Spring Training Camp, it ended—
Or rather, it was about to end.
Three weeks flashed by in the blink of an eye, toggling between studying and training every day; each day was exceptionally fulfilling. Before one knew it, time had slipped through the fingers, and without a chance to react, the training camp had reached its conclusion.
Today, the intrasquad game was about to take place, with the starters going up against the reserves.
Then, after summarizing the practice game’s gains and losses, next Sunday would be the long-awaited warm-up match, officially drawing a close to training camp.
Although it was just an intrasquad scrimmage, the standards and treatment were no different from an official match. Just like on a game day, the residents of the entire town poured out, greeting the match with the exuberance of a carnival party, and even more delighted—
After all, this was an intrasquad game. Whether dealing with the palm or the back of one’s hand, it’s all one’s flesh. To the residents, rather than the outcome, they were more eager to see their children step onto the field.
So.
This was a party, with beer, popcorn, horns, jerseys, and cheering sticks, all present. The town had descended into a frenzy much earlier on.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!
Remember the Rose Bowl, and we shall be crowned!
Aim for victory, full speed ahead!
You are the pride of Dixie Football, Crimson Tide Storm, let the tidal roar! Roar!"
The singing hovered over Bryant Denny Stadium, and the power of thousands singing in unison pulsed through the air, raising wave upon wave of heat.
Incredible—
Was this really just an intrasquad scrimmage?
Standing by the field and looking up around the stands, filled to the brim as far as the eye could see, were countless faces beaming with happiness and excitement, vigorously waving all sorts of cheering items—the sea of red jerseys transforming into a Crimson Tide.
This was the power of home turf.
And involuntarily, it set the heart surging, the blood boiling.
The match hadn’t even started yet, but one could already feel this wave of heat, silently becoming one of the many spectators in the stands, then contributing their own voice, amalgamating into the stadium’s presence.
In reality, a practice game was still just that, a practice game. The stadium wasn’t completely filled—a seat capacity of a hundred thousand had about seventy thousand seated—but the view was packed tight, making the air itself feel crowded.
The starters, taking the offense.
The reserves, beginning to defend.
Since it was a practice game, neither starters nor reserves were assigned coaches to set up strategies; it was all up to the players themselves.
In official games, pre-match strategy is the job of the head coach, but calling strategies on the spot according to the changing circumstances is not necessarily so.
In most teams, the head coach calls the strategies, but they also specialize in either offense or defense based on their strengths, and it’s rare for a head coach to be responsible for calling both offensive and defensive plays.
Because the team also has specialized offensive and defensive coaches to assist the head coach in making strategic calls on the field.
There are also a few teams where the head coach does not call strategies on the field, leaving it entirely up to the offensive and defensive coaches to perform their respective duties.
The core reason is that strategies are complex and the game is ever-changing, just like in battle, where a general also relies on different talents among his subordinates.
Today, Saban would not call the plays; it was a test of the players’ understanding and application of tactics, and more importantly, it was a test of the results of the spring training camp.
The starting team’s first offensive attempt was to no avail. They only managed to get a first down, then found themselves at a loss, unable to cope with the pressing pressure of the defensive group in the front field.
At the University of Alabama Crimson Tide Storm, the offense is strong, but the defense is even stronger. As a player, head coach Saban was a defensive back, that is, safety/cornerback, and he has always had his own understanding of defense.
And the offense?
Saban is not a coach who excels at developing quarterbacks, thus he relies heavily on Burns, using the ground game to break open the situation, which then opens up the entire set of offensive plays, solid in tactics and grounded in practicality.
No wonder, since 2007, despite the University of Alabama’s outstanding achievements, there hasn’t been a single quarterback worth mentioning, while the position of running back has been continuously supplying talent; of course, even more so for the defensive group.
Right from the start, the reserve team’s defensive group gave the young Hertz a good lesson—
A practice game and practice may seem similar, but the intensity is entirely different.
This rookie, who hadn’t even graduated high school, was still a bit too green after just the spring training camp and had not fully adapted to the intensity of NCAA football.
Unable to find a target in the fully blocked short-pass area, he panicked instantly, unable to accurately decode the defensive layout to find openings for passing.
As a result, his passes were too slow, which put tremendous pressure on his offensive line, repeatedly being breached and giving the increasingly aggressive defensive group the opportunity, leading to a failed offense in all three downs.
Helplessly, on fourth down, the starting team couldn’t afford to take the risk, and chose to punt.
What did this mean?
The ball possession shifted to the reserve team’s side, and Li Wei, along with his fellow reserve team members, took the field.