Chapter 53 52: Unstoppable
All the players on the Brown Bear Team's offense returned to their positions, ready for the next play. At the same time, the referees finished their measurement. As expected, they hadn't converted the down and were still a few inches short—less than a yard.
Third down and inches.
The Brown Bear Team's Offense Line was already set. Seeing this, the Badger Team players had to scramble into position. Lu Ke carefully sized up the opposition. They were sticking with a zone defense. 'Are they going to use the same scheme a second time, or will they choose a completely new tactic?'
Thoughts raced through Lu Ke's mind. He yelled out, "Eleven, eleven!" Turning to the other side, he repeated, "Eleven, eleven!" Once he was sure his teammates had the signal, he called for the snap.
After taking the snap, Lu Ke didn't drop back. Instead, he took three large steps to his left, then turned and threw the ball to a spot two yards diagonally ahead and six steps to his right. And... Marcus appeared right at that spot! Marcus, the running back, was being used as a receiver. The entire play was quick as lightning. The Badger Team's defenders had no time to launch their rush, and their formation fell into chaos as they had to turn and cover Marcus.
"The snap! A pass! A short pass!" Kirk's excited commentary rang out. "Marcus Lynch, Marcus makes the catch! Whoa, the Badger Team's cornerback completely misread that, judging the direction all wrong! Marcus cuts inside, and Logan switches over to block a tackler! Marcus gains some running room, jukes past one player! Two players! After dodging two straight tackles, he's still advancing! There's an opening! The Badger Team is caught completely flat-footed, a hole has been torn in their defense, and Marcus is still pushing forward! Three yards, five yards, eight yards... and No. 7 saves the day! The Badger Team's No. 7, Aaron Henry, a freshman this year!"
"Henry's tackle prevented a nightmare. Marcus was brought down after an eight-yard gain." Kirk's throat was terribly dry, but he didn't have time for a sip of water. "Let's take another look at that play. Lu Ke called an audible before the snap. Marcus lined up on the right, confusing the opposing cornerback, who shifted over to that side and revealed their zone defense scheme. Lu Ke opted for a simplified, or you could say modified, version of a screen pass. He drew the defense's attention to himself, then quickly got the pass off to the running back, letting the Tight End and right tackle lead the way!"
The so-called screen pass can be simply understood as the quarterback drawing all the heat, pulling the defenders toward him as if he were flying a kite. Just as the defenders swarm him, the quarterback throws a short pass over their heads to a teammate. With most of the defense preoccupied with the quarterback, the Offense Line can get out in front of the receiver and clear a path, allowing him to charge forward for more yardage.
The entire play just now was a simplified version of a screen pass.
Lu Ke drew the defense's focus, but since he wasn't fast enough on his feet, he didn't "kite" them very far. He merely shifted their balance, then immediately used the time window to complete the pass. This left-and-right feint threw the defenders off-kilter, buying Marcus precious time to break out and ultimately converting the down—
Not only easily getting the few inches they needed, but also breaking through for an eight-yard gain!
"Lu Ke has completely read the Badger Team's defensive scheme. Two clean passes have totally disrupted their deployment, and in one fell swoop, they've reached their own 28-yard line! It's only taken thirty-five seconds, including the time wasted on the first-down sack!" Kirk finished his commentary in a rapid-fire burst. For a radio announcer, reporting every single detail from the field is a must. Being a fast talker is a basic skill, but it had been a very long time since he'd felt this rush of not being able to keep up.
But today, Kirk felt it again. The Brown Bear Team was already starting their next play, giving the Badgers no time to breathe.
Lu Ke quickly dropped back, raised his right arm, and prepared to throw. The move left the Badger Team's Defense Team baffled. They were torn between panicking about another successful pass from Lu Ke and worrying that a failed rush would leave their deep coverage exposed. Amid their hesitation, only Watt charged forward, tearing through the Bear Team's defense like a Fierce Tiger descending a mountain. But a second later, Watt inwardly screamed, 'Oh no!' Because... Lu Ke passed the ball.
Wait, it wasn't a pass, it was a handoff. Lu Ke handed the football to Marcus! This wasn't a pass at all, it was a play-action run—a run!
In that split second, Watt tried to twist his body and go after Marcus, but he couldn't control his momentum. He slammed into Lu Ke, forced to watch helplessly as Marcus charged past on the right. The entire Badger Defense Team had been faked out. All the players were trying to cover their zones, leaving only the linebacker matched up against the running back to make the tackle. But the Brown Bear Team's Offense Line executed their blocks perfectly, knocking the charging linebacker aside and opening up a highway.
Marcus burst forward with unstoppable momentum, sprinting through the opening. However, after a gain of only seven yards, the defenders covering the short field closed in and tackled him to the ground, ending the incredibly successful run play.
The coaches on the sideline didn't hesitate, immediately calling a timeout.
During a passing play, the ball flies through the air and players are all sprinting, so it's a relatively short play. During a running play, the entire Offense Line pushes forward like a bulldozer to clear a path, and the running back looks for a gap to advance. This whole process is a head-on clash with the Defense Team and takes comparatively longer.
With so little time left, a running play was by no means a wise choice. But it was precisely this unexpected call that ripped open the Badger Team's defense again for a successful gain. Then the coaches immediately called a timeout. The coordination was seamless. The play consumed only eight seconds. Now, with one minute and seventeen seconds remaining, the Brown Bear Team was at their own thirty-six-yard line, closing in on midfield before anyone realized it!
But Lu Ke knew it was still too slow. At this pace, they would never be able to score a Touchdown. Still, Lu Ke didn't panic. Their success on three consecutive downs had advanced the ball, boosted morale, and disrupted their opponent's rhythm—killing three birds with one stone. It was all laying the groundwork for the offensive drive to come.
He led his teammates back onto the field, getting into formation on the thirty-six-yard line. Lu Ke carefully made the tactical arrangements.
During the forty-second timeout, Lu Ke needed to gather his thoughts and make new arrangements. "They're scared of us!" Lu Ke said, raising his voice. "They've been out of position on the last three plays. They can't stop us! What we need to do now is shatter their confidence! They didn't get this far on their defense, but we sure as hell got here on our offense!" Lu Ke clenched his fists tightly.
His gaze fell upon each of his teammates. Through their helmets, he could see their determined eyes, filled with confidence!
"Number ninety-nine, he's still a threat, but he's only one man in the end, so don't worry! My only prayer is that I don't get sacked! And I'm definitely not saying that because falling down and getting hit hurts so much, but because of the game clock. We don't have much time left." Lu Ke could still find it in him to crack a joke, drawing quiet chuckles from his teammates. "Nelson, Eddie, you two need any help?"
Two players were assigned to block one opponent. If they still needed help, it would be a complete disgrace.
Lu Ke was essentially employing a 'kill one thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of his own' strategy: completely neutralizing their number ninety-nine by allowing other defenders to rush him. It had worked for the last three downs, but it was like playing chess with the Grim Reaper. A single mistake would mean losing everything.
If Nelson and Eddie still couldn't stop number ninety-nine under these circumstances, they would truly be the ones to blame.
"No!" "Of course not!" "Get lost!" Nelson and Eddie replied, annoyed. Their expressions made their teammates laugh again.
"We need to speed things up again!" The moment the words left Lu Ke's mouth, everyone gasped. Logan was especially blunt. "You're insane!"
Lu Ke met his best friend's gaze. "What, can't you keep up?" That deflated Logan instantly. He rolled his eyes. "Who said I can't? Just bring it!"
"Alright then. For the next play, here's the plan!" Lu Ke already had the play drawn up in his head. They had to keep accelerating to throw the Badger Defense Team into further disarray. Seventy-seven seconds left. Sixty-four yards to go. Lu Ke kept repeating in his mind, 'Don't rush, don't rush. Rushing will only make things worse.' His mind was perfectly calm, but he couldn't keep his blood from pumping.
"God! Oh God!" Nate Chandler gripped the armrests, his body so tense he could barely breathe. There was so little time left, and they were still so far from the end zone. He felt like his heart had stopped beating.
"Nate, have a little faith, would you?" Jeff Locke, however, was ecstatic, roaring with passion. "We're winning! We're winning! Bambi is going to score a Touchdown, believe me!"
"Bambi! Bambi!" A guy diagonally in front of them suddenly shot to his feet, arms in the air, yelling with all his might. Jeff and Nate both turned to look. It was Danny Rice. He turned back to the crowd. "Brothers! Let's give our team some support! Quick! They need us! BAMBI!"
The cheering hadn't been gone for long before it started up again. A unified roar of encouragement spread through the whole stadium, the sound gradually building into a powerful tornado that howled and spun within the Rose Bowl. The synchronized shouts rained down like a torrent, shaking the world itself once more.