Chapter 98 097 Like falling into an ice cellar
Fournette was stunned.
Everything was so unexpected, so sudden, so surprising that he stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning. He even forgot to chase back, standing foolishly in the wind, his mind reeling with shock and astonishment, tempering his anger for the moment.
How did this happen?
He was dominating the game and was on the verge of breaking through Crimson Tide Storm's defense. Images of post-touchdown celebrations had already formed in his head, where he, like a peerless hero, saves the Tigers from doom, with the entire stadium cheering, prostrating at his feet in worship.
He was going to prove himself in an absolutely dominant and dazzling manner.
Li Wei? Hmph, who is that?
But...
But!
How had everything turned around so completely, heading in a totally different direction?
A gentle breeze blew, and Fournette felt the pain in his ankle flare up again. The next second, he saw Humphrey, so arrogant, so conceited, that it was hard to overlook. His gaze followed Humphrey's movements, and finally he saw the football being tucked into Li Wei's arms.
His blood rushed to his brain and instantly froze into ice.
Fournette felt his cheeks burning with a fierce pain.
He caught Li Wei's gaze briefly in midair, a flame of rage igniting in Fournette's eyes, wishing he could tear Li Wei apart. But Li Wei, with composure, nonchalantly tossed the football up and caught it, juggling it as if to mock Fournette's pride and dignity.
And then he turned and walked away... just turned away... like that...
As if Fournette wasn't worth mentioning at all.
Fournette couldn't hold back any longer: Fuck!
"14:0."
With Crimson Tide Storm confidently scoring the extra point, the visiting Alabama team extended their lead and finally found their footing.
The audience, witnessing this, almost believed the game had lost its suspense:
The Louisville State Tigers seemed destined to crumble in defeat just like the other teams that faced Crimson Tide Storm earlier in the season, including powerhouse teams like Tennessee and Texas A&M, falling one by one, offering their heads in a procession of despair amidst Crimson Tide Storm's crushing power.
However.
Orgeron and his Tigers said no.
They refused to surrender, to lay down their arms, to give up.
The reason was simple, Orgeron knew that the dismissal of the previous head coach was due to a lack of fighting spirit and courage during the fourth week's game against the arch-rival, Auburn University. For Louisville State University, this was more disgraceful than defeat—it was the loss of the team's backbone.
Perhaps they were no longer glorious, and they could no longer find the blood and iron defense that once limited their opponents to an average of 143.2 yards per game in 1959. But they still remained the traditional dominators of the Southeastern Conference, especially when facing Crimson Tide—they couldn't show weakness.
They could lose the game, but not their spirit.
Orgeron, demonstrating his iron-blooded attitude, quickly took control of the situation, swiftly rousing the flagging morale and willpower of the Tigers Defense Squad, steadying their stance, and redesigning tactics around Crimson Tide Storm's ground offense—
The ground, that was still the key.
In the previous offensive drive, Crimson Tide Storm had broken through primarily because of Li Wei and also due to Hertz's unexpectedly deciding to advance the ball himself.
If the Tigers wanted to maintain some suspense in the outcome, their ground defense had to be tough.
The Tigers had steadied themselves and weren't thrown into disarray despite conceding two touchdowns in quick succession.
Honestly, this wasn't easy, because Crimson Tide Storm now had a comfortable lead, allowing their offense to operate more smoothly. Saban's offensive strategy had clearly opened up the field, not only giving Li Wei a break but also giving more playtime to Jacobs and Clark.
He boldly let Hertz throw the ball, lightening the load on the ground offense and spreading the attack, with confidence in his pocket.
For the Tigers Defense Squad, despite Li Wei being off the field, the difficulty of the defense remained as high as ever.
However, the Tigers held their ground against the pressure. After the Crimson Tide Storm had gotten three first downs past the midfield line, they were struck out on a beautiful tackle and did not allow the Crimson Tide Storm to further extend their lead.
Tiger Stadium, once again ignited with passion, unleashed the power of the devil's home field.
Back and forth, neither side giving an inch—
Just when everyone thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, the game became deadlocked once again.
The Tigers, struck out twice.
The Crimson Tide Storm, struck out twice.
Halfway into the fourth quarter, the score was still at a standstill. The tough and tenacious Tigers Defense Squad put immense pressure on the until that point smooth-sailing Crimson Tide Offensive group, making the atmosphere impossible to relax in, even with a two-touchdown lead. Overturning and comebacks seemed like they could happen in the blink of an eye.
Here, the Tigers Defense Squad intercepted Hertz for the first turnover of the game.
The home fans erupted in an unbelievable frenzy, sweeping across the entire stadium.
There, the Crimson Tide Defensive group once again tackled Fournette, cutting off the opponent's third down conversion and forcefully bringing Fournette down at the kickoff line.
The ball was back in the hands of the visiting team.
Tense, deadlocked, fierce.
Saban, on the other hand, calmed down. The fourth quarter was already halfway through, leaving the opponent with less and less time. As long as they could maintain the score advantage, the scales of victory would slowly tilt towards the visitors.
Saban, experienced as he was, knew that choosing a ground attack to consume game time was the most economical and effective strategy at that moment. The purpose of the ground attack was not to advance the yards but to keep the game clock moving. This was the safest and simplest method.
Including Orgeron as well.
Clearly, Orgeron was somewhat shaken and uncontrollably anxious. Time was running out for the Tigers, and their offensive group was not known for its explosive power. Hopes for victory were fading. Stay tuned to empire
Then, just at that moment, Saban sent Li Wei back on the field.
Orgeron was alert immediately, but it was different from the first half.
In Orgeron's opinion, Saban might be using a smoke bomb because everyone believed Li Wei's ground attack was a threat. As long as Li Wei was on the field, the Tigers Defense Squad would inevitably focus on him. Then Saban would opt for a pass.
Meaning Li Wei was a decoy.
The reason was very straightforward. After consecutive ground attacks to consume time, the Crimson Tide now needed to convert on first down to get three more offensive plays and then continue with ground attacks to consume time and snuff out any hopes of a Tigers comeback.
Thus, Li Wei took the field.
Thinking this, Orgeron took a deep breath and quickly gestured to Adams and Riley, deploying tactics. They had to make a change.
"Attack!"
Orgeron's gaze was locked on Hertz. Seeing Hertz quickly backpedal, turning around to hand off to Li Wei, but the handoff was completely unobscured, an obvious play-act meant for the linemen and safety to see—
A fake run, true pass!
Orgeron was delighted and immediately looked towards Adams and Riley, hoping his proteges could see through Saban's ruse. He had already warned them.
Perhaps they could stop the Crimson Tide Storm this time, as long as they defended this second down with ten yards to go. Then it would be third down with ten yards, and the chances of the Tigers Defense Squad's success would soar, and then it would be time for the home team's offensive group to take the field.
Indeed, both Riley and Adams noticed. Riley didn't step up right away but, for once, dropped back to coordinate with the pass defense.
So what about Hertz? Which pass target would Hertz choose?
Gaze shifting toward the pocket—
Wait, where's Hertz?