Chapter 142 140: Killing the Suspense
That was the San Francisco 49ers' fourth passing touchdown of the game! The fourth!
If the first and second touchdowns could be reasonably explained away as "luck," or attributed to Logan Newman, then the third and fourth could not.
In the Shotgun Formation, Lu Ke's strengths and advantages were magnified to their absolute peak. His defensive reads, passing control, run-pass distribution, and on-field command... The entire tactical execution was not just sound, but sharp. His distribution of short, medium, and long passes was firing on all cylinders, leaving the defensive players unable to make accurate judgments and scrambling to keep up.
Of course, the solid pocket protection from the Offense Line was absolutely indispensable. But in the first half, the 49ers' offensive line protection was in shambles, yet it looked brand new in the second half—
Ultimately, the reason was the Shotgun Formation. It gave Lu Ke more room to pass, disrupted the Defense Team's rhythm, and inevitably weakened the force of the Defense Line's blitzes and rushes. Meanwhile, the secondary defense could never effectively contain the passing game. Thus, a vicious cycle was formed.
The core of it all was this rookie quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. His offense—so fluid and perfectly paced—was simply dumbfounding.
Four touchdowns. Four indisputable touchdowns. It was like a resounding slap across the face of every doubter—so loud, so stunning, so vicious that everyone was left momentarily dazed and speechless.
Standing on the sideline, Pete Carroll's thoughts were a tangled mess. 'What is happening? What in the world is happening?' But as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, he couldn't afford to lose his composure. He had to pull himself together, set aside Lu Ke's stunning performance for the moment, and focus on his own team's strategy.
But that was no easy task.
Turning his head, Pete saw a dumbfounded Carl. Furious, he lunged forward, grabbed Carl by the collar, and roared like a lion, "Snap out of it! Snap out of it! Damn it, what's wrong with our quarterback? Our quarterback has disappeared on the field! Do something! You're the goddamn quarterback coach!"
Carl, his face covered in spittle, remained completely stunned.
Troy Ball let out a series of amazed cheers, even jumping to his feet and yelling about how thrilling it was. Watching the replay again, he couldn't stop his exclamations, "Now *that's* a real passing offense! This rookie quarterback is showing the maturity and cunning of a ten-year veteran! Wow, just wow!"
Meanwhile, in the commentary booth, there was only bewilderment and astonishment, hesitant sighs and gasps of surprise.
"I have to say, the course of this game has been unexpected. The 49ers are dominating, and now the Sea Eagle Team is in a desperate situation."
"The 49ers' rookie quarterback has shown exceptional control. His savvy, intelligent passing choices have successfully suppressed the Sea Eagle Team's defense and broken the stalemate."
"Four touchdowns. Without a doubt, this rookie quarterback has proven he's no pushover. But the question is, how will the Sea Eagle Team respond? Travis Jackson and Marshawn Lynch certainly won't go down without a fight."
...
In their confusion, the commentators could only offer up sighs of amazement before skirting the main issue. They temporarily ignored Lu Ke's outstanding performance—that could wait until after the game, once they'd gathered their thoughts and processed their emotions. For now, they shifted the conversation back to the game itself:
What would the Seattle Seahawks do? There was still enough time left in the game, and a comeback was still possible. The key question was, what *should* the Seattle Seahawks do?
After the San Francisco 49ers' special teams kicked the extra point, the team took a commanding lead with a score of "28-10". Not much time was left for the Seattle Seahawks, but anything was possible. In the first game of his college career, Lu Ke had come back from a three-touchdown deficit to achieve an incredible reversal.
However, that comeback at least didn't happen in the third quarter. The score remained the same heading into the start of the fourth.
The Seattle Seahawks' drive, which started in the third quarter and carried over into the fourth, consumed a total of six minutes but still failed to produce any points. At the San Francisco 49ers' 46-yard line, the Sea Eagle Team chose to go for it on fourth down, but the play failed. And so, the San Francisco 49ers' offense took the field, starting their drive from the 46.
This time, the Sea Eagle Team's Defense Team finally seemed to wake from their stupor. The San Francisco 49ers postured as if they were going to run the ball—with a huge lead, they were determined to burn the clock, and running plays consume far more time than passing plays. Unfortunately, Marcus's three runs failed to break through, gaining only six yards, and the drive ended with a quick three-and-out.
The Seattle Seahawks, taking the field next, also failed to seize the opportunity. Not only did they go three-and-out, but Travis was sacked, pushing them back to their own 14-yard line. From this position, going for it on fourth down was pointless, and they were forced to punt.
Before the San Francisco 49ers' offense could take the field again, both teams' special teams had to come on for the punt: the Seattle Seahawks would punt, and the San Francisco 49ers would receive the kick and attempt a return. The spot of the return would be the starting position for their offense.
The so-called punt is actually a highly technical skill.
First, players from both sides form a line, similar to the standoff between the Offense Line and Defense Line. The line of scrimmage is set at the spot where the offense was just stopped. For example, since the Seattle Seahawks were just sacked and their drive halted at their own 14-yard line, the punt would take place from that 14-yard line.
After lining up, the punting team's center snaps the ball to the punter, who stands seven or eight yards back. After catching the ball, the punter kicks it away, much like a goalkeeper's goal kick in a soccer match.
A truly excellent punt requires specific considerations for height, position, and distance. It's not about kicking it as far as possible; it's about control.
The best punters can make precise adjustments based on their field position. For instance, they can land the ball inside the five-yard line in front of the End Zone, forcing the opposing offense to start their drive from an incredibly awkward spot. Conversely, a bad punter might kick with no finesse at all, allowing the opposing special teams to receive the ball, run it back, and score a return touchdown—which isn't a rare occurrence.
In a game of football, it's not just the offense that can score; the Defense Team and special teams can as well. After an interception, as long as a player's knee isn't down, the Defense Team can run the ball back for a return touchdown. Special teams can also score return touchdowns on punts or kickoffs.
People often overlook the scoring potential of special teams, but in reality, the difference between a bad special teams unit and an excellent one is precisely the kind of detail that marks a strong team.
In an official NFL game, each team has only a 53-man roster. The starters for the offense and Defense Team already account for twenty-two players, so the composition of the special teams is somewhat unique.
Each team's special teams unit has only three dedicated members: the holder, the kicker, and the punter. The kicker handles field goals, while the punter specializes in punts and kickoffs; their roles and skills are different. Beyond these, a team might occasionally have a dedicated Returner, usually a player with top-tier speed, though a Wide Receiver can sometimes fill in, so not every team rosters one.
Aside from these three dedicated members, the other eight players on special teams are drawn from the Offense Team and Defense Team. They could be backups or even starters, and the specific lineup for special teams can change slightly from play to play. In certain special plays, a backup quarterback might even come in as a holder or kicker to serve a specific purpose.
Much like a soccer team's bench depth, the special teams can reveal a team's reserve strength.
Today, the Seattle Seahawks were in complete disarray, and their special teams immediately made another mistake—
After the punter kicked the ball, number 43 for the 49ers' special teams, Colin Jones, broke through the opposing line. He shot his left hand high into the air and actually managed to bat down the rising football, altering its trajectory. Instead of soaring high, it deflected to the side, then touched a Sea Eagle Team player and was immediately ruled a dead ball.
The ball was dead at the 16-yard line.
This meant that the San Francisco 49ers' Offense Team would start their drive directly from the 16-yard line.
Colin Jones, a sixth-round pick from this year's draft, was a safety who hadn't won a starting spot. As a backup, he was currently playing on special teams. No one expected that on this special teams defensive play, he would make such a huge contribution and become a pivotal hero in turning the tide of the game!
The entire stadium erupted. Screams, shouts, and cheers echoed endlessly.
All the Seattle Seahawks players looked ashen-faced; this was practically a death sentence. There were ten minutes and thirty-three seconds left in the game, and the San Francisco 49ers would be starting their drive at the 16-yard line, just before the End Zone. Unless they could intercept Lu Ke, a field goal was a certainty. If it turned into a touchdown, the gap would widen even further, and very little time would be left for them.
Sure enough, faced with such a golden opportunity, Lu Ke, who had been on fire all night, didn't relax in the slightest.
After directing the Offense Line to get set, Lu Ke took the snap. He first faked a handoff to Logan, then pulled his arm back and faked another pass to Crabtree. Just as everyone thought it was yet another fake, the ball left his hand. It was a short, four-yard pass that, despite the dense coverage, landed accurately in Crabtree's arms.
Sherman finally made his first effective tackle of the night, wrapping up Crabtree securely and stopping his advance. But he still couldn't break up the pass. The San Francisco 49ers gained another four yards, now just twelve yards away from the End Zone.
Lu Ke signaled for everyone to calm down, not to let their emotions get the better of them and cause errors in execution. His eyes remained hungry and sharp as he reorganized the play and reset the offense.
On second down, the Offense Line held firm, blocking the defensive players. The Seattle Seahawks didn't seem to be blitzing, instead stacking the End Zone with heavy personnel in a dense zone defense. Nearly seven players were roaming the area, with at least three defenders near Logan, guarding him tightly.
Lu Ke calmly adjusted his footwork, taking in the entire situation in the End Zone. Then, with a nod of his chin, he signaled Marcus to move forward. As swift as a falling blade, the ball was released.
There was only a two-yard window, but Lu Ke hit it, and Marcus caught it. After smoothly securing the ball, he faced two Sea Eagle Team players who were closing in ferociously to shut him down. Marcus lowered his center of gravity, showcasing the style of a power running back. He charged forward with absolute force, literally smashing his way through the gap between them.
End Zone. Touchdown! The suspense was crushed. It all seemed so simple.