Ash was back to return the punt, but, the Titans took a page from the Sentinels' book and booted the ball out of bounds instead, even if it was only a short kick.
'Keep working hard. Lock them up and we'll get the ball right back,' Coach Otsen shouted as the Titans transitioned to their defensive formations.
There weren't many adjustments if any at all for them, but it looked like the Sentinels hadn't changed much either.
Jackson watched with a frown, concerned for what could happen to the Titans' momentum and morale if the Sentinels tied the game on this drive, especially after the Titans' three-and-out.
The Sentinels started conservatively, handing the ball off to Ash on a run up the gut for their first play. He pushed through the first gap and struggled ahead for a few yards. It was a decent start, but nothing too concerning.
The teams separated without issue and huddled up, reminding themselves to stay locked in and to keep doing their jobs. Maybe the Sentinels weren't so bad.
Next, Poster Boy turned to hand the ball to Ash again, however, Ash left the ball behind this time and Poster Boy turned looking for a pass.
His eyes went to the Neanderthal Rudy was guarding. Rudy was backpedalling, he hesitated as Neanderthal shifted to the outside. Even expecting another Out, Rudy was disciplined enough to stay back and keep dropping into his zone, so when Neanderthal revealed the Out was just a feint and he continued running deeper, Rudy had it well covered.
Poster Boy didn't panic, however. When the deep shot was covered, he looked under it, where another Receiver had drifted to the flat. Freddy trailed behind them, but there was enough room for Poster Boy to fit the ball in.
The Receiver made the catch, though as they turned upfield, they had to run further outside to avoid Freddy. They didn't get far before Freddy shoved them out of bounds, though the Sentinels were now only a yard away from a first down.
They picked up that yard quite comfortably with another inside run from Ash.
'Reset!' Coach Carson cried. 'Put it behind you and focus on the next set.'
With the fresh set of downs, the Sentinels shifted Rogers over beside Neanderthal. Kenny shot Rudy a worried glance, but Rudy wasn't even looking, staring ahead, focused only on himself.
At the snap, Rogers darted diagonally to the outside, meanwhile Neanderthal swept under him and to the inside.
Rudy backed off, trying to stay ahead of Rogers, whilst unintentionally getting in the way of Kenny who was also trying to keep up with Rogers.
Kenny groaned. 'Move! Chase your man.'
'Get the fuck out of my way,' Rudy growled.
Whilst they argued, they managed to keep up with Rogers at least, and with the two of them in the area, there was no hope of him getting the ball. On the other hand, Neanderthal was wide open.
It was all too simple for Poster Boy to flip the ball over. Neanderthal rushed ahead after the catch until he was met by both Pete and Lonnie 12 yards further downfield and tackled.
A vein bulged along Coach Otsen's temple. 'Communicate! Come on!'
Kenny got in Rudy's face after the play. 'What the hell are you doing?'
'Me? I'm doing what I was fucking told to. You're the one getting in my way.'
'You didn't cover your man!'
'That's not my job. I cover whatever goes deep. Don't talk shit if you don't know anything.'
The rest of the team pulled them apart and back to the huddle. Kenny turned away. 'Just, call out for a switch then or something, fuck. You always have to make things as hard as possible.'
The Titans' huddle dissolved, tensions peaking. But, when the Sentinels moved away from their formation, Rogers was back on his own side of the field, away from Neanderthal.
And, the Sentinels went right back to the run game. They handed the ball to Ash, though they avoided 64's side of the field and kept running away from him, like they were poking and prodding to find any other weak point in the Titans' D-Line.
Ash found minimal success, and in the end, wasn't even able to drag the Sentinels into field goal range before they were pushed to fourth down. Again, the Titans' fans were happy, whilst the Sentinels tried to cheer up their team, the players themselves came off with their heads held high, like they'd accomplished their job.
The following punt was a little too forceful and just missed out on pinning the Titans deep in their own territory as it drifted into the endzone before tumbling out.
As the game moved into the second quarter, it felt like everything had settled down, and after the opening score, it had fully transitioned into a more defensive, grind-it-out kind of game.
Coach Otsen wiped the concern from his face as he addressed the Titans. 'You're doing great. Let's try to break through again when we start this next drive, but defensively I love the effort. We just need to do a better job of communicating sometimes.'
Coach Carson stepped forward. 'Rudy, Ken, if something like that double stack play happens again, I want you, Rudy, to stay high and outside. Ken, it's your job to follow the man who goes inside or stays low. Got it?'
'Yeah, yeah. As long as he stays out of my way I'll be fine,' Rudy said, arms crossed. Both Coach Otsen and Kenny glared at him.
'Got it, Coach,' Kenny said.
Coach Otsen cleared his throat. 'Remember, we've got the lead, we're winning this game. Let's try some new things on offence. We're gonna find a way to extend our lead so we can get back to how we started this game. Let's go, Titans, remember what you're fighting for!'
The Titans stormed onto the field for the second half, the stands full as the cheers for the Sentinels drowned out any support the Titans had.
The Sentinels met the Titans, their unshakeable resolve still intact.
Break them down, slow and steady, that was the message for the Titans' drive. To start that, they went with a run to Isaac. Of course, they were still running away from 64. The Sentinels surged towards the towards the right side of the Titans' Line. That was when Isaac cut left, going against the flow.
What was supposed to catch 64 off guard, unfortunately, didn't work, and while Isaac rounded the corner, 64 lunged out and managed to snag his shirt, dragging him down by it for only 2 yards.
'It's alright, it's alright. Get back up and try again,' Coach Otsen assured.
However, the Titans abandoned the run on the next play. Concrete was still quite far back from Kenny, and the Titans exploited that with a quick Slant. Pete fired the ball over immediately, and Kenny caught it but was crushed in a tackle by Concrete and driven into the ground, for another small gain.
Kenny winced as he picked himself up. It was certainly like being hit by a slab of concrete, and the pain from the reception seemed too big for such a little reward.
Coach Otsen frowned, just when it felt like he might've found an opening in the Sentinels' defence, they slammed it shut right in the team's face.
Rudy's ire grew as the ball stayed out of his hands, though voicing his opinion seemed pointless, and seeing as he fucked up a couple of times last drive, he was finally staying quiet.
For the next play, Rudy and Freddy were lined up next to each other, much like Rogers and Neanderthal had been for the Sentinels.
Freddy did his best to keep his gaze grounded and away from the disdainful glare Rudy was giving him for being in his proximity. It probably didn't help that they both knew the play was intended for Freddy instead of Rudy.
At the snap, Rudy came forward like he was moving out in a slant, and Freddy trailed underneath him. Pete whipped the ball towards Freddy, and while Freddy's man was preoccupied with Rudy, Rogers moved lightning-fast and jumped at Freddy, knocking the ball aside just as it reached Freddy's hands.
'Son of a bitch.' Rudy grumbled.
Freddy muttered an apology and kept his head down as he shuffled back to the team. They took up their punting formation.
Jackson groaned, slumping back in his seat. 'What the hell—'
'Language,' Mom cut in.
'—another three and out? … Sorry, Mom.'
'It's like the defence flipped a switch after that first touchdown, they're not letting anything through now,' Tommy said.
'What can they even do? It feels like no matter what they try now, the Sentinels have an answer for everything.'
'What would you do in the situation, Jack?'
'Hey now, leave all that analytical talk and thinking for later, that's what film studies are for. You should be enjoying the game. Relax,' Dad said.
'Sorry, Dad,' Tommy said. Jackson didn't say anything, worry creasing his brow.
For the punt, Freddy caught the snap without issue, he stepped forward and slammed the ball onto his boot, however, it slid off the side and went careening out of bounds much earlier than he wanted. It bought them barely 20 more yards, and the Sentinels would start their next drive at midfield.
Again, Ash didn't seem too disappointed that the prospect of a return had been stolen from him. Coach Otsen on the other hand, was swearing up and down the sideline at the miscued kick.
Freddy shambled to the huddle, hurriedly and repeatedly apologising for his mistake. Most of the Titans reassured him that it was okay and shit like that happened, especially to someone who'd only been kicking for a couple of weeks … most, not Rudy.
Rudy wouldn't have much time to worry about others, however. The Sentinels came out looking to pass, and while Rudy was still matching Neanderthal, his real task was still covering anything deep down that side of the field.
The Sentinels had picked up on this fact, and were using that information to their advantage. Neanderthal only came forward 5 yards before he stopped and spun back around for a pass.
He got the ball easily on his Curl, and while Rudy quickly sprung forward to close the distance, it was still a catch, and the Sentinels were already halfway to a first down.
The Sentinels weren't stopping there, whereas their offence had been varied and usually didn't try the same thing twice—even when they were running the ball, they were always aiming at different parts of the O-and-D-Lines—but now they were more than happy to keep throwing short underneath passes to Neanderthal.
Whether it was a Curl, Comeback, or an Out, he'd run to his 5-yard mark, then snap around or out. Poster Boy would hit him on the chest every time, right as he made his cut, like clockwork. And with this routine, the Sentinels were marching closer to the red zone.
'Oh for fuck's sake, Rudy! Get up on him! Don't let them get away with this shit!' Coach Otsen yelled.
Rudy grumbled, much too quietly for Coach Otsen to hear, but crept forward before the next step, pressing up to Neanderthal this time. "Why am I scared of this dumb fuck getting past me anyway? He's not faster than me."
The ball was snapped, Concrete came forward, pushing right into Rudy's press. He was strong, pushing Rudy back, but Rudy managed to slow him down a bit, and shade him towards the inside.
Again, Concrete hit his mark, 5 yards deep away from the Line of Scrimmage, then turned back, just like he'd done the five previous plays.
Rudy wasn't going to let them get away with it this time, his prerogative be damned, they were walking all over him and at this rate, they'd get a touchdown before long. He jumped forward, slipping around Neanderthal to cut the pass off.
Only, the pass didn't come. The ball was still in Poster Boy's hands. Not for long, as Neanderthal slipped away from Rudy, the Curl just a feint. He burst forward with an explosive dash, and Poster Boy lobbed the ball well over Rudy's head.
Neanderthal caught the pass in stride. Lonnie rushed over, building up speed as he was on a collision course with Neanderthal. But the distance was long, and the gap to the endzone was short.
Neanderthal veered further to the otuside, and braced himself. Lonnie lunged for him, he thrust a stiff arm towards him, fending him off. Lonnie grunted, his long arms wrapped around Neanderthal even as he was pushed back. But he didn't have any leverage to pull Neanderthal down. Neanderthal dragged Lonnie forward and stretched out again, this time forward with the ball as he fell towards the pylon at the front corner of the endzone. The ball smacked into it, toppling the little foam tower as Lonnie and Neanderthal crashed to the turf.
The crowd's roar told you all you needed to know; touchdown Sentinels.
Rudy smacked his helmet. 'Fuck!' He stomped towards the bench, only when he stepped off the field did he remember that they only had eleven players. He turned tail and shamefully trudged back to the rest of the team for their defence against the oncoming extra point kick.
His presence may as well have been on the bench, because the kick was successful, and just like that, the score was tied at seven all.