Tyson Bagent didn’t try to downplay what his first start meant to him — and those around him.
“Everything,” the Bears quarterback said Wednesday. “Everybody knows coming from where I come from, both the division I came from, kind of how I grew up with not a whole lot of football resources around me. It felt good to be able to just have hard work be rewarded.”
The most surreal moment for the undrafted rookie out of Div. II Shepherd University was when a friend told him Tuesday night that he was the first West Virginia born and bred player to start an NFL game.
“It’s definitely an honor,” he said. “And something that’s really crazy and wild to think about.”
The Bears will give Bagent his second consecutive start Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Chargers. He said this week feels no different than the last, when he beat the Raiders 30-12.
“I’m the same,” he said. “I have the same nerves every week since I’ve been playing football. Just usually I’m just nerved up throughout the week unless we’re in practice or unless, until we get to the pregame.”