I’ve been trying to piece together a fictional story that’s following a fictitious college football team, the Northern Oregon University Trojans.  Below is a chapter about how the team came out in the 2nd half of their first game down 21-0 and reacted accordingly.

Chapter X-The Second half

The Trojans came running out of that tunnel for that second half as a changed team.  They went in with they’re head held low and their confidence low; but they came out hooting and hollering ready to inflict as much humanly damage to the Vikings as they can.

“Hey Hey,” yelled Dotson signaling his teammates to get in closer, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m fucking tired of being the placemat for everyone.  If what Coach Jackson said didn’t motivate you in there, nothing would! “

He was welcomed by cheers by his teammates.

“Hey enough of me being a pussy, let’s get it on three.  One, two, three,”

“LET’S GET IT!!!”

They sent out the kickoff return team.

“Hey RJ,” called Dotson.

“Yea Dot?” RJ called back.

“I want you to return it for me!”

“You got it boss man,” RJ said with a chuckle.

As soon as that ball was kicked and RJ got a hand on it, he broke a few tackles and return it to the house for a touchdown.

With the PAT, it was 21-7.

“Whoo! That’s what I’m talking about!” called RJ running to the sidelines.

Kickoff pinned the Vikings inside their own 20.

“Hey Dot,” called RJ.

“Yeah RJ?”

“I want that ball,”

“You got it little man,” said Dot with a chuckle.

Before anyone knew it, it was third and three.  The Vikings lined up for an obvious running situation and the Trojans packed the line.  The ball is snapped and the Vikings sent a run up the middle with their Barry Berry and it was stuffed at the lined by Dot.

“That’s what I’m talking about dawg!” yelled RJ meeting up with Dot on the field for a high five.

The punt return team ran out onto the field to get the ball back.

“I’m feeling a block, I’m feeling a block.  I’m calling it!” yelled Mark St. Louis.

The ball is snapped and St. Louis comes off the edge, runs over a Viking and blocked the kick and it was recovered by the Trojans on the Viking 10-yard-line.

The momentum officially turned to the Trojans and the best keeps on getting better.

Ace Campbell came out and hit Jack Good for the touchdown on the first play, and with a Don Farris extra point, the Trojans pull into seven.

21-14.

The Trojans continued the streak into the 4^th quarter as they tied the score with a pick-six interception by Dot Dotson with 8:45 left in the game.

“Atta kid Aaron!” Coach Jackson called as he smacked his 245-pound linebacker as he got back to the sideline.

“Thanks coach.  We’ll get you another one,”

“I’ll hold it to you,” Coach Jackson said with a laugh.

The Vikings, however, had received the memo that the Trojans came to play.  They started to move down the field.

Slow but steady the Vikings were on the Trojans 25-yard line with four minutes left to play.  It was third down and the Trojans called a timeout.

“What the hell is happening out there?” said Dotson heading back to the sidelines, “We got these guys.  They ain’t shit!”

After a few moments both teams were back on the field and were lining up.

“Strong right, strong right,”

Ball snap, its another run up the center’s ally.  Dotson was blitzing up the middle, the two met and with a sound of metal and flesh, both went down.

Doston popped right up yelling.

“He’s short, he’s short!”

The chaingang came running out to measure, and the run by Berry was short by a foot.

The Vikings decided to kick the possible game winning kick with 3:45 left in the game.

As the kicking teams went out, RJ called out to his teammates.

“Hey, let’s block this and win this thing.”

They lined up against they’re Viking counterparts.

The snap is off, the hold is good, the kick is up and it’s…

Good.

24-21 with 2:30 left in the game.

RJ had taken the kickoff to the 25-yard line.

2:25 left.

Ace threw for two incompletions before RJ ran for the first down.

Two minutes left the ball is running with the ball on the Trojan’s 40-yard-line.

The Trojans gave it to RJ again, who had in turn ran into Viking territory with the run.

“Aw shit, whatcha cheering about.  Ya’ll ain’t gonna win.” Said Dean in the face of RJ.

“You better cool yourself bud,” he said.

“What are you gonna do?

“You really want to find out?  Watch the this.”

He walks away as the ref warns both players.

“That’s what your momma said last night.” Said Dean.

“What the fuck you say punk?” ask RJ.

A flag was thrown.

“Unsportmanlike conduct, no. 27 on the defense.”

“Come on ref he started it,”

“I don’t think so,” the ref said as Campbell and St. Louis try to peel a kicking an screaming RJ back to the huddle.

After the confrontation, another play was sent in.

Pro Right Strong 375.  A short pass play.

Campbell drops back and throws to Bruce Adams for six yard with 43 seconds left.

“Atta kid Adams,” Campbell said before calling the play, “ok you guys same play on one.

The team walks up to the line.

“I’m coming for you Campbell,” said Dean.

“Come get some, “ said Campbell.

The ball is snapped, Dean comes bats out of hell and lay a bone-cracking hit on Campbell.

Campbell goes down, but not without twisting his left knee at a angle that would make anyone look away that was followed by a scream.

“Oh my god my damn knee,” yelled Campbell as everyone on the field signaled for help.

“Take that bitch, can’t beat us now,” said Dean.

“You better walk away if you know whats smart for you,” started RJ.

“Oh Mr. Tough Guy over here,” replied Dean.

“I’m gonna whoop that—“

“RJ, get to the sideline!” interrupted Coach Jackson.

“You better listen to coachy,” said Dean.

The refs jumped in and separate everyone while ejecting Dean.

Dean was dropping every bad word, saying , everything under the moon as RJ was being dragged to the sidelines by half the Trojan offense.

In the meantime Coach Jackson walked up to his quarterback, he drop to his knees, and looks at his quarterbacks eyes.

“How bout this game Ace?”

“I’m loving it Coach, I wish I could finish it”

“Ace, your finishing this game if you believe it or not.  You’re gonna be here in spirit, with us, with the crowd.  Your finishing the game”

Ace’s eyes began to water

“That means so much to me coach,”

“Hey don’t start crying Ace, I’m the biggest baby around,” Coach Jackson said clearing his voice and rubbing his eyes.

Ace brings up his hand, Coach Jackson grabs it.

“You’ll be alright Ace, you’ll recover from this knee injury or whatever it is and you’ll have a great career in whatever your doing,”

The tears started to flow from both of two guy’s eyes.

“Coach,” started the trainer, “we need to put Ace on the stretcher now.”

For a split second it seemed like neither the player nor coach understood with the trainer said.  After what seem like forever the two broke apart.  Coach Jackson stood up as the trainers began to put Ace on the stretcher and into the ambulance.

Coach Jackson remained on the field until Ace was safely inside the ambulance and it was leaving.  After it left, Coach Jackson walked to the sideline where he found his team in a giant circle, heads bowed and were praying for their fallen teammate.  Coach Jackson walked up and joined them.

After a moment Coach Jackson stood up and cleared his voice; getting the attention of his team.

“If this doesn’t motivate you guys to go out and finish this game Ace would’ve wanted it,” he started, “then you guys are doing the wrong thing.   Let’s get in here and finish this thing.”

The team got up and ran up to their coach.

“For Ace on three…One, Two, Three.”

“For Ace!”

The team spread out with a new mentality that wasn’t seen before.  The look to kill, the look for blood, the look of a champion.

Coach Jackson looks at his team, calls for his offense to be ready and calls for his next quarterback.

“Ryan Jones your up!”

Jones scrambles to get his helmet.

“Coach I don’t…”

“Ryan, this is your team now.  Don’t think, don’t say that you can’t run this team cause you can.  You’ve been doing this since camp.” Said Coach Jackson, “I’m confident that you can lead this team to victory.”

“But…”

“No if’s, and’s or but’s Ryan.  Winner’s lead, you’re a winner.  Be positive and you’ll be fantastic.”

Ryan looks at Coach Jackson for a second or two.

“Your right coach.  Let’s do this thing.”

“Atta kid.  We’re starting off with Pro Right Strong 375.  Keep an eye out for those safeties, they like to cheat up and confused you.”

“Got it,” Jones said, as he ran onto the field.

He walks into the huddle, looks at his teammates, and then he blanks out on the play.

“Um…”

“Oh god,” said RJ, “Just call a damn play Jones!”

Jones returns the comment with a dirty look.

“Ok, Let’s see here…Ok, Pro Right Weak,”

“We got Strong!” interrupted RJ.

A whistle blew.

“Delay of Game…Number 12 of the offense.  Five yard penalty.  Repeat third down.

Now it’s third and 12.

Coach Jackson had a look of disgust on his face.  He pulls over a receiver, gives the play and sent him in.

“Rip Strong Right 345, tell Ryan to relax.”

“Yes coach.”

The player went up to him.

“Ok Jones relax a bit, Rip Strong Right 375.”

They walked into the huddle.

“Hey Allen, what’s the play, I don’t trust Jones.”

“You shut your fucking mouth in my huddle RJ.  I call the plays you don’t.” said Jones.

RJ was stunned as he muttered a few choice words underneath his breath as he fell silent.

“Ok, now we got that out of the way,” started Jones, “let’s go with Rip Strong 375 on one.”

The huddle broke and the team walked to the line.

Jones identified the safeties and started to bark his signals.  The ball is snapped and the safety came down on a blitz.  No one bothered to block the safety as he had a clear lane at Jones.

Like second nature, Jones steps up and got the ball out just in time to give the safety a love tap in the back.  The ball was caught by St. Louis for a first down.

Jones looks to the sidelines, coach Jackson had a grin on his face as he sent in the next play.

“Pro Right Weak Option Right,” said the receiver.

“Kinda risky isn’t,”

“Damn Straight,”

They got out of the huddles and got to the line. The safety on the play took a few steps up, then backed off.

“Set, hut!”

He went to the right with RJ.  Everyone rolled and stormed to the right at RJ.

Jones faked it to RJ, and kept it as he juked passed a Viking defender and started running downfield.

He was beating everyone, except for the safety.  As soon as the safety got close however, Jones grabbed his facemask and threw it towards the ground, leaving the player in a lump in the middle of the field.

After that, it was nothing bad the open field as Jones ran into the endzone to give the Trojans a 27-24 lead.  Jones gave the ball to the ref and noticed that Dean was standing by the tunnel, with his arms crossed, just wearing his jersey and jeans.

With a good extra point, it became 28-24 Trojans with 29 seconds left in the game.

Jones was met by his head coach on the sidelines.

“What did you have this morning for breakfast?  Cheetah blood and Wheeties?” coach Jackson said laughling.

“Oh Coach you know I don’t share my secrets.  I’m just that good” Jones said with a smile.

Coach Jackson gave a laugh.

“Slow down there turbo,”

The special teams took the field just to pin the Vikings inside their 20-yard-line.

As the defense were taking the field Coach Jackson quickly called them over.

“Hey, we’re 24 seconds from winning this thing.  We all can taste it.  Don’t be complacent!  We can either be happy with coming close to winning or, if you were like me, I would be damned to be happy, to be satisfied with what would’ve been.  No way!  I would rather go back out there and do whatever I needed to come out of here with the “W”.”

The defense stood around him listening to every word coming from their head coach.

“Let’s leave here with the accomplishment of knowing you did all you did without any regrets!  Now who wants to get out of here with a victory?!?”

He was welcomed with a loud “hell yeah”.

“Ok, let’s get out there and get then!”

Another “Hell Yeah” was greeted to him as the defense ran out and lined up for the first play of the drive.

The Vikings came up and lined up against their Trojan counterparts.

“Jeremy Adams walks up to the line,” started the announcer, “The Vikings are in desperation mode now.  The ball is snap.  Adams drops back, he throws, and it’s batted down by big Aaron “The Dot” Dotson.  Second down and 10.”

There’s 19 seconds left.

“Hey we got these guys,” said Dotson, “They ain’t shit.”

“The Vikings line up again.  Three wide-out formation,” started the announcer.  “ The ball is snapped again.  Adams drop back for another pass.  He throws to Ashton Allen and its completed but not before Jack McDonald brought him down for a five yard gain.”

It’s 3^rd down with five yards to go.  Coach Jackson looks up at the clock; 14 seconds remaining.

“C’mon we got them.  Just one more play.”

“The Vikings come out with a four-receiver formation,” started the announcer, “big third down right here folks.  It’s do or die for the Vikings as the Trojans hope to stop them right here to force a fourth down.  Adam drops back, looks around, has a lot of time, he throws deep, and he wants the homerun shot!”

It’s floating in the air to a wide open Allen, he reaches out to catch it, he starts to juggle with it before he drop it.

Fourth down, eight seconds left.  The Vikings call for a timeout.

“It looks like they want a minute to talk about this last play.  Hopefully it’s good, the Trojan defense has been playing heart’s out this half.” Said the announcer.

The defense walked up to their head coach, who was riding on pure excitement at this point.

“Hey you see that over there?  You got these guys.  We’ve held them this far one more play won’t hurt.” He started, “ok here’s what were going to do.  A simple prevent defense, send everyone back.  I want the d-line to stand up and fake going in and drop to cover.  Stay at home though for that running back or QB scrambling.”

The referee calls the teams out.

“Ok defense let’s finish this off.”

Both teams walked out.  They lined up against one another.

“Hey hey,” called Coach Jackson trying to get his defense’s attention, “give them a press look!”

Only half the defense manages to get the message before the ball was snapped.  The half the defense were pressing where the second half of the defense were in a lax front.

“The Trojans look confused out there.  Half were pressing, the other half were in a deep look.” Said the first announcer.

“Usually you signal that around the field Bob,” said the second announcer.

“That’s true Joe,” said Bob, “regardless, Adams looking deep and everyone is dropped back for the Trojans giving Adams all day.”

“They should’ve sent someone, the Trojans that is,” said Joe.

“Adams throws into triple coverage and—

“Its beach volleyball!”

The ball is batted around as three Trojans and a Viking try to go for the ball, it falls short.

“And the Trojans just sealed their first win of the season.” Said Bob.

“The Trojans are going nuts on their sideline Bob,” answered Joe.

“Victory formation, Victory formation!” yelled Coach Jackson.

The offense runs out to the field.

“Ryan Jones!” called Coach Jackson pulling his quarterback aside, “It’s your biggest snap of the game son, just take a knee.  You got me?”

“No chicken dancing afterwards?” said Ryan Jones.

“Slow that ego down Ryan,” said Coach Jackson laughing.

Ryan Jones walks up to the line.  The momentum was on their end.  The Vikings dug in to face the Trojans.

“Down…set…hut!”

King snaps the ball, but Jones wasn’t prepared for the ball as he drops and fumbles the ball.  Jones dives down for the ball, but not before King kicked it backwards.  After a second, the Vikings picked up the ball and started to run with it.

Jones popped up as RJ tackled the Viking’s defender.

But not before the defender flicked it to Dave Ragel, one of the replacements for Thomas, caught it and started running down the field as Jones started to run after him.

The 35, the 40,midfield.

Jones is catching up.

The 40, the 30.

He’s trying to undo his mistake

Not Today, he thought.

The 25, the 20.

Jones is right next to Ragel.

What for it.

The 15, inside the 10, inside the five!

Now!

He grabs for Ragel, and does a perfect form tackle down to the ground.  They were welcomed by cheers.  They got up to see that Ragel was short by a yard.

The Trojans sidelines were going crazy as they met their offense on the field celebrating their first victory.  A victory that was 18-games in the making.  The victory was being celebrated as if they won the national championship.

After the team manage to calm down enough to shake their Viking counterpart’s hands, they were welcomed by their head coach who was grinning like a champion.

“Hey, Hey; I got one thing to ask y’all.  How about ‘em Trojans?!?”

He was welcomed by a huge celebratory roar from his team in front of him.  Still with a grin, Coach Jackson continued,

“Men, That’s how you answer adversity.  Down by three, faced with a back-up quarterback and adversity coming from the other end just to come out of here with a win.  Just fanatisic.”

More hoots and hollers welcomed him.

“Where’s Ryan Jones at?  Ryan Jones?”

“Right here coach!”  came a voice from behind him.

He looked back to be welcomed by his offensive coordinator Mike Knotts, and Ryan Jones dumping a cooler full of water on him.

As the cooler was being dumped, the team jumped up with a cheer as Coach Jackson somehow got the attention of his team again.

“Hey, let’s get in here and have a great trip home!  We got another big game next week against Northern Montana.  Team, honor, pride on three.  One, Two, Three!”

“TEAM, HONOR, PRIDE!!”