Chapter 56 55: First Championship
The entire stadium erupted, the crowd going absolutely wild! Their triumphant roars had turned completely hoarse. Everyone was jumping, everyone was shouting, everyone was going insane. The tsunami of cheers devoured all other sound, leaving nothing but a surging wave of screams.
Kirk roared into his microphone, but even at the top of his lungs, his voice was lost in the din. So, he aimed the mic at the Rose Bowl before him, and the earth-shattering sound of the crowd was broadcast over the airwaves, shaking every listener tuned in to the game. And then—
The entire state of California erupted!
Lu Ke didn't even have a chance to celebrate before he was tackled to the ground by his teammates. He had just managed to get back up when Logan came crashing into him like a runaway train. Before he could even plant his feet, Lu Ke was down again.
"You lunatic! You absolute lunatic! Madman!" Logan clutched Lu Ke's helmet, planted a firm kiss on it, and kept screaming with a huge grin on his face. "Jesus Christ! We did it! We really did it!"
Before Lu Ke could respond, more teammates swarmed over, pulling both Logan and Lu Ke to their feet and hustling them toward the sideline—because the game wasn't over. After the touchdown, the score was tied 20-20. But the Bruins still had an extra point to attempt. If they made the kick, the Bruins would clinch the game. But if they missed... they'd go to overtime to decide a winner.
The extra point. The ball was on the twenty-five-yard line, making it a thirty-five-yard attempt. For a kicker, this was about as easy as a field goal could get. In practice, they'd make a hundred out of a hundred. But just like a penalty kick in soccer, even the easiest attempts could be missed. Moreover, during an extra point, both teams' special teams units were on the field, locked in a battle. Defensive players could break through the offensive line to block the kick, obstruct the kicker's line of sight, or cut off the kicking angle—all of which were legal plays.
In other words, the extra point was indeed simple—in some ways, simpler than a penalty kick. But it was also incredibly difficult. Especially in a crucial moment, any kind of accident was possible.
This was the greatest charm of football. It wasn't just a chess match between the offense and the defense, but also one involving the special teams. Every unit had the ability to decide the game, to sway its outcome. This was a true team sport, where a member from any unit could become the game's hero!
The Bruins' offense came off the field as the special teams unit trotted on, lining up on the Badgers' twenty-five-yard line to prepare for the extra point.
There were eighteen seconds left on the clock. The game's outcome was no longer in the Badgers' hands. All they could do was give everything they had to block this extra point and force overtime, their only lifeline. For the Bruins, now in control, all they needed to do was be careful—extra careful—and make this kick!
One second, the entire Rose Bowl was like an erupting volcano; the next, it fell dead silent. You couldn't even hear a breath, as if no one was there at all. All eyes were fixed on the special teams players on the field.
Whistle. Snap. Kick. It's good.
There were no surprises, no mistakes. The Bruins' special teams unit remained laser-focused and calmly converted the extra point. For the second time in the game, they retook the lead, 21-20. And yet, there were still eighteen seconds on the clock.
This meant the Badgers had eighteen seconds to stage a comeback, and the Bruins had eighteen seconds to defend their lead. The game was not over. So, the special teams units for both sides took the field again. The Bruins kicked off, and the Badgers received. The Bruins' kicker sent the ball high, deep, and with plenty of hangtime, burning three full seconds off the clock. The Badgers wisely chose not to return it—a return would waste too much precious time. After the catch, the player immediately took a knee, establishing that they would start their offense from their own fifteen-yard line.
Fifteen seconds on the clock.
The Badgers' offense had no other choice. With fifteen seconds and two timeouts, their options were severely limited. They came out spread wide, preparing for a Hail Mary pass. This was an easy read for the Bruins' Defense Team. They rushed only two men at the Offense Line, dropping everyone else back into deep coverage, forming an airtight net.
The problem was, Scott was not a quarterback with a cannon for an arm. He lingered in the pocket for a long time, hesitating, before finally managing to get the pass off. But the moment the ball left his hand, his intention was read. The receivers swarmed to the spot, and so did the defenders. In the chaos, the pass sailed wide and out of bounds.
The play took a full seven seconds, which was unbelievable for a long pass attempt. The only good thing was that an incomplete pass automatically stops the clock, preserving the remaining eight seconds of game time. This meant they still had a sliver of hope.
On the next play, second down, Scott attempted to pass again. He held the ball for just a moment too long and was sacked by a Bruins player who shot in like lightning, nearly causing a fumble. The entire play took only three seconds. Five seconds remained.
Third down. Scott scrambled out of the pocket with the ball himself, rushing forward, then tried to wind up for a long pass. But all his deep targets were tightly covered. Helpless, he had no choice but to force a throw toward the End Zone. Unfortunately, the ball barely made it past midfield before falling harmlessly to the ground.
Game over!
Lu Ke stood on the sideline, his burning gaze fixed on every move on the field. As a member of the offense, they had already done their job. The mission of closing out the game now rested on the shoulders of their teammates on the Defense Team. This was part of football, but being in the thick of it, Lu Ke felt a heart-stopping tension, even more intense than when he was competing on the field himself.
It wasn't until the final whistle blew that his tightly constricted heart felt like it exploded. Lu Ke shot both hands into the air, fists clenched, like a triumphant War God returning from battle. 'Victory! We won! The Bruins won! After twenty-five years, the Rose Bowl is back in the hands of UCLA!'
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! The force of his heart pounding against his ribs was so strong, so fierce, so heavy, his chest felt like it was about to burst. It even ached with a dull pain, yet it felt so real. So real that it made him want to roar, to unleash all the adrenaline coursing through his veins in one satisfying explosion!
'I did it! From the practice squad to the backup, from the sidelines to the field, I carved out a place for myself one step at a time. I seized this victory with my own two hands. I finally did it!'
"AHHH!" Lu Ke finally couldn't hold it in anymore, letting out a primal scream. The emotions suppressed in his chest for so long were finally unleashed, completely unbridled and unrestrained! 'This is my moment. And this is my beginning. Right now, the Rose Bowl is my stage!'
"Bambi!" Amidst the chaotic screams and roars, someone shouted his name. Before Lu Ke could even turn his head, a crowd of people surged from behind and lifted him high into the air. This caught Lu Ke off guard; the weightlessness made his arms flail as he tried to grab onto something for support. But in the next second, more and more people crowded around. Four people hoisted him up, and not only that, more and more hands reached out, lifting him higher and higher.
Looking down, Lu Ke could see the familiar faces of his teammates, the teammates who had fought alongside him. Although their time together on the field had been limited—just one quarter plus two minutes—in those two shared battles, they had tasted victory twice!
'This victory belongs to me, and it belongs to them.'
Lifting his head, Lu Ke felt as if he were even closer to the brilliant night sky, close enough to reach out and touch it. 'This is my first championship!'
Jeff Locke was jumping and screaming wildly, not caring in the slightest as spit flew from his mouth. After so many years of suppression, so many years of gloom, today, they had finally brought the Rose Bowl home again! Then Jeff saw his heroes, gathered in a tight huddle, hoisting Lu Ke high onto their shoulders. Jeff could no longer contain his excitement and exhilaration. "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
This time, it didn't take much effort at all. First Nate, then Danny, everyone joined Jeff's chant, raising their right hands and cheering. After a whole game of shouting encouragement, everyone's voice was too hoarse to speak, but at this moment, nobody cared. They just roared at the top of their lungs, "Bambi!"
All those eyes were filled with fanaticism. That was their hero! The shouts grew, one wave cresting over the last. Just when people thought the volume had reached its peak, the next cry shattered their expectations and erupted once more. Eager calls, excited shouts, and boiling roars all merged, creating a potent chemical reaction. The air itself seemed about to ignite, and the entire night sky above the Rose Bowl began to burn brightly, as if it were day.
"Listeners, dear listeners…" Kirk had to push his voice to its absolute limit, practically shrieking at a dolphin-like frequency. "The University of California, Los Angeles Bruins have won the Rose Bowl for the first time in twenty-five years! With their backs against the wall in the final two minutes, substitute quarterback Lu Ke led the offense on a fluid and relentless drive—ninety-nine seconds, six plays, eighty yards—to deliver the final blow and complete the comeback! What's even more incredible is that this marks the first appearance of a player of Chinese Descent in Rose Bowl history—and a Chinese-American quarterback at that! No matter how you look at it, this game will go down in the history books! We are truly fortunate to have witnessed history in the making! This is a sleepless night! A sleepless night of celebration for the Bruins!"
Kirk's shouts were broadcast over the radio, and the entire state of California became a sea of celebration. The uproar and frenzy in the Los Angeles area were even more intense than the Fourth of July!