The Crimson Tide Storm went into a frenzy—
Of course, part of the reason was that the young Trojans hadn't recovered, and their rigid, changeless defensive strategy was starkly exposed; the wily Saban firmly grasped their weakness, and the gap suddenly became evident.
When the Crimson Tide Storm's offensive group took the field again, Hertz's passing fully opened up the game, and outside of Li Wei, Jacobs's running back play also found its rhythm. With a full opening of firepower on both the passing and running fronts, they aggressively pushed past midfield like a burst bamboo.
Before you could even blink, the Crimson Tide Storm was already standing at the opposing team's thirty-five-yard line, quietly entering field goal range, with the Trojans as fragile and defenseless as dodder in a storm.
Seeing that the Crimson Tide Storm's giant wave was about to whoosh over once again and overwhelm with a fifth seamless rush since the start of the game, Hayden finally showed his mettle and displayed the wisdom and demeanor of a head coach.
Everything happened very suddenly.
The Crimson Tide Storm continued methodically, insisting on advancing with their own tactics and rhythm. The running backs continued to rotate, including Clark, who won more opportunities to play, and it was Li Wei's turn this time, with nothing special about it.
First down, ten yards.
Saban decided to catch the opponents off guard with a pass. Li Wei entered the field to play the decoy role, employing a fake-run-real-pass tactic that allowed Hertz to boldly aim for a distant area and strike the end zone with a risk at the thirty-five-yard line.
Compared with the substitute quarterback Beteman, Hertz had a slight edge in individual ability, including the long pass. Though still young and inexperienced and needing improvement under high-pressure moments, his ability was already notable.
In front of them, the offense was smooth sailing, and the Trojans' defensive group was completely disorganized. Throwing a long pass to shatter the equilibrium for a lethal blow was a logical gamble.
Li Wei, then, played the role of drawing fire, pretending to make a handoff and then helping the offensive line with blocking to further consolidate the pocket and buy time for Hertz.
However!
It was in such an offensive and defensive play that the Trojans displayed their youth and vigor—
Youth is about boiling blood.
Blitz.
For the first time in the game, the Trojans' defensive group launched an unannounced blitz, breaking their usual defensive routine and going all out with a gamble.
Just now, the Crimson Tide Storm had opted for a six-man blitz that completely dominated. In a football game with such intense confrontation, even a single person's advantage can be valuable and break the standoff equilibrium.
And the Trojans?
In the "5-2" formation, with already five defensive linemen, they launched a blitz by all, and both linebackers also stepped up, fierce as tigers descending a mountain.
Seven-man blitz.
This was truly a gamble of all or nothing.
In Hayden's view, should the blitz fail, it would not make much difference—they'd lose the first down and possibly the touchdown; but if it were to succeed, it could completely turn the situation around and shift the momentum; they needed just such audacity.
In fact, it was reckless.
Running back vs. defensive line.
You can't just muscle through; otherwise, it's undeniable that the defensive line crushing the running back would continue to cut into the pocket.
If sacrificing himself could buy Hertz time and space to pass, Li Wei would willingly do so; but now the pocket was like a sieve, and for the first time since the start, Hertz faced such aggressive pressure.
Danger.
In a flash, Li Wei had made his judgment.
Step up, hit, replace.
He had his duties and should still fulfill them, trusting the coach and teammates—that maybe his move would buy time, and Hertz would then complete his pass?
Bang!
Li Wei shifted sideways, not crashing headlong into the opponent, but using his left shoulder as a pivot, not passively absorbing the blow, but actively colliding misaligned with the opponent's right shoulder, without compromise.
Boom!
Force, a tidal wave of power erupted, but Li Wei was not entirely passive; instead, he exploited the distraction of the opponent's full concentration on Hertz, using his shoulder as a fulcrum to upend the mountain of flesh before him and break the balance.
Boom... boom boomed...
At a glance, the flesh mountain was unprepared for Li Wei's surprise attack, faltering in his continuous forward stride but capsizing like a clumsy sunfish.
The dam was starting to burst—
The line of scrimmage, a dam between the offensive line and the defensive line, was already crumbing, and the fall of the sunfish further broke the balance.
Teetering on the brink, hanging by a thread.
Power, bursting forth.
But Li Wei did not.
Having mentally prepared in advance and leveraging the sunfish with his left shoulder, he didn't stop; instead, he turned clockwise in one smooth motion, simultaneously moving laterally and rotating sideways to look for Hertz.
Just when his back was fully turned to the line of scrimmage, Li Wei saw Hertz, whose pupils shook violently, looking around in panic, but his gaze was unfocused—he couldn't find a passing target at all.
The overwhelming pressure of the dam collapsed onto him, forcing Hertz to retreat continuously with nowhere to escape, surrounded by figures on all sides.
Chaos, danger, a desperate situation.
At that moment,
Hertz finally saw it—in the split second he felt his knees weaken and his steps falter, as two figures hurled towards him, he lightly tossed the football away.
Li Wei!