章 118: Dramatic Turn of Events
"41-38." Beep! Beep! Beep!
The game was over, and the visiting Kentucky Wildcats clinched a last-second field goal to defeat their longtime rivals, the Louisville Cardinals, taking home the victory.
The game was a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs, but in the end, Louisville suffered their second consecutive heartbreaking loss, both in the final moments.
"Ah! Ahhhh!"
The Kentucky Wildcats players went wild—completely wild—shouting, jumping, and roaring in celebration without restraint.
Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson's knees buckled as he dropped to the ground.
What just happened?
How did they lose? Not only had they lost two consecutive games, but they'd also fallen to unranked teams two weeks in a row. His mind was blank, a dull buzzing filling his head, and his thoughts stretched thin, with countless questions swirling around.
After the game, the statistics comparison was clear—
Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson completed 16 of 27 passes for 338 yards, throwing three touchdown passes with one interception.
Louisville's Lamar Jackson, on the other hand, completed 16 of 25 passes for 281 yards and ran the ball 25 times for 171 yards, scoring two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns but also throwing three interceptions.
The answer was obvious.
Jackson was both their hero and their downfall.
Throughout the game, Jackson tried to prove himself, going full throttle with both his passing and running game—attempting 25 passes and 25 runs. However, his passing yards fell short compared to the lesser-known Johnson, mainly due to his inaccurate long throws.
Reckless decisions and poor passing mechanics led to three interceptions, turning over the ball and undoing all of Louisville's efforts.
Yet no one could blame Jackson.
This was just the way Louisville played—victory or defeat always rested squarely on his shoulders.
One stat was particularly telling: Jackson led his team in both passing and rushing yards, while not a single wide receiver, tight end, or running back on the Cardinals managed to break 100 yards.
At the start of the season, this strategy worked, and Jackson basked in the spotlight, receiving all the praise.
But as the season wore on, this same strategy hit a wall, and now Jackson alone was left to bear all the pressure and criticism.
So, was it all Lance's fault?
Jackson was baffled. How had his brilliant season been thrown off course by a running back? This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
After Louisville's shocking loss to Kentucky, the NCAA landscape shifted dramatically.
First, the Heisman Trophy odds saw a shakeup for the second consecutive week.
Lance rose to the top, continuing his season-long upward momentum. This was the first time all season that Lance was leading the Heisman race. Jackson fell to second place, and Watson held steady in third.
Though Louisville had lost, Jackson's dual-threat performance—passing and rushing—hadn't gone unnoticed. Many analysts still believed Jackson's play was better than Watson's, which is why Watson hadn't overtaken him, even after Clemson's victory.
However, the odds between the three players were razor-thin, and the race for the Heisman remained shrouded in mystery.
This year's Heisman Trophy race was the most intriguing in years, with history guaranteed to be made no matter the outcome.
If Jackson won, he'd become Louisville's first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.
If Watson won, he'd become Clemson's first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.
If Lance won, not only would it be the first time since 1974-75 that a running back had won the Heisman in consecutive years—following Ohio State's Archie Griffin—it would also mark the first time ever that the same school had claimed the Heisman Trophy two years in a row. Moreover, Lance would be the first-ever Asian-American Heisman winner.
Any result would be groundbreaking and would etch a new chapter in history.
As the season's final games approached, each result had the potential to upend the standings. The drama was as intense as an Olympic 100-meter final.
Secondly, with the regular season drawing to a close, the final rankings, conference championships, bowl game matchups, and the National Championship were all coming into focus.
Coach Saban had predicted this: in a league as competitive as the NCAA, one game could turn everything upside down, completely altering the bowl game outlook.
With the season nearing its conclusion, Louisville's back-to-back defeats in what should have been easy wins caused them to plummet. Just two weeks ago, they were ranked third in the NCAA; now, they had fallen to fifteenth—a freefall.
This meant Louisville's chances of making it to the National Championship were slipping away.
At the very least, the fate of the Cardinals was no longer in their hands.
Everything had changed!
Just two weeks earlier, Louisville was a championship favorite, and now they had lost control of their destiny. The emotional whiplash from being so close to glory to now having only a slim chance of even reaching the National Championship couldn't begin to describe what Jackson was feeling.
Of course, the season wasn't over yet. There were still two games to play, and each victory could rewrite the standings. Louisville couldn't give up hope—they needed to win both remaining games just to keep their dream alive.
Once again, all eyes turned to Jackson.
But as Jackson knelt on the field, he wasn't thinking about anyone else. His mind was filled with just one name—Lance. What would Lance say about this?
During the post-game interviews, when Jackson heard that Lance had clenched his fist and cheered him on, he nearly spat out blood. His eyes blazed with anger.
Humiliation.
Pure humiliation.
While Jackson was completely wrapped up in the media frenzy, with his thoughts consumed by Lance, things were different for the Crimson Tide.
Thanks to Saban's decisive leadership, the media storm and distractions were kept firmly outside the Crimson Tide's walls, allowing the team to focus.
Clearly, Lance had no room in his mind for Jackson or the Louisville Cardinals. He didn't care about Jackson or their situation. His focus was purely on the next game, taking it one step at a time, giving everything he had.
What Jackson, Watson, or the Heisman Trophy voters thought didn't matter.
The entire Crimson Tide team was united in their mission, charging ahead.
In Week 11, Alabama faced the 13th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs and kept their momentum going with a 31-3 win.
In Week 12, the regular season finale, Alabama faced not just any opponent, but a matchup that was among the most highly anticipated and talked about games of the entire season. It wasn't just about preserving their undefeated record but also the prestige of their historic rivalry.
Their opponent? The Auburn Tigers.
Yes, yet another team with a tiger mascot.
This game wasn't just any game—it was the Iron Bowl, one of the most storied rivalries in the history of the Southeastern Conference and all of college football.
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