A failed connection, a yellow flag penalty, and a first down with twenty yards to go—the San Francisco 49ers' offense was immediately put on the back foot. For any quarterback, this was not an easy play to complete. But Lu Ke did it, and he made it look effortless.
In the commentary booth, all the analysts were watching the replays, repeatedly analyzing the play call and the yardage gained. "Richard Sherman was out of position, which was undoubtedly fatal. Logan Newman is a powerful tight end, like a beast. In the brief moment that Sherman made an error in judgment, Lu Ke seized the opportunity. More importantly, Newman gained the yards."
Richard Sherman felt a constant itching in his ears. With his hands on his hips and breathing heavily, his eyes were bloodshot.
For the second time, twice in a row, that nobody had completed a pass over his head, and with different receivers at that! To make matters worse, his defensive lapse had allowed for a huge gain, and Logan Newman had made a powerful run, which now put the Seattle Seahawks on the back foot. It was a disgrace, a total humiliation!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Richard thought the guy must be provoking him. That pass was definitely intentional, deliberately targeting him. But there wouldn't be a next time, absolutely not! He was going to let that guy know that he was not to be messed with.
The entire stadium was in an uproar, with everyone marveling at the San Francisco 49ers' offensive play. But the question was, was this Lu Ke's credit, or Logan's? Furthermore, was it luck or skill?
But for Lu Ke, all these discussions and stares were meaningless. He urged his teammates to move quickly, and the coach's voice in his headset kept pushing him. "Push up, push up quickly! Shotgun formation!"
Amidst the noise and chaos on the field, Lu Ke directed his teammates to line up.
They were now in the red zone, which meant that the Seattle Seahawks' secondary defense would be even more compact. There was no such thing as medium or deep passing zones anymore. Besides the four players on the defensive line, the other seven players would cover the entire twenty-three-yard area, which significantly reduced the passing lanes for Lu Ke.
Without much hesitation, and after spending less than five seconds on the play call, Lu Ke immediately called for the snap.
In the short amount of time they had, the Seattle Seahawks' defense was also a little flustered. They simply gave up on the rush and put all their energy into defending against the run and pass. In short, they were letting Lu Ke throw the ball, and they would focus on breaking up the pass or even making an interception.
Lu Ke figured out his opponent's defensive strategy and used the same one. The five offensive linemen blocked, and it wasn't too difficult for them to handle the four defensive linemen's rush. Then, with a play-action pass, Dixon ran around the gaps in the offensive line, faking a run, but instead, he ran out and turned, becoming a receiver.
At that moment, Lu Ke threw the ball!
The Seahawks' defenders were immediately in a panic. The two players in the short-pass area quickly came in to help with the coverage. But in the next second, they realized there was a mismatch in the coverage area again. A mismatch had happened yet again—because Lu Ke's target was not Dixon at all, but someone farther away.
Lu Ke's pass was about sixteen or seventeen yards, flying over Dixon's head and the heads of the players who had come to help, aiming directly for the back.
Who was in the back?
Logan Newman! He had chosen Logan Newman yet again!
This time, Richard Sherman was not out of position. He was right next to Logan, not letting his guard down at all. When he saw the ball coming, Richard leaped in the air, ready to swat the pass away, but the speed of the pass was beyond his imagination. It flew past with a "whoosh," and Richard's right hand was a split second too late, so he completely missed it.
Richard was absolutely stunned. He couldn't believe that his judgment was wrong, or rather, he couldn't believe that the guy's pass was so fast. Three times, three times in a row, that kid had completed a pass over him! This was not just a victory; it was a complete and utter defeat, as if an adult was bullying a child. That guy had actually made him the weak link and was continuously attacking him!
He, Richard Sherman, was the weak link?
He was so shocked that Richard couldn't help but freeze. Richard seemed to have forgotten that this was also just the first game of his professional career. He was also a complete rookie. Or perhaps, Richard had deliberately forgotten this, because Lu Ke, who was also a rookie, was performing at a completely different level, leaving him completely humiliated.
"Smack," with a flying leap, Richard lost his balance and fell heavily onto the grass, his mouth filled with grass.
On the other hand, Logan seemed to have been ready, anticipating the power of Lu Ke's pass. He didn't use one hand but instead used both hands to firmly catch the football. But before he could even bring it into his body, he caught a glimpse of another player coming in to help. In a small twenty-three-yard area, there were defenders in almost every corner, and open space was limited.
Logan didn't panic. He used his physical advantage to bump into the opposing defender, and using the rebound from the collision, he turned around and got away from the defender. Then, following his momentum, he took off, and just as Logan was about to sprint at full speed, he realized something.
He was already in the end zone.
It was so effortless, like taking something out of his pocket. It was so simple, like a walk in the park. Then Logan stood still and started wiggling his butt, celebrating his victory with pride.
"Touchdown! Touchdown! The 49ers have scored another touchdown!" In the studio, Teddy couldn't help but slap the table, shouting excitedly. "One hundred seconds! A full one hundred seconds! After the 49ers' rookie quarterback, Lu Ke, took the field, he only used one hundred seconds and six plays to score another touchdown! Incredible! The entire offensive drive was clean and fluid. Two runs, four passes, three of which were successful, with two big yardage gains. The 49ers' number fourteen makes scoring a touchdown look easier than eating!"
Sitting next to him, his partner Kirk was also all smiles. "The combination of Lu Ke and Logan, the UCLA combination, has clearly revitalized the 49ers' offense. Who would have thought that this was the same team that lost all four of their preseason games and only scored one passing touchdown? Incredible! Truly incredible!"
It wasn't just Teddy and Kirk. The entire commentary booth was in an uproar. A stunned uproar. Everyone was looking at each other, unable to believe their eyes. The unbelievable shock was surging in their eyes, but they couldn't find an answer.
In a football game, a touchdown is always thrilling. But after the excitement, almost everyone was asking the same question: What happened just now? The first time was luck, so what about this time? Was it still... luck?
Luck or skill? Skill or luck?
In a total of seven plays, they scored two touchdowns. One was an amazing deep pass, and the other was a drive from the red zone. For any rookie quarterback, this performance was not just impressive; it was absolutely mind-blowing!
But now, this performance came from an undrafted rookie, an Asian rookie. Even "mind-blowing" wasn't enough to express the shock people felt inside. It was likely that in their hearts, they were already cursing up a storm, because only a good, long string of curses would be enough to properly express their feelings.
"I personally think that Logan Newman was the MVP of that play."
"To be precise, the 49ers' first two plays had very limited bright spots. Although they scored two touchdowns, there is no doubt that Logan Newman was the one who carried the team forward."
"The Seattle Seahawks' core player is Marshawn Lynch, and the San Francisco 49ers' true hero is Logan Newman. Newman led the team to two touchdowns. Now it's up to Lynch. Let's see how Lynch performs this time."
...
Logan Newman. That was their answer. Clearly, although he was also a rookie, Logan was a lot more popular than Lu Ke.
A third-round pick, American, white, and a bright personality. More importantly, he was physically strong, a powerful runner, and an accurate receiver. In short, he was more skilled and had a more charismatic personality. As the biggest hero of the San Francisco 49ers' two consecutive touchdowns today, Logan was definitely a more convincing choice than Lu Ke.
As for Lu Ke's performance?
"Mediocre. This rookie quarterback isn't as bad as we thought. If he can keep this up and follow the team's plays, and execute them precisely, maybe he can become a decent transitional quarterback, waiting for the return of Alex Smith or Colin Kaeernick. But the Seattle Seahawks won't give him too much space or opportunity. The game will be incredibly difficult."
"The San Francisco 49ers' offensive line provided excellent pocket protection, which created opportunities for the team's passes. This rookie quarterback got a little lucky and made a key connection, leading the team to another advantage. Was he great? No. But was he decent? Barely. In the coming plays, they'll need to pray for more luck and hope that this rookie doesn't make any mistakes."
Luck; Logan. Not Lu Ke.
But the first regular season game of his professional career had just begun, and the commentators' opinions had already changed. This was a good start. To be precise, it was the best possible start. After all, you can't get everything all at once.
The game continued, and the direction it took seemed to confirm the commentators' opinion: Lu Ke was just a mediocre, barely decent quarterback, and he was a rookie. He still had so much to learn. Because the game had reached a stalemate, and the entire situation seemed to be stuck in quicksand.
Unexpected, yet completely understandable.
An Asian rookie quarterback? It was clearly just a flash in the pan.
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