Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 42: 042 Ground Threat

"Hey, tough guy."

Li Wei still didn’t remember Allen’s name. He genuinely didn’t mean to forget, but he just couldn’t remember it. Anyway, Allen really liked the nickname. Right before the Defensive group was about to take the field, he called out to Allen.

Not just Allen, but number ten Foster, Humphrey, and the others, all stopped in their tracks.

Li Wei flashed a smile, "Did you guys see that? Mr. Watsons over there."

Following Li Wei’s gaze, the players from the Defensive group all looked towards the Clemson rest area across the field, spotting the relaxed-looking Watson—

His helmet and gear were off, and at the moment he was just in a tight moisture-wicking shirt, hands spread out on the back of a chair, his legs crossed, chatting and laughing with his teammates as if he were on vacation in Cancun.

Even though the Crimson Tide Storm had just scored a touchdown, he seemed unaffected.

"That gentleman is on vacation, thinking it’s impossible for us to threaten their victory. Even if their Tigers Defense Squad gave up a touchdown, he still believes their backup Offensive group can maintain the lead."

"Hey, gentlemen, how about we prove ourselves with action, make that gentleman hop on his feet, and then get him back in gear and on the field."

"What do you think?"

More than words, this scene was far more effective.

One by one, the players from the Crimson Tide Storm’s Defensive group’s blood began to boil with burning fighting spirit.

Allen turned to look at Li Wei, his eyes revealing a supreme confidence, "How about we see who can make that Mr. Watsons jump first?"

Li Wei gave a thumbs up, "Be careful now, our Offensive group is already one point ahead."

Without saying much more, Allen swung his arm, and the Defensive group took the field.

It’s true that in the training game, the backup team had won, and the main Defensive group had given up a touchdown at the beginning and end of the game, performing poorly; but don’t forget, whether it’s the main players or the backups, the overall performance of the Defensive group was very strong. The only uncertain factor was Li Wei.

In the first half of today’s game, the Defensive group lacked solutions for dealing with Watson’s individual performance, but now that the main Defensive group had finally taken the field, they were also holding back their breath.

The Tigers’ Offensive group didn’t put Watson on for the second half, but instead followed the tradition of warm-up games, using different formations to test different strategic combinations, but Li Wei was right — they should see Watson as the target—

Win or lose, sparring with the strongest opponent and challenging your own limits is the most thrilling part of competitive sports.

Allen was ready.

The success or failure of the Tigers’ Offensive group depended on Watson.

The most obvious thing was that once Watson wasn’t on the field, the entire strategy’s aggressiveness and pressure plummeted dramatically, clearly losing control of the situation.

Moreover, even with Watson on the field, if they could just contain him, the variety of offensive tactics would instantly decline, greatly reducing their power.

The Tigers’ Offensive group’s dependence on Watson and the Crimson Tide Storm Offensive group’s dependence on Derrick Henry were somewhat similar, but obviously, the Tigers’ dependence was a bit stronger.

Presumably, Sweeney also knew this, choosing the Crimson Tide Storm as a warm-up match to hone their second and third offensive strategies.

However—

It was still a challenge.

The Tigers’ second quarterback, Kelly Bryant, like Watson, was also a new generation running quarterback, currently a freshman, but the gap was quite apparent.

Temporarily setting aside physical fitness, the biggest problem where Bryant fell short compared to Watson was timing, unsure when to pass, when to run, and when to break through with the ball himself.

On one hand, it was experience; on the other, talent.

The Crimson Tide Storm’s defensive front intensely pressured Bryant, and Allen and his team didn’t pursue to rip through the pocket and sack the quarterback, but rather continuously applied pressure, forcing Bryant to make quick decisions and then descend into panic.

No matter what choice Bryant made, it was like tightrope walking high above the ground, shaky and perilously uncertain, especially in the densely manned areas for short and medium passes, where both passing and running faced serious challenges.

Three strikes and out—

In baseball, this term refers to the pitcher striking out the batter, but in football, it means the defensive group successfully completes third Gear defense, causing the opponent to face a long fourth down and be forced to choose to punt.

Fourth down and seven yards.

And the ball was positioned near the front of their own end zone, so the Tigers Offensive Squad didn’t dare to take risks and could only reluctantly punt, handing over the ball rights back to the Crimson Tide Storm.

As he came off the field, Allen took off his helmet, his face full of smiles, head held high with confidence and pride as he looked over at Li Wei.

Li Wei, understanding the situation, carrying his own helmet, stepped onto the field and raised his right hand high—

Slap!

Li Wei and Allen completed a high five in mid-air, and their positions rotated.

In the internal competition of the Crimson Tide Storm, "Offensive Group VS Defensive Group": "1:1".

When the Crimson Tide Storm Offensive Group took the field again, one could observe the tactical changes in the Tigers Defense Squad, with Sweeney showing his mettle.

Sweeney had also noticed Li Wei’s excellent performance, and the University of Alabama had always been a traditional powerhouse for running backs, their ground attack truly impressive. Li Wei alone had successfully rung the alarm bell in Sweeney’s mind.

Therefore, the Tigers Defense Squad tightened up their ground defense at the front, with number ninety-nine Farrell and other defensive players narrowing their pocket positions. As soon as the running back took the ball, day after day, the defensive players stepped forward to form a wall tactic, their solid defense cutting off the ground routes.

Li Wei faced many difficulties.

As mentioned before, Li Wei wasn’t the kind of powerhouse quarterback like Derrick Henry who could breach fortifications; it was hard for him to leverage his strengths within layers upon layers of bulk shielding, including Jacobs, Clark, Emmons, and so on, who were all not of this type. This was Crimson Tide Storm’s dilemma.

The most direct reason Burns noticed Li Wei initially was Li Wei’s explosive burst of speed over short distances, which gave him the capacity to break through quickly—

The distance wasn’t far, perhaps just two or three yards, unleashed in an instant and then encountering a block. He might not be as forceful as Derrick Henry, yet he could still make up for the gaps in the Crimson Tide Storm’s ground attack.

Moreover, Li Wei always managed to make the right choice using his observation and judgement, two or three yards possibly becoming four or five yards or even more.

At the same time!

The Crimson Tide Storm leveraged Li Wei’s individual ability—occasionally switching up with Emmons, the threat of the ground offense solidly capturing the attention of the Tigers’ Defensive Squad.

Caught off guard.

Consequently, the Crimson Tide Storm broke open the game on the passing end.

Sweeney firmly believed that the Crimson Tide Storm’s passing offense was weak and, with Beteman’s average passing accuracy, the Defensive line and linemen focused more attention on the ground offense, relatively giving more space to the pass. The frontfield pressure and close-marking tactics also didn’t exert enough pressure—

Even if they allowed Beteman to pass, the passing offense might not be able to unleash its firepower.

However, Sweeney miscalculated.

"Touchdown!"

Pash once again raised his hands, cheering with surging passion that continuously erupted.

"Touchdown, Beteman connects with Hentges, this is the first passing touchdown for the Crimson Tide Storm in this game, and now the home team’s offense has broken open the field."

"The Clemson Tigers face immense pressure, their lead now barely holding."