In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 192 Victory Cigar (12)

Rod Rutledge, a physical monster with a height of 196 and a weight of 265 pounds (120 kg), serves as the starting tight end most of the time. Similar to Ethan, he has strength that does not belong to the forward line and also has the strength similar to that of a wide receiver. With his speed and flexibility, he is two years older than Ethan and only secured his starting position last year.

But his Crimson Tide career was not very dazzling. In many cases, he became a supplementary striker and took on too many defensive tasks.

The reason is that Freddie Kitchens is not a particularly good quarterback. He is not even ranked first in the national rankings.His passing success rate is not high, and the more critical the moment, the easier it is for him to make a passing mistake, so he often has to choose to run the ball, especially when facing a defensive team like the Volunteers.

Maybe this can win the game, after all, Alabama's defense is second to none in the country, but if it encounters a team like the Volunteers, whose defense is not far behind and has an excellent quarterback, then the situation will be completely different.

Just when the team was starting to get stuck at the one-yard line, Rod Rutledge started getting anxious.

I even feel that Ethan O'Connor is nothing more than that. Although he is better than Freddie, he has not brought fundamental changes to Alabama.

Just when he thought that this round of attack would also end in failure, Ethan looked at him during the discussion just now.

"We have to use some special tactics in the third gear. The wide receivers, running backs and full backs, all of you have to provide cover for Rod Rutledge." Ethan whispered.

This time, even Rod Rutledge himself seemed a little nervous, and Ethan gave him the last opportunity to attack.

As the attack began, everything went as Ethan said beforehand.Someone on the left is pulling on the defensive line, and the wide receiver on the right is helping him make a screen...

And as soon as the gap appeared, Ethan passed the ball to himself in a special way.

At that moment, Rod Rutledge even thought it was a wrong pass, but the speed of the ball and the weird falling path made it seem that it was passed specifically to him.

There was no time to think too much. After receiving the ball, Rod Rutledge dribbled the ball forward and broke through.

At that moment he seemed to forget everything and began to accelerate with all his strength.He could feel his opponent chasing after him, and he didn't dare to look back. He only had one thought - to sprint forward.

"15 yards! 20 yards! 25 yards! 30 yards! He did it, Rod Rutledge did it. The Crimson Tide had been on the wall a while ago, and now they are breaking free from the brink, Rod Rutledge Came to 35 yards. He didn't get good enough results in last year's game. He only got 204 yards last year. He was better at defense than catching the ball."

"But Ethan O'Connor activated him. Look at the speed at which he runs. It's no slower than Joey Kent. In addition, Ethan's pass, I don't know if it was an unintentional move..." the commentator just said Regarding the pass just now, the on-site director also very considerately played the passing scene repeatedly.

"Ethan's shot is different from just now! It's different from all quarterbacks. There is no doubt that this ball has Ethan's distinct personal imprint. It may come from his private practice. I'm afraid Philip Fulmer You have to think carefully about how to defend against this kind of pass that has never appeared before."

As the commentary sounded, the screen switched to the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers in real time. Wearing an orange jacket, he was arguing loudly with the defensive coordinator.

As for the other team members behind him, their expressions became very ugly at this time. Many people turned their heads and looked at the big screen in the venue, and the expressions on their faces even became a little confused.

Especially Peyton Manning, whose brows were furrowed and his expression was very ugly at this time.

As for the Alabama bench, there were waves of whispered curses at this moment.

"F**KING SHIT, he actually practiced this ball?" Randy Rose looked unbelievable.

"I...I was just joking, and he actually took it seriously!" Quarterback coach Randy Ross muttered in a low voice.

"Is it possible that he just thinks this way of passing is more effective?" Ron whispered.

"No matter what, we now have a quarterback with a higher passing success rate." Randy Ross concluded.

Freddie's tendency to make mistakes has almost become a pain point for Randy Rose, and now someone can finally cure him. This man is Ethan O'Connor.

"Compared to Freddy, I think Ethan is more likely to have a chemical reaction with Rod Rutledge." Head coach Eugene also whispered to offensive coordinator Woody at this time.

Frequently trying to run the ball was Woody's decision before the game.

"At least the offensive team is starting to get better." Woody also said.

Ethan can cooperate more tacitly with his teammates, which will obviously give the team more attack points. Just like Freddy is on the court, at this time, Alabama may have to punt honestly. This is what he felt before." The role of key players on the field”.

The game continued, and during the time when the offensive team was conferring, other members of the offensive team also seemed very excited.

"But don't forget, we haven't even advanced to halftime yet." Ethan poured cold water on his teammates.

In fact, he doesn't think the team can open up the situation next, at least not in this quarter.

"Error passing" can only be regarded as a strange trick. To be honest, the passing speed is still slower than the normal passing. If the opponent deliberately pays attention to marking, there is a high probability that it will be intercepted.Ethan is not prepared to use it too much, but is prepared to produce unexpected effects at critical moments.

It can be said that Tennessee's defensive strength exceeded Eason's previous expectations. Obviously, Tennessee's defensive team is stronger than its ranking.As for the strength of Alabama's defensive team, there is no need to say more.

Before the game, everyone including Ethan himself believed that this game would be a direct duel between the two quarterbacks.

In fact, this game can only be regarded as an indirect confrontation between the two. Both of them need to deal with the defensive team of the other university.

Ethan planned to adopt a relatively conservative strategy, relying more on his teammates in the first half, and only really took action in the intense third and fourth quarters.

On the other side, Peyton Manning was also called over by the head coach.

Head coach Philip Fulmer also warned Payton to conserve energy in the first half.

The two teams seemed to have maintained some kind of tacit understanding. In the entire first half, only the Crimson Tide scored on a free kick at the last moment.

The Tennessee Volunteers also tried free kicks, but the angles of both kicks were a bit skewed, and the closest one was nearly fifty yards from the goal. Both attempts failed.At the end of the first half, the two teams ended with 0-3.

CBS Sports' frontline reporter for the game, Jenny Dell, was also on hand to take questions from the studio at halftime.

"... We saw in the Alabama locker room before the game that the team had already prepared the cigars. We don't know whether Alabama can light up the victory cigars at Tennessee's secondary home court this year. We all know that last year's victory was In the duel, Alabama lost the game. At that time, Philip Fulmer once mentioned: This is the clarion call for Tennessee to counterattack. In his future coaching career, he will not lose to Alabama even once again... "

·
"Cheer up! Those guys who were behind in the first quarter, if anyone dares to be careless again, I will put a shotgun into your assholes when I get back!" Special teams coach Danny Pillman roared, his forehead The veins were popping out, and his expression at this moment made him want to punch several people in the special service team in the face.

And when his eyes swept over Ethan, who was sitting in the center of the players, the expression on his face softened somewhat.

"You all owe Ethan O'Connor a debt of gratitude and atone and pray to him after the game," he muttered.

The second ones to speak were the defensive coordinator and coaches related to the defense such as Ron.

Compared to the special teams team that made major mistakes, the coaches on the defensive team had a much gentler attitude.After all, the defensive team performed really well and successfully restricted Peyton Manning.

Then came offensive coordinator Woody, who hoped that Ethan could use more of the "fumbled passes" that had just occurred in the second half.

The last person to make a concluding speech was head coach Eugene Sterlings.

"We cannot wait passively, but must take the initiative." Eugene looked at Ethan.

The special team and defensive team are the foundation and shield of the team's offense, but if you really want to win this game, you still have to look at the offensive team. Even if the defensive team completely suppresses the opponent, someone still needs to score, otherwise it will only delay the game at best. Enter overtime.

Faced with Sterlings' expectant eyes, Ethan nodded.

·
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Crimson Tide relied on Ethan's physical advantage to successfully score a touchdown.The Crimson Tide used a classic tactic tailor-made for Eason, giving up coverage in the pocket and putting all their offensive power into the frontfield.And Ethan also relied on his strong physical fitness to face two dark and hard defensive forwards in Tennessee, "Big Carter" Sean Ellis and Jonathan Brown. Ethan forced the opponent away from the double team and directly hit the opponent. UMass Sean Ellis fell to the ground.And while being dragged down, he once again connected with tight end Rod Rutledge.

Relying on this key pass and the subsequent PAT, the Crimson Tide led 10-0, and then cornerback Fernando Bryant contributed an interception, which ultimately led to another Alabama free kick.

With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Alabama led 13-0.

Before the end of the third quarter, Tennessee relied on Peyton Manning's keen observation to also regain a victory.That perfect gap was seized by Peyton Manning. He decisively passed the ball to Jay Graham who was covering the running position. After the latter received the ball, he also showed the speed that a running position should have. He set the edge and finally ran into the formation in a roundabout way.

As the physical strength of the defensive team decreases, the defensive intensity will inevitably decrease, which also gives the offensive teams of both sides the opportunity to score.

However, the Tennessee Volunteers also made a major mistake. Kicker Jeff Hall missed the goal from fifteen yards away.

This leaves the volunteers with one less point.

At the end of the third quarter, Alabama led 13-6.

·
"We didn't lose, we have to win this game!" Peyton Manning said to his teammates between the third and fourth quarters.

"Fernando Bryant lost too much energy in the first half and began to be unable to keep up with Joey Kent. There will be more gaps on the left in the fourth quarter. With the touchdown in the third quarter, we only We need to win one more, at least to push the game into overtime." Peyton Manning looked at his teammates.

Of course he won't give up, he dreams of killing Ethan.

The teammates are also united, and no one wants to be the sinner in this historical showdown.

In an interview with Peyton Manning that appeared during the game, he bluntly stated that from the first day he joined Tennessee, someone kept telling him that he could lose to any team, but he must not lose to Alabama. .

On the Alabama side, head coach Eugene is also giving his final encouragement.

·
When the fourth quarter began, the smell of gunpowder on the court became more intense, and the fouls on both sides began to increase. Alabama and Tennessee each had a teammate leave the field due to violent collisions.But it's not a key position, and it doesn't have much impact on the offense and defense of both sides.

Ethan could clearly feel that his opponent's marking on him began to increase in intensity.

If one player can't guard him, he sends two, and if two players can't guard him, he sends three. In the end, Ethan almost has to face Sean Ellis, Jonathan Brown, and Al Wilson alone.

These three people were the main defensive players in the NFL professional teams, and two of them were later first-round defensive players. Whether it was strength, speed or skills, it was a new challenge for Ethan.

In the series of collisions, Ethan also felt defensive pressure for the first time. The moment he was knocked down, Ethan passed the ball sideways.

Even when he was out of balance, the football found tight end Rod Rutledge with pinpoint accuracy.

At this time, Rod Rutledge has already made a move to catch the ball. The first tight end to catch a pass from Tom Brady in the future has a clear space behind him. As long as he can get the ball, he can score a touchdown. It will become especially easy.

And just when the football was about to fly into his arms, a ghost-like figure appeared next to Rod Rutledge. With his quick movements, he directly stopped the football and held the football into his arms.

"It's freeback Terrance Fair! In his freshman season in 1994, he made 41 tackles and was selected as an SEC All-Star that year. His condition was not good in today's game, but now he has adjusted. And saved the team at a critical moment.”

Ethan looked at the celebrations of the Tennessee defensive team on the field!
This last-minute interception was very fatal to Alabama.

"The opportunity is here!" Peyton Manning, who was standing on the sidelines with his heart pounding, also showed great excitement.

This is the best opportunity to tie or even overtake the score.

　I sat there for several hours yesterday and couldn't think of anything to write. Chapter 2 will be updated before o'clock today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)