"One more! One more! One more!"
The shouts gradually merged into one. The red ocean in sight was constantly bubbling, as if the whole world had reached its boiling point. Even the air on the skin felt hot.
It was already October, and the autumn in San Francisco had a hint of coolness. The moisture mixed with the sea breeze made people shiver. But today, Candlestick Park was like the middle of summer. The scorching heat surged continuously, igniting the entire world with a fierce momentum that a single spark can start a prairie fire.
The vast cheers echoed continuously throughout Candlestick Park. Even Kirk and Teddy, sitting in the broadcast booth, could feel the vibrations and couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems that the 49ers' home fans today are full of desire for victory. In less than five minutes, their team has scored two touchdowns and taken the lead, but they are still not satisfied and are calling for more touchdowns," Teddy let out a helpless laugh, and the atmosphere of the commentary also became relaxed.
Kirk also laughed. "I think, rather than a form of encouragement for the home team, it's more of a pressure on the away team. Now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in an extremely difficult situation. Scoring is important, but more importantly, they need to find a rhythm, an offensive rhythm and a defensive rhythm. Otherwise, if this situation continues, there's no hope."
"You mean that the rest of the first quarter is very important for the Buccaneers," Teddy further confirmed.
Kirk nodded in agreement. "Yes, they need to find their rhythm again. Of course, if they can score and curb the 49ers' momentum, that would be even better. Josh Freeman, the team needs him to step up now."
As Teddy and Kirk said, the cheers from Candlestick Park became a nightmare for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were hit with a combination of punches from the start, leaving them dazed. Then they had to feel the deep hostility from the stadium, which was truly unfriendly to them.
After the game started, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had been hit hard repeatedly, seemed to have finally had their fighting spirit ignited. They showed the toughness and strong will they had in the previous four games. Josh Freeman, who came back on the field, led their offense and advanced steadily, struggling a bit, but finally getting back into a rhythm.
Freeman's pass completion rate was a disaster. His passes were always cautious, as if he was afraid of throwing another interception, so many of his passes were wildly inaccurate and not on any receiver's running route. This avoided an interception from the defenders but also missed his own offensive players.
The only thing to be thankful for was that running back LeGarrette Blount's performance was stable. He didn't have any big yardage runs, but he was always able to get yards at crucial moments, carrying the Buccaneers' entire offense forward.
They narrowly completed three third-down conversions, and they also got two first downs on second down. The Buccaneers stumbled their way to the 49ers' 26-yard line, seeing a glimmer of hope. But unfortunately, after entering the heavily guarded area, the Buccaneers seemed to have lost their accuracy again.
One incomplete pass and one running play that lost yards. Facing a third-and-thirteen, Freeman's pass was wildly off target, throwing the ball out of bounds, where there was not a single player on that route. Thus, the Buccaneers were out.
However, this time they had a chance to try a field goal.
It was a 46-yard field goal. Not an easy one.
In a field goal kick, a kick under 40 yards can be called a short-yardage field goal, and the success rate is usually high. But for field goals over 40 yards, the success rate begins to drop sharply. Anything over 45 yards is basically considered a long-yardage field goal.
As for the game-winning 51-yard field goal from the Philadelphia Eagles at the last minute of the game last week, field goals over 50 yards are a gamble in the entire league.
How is 46 yards calculated? The yardage calculation for a field goal is not complicated.
It was a 26-yard line of scrimmage. Because they lost yards on the second down, it was a 29-yard line of scrimmage. The final field goal adds 17 yards, which makes it 46 yards.
Of the 17 yards, 10 yards is the width of the end zone, because the goalposts are at the end of the end zone. And 7 yards is the distance between the holder and the center.
In a field goal, the center and the special teams' offensive line stand on the line of scrimmage and snap the ball. In this Buccaneers' field goal, it would be at the 29-yard line. But to leave enough space for the kicker and to prevent the opposing special teams from blocking the kick, there needs to be a certain distance between the holder and the center, which is usually 7 yards.
However, the "7 yards" is not fixed.
Depending on the kicker's height, habits, and style, everyone will have some slight changes. The cooperation between the kicker and the holder and the cooperation between the holder and the center are all crucial in a field goal. The classic "that fumbled snap" from the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo was an error by Romo, who was the holder.
In the league, some kickers prefer to leave 8 yards of distance instead of 7. Because their kick trajectory is relatively low and it's easy for it to be blocked, they need more space to make the football fly completely and avoid the opposing special teams' actions. In that case, the field goal position would be the line of scrimmage position plus 18 yards.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were now facing a 46-yard field goal.
The undrafted rookie from 2008, Connor Barth, whose longest career field goal was 57 yards, was now the Buccaneers' kicker. But under pressure, Barth... missed the kick.
"Oh, he missed it! Connor Barth actually missed it!" After the absurdity reached its peak, Teddy couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't believe his eyes. "The Buccaneers finally showed some signs of a comeback, but the most trusted part of the team missed the field goal. The first quarter is coming to an end, but the Buccaneers still haven't scored! My God!"
"This is just awful. Barth, who scored a game-winning field goal last week, made a major mistake under the immense pressure of the 49ers' home crowd and missed this field goal," Kirk also didn't know whether to laugh or cry amidst the boos and noise of Candlestick Park.
Looking at Barth, who was holding his head in frustration, Kirk also felt a little sympathy. "Now, the situation for the Buccaneers couldn't be worse. The offense, the defense, and the special teams are all struggling. For Barth, a surefire 46-yard field goal was missed. Now, head coach Raheem Morris must find a way to get the team back on track."
"Bring your focus back, guys, bring your focus back," Craig Roman kept snapping his fingers, getting all the offensive players to focus. "They missed the field goal. That's their problem, not ours. We need to focus and start the next drive! Understood?"
Craig's gaze finally fell on Lu Ke.
Lu Ke let out a long breath, then nodded heavily, indicating that he had calmed down.
The game had been going too smoothly today. Even Lu Ke was a little carried away.
In the first four weeks of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers had never had such a smooth game. In the first week against the Seattle Seahawks, the score looked like a big win, but in fact, the game was still very close. But today, everything seemed to be in the 49ers' control. Even Connor Barth missed a field goal he should have made. After the celebration, it was inevitable that they started to underestimate their opponents.
Offensive coordinator Craig noticed the team's arrogance in time and reminded Lu Ke, which reminded Lu Ke of last week's game. In the first half, the San Francisco 49ers' rhythm was completely off because of their overconfidence and underestimation of their opponents. Now, it was far from the time for Lu Ke to be complacent, and the team wasn't either.
After Craig finished giving the play call, he left the space to Lu Ke.
Lu Ke thought for a moment and didn't speak. Instead, he pointed to his ear, signaling everyone to listen. After they quieted down and focused, they could easily hear the shouts that had merged into one: "One more! One more! One more!" Wave after wave, like a tidal wave, rolled over them.
A brilliant smile appeared on every player's face, and their eyes sparkled with excitement. Then Lu Ke held out his right hand and placed it in the center. "I'm ready." So, are you guys?
They didn't need any more verbal encouragement or any more motivation. Just these shouts, surging through the entire stadium, were enough to make people's blood boil, making them eager to get on the field, get on offense, and score another touchdown.
Ted Ginn Jr. was the first to extend his right hand and place it on top of Lu Ke's hand. "Hehe, is it my turn for the next one? I'm ready."
"What about me? What about me?" Kyle Williams also said quickly, joining in the fun. As a result, Crabtree, Newman, and others all eagerly extended their right hands and clamored, making the atmosphere very lively.
Lu Ke didn't interrupt everyone. He smiled and met everyone's gaze. "Then let's go get some touchdowns! On the count of three, we all shout touchdown!"
"One, two, three!"
"Touchdown!"
When the offense chooses a field goal and misses it, according to the rules, if the field goal is missed within the 20-yard line, the opposing team will automatically start their drive from the 20-yard line. If the field goal is missed outside the 20-yard line, they will start their drive from the line of scrimmage of the field goal. At the same time, if the field goal doesn't go into the end zone and lands in the field of play, the opposing players can catch the ball and return it. This is also why teams in the league generally don't attempt field goals over 55 yards.
The Buccaneers' field goal just now went off target and out of bounds, so the San Francisco 49ers would start their drive from the spot where the Buccaneers attempted the field goal, which was their own 29-yard line.
There were now less than four minutes left in the first quarter. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' drive just now lasted for more than six minutes, and they still couldn't score. This was definitely a fatal blow for the Buccaneers. Next, the state of their defense would determine the fate of the team.
Michael Bennett felt that the pressure was almost crushing his shoulders.
NOTE:
New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!