Chapter 52: Chapter 47: Dogfight
Jay’s eyes were glued to the entrance tunnel, and he was the first to notice the movement. "They’re coming, they’re coming..." Unable to contain his excitement, Jay shot to his feet, pumping his fists and screaming wildly, all his passion and energy erupting at that very moment.
He wasn’t the only one.
The sixty thousand Brown Bear Team supporters inside the Rose Bowl shot to their feet in unison. The home jerseys, a mix of blue and gold, looked like a vast ocean bathed in golden sunlight—magnificent and grand. Surging waves rose and fell as the mighty expanse of blue churned ceaselessly. The entire Rose Bowl erupted!
It wasn’t a simple scream, but a guttural roar that shook the heavens and the earth. The entire world seemed to tremble, making one seriously wonder if the very foundations of the Rose Bowl were shaking. The deafening sound vibrated against eardrums at an impossibly high frequency, making pulses race and adrenaline surge in an explosive rush.
Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning stared, dumbfounded, at the magnificent scene before them. They had hesitated for just a beat, and in that time, the world had transformed completely. They slowly got to their feet, surveying their surroundings in disbelief. The tumultuous wave was like a raging inferno, making the very air seem to bubble and boil. Immersed within it, they felt their own blood temperature begin to slowly climb toward its boiling point—no, sprint toward it.
Lu Zhengze was a bit dazed, his gaze wandering aimlessly across the field, searching for Lu Ke’s figure.
"Number eleven!" Jay, seeming to understand Lu Zhengze’s confusion, shouted excitedly. "Number eleven!"
His strained shout was minuscule amidst the wave of sound, like an ant fighting a hurricane, but Lu Zhengze still caught a hint of it. He quickly scanned the field. On the vast gridiron, each player appeared no bigger than the palm of his hand, as if he had stepped into the land of Lilliput.
’Number eleven.’ Lu Zhengze found his target. He quickly tapped Jiang Youning’s arm and shouted into her ear, "Number eleven! Lu Ke is number eleven!" Without even realizing it, his voice began to tremble uncontrollably as a wide grin spread across his face.
Amidst the surging crowd, Jiang Youning immediately found number eleven. Before her brain could even process it, her hand flew to her mouth. Watching that vibrant figure, her eyes inexplicably welled up with warmth. But her heart was filled with such happiness, such wonder, as if she were flying on a cloud. And so, she raised her right hand high and joined the ranks of the cheering crowd.
The roar was deafening. The entire Rose Bowl was plunged into a violent thunderstorm, and every single spectator was a part of it.
Jeff Locke’s mind was buzzing. He was so excited he was practically vibrating, just shaking his body wildly and screaming at the top of his lungs to the fans around him, "Number eleven! I know number eleven! Just you watch, he’s our key to victory! Number eleven!" No one answered him, as everyone was lost in their own cheering, but Jeff couldn’t care less. He just kept roaring, jumping, and going wild.
In his chaotic line of sight, Jeff glanced past Nate beside him and then saw a strangely familiar figure—the guy who had caused a small argument by leaving early during the fourth quarter of the last game of the season. Today, he had actually shown up too.
Jeff proudly lifted his chin in a defiant gesture, as if to say, ’I told you we’d make it to the Rose Bowl! I’m not the traitor who left early!’ Then, Jeff deliberately avoided looking at the other guy, instead waving his hands high in the air and cheering with even more vigor.
Danny Rice felt that searing gaze and understood the message hidden within it. He couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. Without saying a word, he just turned toward the field and whistled. He didn’t care about being mocked. As long as the team could win, he was willing to be mocked again!
He had missed the last victory; he wouldn’t miss tonight’s battle. This was the crucial moment, the moment for that number eleven to shine again!
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the live broadcast of the 2011 Rose Bowl." Kirk Charleston was once again sitting at the commentator’s desk, but he wasn’t alone tonight. A colleague was seated at the commentary desk next to him.
The annual Rose Bowl was a major event. Besides the local radio stations in California, major television networks, including ESPN, would broadcast it live. This was a national stage, and every player had earned the chance to showcase themselves to the world.
This game was also very memorable for Kirk. It was his last broadcast for the local Los Angeles radio station. Fox had poached him, and starting next week, he would be commentating for Fox Television, beginning a new Chapter in his career. Therefore, Kirk also hoped this game would conclude on a high note.
"Today’s matchup is between the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins and the Wisconsin University Badgers..." Kirk began his practiced introduction. His eyes paused for a moment when he got to the starting lineups. Kevin Price. He was the starting quarterback for the Brown Bear Team, but Kirk’s mind couldn’t help but flash to the Chinese-American quarterback from the last game. It was only a momentary distraction, and Kirk quickly regained his professional composure. "Today’s duel is shaping up to be an offensive showdown, like the Green Giant Hulk versus Iron Man. We can expect a spectacular shootout..."
But after the game began, that wasn’t the case at all.
Players from both sides seemed a bit stiff and nervous—true for both the offense team and the Defense Team. A constant stream of mistakes, big and small, made the game’s rhythm choppy and stumbling, and it was hard to get excited.
First, the Badger Team’s quarterback, Scott Torsin, made a mistake. After completing two consecutive ten-yard advances, a routine short pass was intercepted, resulting in a direct turnover. What’s more, it was at their own forty-one-yard line, meaning the opponent only needed to advance a little further to get into field goal range.
However, the Brown Bear Team failed to seize the opportunity when they took the field. Kevin Price was visibly nervous: one running play was stuffed, one pass fell incomplete, and he was sacked. He even came close to fumbling. Fortunately, he avoided the disaster of a turnover. Unfortunately, the sack cost them eight yards, pushing them right out of field goal range. In the end, they had no choice but to punt.
The first quarter was nearly half over, but neither offense had been able to push their team past midfield. The dull game was making people drowsy. Even the die-hard fans in the audience were watching listlessly.
Amid the stalemate, the Badger Team was the first to break the deadlock. Their Offense Line, which had performed outstandingly all year, successfully opened up lanes on two consecutive plays, creating a clear path. The running back exploded for gains of twenty-three and twelve yards. Coupled with three successful passes from Scott, the offense instantly pushed into the opponent’s red zone—
The red zone refers to the ten-yard area before the End Zone. From here, a ten-yard advance results in a Touchdown, hence the term "red zone offense."
A successful four-yard pass, a successful breakthrough by the running back, and the Badger Team scored the first Touchdown of the night. With only six minutes and thirty-three seconds left in the first quarter, the 0-0 score was finally broken. The visiting team’s fans, who had traveled from afar, immediately went into celebration mode. Their thunderous, taunting cheers rang out, and the home crowd responded with defiant boos. The dull Rose Bowl was finally re-energized.
After kicking the extra point, the Badger Team took a 7-0 lead.
But on the following possession, the Brown Bear Team still showed no signs of life, going three-and-out at their own twenty-yard line. They were on the field for less than two minutes and gained no ground before heading off again. They then had to watch as the Badger Team’s offense, which had swept through the Big Ten Conference, fluidly and effortlessly advanced to the Brown Bear Team’s twenty-seven-yard line. Only then did the Brown Bear Team’s Defense Team manage to stop them by a hair’s breadth.
The Badger Team didn’t get a Touchdown, but they easily kicked a thirty-seven-yard field goal, changing the score to 10-0.
With 2:48 remaining in the first quarter, the Brown Bear Team, who had been passively taking a beating, finally woke from their slumber. After Kevin handed off to the running back for a couple of rushes, he threw a surprise pass. Logan Newman caught it and took off, breaking through for a massive forty-three-yard run before finally being tackled at the opposing team’s eighteen-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, two successful short passes gained nine yards. On third down, they chose to run the ball. Marcus Lynch not only broke through for the one yard needed for the first down but also surged forward, covering the remaining eight yards to score the Touchdown! The Brown Bear Team had finally escaped their zero-point nightmare, allowing a ray of hope to shine on the Rose Bowl once more.
After the extra point was good, the score on the field became 10-7, with the home team trailing.
The entire stadium erupted. Not just the sixty thousand home fans, but also the ten thousand neutral fans. Everyone began to cheer and shout because the game was finally getting exciting. Now, the Rose Bowl was finally starting to look like the grand annual spectacle it was supposed to be.
For the rest of the first quarter, the score remained unchanged. After the teams switched sides for the second quarter, the game resumed. The Badger Team once again scored a field goal, this time from forty-one yards, further extending their lead to 13-7. However, the Brown Bear Team immediately responded, showing excellent form.
On a long, sustained drive that ate up six minutes of the clock, the Brown Bear Team’s offense achieved a masterful balance between passing and running, successfully pushing into the Badger Team’s red zone. However, they were stopped at the one-yard line. After three consecutive failed plays, Kevin could only stare helplessly at the End Zone, just a single yard away.
The one-yard line. It was a difficult choice. Give up the offensive attempt, and on fourth down, go for a field goal. That would at least guarantee three points, closing the score to 13-10. But the End Zone was so close. To have a six-minute drive result in only three points was simply not worth it.
What should Kevin do?
