Chapter 1086: Chapter 1086: All at Once
Chapter 1086: All at Once
Forward, stop, fake, cut right, forward.
Kendall Hunter’s entire motion was executed in one go. Even though he encountered John Abraham’s sudden ambush, the running back’s instincts, hidden in his blood, didn’t show any tension or fear. In a flash, he had completed all the judgments and executions, leaving Abraham behind.
To be precise, not behind, but beside.
Hunter and Abraham maintained a staggered position. After Abraham’s balance was faked out, he reacted very quickly and followed Hunter’s forward steps, but as a 34-year-old veteran plagued by injuries, Abraham’s speed and rhythm couldn’t keep up.
Abraham was trying his best, but the cruel reality was that he couldn’t shorten the distance between himself and Hunter. Just a slight shift in balance, he fell a half-yard behind, and although he could see the back of number 27 so close, it was like it was a world away, out of reach.
Fortunately, Abraham wasn’t the only defensive player on that side. Cornerback Dunta Robinson came to assist.
Dunta was a beat late in noticing Hunter’s forward momentum. Before that, his attention had been drawn to Vernon Davis. There was a moment of hesitation in his mind about whether he should go defend Vernon, but then he immediately noticed the unstoppable Hunter. Anyway, Vernon was already covered by Thomas DeCoud, so Dunta decisively started to move closer to Hunter.
Although his starting motion was a beat late, Dunta’s position already had a huge advantage. At the same time that Hunter was passing Abraham, he had already started his steps. Seeing Hunter and Abraham brush past each other, Dunta moved up without hesitation and cut off Hunter’s forward path.
Hunter’s sprinting speed was very fast. Dunta only had time to slightly adjust his footwork, turning his back to Hunter. Both of them were facing the right side, with their bodies slightly backward. This also meant that they were facing the offensive line and the quarterback from the side. Since Dunta couldn’t get into a tight position with Hunter, he could at least capture the quarterback’s passing trajectory and disrupt the passing lane or rhythm.
And so, the three-point attack began to charge forward.
Hunter was in the middle, and his forward momentum was unstoppable. Abraham was a half-yard diagonally behind, unable to shorten the distance but also not widening it. Dunta was a half-yard diagonally in front, almost parallel to Hunter, and was in the passing lane.
The line of scrimmage was 18 yards from the end zone. The forward momentum of the three of them had just started to build up, and their feet had already crossed the 10-yard line. The 5-yard line and the end zone were within reach.
Dunta was the first to make a change. He slowed down his pace and turned to look at the offensive line and the quarterback. Lu Ke had already passed the ball when he started his steps. He now had to capture the football’s passing lane, but then he was hit with a critical blow, because the passing arc was a bit higher than he had expected. He couldn’t disrupt the pass in advance.
All the hairs on his body stood up, and Dunta immediately accelerated again.
But one stop was enough to create a distance. His current position was already two yards behind Hunter and Abraham, and it was still widening. In the process of his secondary start, the distance was already three yards.
Damn it!
Damn it!
Pause, exert force, move laterally to the left.
Lu Ke successfully moved from the right to the left. He quickly scanned the field and saw the four receivers: Vernon, Hunter, Michael Crabtree, and Ted Ginn Jr. All the offensive and defensive matchups were formed into a three-dimensional diagram in his mind. Without any hesitation, Lu Ke raised his right arm, and while moving laterally, he used the strength and momentum of his feet to throw the football.
The football drew a graceful arc in the air. Because the distance to the end zone was only 18 yards, it meant that Lu Ke didn’t need to create a high arc. Instead, he put more force into the football, and the passing arc was gently outlined, charging toward the end zone with a breaking-air momentum.
The passing target was Kendall Hunter! Not Vernon Davis!
Lu Ke chose Hunter, who was closer to the outside, instead of Vernon, who was in the middle and covered by a safety. This was because Hunter’s forward momentum already had the advantage. All Lu Ke had to do was to give Hunter more room to run so he could create more space to catch the ball. So, Lu Ke’s passing target was aimed at the end zone.
The football drew a beautiful arc in the air, passed over Dunta’s static position, and continued to charge forward, flying toward the end zone in a heart-stopping manner.
This misjudgment made Dunta lose the chance to be in close man-to-man coverage with Hunter. Now it was all up to the matchup between Hunter and Abraham.
Hunter’s steps never relaxed. He kept his speed at a steady and high pace. In this state, he could provide more stability for the catch. After all, he was a running back, not a wide receiver, and catching a ball while running at high speed still required more stability.
The 10-yard line.
After his feet crossed the 10-yard line, Dunta fell behind, but with a quick adjustment of his feet, Dunta caught up again. However, the distance between Dunta and Hunter remained at about three yards and didn’t shorten. At this moment, Hunter could see DeCoud sprinting toward him in front of him.
After Lu Ke released the ball, DeCoud immediately noticed the passing direction and the target. It was clearly not Vernon. Without any hesitation, he chose to give up on him. He changed his course and sprinted laterally at full speed, charging toward Hunter. But DeCoud was still quite far away, about four or five yards. He was sprinting at full speed, and the distance was shortening very fast.
One against three!
Hunter, an offensive player, was facing off against three defensive players: Abraham, Dunta, and DeCoud.
Entering the end zone!
Hunter’s feet quickly entered the end zone, and then he could see the football falling quickly like a meteor. The football was still charging forward, and his feet were also continuing to charge forward. All around his vision were figures in white jerseys. It was no longer just a desperate situation surrounded by enemies. It was a life-and-death dance.
Adrenaline was erupting like an underwater volcano.
Hunter controlled his upper body, turning sideways to face the direction the football was falling. In his vision, he could see the waves of air from Dunta and DeCoud’s quick charge, but his pupils were fixed on the football without any wavering or hesitation. While his feet continued to charge forward, he extended his hands toward the spot where the football was going to land.
At that moment, a forearm suddenly reached out from behind his shoulder. It was Abraham, trying to disrupt the football’s downward curve and also trying to disrupt Hunter’s catching motion.
But the football’s downward momentum was very fast. It was like a drill, burrowing into Hunter’s arms!
He caught it!
No, the football’s momentum was a bit too strong. He still couldn’t completely control it. At the same time, a huge force of collision came from behind, like a sledgehammer hitting the middle of Hunter’s back. All his balance and all his speed were destroyed, and his footwork started to get messy.
Hunter felt like he was standing on a tightrope high in the sky. A strong wind came, and the entire rope began to shake violently up and down and left and right. All his muscles were tensed to the maximum, but he still couldn’t control his balance. The first force, the second force, and... the third force. Hunter could feel his chest churning, and he couldn’t calm down at all.
Clench his teeth!
Clench his teeth!
But his teeth were already clenched so tight they were almost breaking. He could even hear the continuous cracking sounds of his muscles and joints, but his body still lost control.
"The football!" This was the only thought in Hunter’s mind. His knees began to bend, continuously lowering his body’s center of gravity. His hands firmly held the football in his arms, and at the same time, he slightly adjusted the angle of his upper body to the left to buffer the jolts of the collisions.
This was very difficult! Extremely difficult! It was like an ant trying to maintain its balance in a hurricane, but at this moment, Hunter entered a state of self-transcendence. Foot control! Hand control! Muscle control! Even though his body’s center of gravity was completely lost, he still mobilized the strength of every part of his body, pushing every detail of his control to the extreme.
One step! Two steps! Two and a half steps!
Hunter had completely lost control. His feet had already left the end zone. Out of a self-preservation instinct, his body could only lunge forward, and then Abraham and Dunta piled on top of Hunter, rolling into a ball and tumbling out together!
"To the right! Lu Ke is moving quickly to the right!"
"A fake! Lu Ke’s fake move deceived the entire defense. He paused and then reversed his steps, and then quickly moved laterally to the left! Move! Move! Lu Ke quickly completed the pass! This is a... 21 to 22-yard pass, aimed directly at the end zone!"
"The passing target is... Kendall Hunter! It’s actually Hunter!"
"Kendall Hunter is in a pincer movement! Three defensive players are covering Hunter! Hunter is charging forward! Hunter! Hunter is still charging forward! He’s entered the end zone! All the players have entered the end zone! The end zone has now become a disaster area! The focus is on Hunter! Kendall Hunter!"
"Wait! Wait!"
"Hunter caught the football! My God, Hunter completed the catch! Abraham and Dunta are trying to disrupt Hunter’s balance! The three of them fell down together! Hunter is controlling the football! Hunter’s feet are controlled inside the end zone, and then the three players fall out of the end zone together!"
"That’s a touchdown!"
"Touchdown! Jesus Christ! Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown!"
"The San Francisco 49ers have scored another touchdown! After the defense intercepted Matt Ryan, Lu Ke took the momentum and scored a touchdown! There’s no doubt, this is a touchdown!"
"Touchdown! We have witnessed another touchdown!"
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