The opening bars of the AC/DC song "Thunderstruck" began to play over the PA system. Immediately, the crowd knew what was going on and began clapping in rhythm. On the big screen, images of the current Knights players were flashed on the screen; Jimmy, Marley, Oakley, Hanson, Josh Stevens, George Rooney, Kyo, Charles Jones, Wolarski, Byron Johnson and others. "Knights fans, ON! YOUR! FEET!" The fans didn't really need much ordering around as they stood up.
Meanwhile, the team made their way to the tunnel where they would enter the field from. The tunnel was extended, thanks to an inflatable knight helmet. They were feeling very confident in their abilities right about now and felt they could beat the Buckeyes. Jimmy bobbed his head in time with the music and cackled in his own style. "Now this is an in—oh, here comes the smoke!"
Some smoke machines had begun to make some smoke that obscured the tunnel but added to the dramatic effect of the moment. "Man, they pulled out all the stops tonight!" Stevens said.
"Oh, yeah!" Oakley replied.
Kyo, meanwhile, wasn't feeling so confident. He was nervous beyond description and was already starting to sweat. "Hang in there Sohma," said Hanson.
"Easy for you to say," said Kyo. "You've done this before!"
"Once that adrenaline flows, you won't be so scared," he replied.
Back outside, the noise level was starting to grow, only a few seconds into the song. The Buckeyes had already taken the field, but the Knights were just seconds from charging the tunnel. The crowd stomped in time with the song, mostly the "THUN-DER" lyrics. The whole stadium was rocking and bouncing up and down, waiting for the Knights to take the field.
"Heeeeeeerrrrrrrre come the KNIIIGGGHHHTTTSSS!"
The crowd roared as the Knights charged through the smoke and on to the field. The roar was so loud Tohru had to cover her ears while Karen pretty much screamed her lungs out. Kyo let the adrenaline take over as he took the field while Jimmy just hammed it up as much as possible. The band was playing the fight song, but it was drowned out by the noise of the crowd.
The Knights took to the sideline and the players—save for the quarterbacks who did some additional warm-ups—gathered around Hanson, who had taken his helmet off. "WE!"
"WE!"
"WE DON'T!"
"WE DON'T!"
"WE DON'T MESS!"
"WE DON'T MESS!"
"WE DON'T MESS AROUND,"
"HEY! WE DON'T MESS AROUND, HEY! WE DON'T MESS AROUND, HEY! WE DON'T MESS AROUND, HEY!"
The captains, Marley, Stevens and two others came out to midfield where the Ohio State captains, #4 Kurt Coleman, # 38 Austin Spitler and # 84 Doug Worthington as well as the officials met them. The Buckeye captains, as the visitors, chose Heads. The referee tossed the coin in the air and it landed on the ground. "It's tails," he said to the roar of the UCF crowd. "UCF has won the toss. What do you wish to do?"
"We'll receive," said Marley.
"UCF has won the toss and has elected to receive," said the referee. Then he made the captains choose which side they wanted to attack first. The Knights chose to face the south endzone where the student section was. The captains, along with both teams, stepped forward and shook hands before returning to their respective sidelines.
Sean McDonough: "So UCF will get the ball first and their high-flying offense will hope to strike first."
Todd Blackledge: "The Buckeyes need to find a way to stop Jimmy Michaels and the UCF receiver corps. If they can't then they're not going to stop this UCF offense."
The song "Kernkraft 400" began to play and the student section started bouncing and "singing" along with the tune. The players on the UCF sideline hoisted their helmets up in the air, Kyo included. The fans waved their black rally towels and made as much noise as possible while #20 Aaron Pettrey and the Ohio State kicking team set up defending the south endzone. David Marley and Josh Stevens were back to receive for the Knights.
The crowd level increased as Pettrey signaled to the referee that he was ready. The referee blew his whistle and Pettery and the Buckeyes ran forward and Pettrey sent a long, end-over-end kick to Marley, who was 1 yard in front of the endzone. The crowd silenced as Marley caught the ball and took off. Immediately the Ohio State defense swarmed around the dreadlocked receiver and brought him down, but not before gaining 24 yards on the kick, setting the Knights up at their own 25-yard line.
"JIM-MY MI-CHAELS! (clap, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) JIM-MY MI-CHAELS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) JIM-MY MI-CHAELS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)" The student section chanted. Jimmy took some orders from Coach O'Leary before trotting out to the field at the near hash mark where the rest of the offense, Kyo included, was waiting.
"All right guys," he said with his cocky tone. "Let's show these Ohio boys how we do it here." He gave the guys the play. "On one, on one, readyyy…"
"BREAK!" The Knights came out of the huddle and set up in a spread formation with five receivers (from left to right: Marley, Byron Johnson on the left side of the line of scrimmage; Oakley, Stevens and Kyo on the right side of the line) and Jimmy 5 yards behind Charles Jones. Ohio State had set up in a 3-4 defense; 3 D-liners and 4 linebackers.
"DOWN! SET!" Kyo licked his lips in nervousness as Jimmy called the play out. "HUH HUH!" Jimmy faked the call a couple times to draw the Ohio State defenders into an offsides penalty, but it didn't work. "HUT!" Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy while the receivers took of on their respective pass routes.
Jimmy immediately dropped back, looking for a receiver. He found Oakley cutting towards the middle of the field and threw to him. Oakley lunged for the ball and the ovoid sphere landed in his hands before he tucked it in. Then he turned south and evaded a pair of Ohio State cornerbacks for an extra gain before being taken down at the 36-yard line. "Michaels' pass to #81 Jim Oakley complete; gain of 11 yards, enough for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!" The student section replied. The Knights huddled up again and Jimmy called the next play.
"Ready…"
"BREAK!" The offense set up in another spread formation, this time with Byron Johnson coming off the field and replaced by Josh Hanson to Jimmy's left at running back. This left 4 receivers on the field, this time Oakley set up to the left of the offense. Jimmy set up behind Jones.
"DOWN! SET!" Jimmy shouted out. Kyo was nervous, but he knew he had to keep still. Any wrong move and the team could be penalized for a false start. "HUT HUT!"
Jones snapped the ball the Jimmy and the receivers took off. Jimmy faked the hand-off to Hanson and dropped back to pass. Kyo followed his pass route, only turning slightly inwards 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Jimmy threw to Kyo and Kyo caught the ball before being tackled by the Ohio State linebacker and captain Austin Spitler.
"Michaels' pass to # 80, Kyo Sohma complete; gain of 7 yards, brings up a 2nd and 3."
"Was that Kyo?" Tohru asked.
"Yep," said Karen. "I saw him at the last home game."
SMcD: "That was Kyo Sohma, the wide receiver with his first reception of the game as we take a look at the UCF starting offense. We've got Michaels in at quarterback, the star from Northfield, Illinois. The running backs, Josh Hanson who took over from Kevin Smith last year from Belle Glade, Florida and Roger Wolarski from Los Angeles, California. The tight ends are Henry Thompson an Orlando native and Desmond Gregory of Pahokee, Florida. The Knights' receiving corps is one of the best in the country, with star David Marley from Atlanta, Jim Oakley from Pinckneyville, Illinois, Josh Stevens from Gainesville, which is Gator country, Byron Johnson from Jacksonville, Florida and Kyo Sohma from Kaibara, Japan."
TB: "Sohma's only been playing for two years, but he got some training from Sadaharu Fuji, supposed to be the best football player from Japan. And he came in two weeks ago to replace DeShawn Johnson, who was supposed to be the Knights' next top receiver before suffering a season-ending knee injury."
SMcD: "Obviously, he's got some good credentials as Michaels takes the snap…"
Jimmy scrambled out of the pocket and looked for a receiver downfield. Unfortunately, he couldn't find one and instead decided to take it himself, taking off towards the 46-yard line. However, he was forced out of bounds just short of the first down.
"Number 5, Jimmy Michaels on the quarterback keeper; gain of 2 yards, brings up a 3rd and 1 at the 45-yard line."
SMcD: "Michaels takes the ball himself but comes up short. We're going to look at the rest of the UCF offense, we've got at tight end Henry Thompson, an Orlando native and Desmond Gregory from Pahokee, Florida. The O-line has gotten a lot of good press, itself. The defensive tackles are George McCoy from Memphis and John Desmond from Tallahassee. At offensive guard are Lionel Hamilton from Hoover, Alabama and Deshawn Brooks from Miami. We round them out at center, Charles Jones from Orlando, the All-American as the Knights line up in the I formation."
"HUT HUT!" Again, Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy who quickly handed it off to Roger Wolarski who took it and pounded it in for the first down.
"Roger Wolarski the ball carrier; gain of two yards, enough for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!"
Now the Knights had a fresh set of downs and a stopped clock. The time showed 13:15 left in the first quarter. The Knights were looking good so far. "On one, on one, ready…"
"BREAK!" The offense lined up in a spread formation again with the same line-up of receivers they had in the first play from scrimmage. They lined up on the 48-yard line. Again, Jimmy was in the shotgun position.
"DOWN! SET!" Jimmy called out. Kyo waited for Jimmy's call to start. "Set, HUT!" The two offensive lines crashed together and the receivers took off. Jimmy dropped back and found Kyo as the receiver again. He whipped the ball right to him and Kyo reached out to catch the ball.
…Only for an Ohio State cornerback to come in and intercept the ball.
"SHIT! GET 'IM!" Jimmy shouted. Kyo lunged at the Buckeye safety but he fell flat on his chest as the safety got away from him.
SMcD: "Picked off by Chekwa!"
The O-line scrambled to catch the Ohio State cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, even Jimmy. However, he broke free and sprinted down the UCF sideline before Jim Oakley managed to catch him and bring him down at the UCF 4-yard line.
Kyo walked off the field in disappointment, thinking he shouldn't have overrun the pass route. His inexperience had certainly cost the team and he sat down on the bench shaking his head.
Jimmy walked off the field and sat down wishing he could have that pass back. It almost reminded him of the UTEP game last year when he threw a pass just like that.
"Oh jeez," said Karen. "That's not good."
"Why?" Tohru asked. "What happened?"
"Jimmy just threw an interception," Karen replied.
"Why, is that bad?" Yuki asked.
"Didn't Kyo teach you both the fundamentals of football?" Karen asked. Yuki and Tohru stayed silent, prompting Karen to sigh in exasperation and resume talking. "It's when the quarterback throws to an opposing player who catches the ball. It's an automatic turnover."
"So it's bad?" Tohru asked.
"Very bad," Karen replied.
The Knights defense came out on the field for their first series of the game, along with the Ohio State offense, led by Terrelle Pryor. Kyo kept his eyes on Pryor, since Jimmy was talking about him a lot. The Buckeyes lined up on the Knights' 4-yard line in an I-formation. Pryor took the snap, faked the hand off to Dan Herron and dropped back to pass. The Buckeye O-line did its job and gave Pryor time to throw into the endzone to receiver Dane Sanzenbacher for the Buckeye touchdown. Jimmy laid his head back and sighed in exasperation.
"Fuck," he sighed. Most of the team and fans were shaking their heads in disappointment. The Buckeye fans, however, you can tell their reaction. The Ohio State band played the "Buckeye Battle Cry" fight song as Pettery and the Ohio State kicking team set up for the extra point. Pettery kicked the ball easily through the uprights for the point after, giving the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead.
Coach O'Leary though, kept his cool and prepared to send his offense back out. "Don't worry," he said. "It's just one touchdown, we can respond easily."
After the media timeout, O'Leary showed Jimmy some plays that the Knights could respond with. Jimmy seemed interested and decided to give the plays a shot.
On the kick-off, Pettery kicked the ball into the endzone where Josh Stevens caught the ball and took a knee for a touchback, setting the Knights up on their own 20-yard line. The offense trotted out to the line, with Jimmy lingering near the sideline for some extra instructions from O'Leary before trotting over to his teammates. "All right guys," he said. "Let's give these a try." He gave the instructions to the offense.
"BREAK!" Again, the Knights lined up in a spread-style formation. This time, the receivers were in a different position; Johnson, Oakley and Kyo were to the left of the line and Marley and Stevens were on the right; in that order.
"DOWN!" Jimmy shouted from his position in the Shotgun. The Buckeye defense shifted slightly in preparation. Jones relayed the shifts to the O-line to warn them. "Set… HUT!"
Jones snapped the back to Jimmy and he dropped back to pass while the receivers took off. The O-line held like a castle wall, allowing Jimmy time in the pocket to look for a receiver. He found one running down the Buckeye sideline. Jimmy released the ball down the field.
Byron was being hounded by the Buckeye cornerback as he sprinted down the Buckeye sideline. A quick look back and he saw Jimmy heave the ball in his direction. Now catching a football is not easy. You have to include such factors as the time the ball was released, how fast you're going, where the ball is going to land, and whether you can escape the defender, among other things. However, for an experienced receiver like Johnson, this was easy and he was able to make the catch before going out of bounds at the 47-yard line.
SMcD: "JOHNSON with a fantastic catch, forced out of bounds at the 47-yard line! The Knights offense just got the kick-start they needed!"
"Michaels' pass to #13, Byron Johnson complete; gain of 27 yards, enough for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!"
O'Leary applauded his players on the sideline before Jimmy got some instructions from the coaches. Kyo, Johnson and Oakley were taken off the field and Hanson, Wolarski, and Gregory came in on offense. In the huddle, Jimmy gave the guys another play, this one different from the last. "On two, on two, ready…
"BREAK!"
Marc Daniels: "The Knights are knocking on the Buckeyes' door here, only 3 yards from getting into Buckeye territory for the first time tonight. Knights line up in the "I"-formation, Michaels in under center, Hanson and Wolarski behind Michaels, Marley and Stevens in at receiver."
"DOWN! SET!" Jimmy called out. Again, the Buckeye defense shifted, anticipating the Knights' next move. It was here that Jimmy got a look at the middle linebacker. Number 40 looked ready to blitz and he was staring right at Jimmy. He looked Japanese, like Kyo. Jimmy gave him his trademark smirk. "What's up?" He asked in his cocky tone. "HUT HUT!" Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy and he dropped back before handing it off to Hanson while Wolarski moved to block. Hanson followed Wolarski and ran into the O-line. But he found a hole created by the O-line and slipped through. The Buckeye defense had difficulty stopping him as he weaved through the defense, finally brought down after a lengthy gain.
MD: "And he's brought down at the 40-yard line of the Buckeyes!"
"Gain of 13 yards, enough for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!"
SMcD: "And thanks to Hanson's run, Central Florida crosses into Buckeye territory for the first time tonight."
Hanson, Wolarski and Gregory came off and the rest of the receiving corps came on the field. The Knights huddled up and Jimmy gave them the play. The huddle broke and the Knights spread out the field with their receivers. Marley and Johnson were to the left of the line of scrimmage while Kyo, Stevens and Oakley were to the right of the line. Jimmy called out the signals and then called for the snap.
Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy and he dropped back a couple steps. Again, the offensive line did its job, keeping the Buckeyes from penetrating the line of scrimmage. Jimmy looked for an open receiver downfield, hoping for long yardage.
He stayed in the pocket for a few moments before he realized an OSU linebacker had broken through and was bearing down on him. Instantly, he scrambled out of the pocket towards the UCF sideline and found Jim Oakley downfield.
Oakley watched the ball in flight as he battled the Buckeye cornerback. With his speed, he managed to gain some ground on the Buckeye as he watched Jimmy's pass fly in his direction. But from the ball's trajectory, it had been overthrown only slightly. Oh well. SportsCenter highlight on the way. He lunged for the ball as it fell into his hands. He fell on the grass, fully extended.
SMcD: "Oakley makes the fantastic catch! He lands fully extended on the 7-yard line, a 33-yard pass! And now, UCF is right on the Buckeyes' doorstop, well into the Red Zone."
TB: "This is why the UCF receivers are among the best in the country. It is their nonchalant attitude towards the big play that makes them so dangerous. It's almost like it's a second nature to them."
"… Gain of 33 yards, enough for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!"
"It's first-and-goal UCF from the Ohio State 7-yard-line!"
"There we go, Knights!" Karen shouted after the play was whistled dead. Most of the stadium was still buzzing from the long-yardage play that just got them within 5 yards of the endzone. Yuki watched the Knights' offense with interest.
"Why aren't they throwing to Kyo?" He asked. Okay, maybe he wasn't that impressed.
Tohru, however, could barely watch.
She had her face covered by her hands and wasn't even trying to peek. She had been like that for the last several minutes. "Is it over?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"I still wonder if you even went to Kyo's games in Japan," Karen replied. "Anyway, it's 1st-and-goal at the Buckeye 7-yard line."
"All right, let's go for the endzone," O'Leary said into Jimmy's helmet radio. He relayed his instructions to Jimmy and he nodded in response, looking for the play on his wristband.
"All right," Jimmy said in the huddle. He gave the play before saying something else. "Look out the linebacker # 40, he looks dangerous. On one on one, ready…"
"BREAK!"
The Knights came out of the huddle and lined up in a Pistol formation, Jimmy closer to the offensive line than in the shotgun. Again, 5 receivers lined up on the line of scrimmage. Kyo got a look at number 40, trying to see what the big deal was. Said linebacker was focused more on Jimmy. Ohio State was lined up in a 4-3 formation, not something Jimmy was expecting for a 1st-and-goal. They did, however, show blitz. "DOWN! SET!"
Jimmy shouted out the plays. Several Buckeyes shifted positions. "HUT!" The Buckeye defense crashed into the Knights' offensive line, but the gallant Knights held. Jimmy took the snap and immediately threw into the endzone, right to Kyo. Kyo reached out to catch the ball.
But he bobbled the ball and it landed on the grass. The referee came in, whistling the play dead and waving it incomplete.
"Michaels' pass incomplete; Kyo Sohma the intended receiver, it is 2nd-and-goal at the Ohio State 7-yard-line."
Tohru had her head down in despair at Kyo's failure to make the catch. "Oh, why did he drop it?" She asked.
"That didn't look good," Karen said. "That was an easy pass and he failed to make the catch."
"Sohma!" Jimmy said back in the huddle. "How could you drop that?"
"I don't know!" Kyo replied. Jimmy sighed in exasperation. He was in no mood to argue about this.
"Alright," he said. "Same play. On one, on one, ready…"
"Break!"
The Knights lined up in the same formation, as did the Buckeyes. "DOWN! SET!" Jimmy overlooked the defense, looking for any weaknesses. He had to hand it to OSU, they always had a solid defense. One cornerback, however, shifted and Jimmy realized that the cornerback had opened up a route for Josh Stevens. "HUT!"
Again, the two lines crashed into each other and Jimmy took the snap. When he received the ball, he immediately dumped it off to Josh Stevens on the far right side. Stevens made the catch and easily walked into the endzone.
"TOUCHDOWN, UCF!"
SMcD: "Touchdown, Stevens! Central Florida answers quickly!"
A collective roar swept through Bright House Networks Stadium. Hanson tossed the ball to the ref and did side-bash with David Marley. As Jimmy approached, he and Hanson flexed their bicep in a cocky show of strength before trotting off the field. Kyo stayed away, this was not something for him to do. These were guys who had played together before. He was the new guy, he didn't exactly belong.
The Knights tacked on the extra point, tying the game at 7. The Knights sideline was brimming with confidence. And why wouldn't they be? With the drive they just completed, it was pretty obvious: They could beat these guys. And no, not because they were the scrappy underdogs; they were just good.
While the coaches talked to the offense, the two kick-off teams came out on the field. The referee blew his whistle and Knights kicker Gary Hoover sent a powerful end-over-end kick to # 7 Lamaar Thomas of the Buckeyes. Thomas caught the ball at the 3-yard-line and took out to the 19-yard line before being brought down by the Knights.
The Knights defense trotted out onto the field while on the far sideline, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel gave his offense a pep talk. Eventually, the Buckeyes came out on the field and huddled around before lining up in a spread formation to face the Knights defense, which lined up in a 3-4 defense (3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers).
Pryor took the snap from the center and faked the hand-off to # 1 Daniel Herron before taking off himself. The Knights defense was confused at first, as if they had been expecting him to throw to one of his receivers and were caught off guard by Pyror's run and they were unable to stop him as he ran for the first down, being brought down by the linebacker.
"Dammit!" said Karen.
"Pryor?" Yuki asked, recognizing the name. "Jimmy was talking about him. He said he was overrated. He didn't look overrated there!"
"Overrated means that he's not as good as many people think," said Karen. "In this case, Jimmy mean's he's overrated as a quarterback and a passer, but not as a runner."
"What do you mean?" Yuki asked.
"Jimmy said that he thinks Pryor's not a good signal caller and thrower," said Karen. "But he admitted he's concerned about Pryor's ability to run."
"Oh," said Yuki.
The Buckeyes were now on their own 25-yard line. The Knights defense countered the Buckeye thread with a 3-4 defense again. Pryor took the snap and threw a short pass to Dane Sanzenbacher, who was taken down by the UCF cornerback, gaining 7 yards.
By now, the coaches were done addressing the Knights offense and Kyo was watching from the sideline. Hanson was on his left and Jimmy was on his right. "Looks like they're having trouble," said Jimmy. "I guess Pryor might be better than I thought."
"Better runner or thrower?" Hanson asked sarcastically.
"Thrower," said Jimmy. "I never doubted his abilities as a—oh, shit!" Sure enough, Pryor had taken off again, fooling the UCF defense and running down the UCF sideline before being pushed out of bounds and right next to Jimmy.
"Hey," Pryor said to Jimmy.
"Hey," Jimmy replied a little confused. He shrugged to Hanson who was chuckling a little.
However, Kyo was looking at the Buckeye sideline. Number 40 looked familiar, but he couldn't quite… oh, crap.
"Hey Sohma," said Jimmy. "Whatcha looking at?"
"Number 40 on the Buckeye sideline," said Kyo. "I've seen him before."
"Really?" Jimmy asked. "Where?"
"That's Seijiro Shin," Kyo replied. "He's the best linebacker to come out of Japan. He's nasty."
"He looks like Bruce Lee," said Jimmy. Kyo looked at Jimmy a little strangely; Jimmy didn't look scared of him one bit. "He can't stop me."
Back on the field, Pryor and the Buckeyes were still running over the UCF defense. Despite how good the UCF defense is supposed to be, they weren't holding the Buckeyes very well, letting them gain yards and first downs. Pryor threw a short lateral to Herron, the Buckeye running back running over the UCF defense again, stopping at the UCF 36-yard line.
"Come on!" Jimmy shouted. "Stop 'em!" The problem was the Buckeyes were kind of letting them. The Buckeyes were making mostly short gains that the Knights defense had trouble stopping and in turn, running the clock down. It's a strategy most teams save later when they've got a big lead to prevent the opponents from getting a fourth down and tiring out the defense. The Buckeyes had already shaved 6 minutes off the clock, getting it down to 4 minutes to go in the quarter. Now, the Buckeyes had a 2nd and goal on the Knights' five-yard line—that was fast.
By now, the crowd had gotten louder, making as much noise as possible to rattle the Buckeye offense. Pryor was under center and took the snap before dropping back to pass. He threw and the pass was almost picked off by the UCF defense, eliciting a groan from the UCF crowd. Things quieted down for a moment before the Buckeyes got back out of the huddle.
"It's 3rd and goal, Ohio State!" now the crowd was really into the game, yelling at the top of their lungs. The noise inside the stadium was much louder than Kyo had heard at the Richmond game. Tohru had to keep her ears covered since she wasn't used to this kind of noise. Even the Knights sideline got into the act, urging the crowd to make noise. The Jumbotron flashed "MAKE SOME NOISE". By now, it was hard to even hear the guy next to you.
Pyror lined up under center before taking the snap. He dropped back, looking for a receiver. The crowd noise must have had an effect on him, because he was having difficulty. He threw into the endzone, but the ball was tipped and fell incomplete, earning a roar from the crowd. Now Ohio State was forced to try for the Field Goal. Tressel didn't seem willing to risk a turnover early in the game so he called the offense off the field and sent on the Special Teams unit to try for the field goal. Pettrey's field goal attempt was good, giving the Buckeyes the lead back, but only 10-7, keeping the Knights within striking distance.
"Alright," said Jimmy. "We'll take the field goal, it doesn't matter, we can still get 'em."
After the kick-off, the Knights offense came back on the field unfortunately deep in their own end of the field around the 15-yard line. It was a tough task, but with a quarterback like Jimmy, the Knights had a good chance.
They lined up in a spread formation again with 5 receivers. The Knights' use of this form of offense is to take advantage of Jimmy's arm strength and the speed and agility of the receivers. "Set… HUT!" Jimmy took the snap from Jones and dropped back a short distance. He looked for an open receiver, finding Marley and threw to him. Marley easily made the catch before being forced out of bounds at the 25-yard line.
"Enough yardage for a UCF—"
"FIRST DOWN!"
SMcD: "First-and-Ten at their own 25-yard line, UCF has to hurry before the quarter ends if they wan to score. They line up in the spread formation…"
Jimmy looked over the Buckeye defense. From what it seemed, they had a formation that in this case had a weak spot on the left side of the field. Oakley and Stevens were on that side in this case. "DOWN! SET!" Kyo listened to Jimmy call out the signals. He was also watching Shin, knowing the linebacker could come right for him. "HUT!"
Jimmy took the snap and dropped back to pass. He threw to Oakley near the Ohio State sideline. Oakley made the catch and immediately found himself up against a Buckeye cornerback. He juked right, then left before getting past the cornerback for an extra gain. He was eventually brought down 5 yards past the first down marker, a 15-yard gain.
"Nice," said Jimmy. "Alright, we're going to keep the pressure on them." He gave them the play in the huddle, each of them listening. "On one, on one, ready…"
"BREAK!" The huddle was broken and they lined up again in the spread. Kyo line up on the far right side, right next to the UCF sideline.
"DOWN! SET!" The Buckeye defense shifted slightly as Jimmy called out the plays. Josh Stevens, on the near right side, went in motion and shifted to the left side of the line of scrimmage. The Buckeyes showed blitz and Jimmy knew he'd have to get the play off immediately. "HUT!"
Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy and the receivers took off. He looked for an open receiver, taking his time. Unfortunately, it didn't really matter. He looked in front of him to see Seijiro Shin coming right at him. "Oh, shit." He said calmly.
BOOM!
Shin clobbered Jimmy and brought him down hard for a loss of 7 yards. Jimmy hit the ground in a light daze as Shin got up off of him, being congratulated by his teammates. In high school, he was the frequent victim of sacks since his O-line was not the best in the state of Illinois, not even close. However, this O-line is supposed to be the best in the country. Unfortunately, they didn't hold and Jimmy was sacked for the first time in the season.
"Jimmy, you okay?" Stevens asked after Jimmy they got back in the huddle.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Alright, let's try this." He gave the play to the offense, all of them listening intently. "Ready…"
"BREAK!" The Knights lined back up in the same formation. Kyo again lined up on the right side, but on the middle right side this time. Jimmy looked over the defense, staring down Seijiro Shin.
"You're not getting me this time," he said playing mind games with the Ohio State linebacker. "DOWN! SET!" Kyo listened and waited, hoping Jimmy would call the play before time ran out. Don't want a play to be killed because of a Delay of Game penalty. "Set… HUT!" Jones snapped the ball to Jimmy and Kyo took off on his pass route.
Jimmy dropped back slightly and looked for an open receiver. It was difficult, since the Buckeyes were covering the Knights receivers like white on rice. He had to find…
He found Kyo. Idiots! He thought. They don't even have coverage for him! Indeed, Kyo was wide open in the middle of the field, with not a single defender anywhere near him. They must have underestimated him, big time. Oh, they were going to pay. Instantly, Jimmy threw a pass to Kyo's position, about 7 yards from the line of scrimmage.
Kyo easily caught the ball, turned around and took off.
SMcD: "Michaels, throws to Sohma—THERE'S NO ONE AROUND HIM! Sohma breaks free!"
Kyo turned on the jets and sprinted towards the endzone. The Buckeyes realized too late that they had left him open and where in a vain pursuit. The crowd rose and willed him on, cheering as he ran. Tohru got excited, also willing him onward.
As Kyo ran, he began to think. He thought about life back in Japan. Quite frankly, it sucked.
SMcD: "He's at the Knights' 40!"
His father hated him. His mother feared him. The rest of the family hated him because he was the cat. He was different. He wasn't even part of the Zodiac. He was the one really cursed. He would be put in a room for the rest of his life, forced to rot until the end of his days. Despite the love of Kazuma, he knew that he was doomed to live alone for eternity.
SMcD: "He's into Buckeye territory!"
Then Tohru came. She was annoying at first but he eventually warmed up to her and well, you know the rest. He felt like she was his world now; his reason for living. Her smile always made him feel better. With her lover, the curse was broken. But, there was also football.
SMcD: "To the 30!"
The fans here didn't care what he was back in Japan. Here, he was just a player, just a football player. And he liked that. He couldn't quite see, but he knew they were cheering him on. They were willing him on. For the first time in his life, other than the love of Kazuma and Tohru, he felt appreciated.
SMcD: "The 20!"
The football team was like his family now. He could count on them whenever he needed help. He was shy at first, but now he was going to try and open up to them.
SMcD: "Fifteen!"
He felt reborn. He was a phoenix rising from the ashes. He felt free, oh so free.
SMcD: "The Ten! Five!"
Yeah, these people didn't personally know him, but who cares? The fans were terrific and they would not doubt be supportive. He had a reason to continue football. It made him feel free. It helped him be reborn. It helped him cope with the shitty past he had before coming to Florida. But he also had another reason for loving football.
SMcD: "TOUCHDOWN!"
It was so much fun.
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End chapter
