The Crimson Tide had gone berserk—
Of course, part of the reason was that the young Trojans had yet to find their footing. Their rigid, unchanging defensive strategy had exposed their shortcomings, and the seasoned Saban seized the opportunity, widening the gap between the two teams.
As the Crimson Tide's offense took the field again, Hurts' passing game came to life, while Jacobs also found his rhythm in the rushing game. With both the passing and rushing attacks in full swing, they stormed past midfield with ease.
Before anyone could blink, the Crimson Tide was already at the Trojans' 35-yard line, quietly within field goal range. The Trojans looked as helpless as morning glories caught in a violent storm.
As the Tide's offense prepared for yet another crushing drive, looking poised to complete their fifth consecutive dominant play of the game, Helton, the Trojans' head coach, finally showed his resolve, stepping up with a bold decision to alter the flow of the game.
Everything happened suddenly.
The Crimson Tide continued to methodically advance, sticking to their game plan. Running backs were rotated, with Clark getting more opportunities on the field. It was Lance's turn, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
First down, 10 yards to go.
Saban had prepared to surprise the Trojans with a pass play, using Lance as a decoy. They would fake a run and have Hurts attempt a deep strike, aiming directly for the end zone from the 35-yard line.
Hurts, with superior passing skills compared to backup quarterback Bateman, was ready. Though young and still gaining experience, his long throws were already impressive.
The Tide's offense was cruising, and the Trojan defense was completely disorganized. An unexpected long pass to break the defense and score quickly was a reasonable risk.
Lance's role was to draw attention away, pretending to receive the handoff and then assist in blocking for the offensive line, buying Hurts the necessary time to execute the deep pass.
But!
In this very play, the Trojans showed their youth and fire—
Youth, after all, means energy and passion.
Blitz.
For the first time all game, the Trojans' defense launched an all-out blitz, breaking from their usual defensive patterns and going all in with a bold gamble.
Just earlier, the Crimson Tide had used a six-man blitz to dominate the play, proving that even a small advantage in numbers could break the balance in football, a game defined by intense physical confrontation.
And the Trojans?
In their "5-2" defensive formation, they already had five defensive linemen. When they sent all five on a blitz, along with both linebackers, it was like a pack of tigers charging downhill.
A seven-man blitz.
This was a true all-out gamble.
In Helton's mind, failing the blitz would result in giving up a first down, possibly even a touchdown—no different from not blitzing at all. But if it succeeded, they could completely turn the tide of the game and swing the momentum in their favor. They needed that boldness.
In truth, it was a reckless move.
Such an aggressive, all-in blitz was almost irrational, a gamble that could go either way.
But when you push an honest man too far, disaster is inevitable. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone the Trojans.
The Trojans were that "honest rabbit."
And the pocket? It collapsed.
With the absolute advantage of their seven-man blitz, the Crimson Tide's previously stellar offensive line looked paper-thin. From the moment the ball was snapped, the Trojans tore the pocket to shreds.
On the other side, Hurts and Lance were still completing their fake handoff when they suddenly felt the heat of the oncoming wave crashing down on them.
The play unraveled.
In this tactical chess match, Helton had disrupted the balance with brute force, and it was working. Saban could only watch and hope his players would make the necessary adjustments.
Hurts panicked.
Long pass?
Long pass!
His mind was filled with the image of a deep pass, but now the pocket was in tatters. There was neither the time nor the space to find his receivers. The tidal wave of defenders bore down on him like a waterfall.
The situation was crumbling.
What now?
Directly in front of him, Lance was doing his job, having executed the fake and moved forward to block, trying to protect the broken pocket.
Bam!
A Trojan defender had already broken past the line of scrimmage and was rushing forward. In the chaos, there was no time to identify the defender's face or jersey number. Lance immediately stepped up to meet him head-on.
Judging by the size, it had to be a defensive lineman—
Linebackers were closer in size to running backs, but defensive linemen were a whole different beast—easily a size or two larger, belonging to a completely different weight class.
This meant the Trojans' defensive line had likely swapped places with the linebackers, allowing the linemen to blitz aggressively while the linebackers filled in the gaps.
Though Lance couldn't see the meat grinder of bodies along the line, he made a quick assessment and realized the danger.
Trouble!
Lance's internal alarm bells rang loud and clear.
Naturally, his next move to block and fill the gap shifted—
A running back versus a defensive lineman.
He couldn't go head-to-head. If he did, the defensive lineman would crush him and continue barreling through to the quarterback without a doubt.
If throwing himself into the grinder would buy Hurts enough time to pass, Lance would gladly do it. But the pocket was already full of holes. This was the first time Hurts faced a blitz of this intensity all game.
Danger.
In the blink of an eye, Lance made his decision.
Step forward, block, fill the gap.
He had his duty to fulfill. Trust the coaches, trust his teammates—perhaps his block would buy Hurts the time he needed to throw.
Crash!
Lance didn't collide head-on. Instead, he used his left shoulder as leverage, not passively absorbing the hit but actively throwing himself into the defender's right shoulder, shifting the power of the impact.
Boom!
The force erupted like a mountain crashing down, but Lance wasn't just standing still. Using his shoulder as a pivot, he caught the defender off guard, taking advantage of the fact that the Trojan's focus was entirely on Hurts.
Boom…boom boom boom…
Anyone watching could see the large defender completely unprepared. Caught off-guard by Lance's move, the lineman stumbled, trying to push forward but ultimately toppling like an overturned fish.
The dam began to break—
The line of scrimmage, where the offensive and defensive lines met, was like a dam holding back a flood. Now, with the big man tumbling, the balance was shattered.
Unstable, on the verge of collapse.
The force erupted.
But Lance didn't falter.
Having mentally prepared himself, Lance didn't stop after sending the defender tumbling. He continued, rotating clockwise and moving sideways, looking for Hurts as he spun.
In the split second when his back was completely turned to the line of scrimmage, Lance saw Hurts, panic written all over his face, wide-eyed and confused, searching desperately for a target but finding none.
The pressure mounted, the dam breaking all around, forcing Hurts to retreat, but there was nowhere to run. Bodies closed in from all sides.
Chaos. Danger. Desperation.
At that moment—
Hurts finally saw it. As two defenders closed in on him, knees shaking, he stumbled and lobbed the ball forward.
Lance!
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