Chapter 24: 024 First to reach the end zone

Touchdown!

The entire stadium erupted into frenzy. They were not yet mentally prepared, yet the touchdown had already come, from the reserve team, and in such a way; it was the familiar recipe of the Crimson Tide Storm, an unexpected surprise catching everyone off guard.

The entire place was boiling over.

Li Wei stood still, a smile crawling over his lips, so this was the taste of scoring a touchdown, so sudden, so thrilling, he felt he might get addicted to it.

Why not score a few more?

"Li Wei, aaah!"

"Touchdown!"

One by one, the reserve offensive group members who had just walked shoulder to shoulder with Li Wei, helping clear the blocks, swarmed over, enveloping Li Wei in their midst.

Even Beteman was no exception.

Normally, a quarterback would patiently stand in the pocket and watch the chaos ahead, but he couldn't contain his excitement and followed the offensive line in the charge.

Li Wei looked at Beteman's face, so overjoyed he was speechless, and bumped him hard on the shoulder, "How about it, are you ready now?"

Beteman touched his helmet and laughed sheepishly, "Ready."

On the edge of the field, Burns couldn't hold back either, throwing his arms up in the air, and then clenching his fists, shouting, "Well done, well done, well done," in passionate celebration.

Turning around, Burns saw Saban with a smile but a hint of helplessness, "Burns, is this really okay? The kids are watching."

Burns curled his lip, "A little excitement is good. The Red Team's offense didn't come through, they need to learn from the White Team's spirit."

Saban took a deep look at the field, as Li Wei and Allen exchanged a gaze. Even without any special movement, the tension of strong forces clashing already filled the air, "Who do you think planned that last offensive play for the White Team?"

"Beteman, who else?" Burns said as if it were obvious.

Saban revealed a mysterious smile and shook his head lightly, "I think you might have really found a treasure, I'm beginning to look forward to it too."

Li Wei's talent was unquestionable; his explosiveness and agility were outstanding, laying the foundation necessary for a good running back. But from the perspective of this training camp, Li Wei's observation and decision-making abilities were the talents that determined his ceiling.

Although Li Wei was still learning and his understanding of tactics was somewhat naive, his observations and decisions regarding the overall layout were incredibly precise.

In that last bout of offense and defense, the Red Team's tight ground defense tactics were clearly seen through by the White Team. Not only did they not back down, but they also used a fake pass and a real run play, and exploited the chaos created by the offensive line to disrupt the Defensive group's arrangement, finally relying on Li Wei's individual ability to break through.

Even if Li Wei hadn't played well, the first attack would have been easily scored, but as it was, Li Wei was evidently very active and proactive, transforming the first attack into a seventy-five-yard rushing touchdown.

This practice game was getting interesting.

But the game had just begun—

Football games are divided into four quarters, each lasting fifteen minutes, with a half-time break between the two halves. Each half has three timeouts, each lasting twenty-five seconds.

Even though football's time management isn't as frenetic as basketball—where a gamble on the last second could yield countless possibilities—it's not far off. How to use timeouts effectively, how to use the rules to legitimately stop the clock for managing time, the last three to five seconds could also overturn a game. This is what tests a coach's capacity for on-the-spot adaptability and crisis management.

Today's practice game was no different; it would play out in full.

To Saban, the White Team had initiated with a surprise attack, catching the Red Team off guard; however, the Red Team was also well-prepared, especially with Allen leading the defensive group, sharpening their knives and united in purpose.

If the White Team relied solely on Li Wei, the effect of their surprise attack would soon be detected. Once or twice might work, but not a third time. After all, football is a team sport – victory requires the entire team's active participation.

Indeed, Saban was experienced and immediately saw the underlying patterns of the game.

Both sides had reached a deadlock—

"0:7".

Halfway through the fourth quarter, the only score remained the sensational long run by Li Wei at the beginning of the game, which not only earned six points for the touchdown but also added an extra point for the White Team, who were the substitutes. Then, both teams got stuck in the mire.

The White Team's defensive group performed extraordinarily well. Inspired by Li Wei's opening breakthrough, the substitute players were at 120% morale, which caused successive setbacks for the Red Team's offensive group. Under pressure, Hertz's performance was still frantic, showing his greenness.

It was hard to imagine that the Red Team had only crossed midfield once, and even their initial attacks were a mere four feeble attempts, facing complete suppression at the offensive end.

On the flip side, the Red Team's defensive group also upheld the Crimson Tide Storm's excellent tradition by applying full pressure on defense, causing significant difficulties for the White Team's offensive group.

Li Wei continued his impressive performance, but relying solely on him proved ineffective. Ultimately, the Achilles' heel was quarterback Beteman's lack of precision in clutch passing situations. Without the ability to open up the game through passing, they resorted to ground attacks again and again, only to metaphorically run into a wall—

Because the opponents knew that Beteman's passing couldn't break through, they correctly guessed a ground attack was likely. The defensive group's strategy then became much simpler, just needing to crowd the short-pass area and the front line.

A numbers game in football can be a decisive advantage.

Hertz performed mediocrely under pressure while Beteman fared even worse.

Li Wei... shouldering the team's offense alone meant he couldn't go far. After all, the opponents were the main team, and the main team's absolute strength eventually suppressed the substitutes.

Nevertheless, Li Wei still shone in this game, with a total ground advance of two hundred yards. Even after deducting the seventy-five yards from the first long run, he still easily broke past the one-hundred-yard mark, securing nine first downs for the White Team's offensive group with his exceptional performance.

Unfortunately, the standoff between the two teams continued—

At this point, one could see the shortcomings of NCAA football, where tactics are not as varied. Without the guidance of a coach, the players have too few options, which leads them to repeatedly hit the same wall.

And Li Wei?

Smart as he was, his study of football had been a mere three weeks, and much of his knowledge was still at a beginner's level, so he had no immediate solutions.

Then, amidst the standoff, Hertz finally brought out his talent, alternatively pushing on the ground himself and making consecutive short passes to open up the play. Somehow, he managed to cross midfield through a series of stumbles.

In the end, the White Team's defensive group narrowly intercepted Hertz near their own twenty-five-yard line, but the Red Team's Special Duty Group easily kicked a field goal, putting the main team on the scoreboard at last.

"3:7".

They had finally broken the deadlock.

The Red Team's morale soared with ample time left in the game. If Hertz could maintain his performance, they still had a chance.

Ah!

Hertz finally let out a roar, showing the fearlessness of a green cow, proving with his actions that there was a reason he could serve as the main quarterback.

The air was ablaze.

Li Wei immediately felt the shift in the atmosphere; although the main team had only scored a field goal, it shouldn't be forgotten that the substitute team's offense had also been hitting a wall. Now, with the main team's momentum rising, the dazzling red sea seemed to turn into their energy.

The crisis was subtly creeping in.

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