Humphrey was fuming.
He had noticed Fournette's run right away and tried to shake off the receiver he was covering to rush in and help defend, but his opponent clung to him like glue, possibly committing a holding penalty. This infuriated Humphrey, but it also triggered an alarm in his mind, and he quickly regained his composure.
No fouls. Stay calm.
With a sudden stop, Humphrey forced the receiver to run past him due to inertia, and they separated. Humphrey immediately took off again, his eyes locked on Fournette, who was in an unstoppable, hyper-focused state of pure adrenaline.
As a cornerback, Humphrey's primary duty was to cover receivers, but sometimes, he had to go up against running backs like Fournette.
Humphrey could tell that in Fournette's current state, one or two players likely wouldn't be enough to stop him. They would need to work together.
But was there another option?
With the Crimson Tide's secondary spread thin, could they muster enough bodies to stop Fournette?
Yes. There was one way.
Humphrey remembered the advice Derrick Henry had given them. When facing a running back in beast mode, a normal tackle wouldn't be enough to stop him. Instead of rushing head-on to get bowled over, the key was to disrupt the running back's control of the ball.
Running backs are trained to protect the football under pressure, and ball security is one of the most critical aspects of their role. They must constantly endure hits and challenges while keeping the ball secure. A running back who fumbles regularly is a liability, no matter how many yards they gain.
The Crimson Tide, as a program with a rich tradition of producing elite running backs, understood this well. Burns, their coach, made sure running backs trained to guard the ball from all angles, with defensive players frequently trying to punch it loose during drills.
So, if they couldn't stop the running back, they'd try to separate him from the ball.
Even if they couldn't force a fumble, simply making the running back focus on protecting the ball might slow him down enough to create an opening for a tackle.
Then—
Foster!
Humphrey's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, great minds think alike. Foster, one of their key defenders, had the same idea.
Humphrey rushed forward, ready to help Foster make the tackle, but before he could react, something remarkable happened.
A flash of brown!
The ball had come loose. Foster had not only tackled Fournette but had also forced a fumble!
Tiger Stadium froze in an instant, with 100,000 eyes fixated on that flash of brown, their jaws dropping in shock and fear.
Humphrey reacted quickly, his instincts sharp. With the grace of a leaf in the wind, he swooped in and scooped up the football before it even hit the ground, cradling it securely in his arms. Without pausing, he used his momentum to pivot 180 degrees and immediately began sprinting down the field.
Thud, thud, thud.
He planted his feet, accelerated, and surged forward.
Though Humphrey was a defensive player, not an offensive one, he instinctively entered the zone. In a brief glance, he took in the chaos around him.
Moments earlier, the Crimson Tide's all-out blitz had left their short pass coverage exposed, allowing Fournette to find space.
But now, the same overload on the line was working in Humphrey's favor. With so many bodies up front, he had an open lane.
One step.
Allen had already sealed off the Tiger offensive line, keeping their big, powerful blockers at bay. Humphrey bolted forward.
One block!
Two blocks!
The white jerseys of the Crimson Tide formed a barrier against the purple wave of Tigers, and a clear path opened up before Humphrey—
A path leading to the end zone.
He ran, sprinting with everything he had.
Humphrey felt like he was back in his carefree childhood, a time with no toys, no internet, no TV, and no video games—just the sheer joy of running. As the wind rushed past his ears, laughter bubbled up from deep within him, filling his chest.
In the distance, he could faintly hear the echoes of the Crimson Tide fans' chant swirling in the vastness of Tiger Stadium: "Run, Humphrey, run!"
He was lost in the moment, running at full throttle, so focused that he could almost hear the blood pumping furiously through his veins.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure streak toward him.
It was Harris.
As a quarterback, Harris still had much to learn. But as a Tiger, at that moment, he showed his grit, clenching his teeth and summoning every bit of his willpower.
Humphrey braked hard, barely evading Harris's desperate tackle. With a quick spin, he left the bewildered quarterback in his dust, once again seeing nothing but open field ahead.
Closer.
Closer.
With no obstacles in his way, Humphrey spread his arms wide and dove into the end zone, capping off the return with a triumphant leap.
The stadium fell into absolute silence.
Same situation, different emotions.
The home crowd had anticipated the start of this offensive drive, but they hadn't predicted how it would end.
Foster had forced the fumble, which meant the ball was up for grabs. If LSU had recovered it, they could've still converted the first down.
But instead, Humphrey had recovered the ball, and since his knees hadn't touched the ground, he was free to keep running, all the way to the end zone—unless, of course, he fumbled it himself. If that had happened, the ball would've become fair game again.
Luckily, Humphrey made sure the chaos didn't repeat itself. With a decisive and clean play, he secured a defensive touchdown for the Crimson Tide—
A fumble return for a touchdown.
"Ah!"
"Ahhhh!"
The Crimson Tide players erupted in celebration, with one after another raising their arms in the air, signaling the touchdown. Their fervor was contagious as their passion ignited the field.
But Tiger Stadium remained silent.
The once-thundering roar of the home crowd had turned into a frozen wasteland. The only flame burning in the stadium was on the visitors' sideline—a small but fierce and unyielding blaze.
In just five short minutes, the game had completely flipped.
The Crimson Tide had seized control, with the offense breaking through the Tigers' defenses like a battering ram and finally ending the deadlock.
Then, LSU's offense had launched a powerful counterattack, but the Crimson Tide defense had stepped up, showcasing their championship-caliber resolve. Not only did they stop the Tigers, but they also forced a turnover and returned it for a touchdown.
Before anyone had time to process it, the balance that had held for three quarters was shattered.
Watching their bitter rivals celebrate in their end zone, the home fans were heartbroken, reeling from one crushing blow after another.
But Humphrey wasn't concerned with that.
After celebrating in the end zone, Humphrey searched the crowd until he spotted Fournette. Lifting the football, he pointed at him, then jogged back to the sideline and placed the ball in Lance's hands, leading the charge as he rallied his teammates.
"Roll Tide! Roar, roar, roar!"
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates