American Football: King of the Bay Area

Second and one.

Lu Ke stood behind the center, Jonathan Goodwin, his eyes fixed on the Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team. His pupils contracted slightly. He could smell their panic, the way a dog can smell fear in a human. It was an intuition—an inexplicable gut feeling.

The urgency of the ticking clock was mounting the pressure, so much so that he could almost hear the second hand ticking in his ear. The 49ers had found success with both their passing and running games, and the different combinations of plays were making their offense even more threatening.

In today’s clash of titans—the spear versus the shield, offense versus defense—the 49ers’ offense had gained the upper hand. And so, at this critical moment, the Fierce Tiger Team’s defense was starting to falter.

Lu Ke’s gaze fell on Geno Atkins. Atkins, who had been playing exceptionally well today, still maintained an all-out posture. There was no sign of slacking, no hint of backing down. In fact, he looked even more aggressive than before.

’A blitz?’ A thought flashed through Lu Ke’s mind. ’In that case, could I draw them offside with another hard count?’

”Kendall, have Marcus come in,” Lu Ke said, turning and patting Kendall Hunter on the shoulder in a low voice. Kendall didn’t say much, just nodded in acknowledgment and left the field. At the same time, Lu Ke communicated with Jim through his earpiece, and the offense sent Marcus Lynch back onto the field.

Lynch ran onto the field, confused. Lu Ke ignored him for a moment, first communicating with his teammates who were already in formation to change the play. Only then did he step back, give Lynch a meaningful look, and settle into the Pistol Formation.

Time was short, so there was no further verbal communication. However, Lynch had also heard Lu Ke’s tactical change, and thanks to their long-standing chemistry, he understood Lu Ke’s scheme. Lynch then took his position in the Pistol Formation, standing side-by-side with Lu Ke, about four yards apart.

Faced with this dizzying tactical shift, the Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team was starting to feel overwhelmed. Was it a pass? Or a run? Changing the play on second and one? What on earth were they planning? Was Lu Ke scheming another deep pass? Or an unexpected scramble of his own?

Second and one was already full of possibilities. Now, with Lu Ke changing the play on top of it, it was just... enough to make you want to curse! But the captain of the Defense Team didn’t change the defensive call, which meant their formation remained the same.

Atkins’s muscles tensed. He tried his best to banish all distracting thoughts. The more he pondered, the more fear and apprehension surged within him. He had to stay focused, clear his head, and lock onto his target. Only then could he execute his defensive assignment efficiently.

Standing in the pocket, Lu Ke slowly, very slowly, bent down, his hands in position to receive the ball. Without a word, he lifted his right foot, paused for half a beat, and then shouted, ”Hike!”

For the members of the offense, the quarterback’s cadence is the signal to start the play. But during a game, over-excited fans can create an unimaginable amount of noise, especially at away games. The quarterback’s call can easily get drowned out, and if an Offense Line player loses focus for even a second, it can lead to a costly mistake.

To avoid such basic errors, the center bends down at the snap and watches the quarterback’s feet to catch the leg lift. This signals that the quarterback is ready to start the play, and the center can then focus on listening for the cadence. Consequently, the Defense Line players only need to watch the center’s preparations to know they also need to focus.

Typically, a quarterback lifts the foot on the same side as their throwing arm.

After lifting his foot, Lu Ke deliberately paused for half a beat. This tiny delay made the Fierce Tiger Team players’ muscles tense up even more, holding them in a state of taut concentration. Then he called for the snap. There was no fancy cadence, just a clean, direct start to the play. This contrast between sudden tension and sudden release can often create an unexpected timing advantage in a game.

As soon as Jonathan Goodwin snapped the ball, Lu Ke took a large drop step, once again faking a pass. But in the next instant, Marcus Lynch cut diagonally in front of him, running from right to left. At the moment they crossed paths, Lu Ke handed the ball to Lynch, then immediately lowered his body into a runner’s stance and sprinted toward the right side.

”The ball is snapped!” Kirk’s eyes were glued to the action on the field. ”Lu Ke drops back, preparing to pass! No, it’s not a pass, the pass was just a fake! Then, Lynch charges forward, Lu Ke makes the handoff—but that’s another fake! Lu Ke has tucked the ball away and is breaking to the right, getting ready to run it himself! My God, Lu Ke is running it himself! The entire Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team is in disarray, their reaction time seems a half-step too slow!”

”Lu Ke is running, he’s running! His strides aren’t very nimble, God, it’s not a pretty sight. Reminds me of Peyton Manning—running is really not their strong suit.” Kirk couldn’t help but roast him a little; a pocket quarterback’s running skills are rarely a thing of beauty. ”Wait, what’s wrong with the Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team? Why is everyone frozen? Now they’re all shifting their weight, moving from the right side back to the left, but the change is so abrupt that several players are crashing into each other. What’s going on?”

Kirk’s commentary faltered for a second as his eyes scanned the field, trying to solve the puzzle. Then, Teddy’s voice cut in, ”It’s not Lu Ke, it’s Lynch!”

Only a half-beat later, Kirk noticed it too. ”Jesus Christ! Lynch! The runner wasn’t Lu Ke, it was Lynch! That fake pass, followed by a fake handoff, completely fooled the Fierce Tiger Team’s defense! All the defensive players were caught off guard and completely lost their balance.”

”A gap! Lynch found a gap! A small seam between the left tackle and the right guard! Lynch shot through it, past the Offense Line, past the Defense Line! Good God! The Fierce Tiger Team’s defense has completely lost its positioning! There’s no one there, absolutely no one! All the players on the defensive front are in a total mess!”

Kirk’s eyes were wide with shock and amazement. He had thought there had been enough surprises in today’s game, but clearly, he had spoken too soon.

”Lynch! Lynch is still running! The Fierce Tiger Team’s secondary is scrambling to catch up, but Logan Newman and Michael Crabtree are helping to clear a path! The containment from the two cornerbacks is broken, and it’s nothing but open field ahead! Lynch is picking up speed! God, what are we witnessing here? Lynch is still accelerating! There are no defenders! The backfield is completely empty of defenders! Both safeties are out of position and have no way to make a play! A disaster! This is a complete disaster for the Fierce Tiger Team!”

”The forty, the thirty, the twenty... ROAR! Lynch is completely unstoppable! He’s still sprinting, rolling over them like a tank, rumbling through and demolishing the entire Fierce Tiger defensive backfield! Touchdown! Without a doubt, that is a Touchdown! My God, that was the easiest, most effortless Touchdown of the game!”

The Touchdown came so unexpectedly, so suddenly, and so easily that Kirk and Teddy weren’t even overly excited; they just had huge smiles plastered on their faces.

The feeling now was that the entire Fierce Tiger Defense Team had collapsed like an avalanche, completely losing their fighting spirit. A single powerful run from Marcus Lynch had torn through them like deadwood, crossing the entire field to score a Touchdown. The way he swept through them like an autumn wind scattering leaves was absolutely stunning.

”Is that the San Francisco 49ers’ first rushing touchdown of the season?” Teddy suddenly recalled, then confirmed after checking his notes.

”The 49ers’ number twenty-seven running back, Marcus Lynch, with a fifty-eight-yard run for a Touchdown! This is the 49ers’ first rushing touchdown of the season, and it has truly broken the game wide open! After completely opening things up with the passing attack, the 49ers’ ground game has finally gotten on the board.”

After easily crossing into the End Zone to complete the Touchdown, Marcus Lynch finally felt a sense of release. He took the football and ran all the way to the visiting fans’ stands, roaring, ”Who’s the king! Who’s the king!” The cathartic shout, like the roar of a grizzly bear, sent powerful shockwaves through the stadium.

The Alliance had already entered a passing Era. For running backs, their job was less about being the primary offensive weapon and more about protecting the quarterback and alleviating pressure on the passing game.

Naturally, the number of rushing touchdowns for every team had correspondingly decreased. Most of them occurred inside the red zone, like a chess match on the one-yard line where a powerful running back would plunge through to complete the Touchdown. In other situations, rushing touchdowns were indeed rare.

But today, Lynch had completed a fifty-eight-yard rushing Touchdown! He had utterly destroyed the Fierce Tiger Team’s defense with unstoppable momentum, showcasing the art of the run to its fullest. After Lu Ke and Logan Newman had both shined brightly, he finally had his own moment to radiate on this stage.

Standing on his own side of the field, Lu Ke watched in utter astonishment as Lynch left everyone in the dust. Speed wasn’t Lynch’s strong suit, but with the blocking protection from Newman, Crabtree, and the others, he still managed to score that rushing Touchdown. It was a complete surprise, one that not even Lu Ke himself had anticipated.

It was a standard running play. But Lu Ke had only been expecting a gain of six to ten yards. Instead, Lynch, in one explosive burst, had torn through everything and actually scored a fifty-eight-yard rushing Touchdown. The surprise came so fast that Lu Ke couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed, before finally breaking into a disbelieving laugh, slowly taking off his helmet, and pumping his fist.

From not too far away, a unified chant rose from the away fans. ”It’s Bambi!”

Lu Ke followed the sound and saw a group of laughing fans, as well as his other teammates who were roaring with laughter. Marcus Lynch stood there, looking utterly dejected, with no idea what had just happened.