In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 233 Witness history again (33)

"It can be said that the opening time of the Independence Bowl was very well chosen." John Madden tried to find the reason for the amazing ratings of the Independence Bowl game.

January 1th is the end of the Christmas holiday. At this time, the middle class people on vacation have gone home and are getting ready to go to work. At this point in time, all bowl games have ended, and other sports have also entered the winter break. It can be said that , the Independence Bowl occupied this brief interregnum.

In addition, I have to mention the public opinion storm that the NCAA is suffering. Although many media are bombarding it, many media are also proposing new perspectives. In addition, with the support of the Southeastern Conference, Ethan O'Connor , and even the entire Alabama is at the forefront, which also makes the Independence Bowl inherently topical.

Last but not least, apart from the slight disturbance at the beginning of this game, the scene presented is indeed very attractive to the audience. On one side is Ethan O'Connor, on the other side are three Heisman Awards. You and I are going back and forth on both sides. This is a huge attraction for any football fan.

But what America does not lack most is spectators who like football.

"Pick up your mood and get ready for the second half of the game!" John Madden said
After a short period of silence, both teams returned to the field again.

"After a short break, let us continue to focus on the ongoing Independence Bowl game. In the first two quarters of the game, the Alabama Crimson Tide trailed the Nebraska Cornhuskers by one point, 28-29. In the first half, Ethan scored two running touchdowns, plus two passing touchdowns. On the Nebraska side, there were more blossoms, including wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. The forwards and quarterbacks each scored a touchdown, and both sides used each other's classic tactics in the first half... I don't know who will win the new Independence Bowl trophy this year! Let's wait and see!"

John Madden said a long list in one breath, which can be said to be at his best.

Nebraska took the lead in the second half.

"We saw that Nebraska made corresponding adjustments and removed all wide receivers. Is this a plan to resolutely implement running tactics? Only play land offense?"

"It looks like this at the moment. During Tom Osborne's coaching career, he has changed tactics on the spot many times. It seems that in the midfield of this game, he also made changes to Nebraska's original tactical system. Drastic reforms.”

"But having said that, only attacking on the road is still a very risky move..."

The two commentators analyzed each word one by one.

On the edge of the field, the coaching staff of the University of Alabama saw this scene and made corresponding adjustments.

"Withdraw the lower back, move the safety to the neutral zone early, and add an extra runner." Eugene began to significantly compress the defensive front.

The opponent completely showed their cards, and Alabama naturally had to take action here.

"Coach...I think I can play." Ethan looked at Eugene at this time.

·
"Wait a minute, we saw Ethan O'Connor's personal classic scene appear. He once again adjusted his position. As Alabama's defensive front compressed, he began to serve as a defensive runner. In the previous game, Ethan O'Connor once again adjusted his position. Ethan has been called upon in critical situations several times, taking on responsibilities other than quarterback, and each time he has achieved the effect of changing the situation. Let’s see what new changes Ethan has brought this time!”

When John Maddon saw Nebraska change the lineup, he was vaguely worried, thinking that the game would become dull in the second half, but as Ethan came on the court as a member of the defensive team, he immediately became excited. .

There's no doubt that Ethan O'Connor brings something extra to the table with every new twist.

"One more thing I need to point out is that this is the first time Ethan has played as a defensive team member in a college game. Before, Ethan mostly entered the special team or changed positions in the offensive team." Pat mentioned in particular. .

"That's right, friends in front of the TV, you have caught up this time and can see Ethan play as a defensive team member for the first time."

The cheers at the scene also became enthusiastic, and many spectators began to scream. Compared with being able to see Ethan try a new position, what is the extra money spent on tickets?This is more than worth the price of admission.

As for Ethan himself, he didn’t think much about it.

The reason why I didn't join the defensive team before was also very simple - the tactics of the defensive team are very changeable and complicated. Not only can't I play a positive role, but it will be a hindrance.

But now the situation is completely different.

The opponent is already running the ball, and all the defensive players need to do is to prevent the run, and as a runner himself, the task of this position is very straightforward and pure. He does not need to take on any assisting defense tasks, he only needs to keep an eye on the opponent. Just the ball-running staff.

This is the reason why Ethan is willing to take the initiative, and other things come second.

On the other hand, everyone in Nebraska looked a little nervous when they saw Ethan coming on the court.

"Now that I have chosen this tactic, don't give me any hesitation!" Quarterback Scott looked at several teammates around him.

"Yes, besides, even Ethan may not be able to defend our running ball. Has he been a defensive staff member for even one second this year?" Running back Lawrence also mentioned another key point.

This sentence somewhat boosted morale, and the eyes of many team members became determined at this time.

As the game officially resumed, quarterback Scott led the charge and elected to run the ball, with running back Lawrence following closely behind.

The same offensive tackle cover tactic, but with the addition of some deceptive fake moves.

Scott made a move to hide the football behind his back. In fact, he secretly handed the ball to the running back behind him. After completing the handover of the football, Scott immediately rushed forward to provide cover for his teammates.

From the perspective of tactical implementation, there is no doubt that this tactic was successful. At least it deceived Dwayne, the key figure in run defense. He was obviously confused.So much so that after knocking Scott down, he discovered that he didn't have a football in his hands at all.

At the same time, Lawrence, who got the ball, was already gone.Facing the cornerback's marking, Lawrence used the same escape steps as the wide receiver and successfully swayed away from the opponent.The safety was still on the other side, and Lawrence was confident that he could get into the zone before the opponent could get back in position. This confidence came from his nimbleness and brisk speed.

But just when Lawrence started to activate with all his strength, he discovered that besides the safety guard, there was another figure approaching him at an extremely fast speed.

It's Ethan O'Connor!

Not only was Ethan not pulled away by Lawrence, but he also had a tendency to gradually catch up.

Just now, Ethan was standing behind Dwayne, and at the first moment of the game, he chose to step back.Like a seasoned fisherman, waiting for the "fish that slips through the net".

Sure enough, Ethan saw Nebraska break through Alabama's defense with a simple fake move. At the same time, Ethan determined the rushing route of Lawrence, the ball runner, and stepped forward with his legs to accelerate and charge closer. .

If running the ball in short yards is like a close fight, then running the ball in long yards, especially when the running back has broken through the neutral zone and entered the deep zone to start the final sprint, runs the ball. The confrontation between the defender and the defender will evolve into a "life and death" race.

If there is a significant speed gap between the offense and defense, the situation will become very simple and clear. Either the running back enters the zone, or the running back is knocked down by the defensive personnel.

But if the speed difference between the two sides is not large, then this offense and defense will become a chasing game full of skills.

Since all of this was completed in a very short period of time, there was no extra time to react, which required both parties to have extremely strong reaction speed and excellent intuitive judgment.

Facing Ethan who was rushing towards him, Lawrence immediately chose to cut inside.

Originally, he wanted to make a fake move to force Ethan to change direction and then get rid of it, but Ethan saw through it directly, so he could only bite the bullet and continue to cut inside.

This scene is exactly the same as the "Z-shaped route" that Ethan used before.

Facing other defenders, Lawrence does have a speed advantage, but this speed advantage disappears in front of Ethan. However, the Z-shaped route can only be used when there is a speed advantage.

The wrong route choice caused the distance between Ethan and Lawrence to become smaller and smaller.

In desperation, Lawrence could only try to change direction again, and it was the moment of stagnation during the change of direction that revealed his flaw.

Ethan used his legs to exert force, and he rushed forward. His body was completely stretched in the air, he opened his arms, grabbed the corner of Lawrence's clothes, and pulled him back directly.

Lawrence originally thought he had completed his escape, but the sudden force caught him off guard, and in desperation, the football in his hand slipped out...

The two tumbled under the impact of inertia, while the shuttle-shaped rugby ball rolled down in the other direction.

He was picked up directly by the security guard who arrived immediately!

"Interception!" John Madden yelled.

For other commentators, it would be a gaffe, but for Maddon, it is normal operation. He is used to this kind of impassioned commentary style.

The key change of ball ownership also made all the fans at the scene feel heartbroken.

The safety guard sprinted with the ball. Although he had made a sudden change of direction, as a safety guard, his speed was still slower than that of a normal running back. His opponent could easily see through and intercept him.

But even so, through the safety guard's interception, Alabama pushed directly to the 46-yard line in its own half.

"Dear viewers, this key change of ball ownership gives Alabama a glimmer of hope for victory. The key to the question is whether Alabama's Ethan O'Connor can successfully seize this opportunity!"

Ethan used actual performance to prove that John Madden's worries were just misplaced.

Compared to Nebraska, Alabama did not make any roster changes.

Even the offensive strategy is similar to the first half, which can be regarded as unchanged in response to changes.

And Nebraska is obviously having a headache with the national problem of how to defend Eason.

The same running ball cover tactics, the same Z-shaped route, the same defensive personnel chasing, the difference is that the defensive personnel following Ethan does not have the speed of Ethan, so even if the defensive personnel finally He made a gesture of flying to save him, but he could only hit the ground heavily and watch Ethan's back go away.

"As expected of an extremely calm rugby robot, Ethan didn't make a single mistake at this critical moment. He didn't give the opponent any loopholes and rushed directly into the zone with the ball. This was his first game in the game. The third running touchdown he got was only one short of the Alabama school record of four touchdowns in a single game that he just set today."

"Is Ethan, who is feeling hot today, going to break the record he just set again?" John Madden put forward a bold idea.

"Anyway, I want to say something for the viewers in front of the TV..." Pat was influenced by his colleagues, and his language style became somewhat exaggerated.

"...We will witness history again."

(End of this chapter)