American winner takes all

Chapter 207 War Eagle; It’s not that the opponent is getting weaker, it’s that we are getting stronger (8K, [-]-in-[-])

"If you ask me, Thanksgiving is nothing interesting. You should come and see Brazil's Carnival. This is the most grand festival of the year in Brazil. During those four days, men, women and children wear red and green clothes, sing and dance, and everyone flocks to it. When people go to the streets, they can forget everything. No one belongs to anyone, and no one can control anyone. You should really go and see it..." Giselle began to tell Ethan in detail about the Brazilian Carnival.

"If I have the chance, I will go." Ethan looked out the window and agreed directly.

"Is there a chance? Then when will you have the chance? There won't be a lot of things going on by then, right?" Giselle said with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"I think it might as well be next year. You won't have a competition then." Giselle suggested.

"Are you sending me a formal invitation?" Ethan asked with a smile.

"Of course, I will officially invite you now to come to Brazil to participate in the Carnival." Gisele said immediately.

"Then I agree." Ethan responded immediately.

"Very good, then I will show you what the real festival atmosphere is."

Ethan seemed to feel Giselle nodding constantly on the other end of the phone.

The two chatted and talked about the game.

Ethan began to tell Giselle in detail about the reasons why the two universities were fighting each other, from the 19th century to the present.

"Listening to you, there are so many stories between the two universities." Giselle could now feel why the two universities were so tense.

"Since the two universities are absolute enemies, then you will be under a lot of pressure, right?" Giselle vaguely felt something.

"You are the team's hope to win every time, and you have pulled the team back from the edge of the cliff several times. This time everyone must have great expectations for you. If you do something that is not in line with those expectations, If you don't meet people's expectations, or if you don't meet their expectations, they will soon complain about you and even attack you." Giselle showed a very delicate mind at this time.

What she said is absolutely right. Alabama does have a fanatical football atmosphere, but if it turns into the state that Gisele said, then the fanatical love for Ethan will turn into criticism, which is a kind of backlash. .

"Uh-huh." Ethan nodded.

"Then I'm really worried about you, Ethan. I'm far away from you and can't be by your side, but my heart is with you and I will pray for you, I promise."

"Thank you."

"In addition, if there is anything pressing on your heart, don't forget to talk to me at any time. I welcome your calls 24 hours a day... Don't let pressure interfere with you. You will always be the best in my heart." Ji. Seer continued.

"You too."

"I will, but if I call you, you must answer."

"If it's during my free time, of course I'll answer it."

"Hey, you don't want to leave me either, I love you Ethan." Giselle hung up the phone with Ethan after blowing a kiss.

After putting down the phone, Ethan felt somewhat relaxed, and Giselle's relief played a certain role.

On the second day of Thanksgiving, the campus was also deserted. There were already few people in Tuscaloosa. After the final preparatory training, Eugene began to let everyone go back to pack their bags. Tomorrow would be a meeting with Auburn University. The main event is now.

The team has to rush to Auburn University's home court this afternoon.

Ethan returned to the apartment alone to simply pack his luggage, and then set foot on the road to Auburn University's home court with his teammates.

"I'm sitting next to Ethan." As soon as Jim Fuller got in the car, he shouted that he wanted to sit with Ethan. During this period of time, he and Ethan had a lot of communication.The eyes he looked at Ethan became more and more loving, and he took care of Ethan a lot these days.

The red team luxury bus left the campus. As soon as it left the campus, Ethan saw that the shopping mall next to the school not far away from the road had been surrounded by water. When those who came to shop on Black Friday saw the bus When passing by on the road, I couldn't help but start cheering, which was somewhat of a farewell feeling.

There have been similar scenes when the bus encountered fans before, but this time it was particularly different. People whistled, clapped and cheered, and there were even vehicles driving parallel to the bus.

Jim Fuller had a smile on his face.

"In any case, the relationship between the Crimson Tide and the fan community has always been very good. It can be said that the Crimson Tide is the team with the best atmosphere in the country." When he said this, there was still a little pride on his face.

It can be seen that he really likes the Crimson Tide.

Ethan nodded slowly, looking a little expressionless.

At first, Jim Fuller thought Ethan was just feeling pressure, so he patted his shoulder to comfort him, but he soon discovered that it seemed that it was not just the problem.

"I see, you and your girlfriend had a fight." Jim Fuller immediately realized something.

"I also came through this way back then. It was a really crazy time. If you ask me, it was not a big deal..." Jim Fuller began to give Ethan some advice.

But he saw Ethan shaking his head. His actual situation was much more complicated than Jim Fuller thought...

·
Just three hours later, the Alabama team bus entered the city of Auburn. Compared with the dark red that can be seen everywhere in the Alabama Crimson Tide team, here is a sea of ​​burnt orange and navy blue, the closer it gets to Auburn University. , you can see more and more Auburn Tigers colors appearing on the street. Businesses near Auburn University will hang burnt orange and navy blue cloth strips at the door. Fans wearing navy blue support uniforms can be seen everywhere on the street. .

Among this navy blue, the red-painted bus of the Alabama Crimson Tide team is particularly eye-catching.

People almost immediately recognized that it was an Alabama vehicle, and some people saw Ethan behind the window, and several people immediately made umbrella gestures towards Ethan.

"Okay, we have entered a hostile area, you should not be disturbed by these people." Jim, who was sitting next to Ethan, immediately closed the curtains of the car window.

The Alabama Crimson Tide stayed in a hotel not far from the football stadium that night. Even at night, Ethan could see a large number of fans gathered outside through the window.

To be honest, there were indeed a lot of people at the football stadium during the game, but this was the first time that Ethan had encountered fans surrounding his hotel.

At this time, Ethan heard a knock on the door, and after asking, he found out that it was the current leader of the football team, leading several NCAA staff.

What is the purpose of people from the NCAA visiting at this time?Ethan frowned slightly and quickly walked over to open the door. But at this moment, he tripped over the wire of the lamp on the table.

"Hiss..." Ethan took a breath, sprained his right foot, took three steps and two steps at a time, and jumped to open the door for Mary.

"Ethan, these are the NCAA drug testing officials. They will conduct random temporary urine tests on you." Mary pointed at the people behind her and said, then she realized that Ethan's expression looked a little wrong, and she quickly expressed concern ask.

"It's nothing serious, I just had a sprain." Ethan shook his head, saying that he was fine.

But it made Mary even more nervous, and she quickly helped Ethan to the bed and asked him to sit down.

"Ahem, according to the relevant regulations of the NCAA, there cannot be any delay during random urine tests." The NCAA drug testing staff found that they had been ignored and immediately took a step forward.

"Okay, okay." Mary ignored Ethan's ankle for the time being and asked Ethan to do a urine test first.

The NCAA adopts the same rules as the NFL. There are a few days of testing before the season, and during the season, testing will be done at random at any time, maybe during the players' class, maybe during the players' training time, for this reason Act as a surprise attack.

So from a procedural point of view, there was nothing disclosed about the drug test at this time, but looking at the other party's anxious look, Ethan vaguely felt that this was a procedure deliberately added by the NCAA for him.

But Ethan is not afraid of slanted shadows, so it doesn't matter if he does this kind of thing once a day.

After completing the drug test, the other party sealed bottles A and B in front of Ethan, and then left the room.

Mary took out her mobile phone at this time and wanted to directly contact the team doctor who arrived with the team, but was stopped by Ethan.

"It's nothing serious. I just need to take a rest. Do you know how to do it as a team doctor?" Ethan looked at Mary.

Mary rolled up her sleeves without saying a word and put Ethan's right foot on her lap.

Since Mary became the team leader, she has been wearing school sportswear, which is completely different from her previous professional attire. Ethan has no chance to see her professional attire again, but at this time he puts his feet on her legs. , but it can feel quite soft.

"Why are you smiling?" Mary expressed doubts about Ethan's smile.

"Nothing." Ethan shook his head.

"Have you done this with other team members before?"

"That's not true." Mary shook her head.

"The technique is quite skillful... right here." Ethan's face showed enjoyment.

"Is the strength appropriate?" Mary said with a sullen face, and then she realized that she was being treated like a girl who was trying to kill a chicken.

Ethan let out a strange cry, having been pinched hard by Mary just now, and now he quickly put his foot back.

Mary now realized that there was nothing wrong with Ethan at all, and he was just making fun of himself.

"How long has it been, and you're still careless." Mary snorted coldly.

"It's precisely because the war is coming that we need to relax." Ethan raised his eyebrows.

Then he was chased and beaten by Mary.

Ethan smiled and grabbed Mary's wrist.

The two of them were talking and laughing at first, but suddenly Mary's face became tense.

"Isn't that why you called me to the football team?" Mary suddenly whispered.

"Don't think too much. It's everyone's opinion to ask you to come here." Ethan immediately shook his head.

"That's right. You already have a beautiful girl like McKenna. She is very popular among the students." Mary followed.

"But having said that, one more is not too much." Ethan suddenly said.

Mary raised her head suddenly and stared at Ethan: "What a beautiful idea."

·
"Today's Jordan-Hare Stadium is extremely lively. Although there is still half an hour before the start of the game, the venue is already full at the moment, and the 8 seats are overcrowded." Ron Franklin looked at the dark blue color Ocean's stadium, I can't help but say.

"There is no doubt that the team atmosphere in the Southeastern Conference is the best among all leagues. It is really an enviable thing to play in such a league." Mike Gottfrey continued.

As the third consecutive game broadcast by ESPN, the commentator for this game is also an old face from before.

Commentator Ron Franklin and analyst Mike Gottfrey.

"What do you think about this game? Which side are you more optimistic about?" Ron Franklin asked his commentary partner.

"Auburn University has been on a roll this year. Under the leadership of head coach Terry Bowden, it has shown outstanding strength. It previously defeated the Mississippi Rebels 45-28 in the third round and 28-24 in the fifth round. South Carolina then beat Mississippi State 49-15."

"Not to mention, in the first two rounds, they scored 91 points in two games and held the two opponents scoreless. From a pure scoring point of view, Auburn University has very sufficient firepower on the offensive end this year."

"But unfortunately, Auburn lost to Florida 10-51 in the seventh round, and lost to Georgia 49-56 in the last game. In addition, it also lost the game against LSU before. Says Auburn is out of the running for a championship this year.”

"But because of this, I think Auburn University will do its best to prepare for this game. After all, you can lose other games, but as long as you can win Alabama, it won't be too ugly for Auburn." Mike · Gottfrey breaks down Auburn's overall performance this year.

"And this year it's Auburn University's turn to play home! This is of extraordinary significance to Auburn University." Ron Franklin added.

By 1988, Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium had undergone multiple expansions and was finally able to "meet" Alabama's requirements. That is, starting from that year, the Iron Bowl began to be held alternately at the home stadiums of both sides.

"Indeed, Auburn University has good offensive firepower. It depends on how Alabama responds this year. I believe Alabama will definitely not want to lose the confrontation with Auburn University this year. After all, they still retain the chance to compete for the championship. Opportunity." Mike Gottfrey did not say that if Alabama wins this game, it will win the championship, but only "has a chance to win the championship."

Everyone knows in their hearts that Florida is incredibly powerful this year.

"War Eagle! We saw Auburn University's iconic War Eagle flying out of the stands and circling the field!" Ron Franklin said immediately.In the lens, you can see an eagle with spread wings hovering at low altitude, surrounding the entire stand, with gray and black exaggerated feathers and sharp eyes.

It's a tradition at Auburn University that before every important game day at home, a warhawk is released to circle the court for a week.

Wherever the flying war eagle went, people burst into cheers.

Today's war eagle also has additional decorations, with a narrow yellow and green ribbon tied at its feet.

"According to tradition, this should be Eagle IV, which is the fourth generation mascot..." Ron Franklin explained.

Finally, the eagle completed its circle and flew perfectly to the stand where it was released.

As this ceremony ends, the "Iron Bowl" between Alabama and Auburn officially begins!
The first to come out were the flag bearers holding huge flags and members of the Auburn University marching band. The cyan and orange flags with alternating AU characters fluttered in the wind.The cheers from the audience were like a tsunami!
After the routine band performance, players from both sides ran to the stadium. The first one to appear was Alabama, who was playing away from home. Just as Ethan had expected, as soon as Alabama came on the stage, the audience in the stadium began to shout collectively. Huge boos.

In terms of pure spectator numbers, Auburn University only has a total of just over [-] seats, which is not as large as the number of spectators in Alabama's previous game against Tennessee.But the decibels emitted by Auburn fans at this point were louder than any football game Ethan had attended before.

Tens of thousands of people shouted loudly, which was enough to make Ethan feel a little ringing in his ears. You must know that this is just the beginning of the game, and the noise will be louder after that.

Following the finale is the Auburn University Tigers. Today, the Tigers are wearing navy blue home jerseys, while Alabama is wearing all-white away jerseys.

Obviously different from the boos that Alabama expected, Auburn University was greeted with enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

In the coin toss before the game, the University of Alabama unexpectedly won the coin toss.

"For other teams, this may be a good thing, but for Ethan, this may not be a good sign." Ron Franklin said with a smile.

Ethan's "bad luck" has also become known to more people as the young player comes more and more into people's vision.

Considering that Ethan had only won the coin toss in a very few games before, and it was very difficult for Ethan's side to win the coin toss, another burst of cheers erupted from the scene.

With a simple kick and return, the offense led by Ethan started from their own 25-yard line.

In the first gear, Ethan didn't hesitate and handed the ball directly to Sean Alexander who came in from behind.

If the only dazzling aspect of the Alabama offense besides Eason is the outstanding running back Sean Alexander.

When Ethan was heavily guarded, it was Sean Alexander who shared Ethan's offensive pressure.

In the tactical preparation before the game, Eugene and Woody also told Ethan that they should take advantage of Sean's advantages and run the ball more.

However, considering that both sides were a little tight at the beginning, Sean's running of the ball did not achieve very good results. He only gained a measly two yards before being knocked down to the ground by two Auburn defenders who were double-teamed.

In the second gear, Ethan still chose to hand the ball to Sean Alexander. This time Sean chose to forcefully go to the middle. As soon as he got out of the cover of his teammates, he hit a wall head-on. Sean was knocked down directly. But this time there's an extra yard.

On the third offense at the [-]-yard line, Ethan held a lengthy discussion before lining up.

Through these two runs, it is obvious that Auburn University's run defense is pretty good.

This third offense must be extremely cautious. Ethan is preparing to make a long pass in order to get the first attack.

With the center's long serve, Ethan stood in the pocket and was firmly protected by his teammates.

The defensive players were all blocked from the pocket, and he could still stand in the pocket for at least three seconds...

Behind him, Sean and another running back have begun to cover the running position...

The two wide receivers do not have a good chance. If they pass the ball rashly, there is a high probability that they will lose the ball...

Holding the football in his hand, Ethan automatically sorted out the following information in his mind with just a quick glance.

At this time, Ethan has become "sophisticated" and can process information about the ever-changing situation on the field faster and faster.

In his peripheral vision, Ethan saw another teammate, but there was not even a defensive player beside him!

Ethan decisively changed the tactical ideas he communicated to his teammates during the meeting. He was still looking to the right and his hands were already moving at lightning speed.

Without looking at the opponent, Ethan passed the ball directly without vision and threw the ball horizontally to the tight end not far away.

It was Rod Rutledge who would later launch Tom Brady's professional quarterback career. During the pre-game discussion, he was originally assigned by Ethan to take on the offensive line replacement task, but as the center passed the ball , he found that no one was watching him, so he keenly took a step back. This step back made a gap appear around him.

Although this gap is very short, for an experienced quarterback like Ethan, it only takes this moment of gap to give the opponent a fatal blow!
After Rod Rutledge got the ball, he turned around without any hesitation and started running wildly. He crossed the line of scrimmage in almost a blink of an eye. At this time, there was no one around him to mark him. He got the first attack very easily. Then he started to set the edge and ran wildly along the edge.

And the moment he started running wildly, the two wide receivers at the deep end immediately changed their positions and began to provide cover for their tight end teammates in reverse.

"Twenty yards, thirty yards, forty yards...he's still rushing!" Ron Franklin's voice had become excited.

It was this simple pass that directly tore Auburn's defense apart. However, Auburn University's adjustment was not slow, and the trailing safety and freeback began to approach Rod Rutledge.

Rod Rutledge bypassed the free position, but facing the approaching safety guard, he could only watch the opponent approaching him. Even though Rod Rutledge had run as hard as he could, the safety guard Wei's running distance is closer. After all, Rhodes is not Ethan and does not have the terrifying speed of Ethan...

And just when everyone thought that Rod Rutledge was going to be knocked down by the approaching safety guard, a figure appeared next to Rod Rutledge in this impossible position.

This figure looked particularly tall. He blocked Rod Rutledge's right side, made close contact with the opponent's safety guard, and directly knocked the safety guard down.

It was precisely because of the key cover of this last teammate that Rod Rutledge entered the formation very smoothly.

"1 minute and 35 seconds, this is the time when Alabama gets its first touchdown, a 70-yard run from Alabama Crimson Tide tight end Rod Rutledge! Auburn University is obviously Didn’t adjust to Alabama’s fast offense.”

"Auburn University's defense is still a little worse than the previous opponents that Alabama has faced. I am very curious. The person who stepped in at the last moment to provide cover for his teammates was... it was actually Ethan. O'Connor!" Mike Gottfrey saw the name and number printed on the back of the player on the big screen.

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe that a quarterback who was lagging behind would catch up with the advancing tight end at the last minute and provide the most critical cover.

"As expected of the Alabama Flash!" Mike Gottfrey couldn't help but shake his head and sighed.

Kicker Brock did not live up to Ethan's expectations this time. After all, he had practiced at least thousands of PAT shots in the previous two weeks of preparation.

In less than 2 minutes, Alabama scored seven valuable points, which can be said to be a dream start.

Ethan was even a little uncomfortable. After all, it had been a long time since he had faced a game in which he scored so quickly. Looking at it this way, Auburn University's defensive team was indeed worse than the previous opponents.He made a low-level mistake just after he came on the field.

Next, it was the turn of Auburn University's offensive team to take the field. Compared with Alabama's overwhelming offense, Auburn University seemed a bit "constipated" when it came on the field today. Two of the three key defensive players were responsible for defending the pass. A tight iron triangle responsible for defending the run ball made contributions respectively, blocking the opponent in the first three possessions, and also allowed Auburn University to choose to punt at the end of the first round of offense.

This time Ethan also came on the field with the special team, looking for opportunities to counterattack. Although Ethan was at the end, the opponent did not dare to kick the ball to Ethan, but kicked it to the player standing in front of Ethan.

When Alabama's second round of offense started, only 6 minutes had passed in the first quarter, and the offensive and defensive transitions between the two teams seemed very quick.

Perhaps it was awakened by the previous mistakes. This time, Auburn University's defense seemed particularly focused and hard. Alexander's running of the ball did not achieve very good results. The two receivers did not have a good chance to catch the ball. They just relied on Thanks to Ethan's strong personal ability and knocking down several players in a row, Alabama successfully advanced to Auburn University's half.

With 48 yards left in the zone, Ethan heard Eugene's instruction for a free kick from his radio.

"I think Bullock is in pretty good shape today. The kickoff point is also facing the goal, and the angle is very good. Moreover, Auburn's defense has been significantly strengthened this round. It is better to give Bullock a chance to make up for it, so that he can establish Being confident can also disrupt the opponent's defensive team's rhythm." The wily Eugene chose to avoid his edge in this round.

Ethan felt that Eugene's judgment this time was quite reasonable, so he asked Bullock to come on at this time.

A 48-yard free kick facing the goal. This time Bullock didn't waste any more opportunities and made the free kick directly.

Only half of the first quarter passed, and Alabama established a ten-point advantage.

In Auburn University's new round of offense, this time Auburn University's offensive team seemed much more cautious, relying on short yardage runs and quick sneak attacks and long passes, but they also gained a certain amount of yards.

When Auburn University just advanced to midfield, the quarterback made a very calm pass and also found the unmarked tight end.

The opponent reacted exactly like Rod Rutledge just now, turning around quickly and running wildly with the ball, but Alabama's defense was obviously better than Auburn University's.

The sideline immediately turned around and chased back, took two big steps, and then made a leap, knocking down the tight end from behind at the critical moment.

At this time, there are still 41 yards left between Auburn and Alabama.

The opposing coach followed suit and chose to call a free kick at this time.

Auburn University's kicker also made a free throw, and the score came to 3-10.

In the subsequent offense, Ethan also continued his good momentum. In the second offense of the new round, he passed a long pass from the center.

Receiver Michael Vaughn chose to leap, get the ball between two defenders, and roll it on the ground.

With this excellent long pass, Alabama went directly to the Auburn half thirty-yard line.

This time Ethan used a brand new tactic, which seemed to be a high-low option pass. At the same time, the tight end on the other side quickly started to open up the gap. Almost at the same time, Ethan's pass was like a bullet. Smashed right into the tight end's chest.

Ethan's pass was quite good in terms of angle, speed, and strength. If the strength is smaller, the pass will fly slower, and if the strength is larger, there is a risk of the pass being missed. The tight end forward can be said to have caught the ball. It was very comfortable. With the last touch, I turned around and entered the formation area!
"Another touchdown! Alabama's offensive efficiency has greatly improved! It's hard to believe that two games ago, Alabama was still a team that relied more on the defensive team!" Ron Franklin looked particularly excited.

Although it hates to admit it, Alabama was like this last season, including the first half of this season.

After watching these three games, he could see Alabama's transformation and couldn't help but be happy for these boys.

"Of course we can't forget Ethan's contribution, or in other words, this is almost entirely Ethan's contribution." As a professional analyst at SEPN, how could Mike Gottfrey not know the principle of being objective and fair in explaining games? But after looking at these few games, he was somewhat "convinced" by Ethan, and the role he played was too crucial.

Especially in the two attacks just now, if it weren't for Ethan's last-minute cover, it's still unknown whether the ball would have scored a touchdown.

For the second touchdown, Ethan also contributed a very skillful pass.

As Bullock made another free throw, with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter, Alabama had taken a substantial lead 3-17.

"This is a truly perfect start. Today, Alabama posed a problem for Auburn University from the very beginning." Ron Franklin said.

It wasn't until 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter of the game that Auburn University really had a few decent attacks.

But it didn’t advance into the Alabama half.

Until the end of the first quarter, Alabama was still on offense.

As the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter, the offensive players walked to the sideline.

"Why do I feel like Auburn is getting weaker?" Sean Alexander said.

"Maybe it's not that the opponent has become weaker, but that we have become stronger!" Ethan nodded slightly, feeling somewhat emotional.

After a "shameful" game, Alabama has made adequate preparations during this period.

Everyone also entered the state immediately when they first came on the field, and there was no more "sleepwalking" like the previous game.

In addition, Auburn University was indeed a little relaxed at the beginning and gave Alabama a touchdown in vain.

Victory seemed within reach.

　Today it is combined into one chapter, and will be updated in two chapters later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)