American Football: King of the Bay Area

Two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye, especially during finals season.

For the Bruins athletes, it was undoubtedly an agonizing and painful time. They would rather spend eight grueling hours training on the field than one hour fighting with textbooks in the library. Unfortunately, they had no choice. The team’s daily practices were limited to just two hours. The rest of the time, they had to return to their roles as students and dedicate themselves to their studies.

The moment finals week ended, every student on campus breathed a huge sigh of relief, cheering and celebrating wildly. Not only was Christmas just around the corner, bringing another welcome holiday break, but the Rose Bowl was also set to take place in two weeks. For any UCLA student, this was an annual festival—because the venue, the Rose Bowl itself, was their home stadium.

By tradition, the Rose Bowl is held on January 1st each year. If that day happens to be a Sunday, the game is postponed a day and held on Monday, January 2nd—mainly to avoid conflicting with Sunday church services.

Three days ago, the tournament committee officially announced this year’s two competing teams. According to the rules, the opponents are chosen from the Pac-12 Conference and the Big Ten Conference, respectively. They aren’t necessarily the conference champions; instead, invitations are sent out based on a team’s record, performance, and strength of schedule.

In the end, the team representing the Pac-12 Conference was the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins, while the Big Ten Conference would be represented by the Wisconsin University Badgers.

This would be the Bruins’ first Rose Bowl appearance in eleven years. It was also the Badgers’ first time back on the Rose Bowl stage in ten years. Both teams were making a long-awaited return to the big stage, and expectations were high.

It was worth noting that on January 1st, 1999, the Rose Bowl matchup was between these very same Bruins and Badgers. Back then, the Badgers were in their prime, making it to the Rose Bowl in both 1999 and 2000 and winning the championship both years. In 1999, their victory came against none other than the Bruins, the very opponent they were about to face again.

For the Bruins, this game was naturally of extraordinary significance. Not only was it their first time back in the Rose Bowl in the 21st century, but it was also a golden opportunity to defeat a formidable old foe and reclaim the Rose Bowl title! After the Trojans, was it the Badgers’ turn now? The Bruins’ supporters were bursting with confidence.

After finals week, the entire campus shifted into holiday celebration mode. Everyone was eagerly awaiting Christmas, but more importantly, the arrival of the Rose Bowl showdown!

The Bruins, meanwhile, entered a period of intense preparation. Every player, from the freshmen to the graduating seniors, was brimming with enthusiasm and determination. Without exception, they all saw the Rose Bowl as their ultimate stage, the equivalent of the NCAA’s Super Bowl—at least, that’s how it was for the Pac-12 Conference.

At the Rose Bowl, top scouts from all over North America would be there in person. It wasn’t just a stage for this year’s draft-hopeful rookies; it was also a rare opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to prove themselves. For those players who wouldn’t make it to the pro leagues, the Rose Bowl served as the farewell stage for their careers. It couldn’t be more perfect.

So, every team member was giving it their all, meticulously completing each day’s training with unprecedented passion. Lu Ke was no exception.

Another early morning, another 10,000-meter run, another usual route. But this time, something was different.

While running at a steady pace, Lu Ke suddenly accelerated, bursting forward in an all-out sprint for a hundred meters. This wasn’t just a hundred-meter stretch of his 10,000-meter run; it was a pure, hundred-meter dash. The state of his muscles and the rhythm of his breathing pushed his body to its absolute limit. After the hundred meters, he couldn’t stop. He had to drop back into a steady jog—a truly slow jog. This kind of running depleted his stamina far faster than he had imagined.

Even though Lu Ke had successfully completed his daily training for the past two weeks, his body clearly hadn’t fully adapted to the heavy burden of these variable-speed runs. He needed more training, and more perseverance.

After finishing the 10,000 meters, Lu Ke was panting heavily. He slowed his pace, regulated his breathing, and walked slowly toward the locker room. But one thing was certain: the yoga practice over the past two weeks had played an important role in his breath control and rhythm. It’s just that its effects were still limited for now; it would take more time to sink in.

Entering the indoor hallway, Lu Ke walked steadily forward as the soreness in his muscles slowly subsided. This was significant progress compared to two weeks ago. He could still remember how on the first day he’d tried it, his knees had trembled nonstop, making it feel less like he had run 10,000 meters and more like 50,000.

It was now a quarter past seven, and players were trickling into the training facility. As they passed, they greeted Lu Ke one after another, radiant smiles on their faces, full of anticipation for the new day of training. It was clear that the influence of the Rose Bowl was permeating every moment of their lives.

At the end of the players’ tunnel, a turn revealed various rooms: the treatment room, the gym, the showers, the strategy meeting room, and so on, followed by the coaches’ offices, the ice bath room, the examination room, and more. Right now, a large crowd was gathered at the door of the coaches’ office, bustling with discussion. They were excited and eager, the lively atmosphere hitting you like spring had arrived three or four months early.

But amidst the crowd, a small group stood with grim faces and furrowed brows, their expressions full of frustration. Several of them were familiar faces. Marcus was shaking his head repeatedly, his expression hard to read. John had his hands on his hips, sighing, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Logan, standing nearby, was his usual hot-tempered self, shaking his head and muttering, ”This is wrong, this is just wrong... Jesus Christ, how is this possible? This is ridiculous!”

”Bambi!” John spotted Lu Ke and called out. His expression instantly froze, as if he had just seen a ghost.

Immediately, everyone whipped their heads around to stare blankly at Lu Ke. Logan shot forward and said flusteredly, ”Bambi, you... you finished your 10,000 meters today? A little faster than yesterday, looks like your training is paying off.”

Lu Ke chuckled. ”What’s with you guys? Why do you all look like you’ve seen an alien?” He patted Logan’s chest. ”I wouldn’t mind you being my coach, timing me every day. That way, my watch can finally retire.”

Qi recorded his 10,000-meter run times every day. If Lu Ke wanted, he could pull up the records and see for himself if his training was effective.

It was meant as a joke, but Logan didn’t laugh today. He just tugged at the corner of his mouth in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Lu Ke raised an eyebrow. ”What’s going on with you all?” But he didn’t dwell on it, walking past them and stopping at the office door to look at the list posted there.

It was the player roster, which included both the starting and backup lists.

With only one week left until the Rose Bowl, the coaching staff had to announce the starting lineup. Then they could arrange for the starters to begin further tactical integration and targeted training.

Their opponent this time, the Wisconsin Badgers, was no pushover. They had a 10-2 record in the Big Ten Conference, finishing the season ranked second. They were one of the most potent offensive teams this year, with an average of forty-three points per game and three games where they scored over seventy!

Of course, their points-against was also one of the worst in the conference. You could say they were a luxury warship that won games purely on offense. For the Bruins’ defense, the task would be monumental.

Standing in front of the list, Lu Ke scanned for his name in alphabetical order. The list of surnames starting with ”L” was very short, but as he looked through it, he couldn’t find his name. This made him freeze. He subconsciously scanned it a second time, but the result was the same. Still nothing.

His eyes moved from the starting lineup to the backup list, searching practicedly. And there he found it: ”Lu, Ke, quarterback.” The same position, unchanged from the past five months.

For a moment, Lu Ke was stunned. He had truly believed that his performance in the final game of the regular season had proven himself, that it was enough to earn him the starting spot for the Rose Bowl. But unfortunately, he was disappointed. The starting quarterback was still Kevin Price, while he and Darius Bell remained the backups.

A wave of disappointment washed over him, feeling like an anchor yanking at his ankles, pulling him down hard. A sudden sense of suffocation made him panic.

”Sorry, man.” John’s voice, full of regret and sympathy, sounded beside his ear. He raised his right hand, hesitated for a moment, then let it fall on Lu Ke’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze that felt as heavy as a mountain.

’They all knew.’

Lu Ke didn’t respond. He just stood there, staring blankly at the list, a storm of indescribable emotions swirling within him. The jumbled taste on his tongue was almost indiscernible; his chest just felt hollow, unmoored.

Turning around, Lu Ke saw the teammates who had fought alongside him. Marcus stepped forward, trying to offer some comfort but not knowing what to say, just mumbling an indistinct ”Sorry.” Logan hung his head heavily, kicking at the wall in frustration, not saying a word. His other teammates also looked over, their gazes filled with pity, sympathy, disappointment, anger, and regret.

Lu Ke tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a bitter smile. ”I’m going to do my basic drills. Anyone care to join me?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and quickly walked away from the coaches’ office area.

Watching Lu Ke’s retreating back, Logan kept shaking his head. ”It’s not fair! This... it’s not fair!” No one responded. The only answer was a heavy, sympathetic silence.