Titus Colquitt wasn't even dressed when the Little Rock Christian football team took the field for warm-ups before their game against Maumelle last Friday.
In street clothes, Colquitt watched the Warriors from the sideline as they prepared for their first conference game of the season. The expectation was that the senior defensive lineman wouldn't play, as his father, Eddie Colquitt, died just two days earlier.
"I told him there is no right or wrong," LR Christian Coach Eric Cohu said. "Some guys want to play for their deceased, in this case, father. Some guys need to mourn and just don't have the energy and ability at that point."
However, Colquitt disappeared from the sidelines pregame, and about a half hour before kickoff, Cohu walked back into the Warriors' locker room to see the senior grabbing his shoulder harness and begin to get dressed.
After missing the first series to warm up, Colquitt played the rest of the game, tallying 11 tackles, 7 quarterback hurries, 6 tackles for loss and a sack for the Warriors in their 16-10 victory against the Hornets.
"It was hard, going out there and playing, but I did it," Colquitt said. "I had fun doing it, too, and knowing that I was doing it for him made me feel a lot better."
The Colquitts are rooted in football. Titus' brother, Tyler, played high school football at Pulaski Academy and then briefly at Arkansas. Eddie played as well, first collegiately at Middle Tennessee State before trying out for the NFL. An injury he suffered during tryouts ended his career.
"We did everything together," Titus said. "If I wasn't at school or doing something else, I was with him, until the point where he couldn't do anything anymore."
Eddie was at every game, according to Titus, and most every practice until his junior year of high school. The two would always talk after games, something Titus said he'll miss most.
"Even when I was doing bad, he would point out the bad but also point out the good," Titus said.
Eddie's health took a turn in 2013 when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. Even with the diagnosis, it didn't change the bond he and Titus had or the amount of time they spent together.
Eddie continued to go to practices and games, and it wasn't until this year that he missed his first game. Still, he was able to watch over a livestream, and he and Titus still had their talks. Eddie even began calling Cohu about once a week this season to talk about his son.
"He always was [Titus'] biggest fan," Cohu said.
Titus was a help to his father, too -- whether that was helping with his dialysis treatments or driving him to doctor's appointments.
"Whatever dad needed, he was right there," Rhonda Colquitt, Titus' mother and Eddie's wife, said.
So, the day of Titus' first game without his father was difficult.
Titus didn't eat much nor did he drink a lot of water. His mind was back-and-forth all day, as to whether or not to play. But around the time LR Christian was wrapping up warm-ups, he knew where he stood.
"Something just kept telling me, 'Just go out there and play for him," Colquitt said.
And not only did Colquitt play, he was a key part of a defense that proved critical in the Warriors' first conference win of the season.
The lineman's backfield disruption was part of a unit that held Maumelle to 4 of 13 on third downs and 2 of 9 on fourth downs. Titus also had one of the more notable plays of the game, recording one of his 6 tackles for loss to force the Hornets into third and 11 on their penultimate drive, which ended in a turnover on downs.
"He's an emotional leader," Cohu said. Him making those plays kind of inspired the whole team, because here's a guy that just lost his father, is emotionally distraught and comes out and just has this phenomenal game."