It’s been one heckuva game. We started out pretty decently in the first quarter, holding them to a statistical tie. In the second quarter, we continued to hold our own pretty well, until the other team seemed to just continually get lucky.. In the blink of an eye, they had ran back a kickoff for a TD, pick-sixed us for another, returned a fumble recovery off our muffed punt for another TD, and intercepted it again and hail-mary-ed it into the endzone as time expired in the half for their fourth in what must’ve been a two Minute span. That was one of the most humiliating ways to return to our locker rooms, thinking we would have gone in 0-0, but instead, we were facing a 28-0 hole to climb out of.
Most other teams would’ve quit then and there. It’s not because of the fact that we were down four TDs to none at the half; but because of the way they were able to go up 4 TDs on us. Seriously, how unlucky could a team get!? Our whole team was at fault for each of those TDs; special teams on the first TD, QB and the offense for the second, special teams again for the third, and both the offense AND defense for the fourth. Ouch.
But we din’t quit. We couldn’t. Not when this was the 7th game of the season, and the result of this game would set the stage for either a remarkable run to the finish over the next five games, or a disastrous freefall for the team, struggling to limp past the 12th game of the season. With our record sitting at a pretty 0.500, or 3-3, there was a whole lot left to fight for in the next 30 minutes of the game. And so we fought.
The third quarter was one of the most hard-fought 15 minutes of hell I’d ever seen in my career. Our guys went out there with a renewed sense of fire in their eyes, ignoring the scoreboard and playing as if it was 0-0 in the first half. Our defense swarmed to the ball, forcing a whole bunch of three-and-outs. Our O-line absolutely punished their D, opening gaping holes to allow our backs to easily pick up first downs, if not get close to the marker. In goal-line situations, our wideouts got just enough separation for the QB to dump it straight into their chests, helping us slowly push up the scoreboard.
At the end of that madness, we had been able put up 24 pts in that quarter; we scored 3 TDs and had to settle for a FG. And so, we entered the fourth down only four points, 24-28. There were 15 minutes left on the clock, 15 minutes left to determine which way the pendulum would swing for us for the rest of the season.
And like I mentioned, our guys played their hearts out in the third. You could tell they were a bit tired, with the extra heaving of their chests, seeing more guys place their arms on knees or behind their heads to catch an extra bit of breath, more Gatorade consumed than in the entire first half combined. But football is a 60 minute sport, and the winner of the game is the one with the most points at the end of those 60 minutes. We still had a job to do.
With both teams a little more fatigued than usual, the scoring opened up a bit. When they ran in a TD, we were able to pull one down in the end zone as well. Our D got a stop for us, their D made us settle for another FG. They were able to bully their way into the end zone for another score, and then they made us settle for yet another FG at the 40-yd line. With the score now sitting at 37-42, we were pulling closer, but not quite close enough.
With just under 3 minutes remaining in this high stakes game for us, we knew it was gonna be now or never. We just scored the FG, so the ball was now in their possession. All they had to do was probably get another first down, and the game would be over. So for us, here were four key possessions where our D had to absolutely manhandle them to force the turnover. And of course, they ran the ball on 1st down, for a pickup of 2. On 2nd down, they were able to pick up 8 before we knocked them down. Now there’s just 2 minutes left, and on the crucial 3rd and 2, this was the do or die moment. The ref set the ball down, their offense got into position, and their center hiked the ball. HOLY CRAP, it was a bad snap! The ball sailed over their QBs head and rolled back a good 10-15 yards. It was a mad rush for it, as both our D and their players jockeyed for the ball. It took the refs a good five minutes to unravel the madness to see who actually had the ball at the bottom of the pile. At the end of it all, the ref threw his hands towards our endzone, signaling that we had recovered the loose ball. Here’s our chance!
Here we were, with the ball at our opponent’s 35 yard line, with about 1.30 left on the clock. Going into our 2 minute offense, we were able to snag 27 yards in 4 quick plays, with each reception by our wideout followed by them smartly walking out of bounds to stop the clock. With about 50 seconds left, we were now knocking on their door, having a 1st and goal at their 8 yard line. We’ve got plenty of time left. Let’s go.
With their goal line stand, and our necessity for good game-clock management, we thought we’d try and run the ball to gain yardage and knock a good chunk of time off the clock. That tactic worked decently, netting us 2 additional yards while taking off about 25 seconds from the clock. The play was designed to get the tailback to swing out, pick up the yardage, and then fall out of bounds, stopping the clock for us. As we sauntered back to the line of scrimmage, thinking we had all the time in the world (or at least, all the time given to us by the playclock), one of our WRs noticed that the game clock had dwindled down to just 15 seconds. We frantically lined up, snapped it, and spiked the ball, seeing as how we had no time-outs left. What in the world just happened!?
Our coach ran over to the ref and started mouthing off, loudly wondering why the game clock din’t stop like it was s’posed to after our guy went out of bounds. The ref calmly replied that our back had actually been downed with one knee in play, meaning that time would in fact continue running. Frustrated at the ref’s decision, as well as the fact that he had no time-outs left, meaning that he could not challenge the ruling on the field, he yelled at us to get moving, seeing as how we only had about 10 seconds left on the playclock.
So now. We were faced with a 3rd and goal at their 8 yard line (the spike cost us the two yards we had picked up on 1st down, and spiking the ball also meant the forfeiture of a down), with only 10 seconds left in the game, with the score at 37-42, in our opponents favor. We figure we could still run a play to take a shot at the end zone, and if all else fails, we’d hopefully have a couple ticks left on the clock to take our last shot on 4th down. We thought we’d try to throw them off guard by stacking the box and lining up in the I-formation, showing a power running play. However, when the ball was snapped, we tried to execute a fade to the corner of the endzone, figuring out wideout could get enough separation in one-on-one coverage.
With the ball slowly sailing through the air, and the corner not quite realizing that the play was headed in his direction, our wideout fakes left, bolts right, and ends up juking the corner just enough to pull in the ball into his chest. “TOUCHDOWN!!” We all excitedly start screaming, believing that we had just won the game. However, as our guy starts to finish it up by putting his two feet inbounds, the corner’s long arms swat at the ball, just enough to make our guy lose possession and fumble the ball out of bounds. It’s ruled as an incomplete pass. Man.
Here we are. It’s 4th and goal, we’re still 8 yards from a TD, and there’s about 2 seconds on the clock left. There’s no giving up now. We were *that* close on the last play; we got to give it as much effort as we did, if not more, to finally wrap this game up. Our five O-linemen line up on the line, four wide-receivers on the outside, and the halfback behind the QB watching for any trickery the opposing D might try to pull. Our center crouches over, puts his hand on the ball, and looks back under his legs to the QB, awaiting his signal to snap the ball. The QB’s eyes scan the defense, trying to see if there are any glaring holes in their defensive scheme. Trying to milk the playclock for all its worth, to have as much time to study the opposing D, our QB lets the time dwindle to 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. seconds. “Hike!” he yells.
And all pandemonium breaks loose.
06.01.10 11.38pm-12.34am
=====
I've been wanting to write this story since finals week last quarter. If you know me, you know my recent (as in, the past couple of years) newfound love for football. And as I was struggling through finals, the imagery of fighting through the downs, pushing through to the endzone, not giving up on the play until the clock reads 00:00.. that totally coincided w/ my thought process of not giving up on my finals until the last one was finished. (Lesson learned after the horrendous events of fall quarter '09) I feel like this is a decent writing.. Prolly a bit football-language heavy for those who don't follow it, and prolly not-technical enough for those who do. But. I think I'm happy.
Most other teams would’ve quit then and there. It’s not because of the fact that we were down four TDs to none at the half; but because of the way they were able to go up 4 TDs on us. Seriously, how unlucky could a team get!? Our whole team was at fault for each of those TDs; special teams on the first TD, QB and the offense for the second, special teams again for the third, and both the offense AND defense for the fourth. Ouch.
But we din’t quit. We couldn’t. Not when this was the 7th game of the season, and the result of this game would set the stage for either a remarkable run to the finish over the next five games, or a disastrous freefall for the team, struggling to limp past the 12th game of the season. With our record sitting at a pretty 0.500, or 3-3, there was a whole lot left to fight for in the next 30 minutes of the game. And so we fought.
The third quarter was one of the most hard-fought 15 minutes of hell I’d ever seen in my career. Our guys went out there with a renewed sense of fire in their eyes, ignoring the scoreboard and playing as if it was 0-0 in the first half. Our defense swarmed to the ball, forcing a whole bunch of three-and-outs. Our O-line absolutely punished their D, opening gaping holes to allow our backs to easily pick up first downs, if not get close to the marker. In goal-line situations, our wideouts got just enough separation for the QB to dump it straight into their chests, helping us slowly push up the scoreboard.
At the end of that madness, we had been able put up 24 pts in that quarter; we scored 3 TDs and had to settle for a FG. And so, we entered the fourth down only four points, 24-28. There were 15 minutes left on the clock, 15 minutes left to determine which way the pendulum would swing for us for the rest of the season.
And like I mentioned, our guys played their hearts out in the third. You could tell they were a bit tired, with the extra heaving of their chests, seeing more guys place their arms on knees or behind their heads to catch an extra bit of breath, more Gatorade consumed than in the entire first half combined. But football is a 60 minute sport, and the winner of the game is the one with the most points at the end of those 60 minutes. We still had a job to do.
With both teams a little more fatigued than usual, the scoring opened up a bit. When they ran in a TD, we were able to pull one down in the end zone as well. Our D got a stop for us, their D made us settle for another FG. They were able to bully their way into the end zone for another score, and then they made us settle for yet another FG at the 40-yd line. With the score now sitting at 37-42, we were pulling closer, but not quite close enough.
With just under 3 minutes remaining in this high stakes game for us, we knew it was gonna be now or never. We just scored the FG, so the ball was now in their possession. All they had to do was probably get another first down, and the game would be over. So for us, here were four key possessions where our D had to absolutely manhandle them to force the turnover. And of course, they ran the ball on 1st down, for a pickup of 2. On 2nd down, they were able to pick up 8 before we knocked them down. Now there’s just 2 minutes left, and on the crucial 3rd and 2, this was the do or die moment. The ref set the ball down, their offense got into position, and their center hiked the ball. HOLY CRAP, it was a bad snap! The ball sailed over their QBs head and rolled back a good 10-15 yards. It was a mad rush for it, as both our D and their players jockeyed for the ball. It took the refs a good five minutes to unravel the madness to see who actually had the ball at the bottom of the pile. At the end of it all, the ref threw his hands towards our endzone, signaling that we had recovered the loose ball. Here’s our chance!
Here we were, with the ball at our opponent’s 35 yard line, with about 1.30 left on the clock. Going into our 2 minute offense, we were able to snag 27 yards in 4 quick plays, with each reception by our wideout followed by them smartly walking out of bounds to stop the clock. With about 50 seconds left, we were now knocking on their door, having a 1st and goal at their 8 yard line. We’ve got plenty of time left. Let’s go.
With their goal line stand, and our necessity for good game-clock management, we thought we’d try and run the ball to gain yardage and knock a good chunk of time off the clock. That tactic worked decently, netting us 2 additional yards while taking off about 25 seconds from the clock. The play was designed to get the tailback to swing out, pick up the yardage, and then fall out of bounds, stopping the clock for us. As we sauntered back to the line of scrimmage, thinking we had all the time in the world (or at least, all the time given to us by the playclock), one of our WRs noticed that the game clock had dwindled down to just 15 seconds. We frantically lined up, snapped it, and spiked the ball, seeing as how we had no time-outs left. What in the world just happened!?
Our coach ran over to the ref and started mouthing off, loudly wondering why the game clock din’t stop like it was s’posed to after our guy went out of bounds. The ref calmly replied that our back had actually been downed with one knee in play, meaning that time would in fact continue running. Frustrated at the ref’s decision, as well as the fact that he had no time-outs left, meaning that he could not challenge the ruling on the field, he yelled at us to get moving, seeing as how we only had about 10 seconds left on the playclock.
So now. We were faced with a 3rd and goal at their 8 yard line (the spike cost us the two yards we had picked up on 1st down, and spiking the ball also meant the forfeiture of a down), with only 10 seconds left in the game, with the score at 37-42, in our opponents favor. We figure we could still run a play to take a shot at the end zone, and if all else fails, we’d hopefully have a couple ticks left on the clock to take our last shot on 4th down. We thought we’d try to throw them off guard by stacking the box and lining up in the I-formation, showing a power running play. However, when the ball was snapped, we tried to execute a fade to the corner of the endzone, figuring out wideout could get enough separation in one-on-one coverage.
With the ball slowly sailing through the air, and the corner not quite realizing that the play was headed in his direction, our wideout fakes left, bolts right, and ends up juking the corner just enough to pull in the ball into his chest. “TOUCHDOWN!!” We all excitedly start screaming, believing that we had just won the game. However, as our guy starts to finish it up by putting his two feet inbounds, the corner’s long arms swat at the ball, just enough to make our guy lose possession and fumble the ball out of bounds. It’s ruled as an incomplete pass. Man.
Here we are. It’s 4th and goal, we’re still 8 yards from a TD, and there’s about 2 seconds on the clock left. There’s no giving up now. We were *that* close on the last play; we got to give it as much effort as we did, if not more, to finally wrap this game up. Our five O-linemen line up on the line, four wide-receivers on the outside, and the halfback behind the QB watching for any trickery the opposing D might try to pull. Our center crouches over, puts his hand on the ball, and looks back under his legs to the QB, awaiting his signal to snap the ball. The QB’s eyes scan the defense, trying to see if there are any glaring holes in their defensive scheme. Trying to milk the playclock for all its worth, to have as much time to study the opposing D, our QB lets the time dwindle to 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. seconds. “Hike!” he yells.
And all pandemonium breaks loose.
06.01.10 11.38pm-12.34am
=====
I've been wanting to write this story since finals week last quarter. If you know me, you know my recent (as in, the past couple of years) newfound love for football. And as I was struggling through finals, the imagery of fighting through the downs, pushing through to the endzone, not giving up on the play until the clock reads 00:00.. that totally coincided w/ my thought process of not giving up on my finals until the last one was finished. (Lesson learned after the horrendous events of fall quarter '09) I feel like this is a decent writing.. Prolly a bit football-language heavy for those who don't follow it, and prolly not-technical enough for those who do. But. I think I'm happy.
