The air was on fire; heat waves surged.
Tiger Stadium was living up to its reputation as a hostile environment, showing the visiting Crimson Tide the full force of its home-field advantage. Not only were the chants creative and varied, with a slogan for every play, but the stadium, packed with 100,000 fans, radiated an overwhelming sea of purple that turned the sky into a vivid peacock blue.
The roar of the crowd, fierce and relentless, crashed down on the Crimson Tide like a tidal wave. Clearly, the Tiger fans were savoring every moment of this.
Alabama's Crimson Tide and LSU's Tigers were bitter rivals—mortal enemies.
Since 1960, the two teams had faced off annually, their matchups becoming a celebrated event. LSU had once maintained an incredible 15-game winning streak against Alabama at Tiger Stadium, one of the most unbreakable records in NCAA history.
Tiger fans still took pride in this, pulling it out every now and then to mock the Crimson Tide.
However, as a traditional powerhouse, Alabama still held the overall advantage in their head-to-head, with 55 wins, 27 losses, and 5 ties. Moreover, in major games—like the SEC Championship and National Championship—the Crimson Tide had consistently blocked LSU's path to glory.
To Alabama, teams like Auburn and Tennessee had older, deeper rivalries. But all that changed in 2007, when LSU's legendary coach, Nick Saban, joined the Crimson Tide.
Since then, every meeting between Alabama and LSU had been explosive, growing more intense with every Crimson Tide victory over the Tigers. The rivalry reached its peak when Alabama defeated LSU in the 2012 SEC Championship to claim the national title.
Now, "Crimson Tide vs. Tigers" had become one of the fiercest, most relentless matchups in the SEC.
And today was no different.
LSU came out swinging, playing at 120% of their potential. From the opening whistle, they had Alabama on their heels.
Tiger Stadium's 100,000 fans weren't letting up either. They chanted relentlessly, bringing back memories of Alabama's painful 15-game losing streak at this very stadium.
"Tiger bait! Tiger bait!"
The chant echoed continuously, from offense to defense, from play to play, for nearly two hours. The energy from the home crowd was beyond belief, overwhelming the visitors from Alabama.
The heat pounded on their eardrums, the intensity nearly melting their skin.
In this suffocating atmosphere, the Crimson Tide struggled even more. The frustration and pressure weighed heavily on them.
Staying calm and collected became exponentially harder.
Hurts, Alabama's quarterback, was clearly rattled. His face pale, pupils trembling, hands and feet unsure of what to do. He was so flustered that he seemed to forget how to breathe.
Lance noticed. As they lined up, before moving to his position, Lance patted Hurts on the shoulder. The freshman was still too inexperienced.
"We can do this," Lance said.
Hurts wasn't so sure.
Lance repeated himself, "We can do this."
Hurts looked into Lance's eyes. Despite the constant roar of the crowd, those eyes were calm and steady, grounding Hurts and pulling his scattered thoughts back to solid ground. Slowly, Hurts nodded in agreement.
Then, Lance turned and moved to his spot—
A standard shotgun formation.
He took a deep breath, ready for action.
Since the game began, Lance had been hitting a wall, over and over again, like a hamster running in circles. But it wasn't just mindless repetition.
He had been observing, analyzing.
Coach Saban had also noticed LSU's focus on Lance, trying to switch up the rhythm with Jacobs, Clark, and even Emmons. Yet, despite LSU's strong defensive performance, Lance remained the most effective rusher.
While it might seem like Lance had been hitting a wall repeatedly, if it were anyone else, they would've been crushed by now. But not Lance. His progress, despite the setbacks, was still Alabama's best hope. His calmness and determination in the face of adversity led Saban to trust him with the ground game once again.
Lance had noticed a key detail.
When Jacobs or Clark were on the field, LSU's linebackers, Riley and Beckwith, slowed their approach, leaving some room for them to start. They also shifted more attention to defending the pass.
But when Lance was on the field, Riley and Beckwith immediately closed in, trying to collapse Lance's space before he could build up speed. Safety Jamal Adams would also step up, covering the gap left by the linebackers.
It was clear—
LSU was willing to let Alabama beat them through the air but would not allow the ground game to gain any momentum. They were fully committed, using a human wave defense to stack the box.
It was a bold and ruthless strategy.
This was something Alabama hadn't encountered before.
Normally, Alabama's passing game was limited—relying on just a few plays. But now, with the ground game shut down, the entire offense was struggling.
Football was a game of connections. One weak link could drag the entire system down.
Saban was making adjustments, trying different things, but in the end, Lance needed to break through—
Alabama's offense needed its ground game.
It was time to stop waiting, stop avoiding. They needed to confront the challenge head-on.
Lance was ready.
Third and six.
This was the problem Alabama had faced all game—constantly stuck in third-and-long situations. And if the pass didn't connect, it was punt time.
Their offense just couldn't get rolling.
And this play was no different.
Slowly, Lance bent down, hands on his knees, standing behind Hurts, scanning the defensive positions on both sides.
LSU wasn't changing their strategy. Their defensive formation remained the same.
Lance couldn't see Beckwith's face, but he could see Riley.
Usually, linebackers would line up parallel with the defensive line, visible to the quarterback but not to the running back.
But Riley was different. He was standing wider, his gaze locked onto Lance, like a hunter eyeing his prey.
Riley, a third-round talent linebacker, wasn't a prodigy, but when given a single task—especially with two or three teammates backing him up—the game became a cat-and-mouse chase. Riley had every bit of confidence.
Staring at Lance, Riley's eyes gleamed like Tom the cat, eyeing Lance like Jerry the mouse, a cruel grin spreading as he prepared to pounce.
He had made Lance hit the wall several times already, and this time would be no different. If Alabama didn't try something new—like a fake run, play-action pass—Riley wasn't going to hold back.
"Set!"
Hurts' voice cut through the air, and Lance began his motion.
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Powerstones?
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