31-28 Current Score
The game was reaching the final minutes of the third quarter in which the Clemson Tigers team was leading by 3 points, leaving slightly behind the Bulldogs team who had started to fall back after the field goal that Clemson had made in its previous offensive series. Now the Bulldogs team was frantically looking to close in and shorten the difference before they reached the last quarter and the pressure began to affect the players.
Sitting on the bench along with Laquon, Wyatt had been watching the game closely and with some anxiety since until now he had not entered the field on any occasion and a clear sign of that was the movement of his leg which did not stop moving involuntarily.
There were only 2 minutes of game time left and the Georgia team was on its fourth down, needing only 3 yards to continue with the series and 18 yards from the end zone, which is why a field goal seemed to be the most logical option at that moment. But sometimes the logical option was not the kind of option someone would choose since instead of the Bulldogs' special team entering the field, the offensive team went back in, giving the understanding that they were in search of a new first and ten.
While Murray put himself in position behind his offensive line, who had serious looks knowing how important this opportunity would be to be able to overcome the score, so each one had a serious gaze. Mark Richt could not stay still either as he went from side to side across the entire line while he had a hand over his mouth in a clear sign of nervousness before the next play that would perhaps define the game.
"And it seems that the Bulldogs team will try to get another first and ten despite the fact that they were in an advantageous position to attempt a field goal and tie the game," the commentator said through his microphone to all the homes that were watching the game from their houses.
"You're going to fail Murray!" shouted one of the Clemson fans, putting a hand around his mouth so that his voice would be heard even more, hoping that this way he could distract Murray.
"Go back to Georgia!" said another person from another part of the stands who also sought for the Bulldogs team to fail.
"DEFENSE! DEFENSE!" suddenly someone began to shout, causing more and more students to start joining the chant, causing the entire stadium to begin repeating the same word.
Before that scene, Aaron Murray remained with a solemn face without letting that affect him while he put himself in position ready for the snap.
"Set Hut!!" Murray suddenly shouted, quickly receiving the ball while dropping back seeking to improve his vision of the entire field while chaos unfolded at the line of scrimmage. Scanning the field quickly, his attention was immediately fixed on Michael Bennett who had managed to get open from his cornerback, so without thinking much he pulled back his arm while throwing the ball with all his might in his direction.
What he had not seen was that Corey Crawford, the cornerback whom Michael had left behind, had managed to catch up with him, causing both to start running seeking the ball while trying by all means to prevent the other from getting it. But Corey, having more muscle compared to Michael, managed to push him enough to be able to catch the ball before Michael could even interrupt him.
The crowd did not wait upon seeing how the ball was intercepted by their team and began to shout frantically.
"Interception!!" shouted the commentator at the top of his lungs. "Corey Crawford catching up with Michael Bennett managed to intercept the ball that Aaron Murray threw, which clearly is not good news for the Bulldogs," the commentator finished adding.
Without wasting time, Corey began to run back with the ball firmly in his hands seeking to run the maximum amount of yards possible with the goal of giving his team a better opportunity when it was their turn to return to the offense. The Bulldogs' offensive unit immediately went into a panic seeing how the ball was intercepted and without wasting time they began to run in Corey's direction, who was running as if his life depended on it.
Corey dodged the first offensive tackle that approached him while he continued running with the ball firmly held in his hands, but as soon as one of the offensive guards arrived, his pace was interrupted and he finally ended up tackled after one of the Bulldogs' running backs provided support.
"And Corey is finally tackled after an 18-yard return journey," the commentator roared at the top of his lungs, his voice being drowned out by the shouts of the crowd upon seeing the brilliant play they had seen.
On the screens throughout the stadium, the replay of the last play began to show and how Corey little by little made his way before being tackled by the Bulldogs' offense.
"That's how you do it!!" roared someone in the crowd, echoing the roars of the Clemson crowd that continued euphoric at the play and interception by the tigers' defense.
"That's how you do it," said Chad celebrating, while Dabo still had a serious look completely evaluating the situation and thinking about his next move while the tigers' offense prepared to return to the field.
"Tell Tajh that he will rest for the rest of the game," Dabo said without even turning to look at Chad or the rest of the players who were preparing; he simply had his sight forward watching the field.
"You mean that..." Chad said incredulously, thinking about what those words could mean in that precise moment.
"Have Sterling get ready," was the last thing Dabo told him, causing Chad to immediately turn and head straight toward the bench where Wyatt along with Laquon were still sitting and talking.
While Laquon and Wyatt continued talking among themselves, they immediately noticed that Chad was approaching in the direction toward the two, causing the conversation they were having to die down and for them to pay attention to him.
"Sterling," the mere mention of Wyatt's last name caused him to sit up straight unconsciously. "You will go in for Tajh." After saying that he walked away to prepare the offense along with Dabo while Wyatt continued processing the news.
"Old man, you did it!" Laquon shouted at him while shaking Wyatt frantically, causing him to come out of his stupor and stand up.
Putting on and adjusting his helmet Wyatt walked straight toward the sideline of the field where Tajh was already standing waiting for him. "Congratulations," Tajh told him, knowing that Wyatt would make his debut this day. Without saying another word, Tajh gave him some pats on his shoulder while heading toward the bench knowing that for today he was finished.
Wyatt immediately entered the field heading to the huddle where the rest of the offensive team was, who were waiting for Wyatt to enter the field to discuss the offense.
"Welcome, kid," Sammy said with a smile while waiting along with the rest of the offensive team for Wyatt's instructions.
Once he captured everyone's attention, Wyatt began to give his instructions. "Ok people, let's start with something simple," he began to say. "Sammy, you just run for the pass, I'll take care of it." Upon hearing that Sammy simply smiled while giving him a thumbs up in a sign of confirmation.
"The rest of you, try to protect me," Wyatt finished saying to his offensive line, who had the responsibility of protecting Wyatt in the pocket.
With a clap, Wyatt broke the huddle while the players took positions ready for the start of the 1st and 10. While that was happening, the crowd murmured among themselves seeing how Tajh had just been replaced by another quarterback they had not heard of.
"Who is that?" a boy asked his group of friends, who didn't know or hadn't seen a player with the number 17 on the roster last season. His friend whom he had asked simply shrugged, demonstrating that he also had no idea about who the person was who had replaced Tajh as the starting quarterback.
The analyst, who also could not identify the player by the number, immediately checked the list of the tigers' players he had until locating the player in question and upon reading his name he was surprised. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that Coach Dabo Swinney has swapped Tajh Boyd for the new freshman Wyatt Sterling." Once that was said, Wyatt's face appeared on the screens along with his information.
"In case you don't know, Sterling is the number 1 recruit from last year's class and now we will see how he does in his debut game here in the NCAA," said the commentator seeking to generate more expectation around Wyatt's debut.
Under the spotlights and the hundreds of gazes in the stadium, Wyatt took his position while breathing deeply to concentrate and relax, facing the Bulldogs' defense who had their eyes fixed on him.
"Set Hut!" Wyatt shouted with all his might while the center snapped him the ball and Wyatt held it in his hands while dropping back and beginning to scan the field.
Sammy, without wasting time, immediately began to run, trusting that Wyatt would get the pass to him while he shook off the cornerback in charge of marking him throughout this game, who felt frustrated at not having been able to intercept any pass that came to Sammy. At the moment he saw that Tajh had been replaced by a rookie quarterback, he thought that he finally had a chance to intercept a pass as happened in the last play, or at least that he could cause an incomplete pass.
With the ball in his hands, Wyatt saw how Sammy began to run, getting open from the player in charge of marking him while the offensive line did what it could to keep the defense at bay. But Wyatt, seeing that, immediately had a risky idea but one that could work out, so coming out of the pocket Wyatt immediately headed toward the opposite corner from where Sammy was, causing the camera to start focusing in his direction.
Seeing that, the cornerback along with the rest of the defense began to lean in that direction believing that Wyatt was going to attempt a solo run.
While running, Wyatt carried the ball over his head and before the defense could even completely close in on him, Wyatt released the ball which headed toward the other corner in which Sammy was almost completely open while he captured the ball and prepared to run. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs' safety had been completely attentive and managed to tackle Sammy after a 10-yard journey.
Added to the 6-yard pass from Wyatt, the tigers' team managed to advance 16 yards without major complications. As soon as that occurred, the crowd began to celebrate and shout frantically after such a brilliant play, while Wyatt was immediately surrounded by his teammates and received congratulations.
Dabo, on the other hand, had his eyes fixed on Wyatt while remembering the play he had just seen and an imperceptible smile appeared on his face before it vanished.
"Not bad," Chad couldn't help but say after seeing that pass and the brilliant play Wyatt had just performed. When everyone thought he was going to make a solo run, he simply sought for the defense to get as close as possible to his side, allowing the other corner to be slightly open and Sammy took advantage of that to be able to advance some yards and end up closer to the end zone.
"I'll say," mentioned Dabo while in his head he already began to think about possible new plays which he would analyze once the game ended in his office.
"And there you have it, Wyatt Sterling with a brilliant play gets the tigers 16 yards," said the excited commentator. "And let's not forget Sammy Watkins who caught the ball," he finished adding while the attention of all the viewers at that moment was fixed on player number 17 of the Clemson Tigers.
Authors thought's
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