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.
"For us, this marks the beginning of the season, and the start of a whole new year. No matter what last season's results were, they're all in the past; and no matter how reality is, we're starting a new chapter right here."
The voice came from Clark.
Li Wei turned to look over, "Us?"
Clark broke into a grin, "Yeah, us. I'm a part of Crimson Tide Storm too." Players and spectators, were the same.
Then, Clark jumped up lightly, "The game is about to start, see you on the field."
Clark couldn't contain his excitement and dashed onto the field. Although this wasn't an official match, not even an external warm-up game, it was still the first time in history that Clark was representing Crimson Tide Storm in a game with an audience—
Last year, Clark was only the fifth substitute; even in intrasquad games, he didn't get a chance to play, but this year was different. He finally had the chance to represent the main team, and he was also playing as a starter.
Today, in the "Starters vs Reserves" match, Jacobs and Clark were assigned as the running backs for the starters' team, while Li Wei, who had entered the world of Football only three weeks ago, and the sixth substitute BJ-Emmons from Triple Star High—BJ-Emmons—took on the role of the reserves' team running backs.
Clark was overjoyed. Ever since Saban announced the lineup, he had been in a state of thrill, laughing merrily every day as if he were a fool. To him, even being a reserve running back didn't matter, as long as he could wear the Crimson Tide Storm jersey on the field.
"Look!"
"That's my son, oh my God, that's really Ronnie!"
"He looks so small."
"Ha ha, ha ha ha."
"It's him, that's him, number forty-four."
In the stands, Tyree Clark could hardly contain his excitement as he shouted to everyone around him, for fear that they might miss his son on the field—like a stick figure amidst the fray—
In a stadium of a hundred thousand people, it was indeed too large; looking down from the bleachers, the players were no bigger than matches.
Danny Clark, on the other hand, rolled his eyes speechlessly and slowly slid down in his seat, his shoulders hunched with embarrassment. It was as if his father weren't embarrassing enough, shouting all over the place. It was just a practice game, for crying out loud, there really was no need to make such a fuss.
But Tyree didn't care.
"Ronnie!"
"Hey, Ronnie!"
Shouting at the field like a fool, he didn't care that his voice was immediately drowned out by the chanting of the crowd; he just kept on shouting.
Then, the game began—
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.