The greatest charm of sports lies in the unexpected. The unexpected can mean an underdog winning, a dark horse rising to the top, a champion retaining their title, a historical moment, or a miracle. These are all "unexpected" events that cannot be predicted or rehearsed. No one knows when they will happen, in what form, or how they will affect either side.
But what is certain is that when the unexpected happens, some are happy, and some are sad. Tonight, the Trojans were the "lucky players," but this luck was the beginning of their downfall.
When the Trojans took the field, Matt Barkley started with a steady pace. Their strategy was still conservative, mainly running the ball to run down the clock. But the Bruins' defense was solid, and the run game couldn't get them anywhere. They couldn't get the ten-yard gain needed, nor could they run down the clock. So, they had to combine passing and running.
The first time, Matt used a third-down play to gain ten yards, bringing the team to their own 30-yard line. The second time, the Trojans faced strong resistance from the Bruins. They only gained three yards on the first two plays, forcing Matt to pass on the third down.
That's when the nightmare happened.
Rahim successfully intercepted Matt's 13-yard pass at the 45-yard line. The ball was turned over, and the offensive initiative went directly to the Bruins. For the Trojans, the silver lining was that Rahim couldn't return the interception. After the catch, he immediately went down on one knee. This meant the Bruins' starting position would be the Trojans' 45-yard line.
At 45 yards, it was too far for a field goal, so the Bruins had to go on the offensive to take the lead. They had to advance! As long as the Bruins were on offense, it meant the Trojans still had a chance to intercept, counter-attack, and regain the initiative.
The unexpected could happen once, which meant it could happen again. Hope had not yet disappeared.
Despite this, the Rose Bowl was a mix of heaven and hell. The side of the stands where the USC fans were gathered was filled with wails. Everyone was holding their heads, unable to believe what they were seeing. The side with the UCLA fans was a sea of cheers. Everyone was jumping and celebrating, and the entire Rose Bowl started to shake.
Lu Ke turned to look at the game clock. The Trojans had already used up a lot of time. There were only 33 seconds left. The time limit for each play was 40 seconds. 33 seconds was not even enough for one play. But this was their chance; this was their chance to end the game!
They didn't need overtime. They had a chance to win the game right here and now!
The defensive players rushed off the field. Rahim stopped in front of Lu Ke, out of breath but smiling. "Buddy, I've set the stage for you. It's all up to you now!"
"Then the show is about to begin!" Lu Ke met Rahim's gaze, gave a thumbs-up, grabbed his helmet, and motioned for his offensive teammates to get back on the field.
With 33 seconds left, what should they do? The Bruins still had two timeouts. This meant that if they went for a field goal, Lu Ke would have one timeout and two passes to get the team into field-goal range. The second timeout would be used to set up the field goal. If they went for a touchdown, he could use both timeouts to get three passes to score a touchdown.
Countless play combinations were rushing through his mind. At this moment, the no-huddle offense was useless. They needed a specific play, a strategy, a plan, and they had to use every second precisely. What should he do? What should they do? What was the right choice?
Lu Ke turned to the coaching staff. This time, Rick and the others had already finished their discussion and started making hand signals, sending the plays to Lu Ke. Lu Ke called his teammates over, relayed the coaches' plays and instructions. There was no time for hesitation. They immediately took their positions and prepared for the play.
It was a tense, extremely tense moment, but Lu Ke's mind was not in a panic. Instead, he became calmer. It was as if his mind had a three-dimensional map that showed the entire field. He could see the positions of the opposing defenders and his own offensive teammates. He could even see the cornerbacks roaming in the distance.
With steady breaths, Lu Ke slowly bent down. His mind was racing. He instinctively twirled his fingers, feeling the sweat on his fingertips, which was hot and rough. But without thinking too much, he gave the command for the play. After the center snapped the ball, he hugged it tightly. The familiar feel of the ball slowed his heartbeat. All his movements were methodical.
He dropped back, quickly dropping back, raising his head high. His vision spread out, searching for his receivers while also scanning the opposing defenders. No open space! Absolutely no open space! All three receivers and one tight end, a total of four receiving targets, were all tightly covered. The man-to-man coverage meant that none of the four receivers could break free. Even their running routes were limited.
Tick, tock.
Time was running out fast. Lu Ke didn't panic. Instead, he widened his search to find Marcus, but it seemed too late. When he saw the familiar figure of Malik Jackson in his sight, Lu Ke realized that his decision was too slow.
One second of hesitation, one second of delay, was completely magnified on the field. The opposing blitzing player was already charging at him. There was no time for regret. He made a split-second decision. Lu Ke tucked the football in his arms and sprinted to the left.
His legs, faster, faster. He had to escape Malik's tackle. Although footwork and evasiveness had never been his strong points, in fact, they were his weaknesses, he was now fully focused. He wasn't thinking about his strengths or weaknesses. He was just concentrating on running as fast as he could, his eyes constantly scanning, observing the positions of the players within his field of vision.
It was not an easy task. It was as if the whole world was thrown into a hamster wheel, and this hamster was running fast without stopping.
Not fast enough, still not fast enough. Lu Ke felt he had reached his limit, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on, taking a big stride, then another big stride, sprinting forward to the left. Even so, his peripheral vision caught Malik's distorted face, like a demon. It wasn't just Malik. A defender was also charging at him from the front. His space was completely squeezed, and he was surrounded.
He had to throw the ball.
He quickly scanned his surroundings and found a glimmer of hope. It was just a small window, a fleeting one. So, without any hesitation, Lu Ke quickly swung his arm. It was a decisive move, or maybe a gamble, but he put all his strength into his arm, which exploded like a firecracker. The football broke free from his hand and flew out.
One second, the ball was in his hand; the next, Malik had already tackled Lu Ke to the ground.
A close call! But Lu Ke had thrown the ball in the most critical situation! Not just Malik, but two other players also arrived on the scene, but seeing Lu Ke was already on the ground, they didn't charge him. They looked up at the arc of the football. It was a bullet pass, not a rainbow pass!
The football made a low arc, flying through the air quickly. It was a little unstable at first, and you could clearly feel that Lu Ke's throw while running had been disrupted by Malik, slightly deviating from its course. But the speed and power were still at their maximum. In the blink of an eye, the football was flying toward the Trojans' end zone. Who was there?
John Ward!
John still had a defender right on him, but when he saw Lu Ke's throw, he suddenly accelerated. John's strength was his speed, while the defender covering him was stronger and more solid. After breaking free from the defender's grasp with a burst of speed, John created some distance between them. The defender was still trying to reach out and grab John, to foul him to stop the play, but he was half a step too slow.
Maybe deep down, in their subconscious, everyone still thought Logan was Lu Ke's primary target, not John. But they never expected Lu Ke to be so bold as to aim for the end zone with his first pass, for a touchdown!
John felt an endless surge of energy burst out from his body. The past five months of unprecedentedly grueling training. He felt the same freedom he had in high school, as if he could fly on his own two feet. His speed was still increasing. He was running with abandon and focus, completely ignoring the defender behind him. His eyes were fixed on the football, only that flying football!
The football started to shake violently, its speed slowing down, and its arc became irregular. You could clearly feel the drop in accuracy, slightly deviating from John's expectation. But John's mind was clear of any distractions. He just stared intently at the football, stretched out his hands, his arms straight. He extended his entire body to the maximum, like an arrow released from a bow. He pushed off with his legs and threw himself forward.
Closer, closer, he caught it! He caught it! His hands were tightly gripping the football. He tucked it into his arms, then landed on his shoulder and rolled forward, landing safely!
The entire stadium held its breath, then the referee's whistle pierced through the sky. "Beep! Touchdown!"
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