The entire training field was on fire. People were amazed by the practice squad's comeback, Lu Ke's tactical plan, and the thrilling game!
Of course, the scrimmage was only 15 minutes long. If it had been a full game, it's hard to say whether the practice squad could have withstood the third-string's constant onslaught. The opening pass was also a stroke of luck—without that long pass, the practice squad might have been crushed. And yes, the third-stringers were just the substitutes' substitutes, with limited ability.
But none of that diminished the surprise of the game. Everyone, except the third-stringers, was amazed. For the third-string team, it was a complete and utter disaster.
Kevin slammed his helmet to the ground, cursing to vent his rage. Looking at Lu Ke, who was in the middle of the crowd enjoying the cheers and victory, he couldn't believe it. A practice player, a Chinese guy, a clown—had actually won this scrimmage. It was a true disgrace!
In his fury, Kevin was about to explode. He impulsively wanted to go up to Lu Ke and fight him, to teach that shameless guy a lesson. But his teammates held him back, saying, "A loss is a loss. Don't make a bigger fool of yourself." The cold words instantly sobered Kevin up. He looked up and saw the main team players' contemptuous looks. Kevin turned around and left the field in a huff.
Lu Ke was jumping, cheering, and celebrating when he saw Logan. The two exchanged a look and burst into laughter.
"You did it! Jesus Christ! Bambi, you really did it!" Logan couldn't help but shout. As the starting tight end, he had been a nervous spectator of the game, but seeing Lu Ke win the game with his own skill and strategy—an almost impossible war—Logan also exploded with excitement like a firework.
Lu Ke laughed heartily. "Come hang out with me from now on. I'll take you to the Super Bowl!"
"You better not go back on your word!" Logan said with a wide smile, punching Lu Ke's shoulder and cheering loudly.
This was just a scrimmage, which meant nothing to many people. For the main players, it was just an entertaining show. But for the practice squad, it was the first milestone in their otherwise unremarkable athletic careers. It made them realize that the gap between substitutes and practice players was real, but not as big as they thought.
People always say the soccer ball is round and anything is possible. It's even more true in football, where upsets and underdog stories are common. It's a field where no team is ever truly weak. Today, the practice squad proved it!
"Bambi, what are you doing? Let's go shower." Training was over. Everyone was heading back to the locker room laughing, but Derek noticed Lu Ke was falling behind.
The same nickname, "Bambi," could be used as an insult, but today it was a term of endearment. It wasn't just Derek. John, Tevin, Wade, and the others all started chanting, "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" Just imagining Bambi defeating a lion or a wolf made their adrenaline surge.
"What, are you waiting to pick up the soap?" Lu Ke's comeback instantly made everyone roar with laughter, and Derek became the target of their jokes. The practice squad was having a great time.
Back in the locker room, after a shower, Lu Ke felt refreshed. Everyone else had gone back to their dorms, but Lu Ke stayed behind, looking at the empty locker room.
This was just the training camp locker room, not a college football stadium or a professional league's locker room. But Lu Ke couldn't help but imagine himself one day standing in a professional team's locker room, waiting for his chance to play. Just picturing it in his mind was enough to make him clench his fists in excitement.
The excitement was short-lived. After the joy of victory faded, Lu Ke calmed down. Even though they won, he also saw the gaps in his skills. As the system data showed, he was weak in every aspect except for his long pass, and it was all on display during the game today.
Even his supposed quarterback strengths, medium pass accuracy, short pass accuracy, and throwing on the run, had terrible scores.
In fact, his only truly good throws today were the first and last ones. Everything else was about his mental fortitude: reading the plays, making a quick judgment call, and understanding his opponents. But this was only a 15-minute scrimmage. If the game had been longer, or if the opponents had taken the first drive more seriously, the outcome would have been completely different.
Knowing your weaknesses isn't about being self-deprecating; it's about getting better.
Lu Ke was a little curious about his last throw.
His short passing today had been a disaster, and he could only remember completing it twice. But in the final moments, he decisively chose to throw a short pass. He didn't think about it; he just reacted and made an accurate decision. But thinking back on it now, he must have been crazy.
Could his final short pass have been a "Super Saiyan" option from the system?
That's why Lu Ke stayed behind in the locker room alone. He needed time to think quietly. He summoned the system, ignored the unread messages in the top left corner, and was about to look at his stats when he heard Little Seven's voice. "Congratulations, you have officially unlocked the Willpower option."
"Willpower?" A panel with his stats appeared in his mind. Sure enough, a new option was there. Under Tactical Awareness: 67, it read, "Willpower: 80." Lu Ke was surprised. "Little Seven, explain this option."
"Simply put, it's the ability to stay calm under pressure at a critical moment," Little Seven explained directly. "Just like a game-winning shot in basketball or a penalty shootout in soccer. The more tense and crucial the moment, the more willpower comes into play."
Lu Ke suddenly understood. This explained why he didn't choke under pressure at the end. Of all his stats, his Mental Fortitude was the highest at 81. Now it seemed that mental fortitude had many sub-categories, and willpower was one of them. A score of 80 was the key to his victory today.
"So, in other words, it's a Super Saiyan ability," Lu Ke said, a smile on his face. He had an ability that let him perform above his skill level at a critical moment and win an impossible game. "Then why didn't I perform above my level during my freshman tryouts? At least I could have made the practice squad back then."
Little Seven was silent and ignored Lu Ke's question.
Lu Ke chuckled and then opened his unread messages. There were three messages, each notifying him that he had completed a different mission. He had expected to complete the "first pass" and "first touchdown" missions, but winning the game was a pleasant surprise.
"Little Seven, if a mission fails, is there no penalty?" Lu Ke suddenly realized. So far, all his missions had rewards but no punishments. Would it always be like this? Or had he just not seen it yet?
"A failed mission will have a chance of a punishment option, depending on the difficulty and reward of the mission," Little Seven explained dutifully.
Lu Ke nodded slightly. "This was just a scrimmage, so it didn't qualify for a punishment if it failed, is that what you mean?" Silence was his only answer, but he hadn't expected Little Seven to respond. His eyes went to the basic skill points in the top right corner. He had three more points. How should he use them?
From the game, his throwing on the run ability was terrible, and his accuracy was laughable. His medium and short pass accuracy was also unsatisfactory, which severely affected the flow of the game. As for his other failing stats, they were even worse.
Should he choose throwing on the run or medium and short passes?
In both college and professional football, a quarterback's ability is a combination of many factors. But it's a fact that throwing the ball while running to evade a defender is an important skill. A quarterback can't rely on the offensive line to block the opponents every single time. And the medium and short passes are the main components of a game, while a long pass is just a momentary, deadly strike.
Furthermore, a quarterback's requirements are slightly different in college football. In college, players rely more on their physical abilities, so the physical contact is more intense and the tactics are relatively simple. This means a quarterback needs to be able to throw the ball quickly, make fast decisions, and also have some ability to run with the ball.
Quarterbacks who are physically strong and can both pass and run often have more success in college.
Physical contact was Lu Ke's weakness. But how could he keep his weakness from holding him back? He couldn't avoid physical contact in a football game—that's a guaranteed loss. The key was to throw the ball quickly and accurately before the contact happened!
So, short pass accuracy was Lu Ke's choice again. After he had made up his mind, Lu Ke didn't hesitate and added all three basic skill points to short pass accuracy. This raised the stat to 67, one step closer to 70.
After adding the points, Lu Ke felt his motivation renewed. He was already looking forward to tomorrow's daily training mission, not just for the basic points, but also for the chance to improve his fundamental skills! He had finally taken a solid step on the path to becoming a superstar.
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