At the one-yard line, the Bruins' offense was stopped three times. Kevin Prince was completely pinned down, helpless and at a loss. He looked at the end zone, which was just a short distance away, and sighed, then looked at the coaching staff for help.
After a brief discussion, the coaching staff decided to go all-in and try a fourth-down conversion. This was quite a surprise. The score was "13:7," and the first half of the game wasn't over yet. They could have chosen a field goal to close the gap even further. If the fourth-down conversion failed, they would lose three easy points, and the Badgers would get the ball at the same spot. This was a very aggressive move.
However, the Bruins' coaching staff still chose to put their trust in the offense. But not in Kevin—in Marcus.
Marcus, who was playing exceptionally well tonight, didn't disappoint. Under immense pressure, he made a golden one-yard run. Like a bulldozer, he broke through the defensive line and entered the end zone, scoring a touchdown! The special teams also didn't make a mistake, kicking the extra point, and the Bruins took the lead, "14:13"!
This was the first time the Bruins had led since the game started!
The entire Rose Bowl went wild. All the Bruins fans were in a frenzy. The deafening cheers caused an earthquake-level commotion. It was as if they had already touched the Rose Bowl trophy. There were countless distorted and excited faces, as if the whole world was melting.
However, this joy lasted for less than three minutes, as the Badgers quickly took the lead back.
In a two-minute and twelve-second drive, the Badgers finally showed the powerful offense that had scored 70 points in three regular season games. Their smooth and rhythmic offense gave the Bruins' defense no room to breathe. They were completely exhausted and couldn't keep up, being led by the nose by their opponent.
At the last moment, Scott made a lethal blow with a seven-yard short pass, scoring a touchdown easily. After the extra point, the lead once again returned to the Badgers, "20:14." The game seemed to be entering a fever pitch.
The game had officially entered a heated phase. The pace was getting faster and faster, with both sides going back and forth. At this stage, if one side couldn't keep up with the speed, it could lead to a disaster. Just look at the Badgers' regular-season opponents, who had an average of over 40 points allowed per game. It was a terrifying thought.
Fortunately, the Badgers' offense tonight didn't seem to be in its best form, and the Bruins' defense was always able to stop their opponents' attacks at crucial moments, preventing a disaster. Unfortunately, the Bruins' offense was still a mess tonight. The opponent's defensive end, J.J. Watt, had three easy sacks and seven tackles, and the entire offensive rhythm was in tatters.
At the end of the second quarter, the score was still "20:14," with no changes.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was still "20:14." Neither side could make a breakthrough.
The entire game was a bore, and the home fans were getting increasingly frustrated. When Kevin threw his third interception of the night, the fans finally couldn't hold it in any longer. The boos rose up, and they vented their dissatisfaction with their team. The away fans, on the other hand, started cheering, as if celebrating the series of gifts from their opponents. If they could maintain this score until the end, the Badgers would win the Rose Bowl trophy!
"Tonight's game is truly unexpected. Both teams' players are underperforming, and the entertainment value of the game is really low," Kirk said quickly, making his assessment. "There isn't much time left for the Bruins. The score is only a six-point difference, and a touchdown would give them the lead. But tonight, the Bruins' offense is really disappointing. As we enter the fourth quarter, the tension and urgency will become even more severe, and a touchdown seems like an impossible task."
Kirk looked down at the game's live stats, taking advantage of the Badgers' timeout to quickly analyze. "Although they have two touchdowns, they were both due to the individual ability of the running back, Marcus Lynch. Quarterback Kevin Prince's performance has been a disaster. Out of 27 pass attempts, he only completed 13, with a completion rate of less than 50%. He only advanced 67 yards, with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. With these stats, it's hard to believe that the Bruins can score a touchdown and win the game in the remaining time."
Without pausing, Kirk then analyzed the Badgers' side. "Scott's performance tonight isn't great, but at least he's still leading the team forward. They're taking a timeout to discuss how to break the stalemate and further increase their lead. Whether it's a touchdown or a field goal, if they can increase the score to a point where it takes two possessions to tie or take the lead, the victory will be in their hands."
"The game is back on. Raheem Moore of the Bruins makes a play! Interception! Raheem makes an interception! Scott gives up his second interception of the night, and the ball possession changes hands. The offensive initiative is once again with the Bruins." Kirk exclaimed. Tonight's game was truly a mixture of joy and frustration, but even more unbelievable things were yet to come.
"Jesus Christ! What happened on the field? Let's look at the replay. Everything happened so fast just now. Kevin Prince tried to complete a pass, but... it was a wide-open space, a completely open space. There were no Bruins receivers there. What's going on? Was there a communication breakdown between Kevin and his teammates? To be more precise, although there were no Bruins receivers there, there was a Badgers defensive player, J.J. Watt. The outstanding J.J. Watt makes an interception! An interception for an interception! Kevin Prince throws his fourth interception of the night, and the Badgers get the ball back. My God, the fans watching this game tonight need to have a strong heart."
Nate Chandler couldn't believe it and held his head in his hands. "Oh!" His desperate cry dragged at his ankles, pulling him down. The rollercoaster experience of ups and downs was unbearable. He watched as the ball possession returned to the opponent's hands, and there was less than six minutes left in the game.
What did less than six minutes mean? Just think about the Bruins' last touchdown drive. It took them six minutes to get to the one-yard line and then a fourth-down conversion to score a touchdown. This meant that if the Badgers could keep advancing, it wasn't impossible for them to run out the clock. They could leave the Bruins with no time and kill the game on the field.
Despair, anger, anxiety... All kinds of emotions were swirling in his chest. Nate couldn't even swear. He just moaned, "How could this happen! How could this happen!" At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to be unable to cry.
"Fk! Fk! F**k!" Jeff Lock couldn't sit still. From the second half of the second quarter to the first half of the fourth quarter, the Bruins had so many opportunities, but the offense couldn't capitalize on any of them. They even turned over the ball multiple times. How was this any different from surrendering? It was a disgrace! It was a complete disgrace!
Anger was running rampant in his chest. He knew they had a chance to win the game, he knew they had a chance to win the championship, and he knew they could make a comeback. But reality was shattering his expectations. Watching the Bruins sink into the abyss step by step, the feeling of frustration made his whole body tremble.
"Bambi!" A figure flashed in Jeff's mind, a figure like a life raft! He knew they still had hope of winning, and all that hope was pinned on that one person. "Bambi!" Jeff couldn't contain his excitement and started shouting. But amidst the angry boos and curses, his voice was like a reed, without any power. Then he turned around and looked at his friend Nate, shouting crazily, "Bambi!"
Nate was stunned for a moment. He didn't react at first, but after Jeff shouted a few more times, Nate slowly came back to his senses. His eyes lit up, and he joined the chorus, shouting loudly, "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
Danny Reese heard the shouts coming from behind him. They were calling an unfamiliar name, but it was also a well-known name. Over the past month, the nickname "Bambi" had spread widely within UCLA after the shocking comeback against the Trojans. Everyone knew it.
Danny turned his head and looked at Jeff and Nate, who were shouting hoarsely. There was only a small group of them, about seven or eight people, but they were shouting in unison, their veins bulging, their faces red, and their expressions ferocious. But their voices came together, twisted into a rope, and erupted with great power!
Danny's heart swelled. He couldn't believe what he was doing, but he had made up his mind. So, he turned around and joined them, shouting loudly, "Bambi!"
A shout came from his right side, and Jiang You-ning couldn't help but turn her head. Bambi. That was Lu Ke's nickname. She knew that, but why were those people calling for Lu Ke? Jiang You-ning's mouth was wide open in surprise. She turned to look at Lu Zheng-ze, but Lu Zheng-ze was also confused.
The next second, Jay, who was sitting next to them, also joined the shouting. "Bambi!" He looked at Lu Zheng-ze and Jiang You-ning with a big smile. "In the last game, Bambi led the team to a shocking comeback. To be honest, he's our hero and our hope!" After he said that, Jay stood up, raised his right fist high, and waved it again, shouting with all his might, "Bambi!"
Lu Zheng-ze and Jiang You-ning exchanged a glance. Surprise and joy were in their eyes. They looked at each other in disbelief, then looked at the other fans in disbelief. The shouts were getting louder and louder. One hundred people, one thousand people, ten thousand people... Gradually, the massive shouts formed an earth-shattering force.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
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