Focus, Shamari Brooks Season Ending Injury

Friday’s loss to SMU not only ended the Golden Hurricane's bowl eligibility hopes, it ended the sterling freshman season of running back Shamari Brooks.

He suffered a broken collarbone early against the Mustangs, and Philip Montgomery said he's scheduled for surgery Friday.

"He’s a unique player,” said Montgomery. “He's a tough kid and he's a battler. I'm glad he's on our team."

It's just the latest hit in a season that feels increasingly snake bit for TU.

An act from Justin Hobbs drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and took a touchdown off the board, points that could have changed the game's outcome.

Montgomery simply said he didn't agree with the call.

"There's a lot of instances, in my opinion, this year, that we're that one thing, that one play away from this thing being a totally different season,” he said.

So, the focus now turns to pride, finishing strong and building momentum into next season. 

The bright spot of this year is many young players got early experience which is something to build on moving forward.

 "As guys continue to grow and get older, get more experience, that earlier experience pays off for them,” said Montgomery.

 Freshman offensive tackle Willie Wright said, "It's kind of like, doing it for the seniors. That's kind of how I look at it. We have a lot of guys that's been around this program for a while."

 Freshman lineman Cooper Edmiston added, "Playing for pride, too. I mean, you'd much rather be 5-7 than 2-10."