Dominate the Super Bowl

The advantage of a pocket quarterback lies in their wisdom—they can always penetrate the defensive group’s layout, gaining a step ahead in the tactical gameplay, and their accuracy in passing has also traditionally been a key strength.

The advantage of a running quarterback lies in their dual threat; while they might fall slightly short in passing capabilities and reading defenses, their ability to carry the ball increases the threat in offense, disrupting the defensive group’s strategic arrangement.

Each has its strengths.

Watson was an outstanding running quarterback, possessing excellent passing and running skills, using his physicality to restrain the defense group, thereby carving out passing space for himself. Thus, in 2020, this running quarterback could lead the League in passing yards.

The Watson before us had not completely matured yet, but compared to the national championship game in January, he had already undergone transformation.

He was more mature and more composed—he could calmly face the onrush and pressure from the defensive group, and make correct decisions in moments of crisis.

Even when the Crimson Tide Storm defense front created opportunities and clamped down on Watson in pressured and collision scenarios, Watson was still able to keep his cool, complete passes, and rely on wide receivers and tight ends to tear through the defense line.

Such exceptional athletic talent indeed possessed the potential to turn the tide—

Following Wilkins and Lawrence, Black-faced Yama needed to add a Watson to the list.

No wonder professional leagues always emphasize that experience is the most vital weapon for a quarterback. With accumulating experience, they become more adept and mature in interpreting tactics and managing crises, finding solutions in swiftly changing predicaments.

Of course, the premise is that the quarterback has such business acumen.

From January to April, just a short three months, Watson’s growth was visibly evident.

To be precise, it wasn’t that the Crimson Tide Storm backup defensive group performed poorly, but rather that Watson had upgraded, bringing more threats in both passing and running.

Once one element unlocked, the entire team’s strategy also came to life.

Unlike the Crimson Tide Storm’s offense, the pressure they faced on the defensive front was mainly from a well-performing Watson—Sweeney and his Clemson Tigers were indeed well-prepared.

So, how should Saban respond?

In the end zone, Watson was particularly exhilarated. Unsatisfied after finishing a dance, he pushed away teammates who came to celebrate, sprinting towards the side of the field where the Crimson Tide Storm was, jogging along the sideline in front of the Crimson Tide Storm players, took off his helmet, spread his arms wide, like a glider.

"Fly, spread your wings and soar! Towards the sky!

Hurry, Josephine, jump into my airplane! Charge! Fly high all the way!"

Whoosh.

Humphrey, completely astonished, didn’t snap out of it for a moment, turning his head to Li Wei, "What’s he singing? Rap?"

Li Wei thought seriously for a moment, "It should be the rock version of ’Hurry, Josephine, jump into my airplane’."

Humphrey: …

Li Wei continued to explain, "It’s from ’Titanic’, where Rose lies on the wooden door looking up at the sky and sings that song."

"…" Humphrey’s cheeks flushed, "I want to hit him. Don’t hold me back."

Li Wei casually shrugged, showing no intent to hold Humphrey back, "I don’t mind."

Humphrey: Aren’t you supposed to stop me? I was already prepared for you to try to persuade me.

Li Wei, "Besides, hit the face. Giving him a few mild punches wouldn’t hurt much; rather, winning the game and making that cock lower his proud head would be more interesting."

Humphrey nodded repeatedly, persuasively "stopped" by Li Wei, loosening his fist, "Right, right, that’s how we should deflate his arrogance on the field, humph, let him know whose turf this is."

However—

Hitting him on the face.

Watson was well-versed in this as well, and though the Crimson Tide Storm Offensive group still hadn’t scored, under Watson’s leadership, the Tigers Offensive group had once again entered the Red Zone.

The so-called Red Zone is the area within ten yards before the End zone, equivalent to the penalty area in soccer.

Here, players from both teams crowded together. The space for the Offensive group was compressed, but on the other hand, the area the Defensive group needed to cover was reduced, so the Defensive group tended to have a slight edge, making their entire defense strategy more concentrated and tougher.

Finally, the Crimson Tide Storm Defensive group showed their strength as a top team by continuously using iron-fist defense to choke the Tigers’ offense, successfully completing a Third Gear defense.

The Tigers were now facing a fourth down with four yards to go.

The stadium erupted in noise.

Ordinarily, the Tigers wouldn’t opt for a risky play on fourth down because if it failed, possession would immediately switch to the Crimson Tide Storm. They should have chosen to kick a field goal on fourth down, calmly pocketing three points and further expanding their lead; 99% of teams would do so 99% of the time.

After all, the Tigers were leading.

However, Sweeney did not choose that path.

Precisely because the Tigers were ahead, and still had room for risk, he chose to gamble—

They went for it on fourth down.

With little time left in the first half, even if the play on fourth down failed, it would leave very limited time for the Crimson Tide Storm’s offense. Sweeney boldly decided to waste game time on a fourth-down play, squeezing the Crimson Tide Storm’s Offensive space; but if successful, the Tigers could enter halftime with a three-touchdown advantage.

This move could not have been more provocative.

Bryant Denny Stadium erupted with boos and waves of cheering surged like a tsunami.

Facing such circumstances, Watson once again showcased his talent and strength, calmly executing a fake pass and real run play, and using the Tigers’ running back as a decoy. In fact, relying on the running back as a lead blocker, he ran with the ball himself.

The running back knocked open Allen, the Crimson Tide Storm Defense Team Captain intent on a sure tackle, and amid crowding and collisions, Watson forced his way into the End zone.

Touchdown!

In disbelief, it was astounding; not only flawlessly crafting a tactical plan but also executing a robust performance under comprehensive defensive pressure. Watson scored his second rushing touchdown of the first half, perfectly capping off the scrimmage’s opening half.

In the ESPN commentary booth, there was an uproar.

"Wow, Watson really showed off his fiery form; the first half completely turned into his solo show."

"Wait, he…"

Pash, who had handled the commentary for the Crimson Tide Storm’s intrasquad game last time and continued today with the scrimmage, relaxed and couldn’t help but show a smile.

"Ha, Watson really… he just made a ’clocking off’ gesture in the End zone, a provocative way to challenge the Crimson Tide Storm."

"The Crimson Tide Storm’s response in the second half—"

Pash was briefly reminded of the White Team’s number twenty-three, pausing mid-sentence with a somewhat playful expression.

"Should be very interesting."

Watson stood in the End zone, high-fiving his teammates, brazenly and boldly saying, "Time to clock off, great job everyone, clocking off!"

"21:0".

The Tigers not only led by three touchdowns but also shut out their opponent.

For Watson, the game seemed to be over ahead of time, and they could now rest, even without regarding the Crimson Tide side, he casually turned and left with his teammates.

Sensing this, Humphrey saw red, and then he heard Li Wei’s characteristically lazy voice, "Get ready, time to clock in."

That usually annoyingly lax voice suddenly seemed somewhat pleasant?