Going to work

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- The only thing that rivaled Drew Lock's flurry of yards and touchdown passes on Thursday night were the letters that arrived in his mailbox earlier this week.

Those letters numbered about 200, and represent an ever-brightening future for the 2015 quarterback from Lee's Summit. The yardage and touchdowns numbered 341 and seven, respectively, and represented the deciding factor in a 77-55 home win over Kearney.

"That's not what I expected," Lock said about the high-scoring game. "I mean, I knew we could score points. I wasn't thinking 50-something in the first half. We kind of slowed down in the second half, but came up in the end."

In a season-opening win a week ago, Lock struggled with his accuracy, completing 11-of-24 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. His coach, Eric Thomas, said it's something he talked to his young quarterback about this week, telling Lock to be content to settle for check-downs and quick passes instead of going for the long-ball all the time.

Early on against the Bulldogs, Lock did just that. A short pass for five on the first offensive drive, after the Tigers scored on the opening drive. A short pass that turned into 26 a few plays later. Then, an easy 21-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open receiver after Kearney's defense came in to defend a shorter route.

"Sometimes I do try to force some things to make plays happen," Lock said. "But he focused on that a lot this week and got on my butt a little bit. But I started doing that and you saw what happened.

But it wasn't all quick-hits for Lock in Lee's Summit's spread offense. He had plenty of chances to show why he already has a few college offers and will get more. The ten-yard fade to the back corner of the endzone?

Touchdown.

The 66-yard catch-and-run to a wide-open receiver?

Touchdown.

A 49-yard heave to the endzone?

Touchdown.

There were throws that didn't end in six points, too. A fastball to a receiver on a post route gained 20. Stepping up in the pocket later, Lock hit a receiver in the hands on a deeper slant, which would have gone for a 92-yard touchdown if the receiver could hang on.

The one throw that showed Lock's potential, however, was his fifth touchdown pass of the night. Rolling to his left, Lock saw one-on-one coverage on his receiver deep down the left sideline. He threw across his body -- still running -- and lofted a pass to the front corner of the endzone,

Touchdown.

Those seven scores were a career high for Lock, who threw six in a game against Blue Springs a year ago. He had six at halftime on Thursday.

For the next eight days, however, the only things being delivered with Lock's name on it will be the mail, and after the deluge this week, only more letters from colleges are expected. That mailing blast earlier this week is still on Lock's mind.

"I was getting home from a boys' soccer game, and (his dad) said, 'Here, look at this,'" Lock said. "It was like a foot high. I was like, 'Gosh, what's going on?' I had ten from Auburn, some from Georgia the next day, and it's been going ever since."

Missouri -- the school where his father and grandfather played -- sent 100 letters by itself.

"We were wondering what the postman was thinking," Lock said.

Eventually, the shock will wear off, as recruiting dominates even more of Lock's life. He visited Missouri a week ago for the Tigers' win over Murray State. While no dates have been discussed, Lock and his father, Andy Lock, said Nebraska, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee and Indiana may receive unofficial visits this fall.

"Growing up, I always thought, 'Oh, it'd be cool to play at Missouri, or Texas, or Tennessee or Notre Dame,'" Lock said. "But now it's slapping me in the face. I've got to think about serious things, about how they fit me, how they're doing.

"It's a whole different picture."

All that took a break for a few hours on Thursday night, as Lock's deliveries turned into 77 points.

On Friday, it's the postman's turn to work.