"And Pete Thomas receives the snap," the commentator narrated, while down on the field, the situation was at a critical juncture, as the team had barely been able to advance against the Tigers' defense, who, following adjustments by the Tigers' defensive coordinator, were able to completely lock down the Wolfpack offense.
Upon receiving the ball, Pete quickly began scanning the field, searching for any possible pass route or a clean lane for an improvised scramble at that moment, neither of which he seemed able to find.
While he searched desperately for an escape route, the Wolfpack offensive line failed to completely hold off the Tigers' pass rush—especially the center, who was straining with all his might to impede the pass rush of two defensive tackles, who were also trying to push back the 220-plus-pound colossus blocking their path.
"Dammit!" the center grunted, unable to withstand the dual charge any longer, allowing the left tackle to break through. Like a rabid dog, he flushed straight toward Pete, who, seeing this, also panicked.
Those seconds of panic were enough for the defensive tackle to get close enough to bring him down cleanly, putting an end to the play to the utter disbelief of the spectators in the stadium.
"And he is sacked!!! Pete Thomas was sacked on third down by Grady Jarrett, one of Clemson's defensive tackles!" the commentator quickly narrated while the cameras pointed directly toward the visiting team's sideline, where the Tigers were celebrating.
"Let's go!!" Wyatt shouted, clapping his hands hard alongside the rest of the team members, who were also celebrating a valuable sack—and with just enough time to attempt another offensive drive to increase the team's lead.
"Well done, Grady!" shouted Laquon, who was standing next to Wyatt, cupping his hands over his mouth and cheering for the player who had executed the sack.
Once Grady stood up off Pete, he was surrounded by the rest of the defensive unit present on the field, who slapped his helmet and back in congratulations.
Conversely, Pete was still lying on the ground, staring blankly up at the night sky beneath the stadium floodlights as the shouts of the crowd shifted from cheers to loud boos.
"Come on, Wolfpack, we can still do this," said one of the Packnation fans, who had a white letter 'A' painted across his entire torso.
He, along with the rest of his friends, was a fourth-year student, and this would probably be his last year as a student at the university. Above all, he was a fervent fan of the university's team.
Which was why, since day one of becoming a student at the university, he hadn't hesitated for a single second to join Packnation, the official fan group of the football team.
His biggest dream was to see the team crowned ACC champions and win a bowl game, but now, from what he was witnessing, it was something he might not live to see as a student.
"We can still do this," he murmured under his breath as his fists clenched unconsciously.
Meanwhile, returning to the field, Pete, with the help of one of his running backs, stood up while shaking his head from side to side, trying to focus so he could get back into the game.
Through the headset built into his helmet, Pete heard the unmistakable voice of head coach Dave Doeren. "Pete, let's go for it on fourth," the coach said in a grave, concise voice, causing bewilderment for Pete, who turned around to look intently at his coach.
Dave was standing on the field's sideline with his clipboard completely covering his mouth, thereby preventing the camera from reading his lips to see what he was saying.
Sensing Pete's gaze upon him, Coach Dave simply nodded in support, confirming that he hadn't misheard and that he truly wanted him to attempt the fourth down, since they only needed 3 yards to finally secure a new first down.
Confirming that the coach hadn't made a mistake, Pete immediately began giving the play-call to the entire offense, whose faces initially showed bewilderment before they regained their composure and got into formation.
Seeing the Wolfpack offense line up ready to play a 4th down, a look of bewilderment settled over the entire defense until Dabo gave instructions through his headset while talking with the team's defensive coordinator, discussing the possible defensive alignment to counter the play.
With both head coaches giving instructions to their players, both sides dug into position, ready for the referee to give the signal.
"It looks like the Wolfpack team is going to risk it on fourth down, looking to pick up the 3 remaining yards for a new 1st and 10," said the commentator while the camera pointed directly at the field, where both units were set in position.
"Set... Hut!" was the shout that came from Pete's mouth, calling for the ball once more as it snapped into his hands, and he dropped back far enough to view the entire field.
The original play-call was that the moment he dropped back, he would hand the ball off to the running back behind him while the offensive line engaged the defense and tried to push them back with all their might, looking to gain as many yards as possible for the runner.
But as he scanned the field, he immediately saw one of his receivers running straight downfield while the safety and cornerback let him pass, concentrating completely on the run defense.
In a fraction of a second, Pete made a decision, and instead of handing the ball to the running back as planned, he cocked his arm back while lifting the ball and launched it with all his strength. The football began tracing a parabola, sailing over the line of scrimmage and the majority of the players, who stopped briefly and began watching the trajectory the ball was carving.
Taken completely by surprise, everyone—especially the receiver, who, seeing the pass heading his way, began to sprint rapidly, trying desperately to reach the ball, which seemed to be sailing too far forward.
Seeing he wouldn't make it, the receiver laid out, launching himself forward with outstretched hands, desperately seeking to snag the ball even if only with his fingertips.
But destiny is cruel sometimes, because despite the receiver's best efforts, his hands barely managed to brush the football, coming within centimeters of it before both crashed heavily to the ground due to gravity.
"Incomplete!" was the unmistakable shout of the referee as he brought the whistle to his mouth, indicating to the Wolfpack that the drive was over.
At that, the stadium fell into a sepulchral silence before someone in the stands began to boo, followed by the person next to him, while little by little more people joined in until the entire stadium began to boo.
"And it looks like Pete Thomas has just failed to secure a new 1st and 10 for his team," the commentator narrated while on the televisions of every household tuned into the game, the replay of the pass he had thrown was shown.
"It has to be said, Pete is not a quarterback known for his passing mechanics, and attempting a 20-yard pass in such a critical situation makes us also question whether his judgment is correct," the commentator finished saying as the broadcast cut to commercials while the Clemson offense prepared to head straight back onto the field.
On the other side, Pete, with his head held low, began to walk slowly toward his team's bench while feeling the glares directed at him by both the crowd and his own teammates, none of whom had spoken a word to him since the play had ended.
As he passed by the coach, the latter didn't even give him a glance, keeping his stoic gaze fixed straight ahead while discussing things in a low voice with the defensive coordinator as the Wolfpack defensive unit listened intently to instructions.
Finding an open seat, Pete sat down immediately, removing his helmet and placing a towel over his head, finally burying his face, hoping to completely disappear from all the chaos occurring around him.
In contrast, Wyatt, along with the rest of the offense, re-entered the field while waiting for the Wolfpack defensive lineup to take the gridiron. Upon hearing the coach's adjustments, the defenders nodded and dug into their positions.
"Set... Hut!" Wyatt shouted at the top of his lungs while receiving the snap, quickly taking a few steps back and cocking his arm to launch a mid-range pass, which ended up in Laquon's hands before he was brought down.
"And we see the Sterling-Treadwell connection back on the field," the commentator narrated with a smile upon seeing the solid mid-range pass Wyatt had just fired, taking the Wolfpack defense by surprise. "It has to be said that if these two freshmen already chemistry so well after barely a few games, I can't imagine how they will do next year," the commentator finished saying as the teams lined up again.
On this drive, Wyatt had been instructed by Dabo to avoid the ground game as much as possible, prioritizing deep mid-range and short passes until he found an opportunity good enough for a long-distance pass to take the rival team by surprise.
On the second play of the sequence, the same pattern repeated, but this time, instead of looking for a mid- or long-range pass, Wyatt trusted completely in his tight end, Stanton, who upon receiving the ball spun on his own feet to shake off the cornerback in front of him and pick up a valuable 8 extra yards, bringing them closer and closer to their objective: the end zone.
"And it appears the Tigers are moving closer and closer to their goal while the clock is also about to hit zero," the commentator said as all the spectators fixed their eyes on the scoreboard clock, which showed that indeed only 3 minutes of time remained before it hit zero.
Despite all the pressure felt in the stadium, Wyatt maintained his composure as he gathered in a huddle with the rest of his team, giving final instructions before the huddle broke and they returned to position.
"Set... Hut!" Wyatt shouted again. While the ball was in his hands, compared to other times, Wyatt didn't drop back with the football this time; instead, he began to scramble diagonally straight forward.
Taken by surprise, the Wolfpack defense began to flow in the direction Wyatt was heading.
Seeing this, Wyatt smiled, seeing that his plan had indeed been a success. Then, right before his feet crossed the line of scrimmage, he stopped on a dime and fired the ball hard toward the opposite side, with Sammy being the receiver who hauled in the football and headed forward without much trouble.
Even though the ball had been released, Wyatt was still leveled by one of the Wolfpack cornerbacks, but that didn't matter because every player's attention was locked on Sammy, who, after his sprint, ended up scoring a touchdown.
"TOUCHDOWN Tigers!" the narrator shouted at the top of his lungs while the stadium fell back into a sepulchral silence.
Getting to his feet, Wyatt scanned the stadium, and inside, he felt a certain pride for having been able to completely silence more than 50,000 people.
Right after that, Wyatt was knocked down again, but this time by his teammates, who began to pile on top of him, forming a massive dogpile in the corner to the amusement of the television viewers.
"Guys, get off me," Wyatt grunted, feeling the air leave his lungs from being buried under guys who each weighed over 220 pounds.
With the celebration winding down, the Clemson offensive players gradually stood up and began to leave the field, giving way to the special teams unit, who also began celebrating upon completing the extra-point conversion.
24-7 was the current score that could be read on the jumbotron screen.
Authors thought's
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