章 80: Snatching Victory
The Crimson Tide?
By the seventh week of the NCAA season, the top-ranked defense belonged to the Crimson Tide, but surprisingly, so did the top-ranked offense.
Is this real?
Were the statistics incorrect?
No matter how many times people rubbed their eyes and double-checked the numbers, the results were the same.
Typically, when an offense is this dominant, the quarterback is in the spotlight. But this was the Crimson Tide, where the running backs were the stars.
Lance! Jacobs! The twin stars shone brightly.
Josh Jacobs, a highly touted four-star recruit from high school, had proven his talent. Appointed as the starting running back during spring training, he quickly developed under Burns' guidance, transforming into an essential component of the Crimson Tide's powerful ground game.
Averaging 88.3 rushing yards per game and scoring seven rushing touchdowns in six games, Jacobs' performance caught a lot of attention.
But, comparisons always hurt.
Jacobs' performance was already outstanding, but Lance was on another level.
This rookie, seemingly coming out of nowhere, was like an alien crashing into the world of football. Under the intense scrutiny of doubt and observation, Lance delivered performance after performance that exceeded expectations, proving that his season-opening game was far from the peak of his abilities.
Averaging 133.8 rushing yards per game, with thirteen touchdowns in six games.
Though still slightly behind Derrick Henry's beastly performance from last year, Lance's numbers were incredibly close, and he showed a unique style of play that showcased his own form of dominance. He had not only filled the void left by Henry's departure but had elevated the Crimson Tide's ground game to new heights.
So far, the toughest and most challenging game for the Crimson Tide came against 19th-ranked Ole Miss.
Initially, everyone expected this to be an easy win for the Tide, but Ole Miss had other plans.
Lacking star players, this home team demonstrated how football was meant to be played. With a collective effort, their offense seemed blessed, relentlessly testing the seemingly impenetrable Crimson Tide defense, keeping the game neck-and-neck.
It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the deadlock was finally broken.
Lance stepped up.
On a crucial 3rd-and-4 play, he turned a simple rushing attempt into a 17-yard touchdown. On a critical 4th-and-2, he faked a run and provided a perfect block, allowing Hurts to complete a touchdown pass.
Final score: 48-43.
The Crimson Tide barely scraped by with a win.
In the critical moments of the game, facing the challenges of a hostile away crowd, Lance displayed resilience and determination, lifting the Tide to victory and preserving their unbeaten record.
In fact, the ground game for the Crimson Tide this season was stronger than in the previous two years.
In the past, the team had relied heavily on Derrick Henry, but this year, the healthy competition between Lance and Jacobs had pushed the Tide's rushing offense to even greater heights. The team's six-game winning streak felt like a walk in the park—unstoppable, undeniable.
It was thrilling, without a doubt.
But as Joshua Brand had anticipated—
There was no real challenge.
Their opponents simply weren't strong enough.
Due to the way the NCAA schedule had been laid out, the toughest opponent the Tide had faced during their six-game streak was 16th-ranked Arkansas.
These teams were neither highly competitive nor defensively solid, allowing the Crimson Tide's ground game to run wild. The young talents of Lance and Jacobs had yet to face a true test.
But challenges were on the horizon, coming in waves, as the gauntlet of their schedule loomed closer.
Week 7: Tennessee, currently ranked seventh.
Week 8: Texas A&M, currently ranked sixth.
Week 9: LSU, currently ranked 13th.
Three consecutive tough opponents—the real test was just beginning.
This would be the moment scouts could truly evaluate the strength and quality of the Crimson Tide's offense.
Not just Joshua Brand, but the media as well, had been fanning the flames for weeks, building anticipation. The hype was palpable, and journalists were buzzing with excitement, eager for the showdown.
Outside the practice field, a throng of reporters gathered, jostling for position. As soon as the session ended, they pounced with their recorders, each trying to be the first to get a word in.
"He's coming!" "He's coming!"…
In the midst of the chaotic murmurs, recorders were shoved forward, as if the journalists were trying to push them right into the person's mouth.
"Lamar, people are starting to say that Lance might be the better player, and it seems like his Heisman Trophy buzz is catching up with yours. What do you think?"
Lamar Jackson, staring at the recorders poking into his nose and mouth, looked utterly exasperated.
Wait.
At this moment, the one being swarmed by reporters wasn't Lance—it was Lamar Jackson? The Crimson Tide was about to face their toughest challenges, yet the reporters were cornering Jackson instead of Lance. Were they in the right place?
Of course, they were.
After all, Lance was in Alabama, and Jackson was in Kentucky, with Tennessee sitting between them. Even with a bad GPS signal, you couldn't get that mixed up.
Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals, was in his sophomore year and was widely regarded as the front-runner for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
Why?
Because of his jaw-dropping performances on the field.
In the season opener against the Charlotte 49ers, Jackson had set an NCAA record by scoring eight touchdowns in a single game, the most by any player in a game.
For context, the NFL single-game touchdown record, as of 2023, still stands at seven.
What made it even more incredible was that Jackson had achieved all eight touchdowns in the first half, effectively punching out early—a scene eerily similar to someone else we know.
At that time, no one was comparing Lance and Jackson:
One was a quarterback, the other a running back. One had been a rising star since last season, the other had just emerged from nowhere this season. One played in the ACC, the other in the SEC. One was a golden boy, the other a grassroots rookie. There seemed to be no reason to draw any parallels between them.
But as time went on, attention started to converge, and as the Heisman Trophy race picked up steam, both players' names began to surface in the conversation, growing louder and more frequent.
In Week 3, third-ranked Louisville faced off against second-ranked Florida State in a game billed as a potential showdown for the Crimson Tide's crown.
Jackson put on a masterclass, completing 13 of 20 passes for 216 yards, with one passing touchdown and one interception. On the ground, he rushed for 146 yards and added four rushing touchdowns, utterly dominating the game.
Final score: 63-20. Louisville crushed Florida State.
That game catapulted Jackson to the top of the Heisman odds, making him the clear favorite for this year's award.
And right there on the same list was Lance's name.
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