The Bruins' offense returned to their positions, ready for the next play. Meanwhile, the referees had finished their measurement. Sure enough, they hadn't gotten the first down on the last play and were still a few inches short—less than a yard.
Third down and inches.
The Bruins' offensive line was already in formation. Seeing this, the Badgers' players had to rush into position. Lu Ke carefully scanned them. The opponent had once again chosen zone defense. Would they use the same trick a second time? Or would they try a completely new play?
Lu Ke's mind raced. He shouted, "11, 11." He turned to the other side and shouted again, "11, 11." After making sure his teammates received the signal, he called for the snap.
After receiving the ball, Lu Ke didn't drop back. Instead, he shuffled three big steps to his left, then turned and threw the ball six steps to his right and two yards diagonally forward. And... Marcus appeared in that exact spot! Marcus, the running back, was being used as a receiver. The play was lightning fast. The Badgers' defenders didn't have time to blitz, and their formation was instantly a mess. They had to turn and defend Marcus.
"Snap! Pass! Short pass!" Kirk's passionate commentary came through. "Marcus Lynch, Marcus makes the catch! Wow, the Badgers' cornerback didn't expect it at all and misjudged the direction! Marcus cuts inside. Logan, who was standing next to him, switches and blocks a tackler. Marcus gains space and dodges a player! Two players! After two consecutive dodges, he keeps pushing forward! There's an opening! The Badgers are completely caught off guard. A hole has been torn in their defense, and Marcus is still running! Three yards, five yards, eight yards! Number 7 saves the day for the Badgers, Aaron Henry, this year's freshman!"
"Aaron's tackle prevents a nightmare. Marcus is tackled to the ground after an eight-yard gain." Kirk's throat was so dry he didn't have time to drink. "Let's re-watch that play. Before the snap, Lu Ke changed the play. Marcus was positioned on the right side of the formation, confusing the opponent's cornerback who moved over to that side, revealing the intention of their zone defense. Lu Ke chose a simplified or modified version of the screen pass play, using himself as the target to draw the attention of the defenders, and then quickly completing the pass to the running back, with the tight end and the right tackle blocking for him!"
A screen pass could be simply understood as the quarterback drawing all the defensive pressure and luring all the defenders, like flying a kite. When the defenders were about to swarm him, the quarterback would throw a short pass over the defenders' heads to a teammate. At this point, most of the defenders' attention was on the quarterback, and the offensive linemen would also block for the receiver, clearing a path for them to run forward and gain more yards.
The play just now was a simplified screen pass.
Lu Ke attracted the focus of the defense, but his legs weren't fast enough, so he didn't run too far. He just shifted his weight, and then he immediately used the time difference to complete the pass. The left and right fakes caused the defenders to lose their balance, which bought Marcus precious time to run forward. In the end, they completed the down.
Not only did they easily get the first down, but they also gained eight yards!
"The Badgers' defensive scheme has been completely read by Lu Ke. Two clean passes have completely disrupted the Badgers' plans. In one go, they are at their own 28-yard line. This only took thirty-five seconds, including the time lost from the first down sack." Kirk's commentary was like a machine gun. For a radio commentator, they had to report every little detail on the field. A fast mouth was a basic skill, and it had been a long, long time since he had felt so rushed to speak.
But today, Kirk felt it again. Because the Bruins were once again on the attack, not giving the Badgers any time to breathe.
Lu Ke quickly took a step back and raised his right hand, ready to pass. This move caught the Badgers' defense off guard. They were scared that Lu Ke would complete another pass, but they were also worried that a failed blitz would result in a deep pass. In their hesitation, only Watt rushed forward. He tore through the Bruins' defense like a tiger coming down a mountain, but in the next second, Watt's heart sank because... Lu Ke threw the ball.
No, it wasn't a pass, but a handoff. Lu Ke handed the football to Marcus! This wasn't a pass but a play-action run, a run play!
In a split second, Watt almost turned his body to tackle Marcus, but his momentum was too hard to control. He slammed into Lu Ke, but he could only watch as Marcus ran past him on his right. The Badgers' entire defense was now completely confused. Everyone was trying to cover their defensive zone, leaving only the linebacker assigned to the running back to defend him. But the Bruins' offensive line successfully executed their blocks, knocking the linebacker out of the way and clearing a wide-open path.
Marcus charged forward with great strides, sprinting forward in one go. However, after only seven yards, the tight coverage in the short-pass area swarmed him and tackled him to the ground, ending a very successful run play.
The coaching staff on the sideline didn't hesitate and immediately called a timeout.
During a passing play, the football was in the air, and all the players were running, so it took a relatively short amount of time. During a running play, the entire offensive line would open a path like a bulldozer, and the running back would look for a gap to run through. This entire process was a head-on confrontation with the defense, which took a relatively long time.
With so little time left in the game, a running play was definitely not a smart choice. But it was precisely this unexpected choice that once again tore through the Badgers' defense and successfully advanced the ball. The coaching staff immediately called a timeout. The entire coordination was flawless, and it only took eight seconds. Now, there were one minute and seventeen seconds left in the game, and the Bruins had reached their own 36-yard line, unknowingly getting closer to midfield!
But Lu Ke knew that their speed was still too slow. If they continued at this pace, they would definitely not be able to score a touchdown. However, Lu Ke was still not panicked. The success of the three consecutive drives had advanced the ball, boosted their morale, and disrupted the opponent's rhythm, all of which were setting the stage for the next drive.
Once again, he led his teammates forward, lining up at the 36-yard line, and carefully laid out the play.
In the forty-second timeout, Lu Ke needed to clarify his thoughts and make new arrangements. "They're scared of us!" Lu Ke said loudly. "They were out of position on three consecutive plays just now. They can't stop our offense! What we need to do now is to completely destroy their confidence! They didn't get to where they are today because of their defense, but we did because of our offense!" Lu Ke clenched his fists tightly.
He looked at every teammate, and through their helmets, he could see their determined eyes, full of confidence!
"Number 99, he's still a threat, but he's only one person. Don't worry! My only prayer is, no sacks! I'm not saying this because falling down and getting hit hurts, but because of the game time. There's not much time left." Lu Ke had the presence of mind to make a joke at this moment, which made all his teammates laugh. "Nelson, Eddie, do you need help?"
Two players were defending one opponent. If they still needed help, they would be a complete disgrace.
Lu Ke was sacrificing his own safety to take down the opponent's number 99, letting the other defenders blitz. This had been successful in the previous three drives, but it was like playing a game with the Grim Reaper. One mistake, and it would be a complete loss.
If Nelson and Eddie still couldn't stop number 99, they would be the real culprits.
"No!" "Of course not!" "Get lost!" Nelson and Eddie said in annoyance. Their attitude once again made the other teammates laugh.
"We need to speed up again!" As soon as Lu Ke said that, everyone gasped. Logan was even more direct. "Are you crazy?"
Lu Ke met his best friend's gaze. "What, you can't do it?" At that, Logan immediately lost his fighting spirit and rolled his eyes. "Who said that? Just bring it on!"
"Alright, on this next play, we're going to do this!" Lu Ke already had a play in mind. They had to keep speeding up to further disrupt the Badgers' defense. There were only seventy-seven seconds left in the game, and they still had sixty-four yards to go. Lu Ke kept repeating in his mind, "Don't rush, don't rush. Rushing will only lead to mistakes." His mind was incredibly calm, but his blood was boiling uncontrollably.
"My God! My God!" Nate Chandler gripped the handrail tightly, his muscles tensed to the extreme. He could barely breathe. There wasn't much time left in the game, and they were still so far from the end zone. He felt like his heart had stopped beating.
"Nate, have some faith, will you?" Jeff Lock was filled with excitement. He yelled passionately, "We're winning, we're winning! Bambi is going to score a touchdown, trust me!"
"Bambi! Bambi!" A person diagonally in front of them suddenly jumped up, raising his hands high and shouting with all his might. Jeff and Nate both looked over. The person was Danny Reese. He turned his head and looked at everyone. "Brothers! Let's give our team some support! Now! They need us! Bambi!"
The cheers seemed to have never died down. They rang out again, merging into one powerful chorus. The momentum gradually rose, forming a powerful tornado that spun in the Rose Bowl. The unified shouts came down like an avalanche, once again shaking the entire world.
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