After completing an unbelievable running play, Lu Ke once again keenly captured the subtle shift in the atmosphere on the field. His hunter's intuition told him that this was an opportunity. So, the San Francisco 49ers' offense began to speed up.
In the limited time before the end of the first half, the tactical arrangements became hurried and compact. Jim Harbaugh simply handed over the on-field command to his quarterback. Under Lu Ke's leadership, the 49ers started using a no-huddle offense, putting aside the tedious tactical arrangements and, in a flash, returning to the college field.
"Snap! The offensive line once again holds back the defensive line's charge. Lu Ke intentionally runs out of the pocket, drawing the attention of the linebackers and cornerbacks, then quickly throws the ball, completing a seven-yard short pass to Kyle Williams, who is charging forward from the right side. A mismatch! Williams uses his speed advantage to cause the opposing cornerback to make a defensive mistake and quickly advances."
"Williams' footsteps are light and nimble. Forward, again forward! The covering safety pushes him out of bounds! There are now thirty-six seconds left in the first half, but the San Francisco 49ers are already in the red zone, standing on the 16-yard line. They are once again aiming for a touchdown! A fluid attack, leaving absolutely no time for the Buccaneers' defense to breathe."
In the fluid attack, Troy's commentary was compact and fast, as if he didn't need to take a breath. The non-stop commentary flowed like a waterfall.
"Snap! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers only choose to rush four players. The entire short and medium passing areas are tightly covered in all defensive zones. Lu Ke doesn't move his feet. He adjusts his footing in the pocket, raises his hand, and completes the pass. The target is... Ted Ginn Jr.! Lu Ke finds Ginn with a nine-yard pass to the left side."
"Ginn! Ted Ginn Jr., with a horizontal cut, quickly breaks free from the cornerback's entanglement and successfully completes the catch! The Buccaneers' cornerback, number 23, is covering and trying to tackle! He broke free! Ginn successfully broke free from the tackle! Number 23 is trying to stop Ginn by pulling him! A yellow flag is on the field, a yellow flag is on the field! But Ginn still doesn't give up. He is sprinting! After successfully getting rid of number 23, two of the Buccaneers' safeties are coming up to cover at the same time, closing the door on him!"
A straight sprint, a horizontal cut, just a short eight- or nine-yard run. Before he could even exhale, Ginn used his speed advantage to the extreme, quickly creating a small open space. In the dense defense of the red zone, it was a gap that lasted for just a blink of an eye, but Ginn believed that it was enough for Lu Ke.
And sure enough.
He made a beautiful short pass with a crisp motion. The pass, like a bullet, quickly arrived. After completing the catch, Ginn hadn't even had time to gain control of the football before he felt a tackle from behind. He made an emergency stop, a turn, and then his feet started to pedal like a bicycle. With the strong impact of his feet hitting the ground, he quickly broke free from the opponent's tackle and continued to move forward.
But after only two big steps, he had already noticed the two players coming to cover him from both sides. He sped up, sped up again. Ginn pushed his speed to the limit, but with only five yards, there wasn't enough room to run. He couldn't get to top speed, and the safety on his left had already collided with him.
In a moment of crisis, Ginn's muscles tensed to the limit, and he made an emergency stop, pulling all his strength inward. He "whooshed" to a stop, and then he saw the safety pass right in front of him, barely missing him.
In his line of sight, the safety reluctantly reached out his hands, trying to grab Ginn. But Ginn would not be caught so easily. He lightly slipped past and then, with a big step, went around the safety.
At the same time, the safety on his right side had already pounced on Ginn. But he didn't care. He dragged the defender on his shoulders like he was carrying a koala, and with a fierce posture, he lifted his legs. The bicycle pedal evolved into a waterwheel pedal, and his feet made a loud "thump, thump, thump" sound, like a steam train, roaring past.
In just two large steps, Ginn had already entered the end zone.
"Touchdown! Touchdown! That is a touchdown!" Troy instantly raised his arms and cheered. "Listeners, that is a touchdown! In this drive, the San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver, number 19, Ted Ginn Jr., broke free from one tackle, then another, and finally, with a defender dragging him, he ran into the end zone with a fierce posture to complete the touchdown! Before the end of the first half, the San Francisco 49ers successfully scored another touchdown!"
In the end zone, the referee raised his hands high to confirm the touchdown. The yellow flag that had appeared was for the defense. Since the offense had successfully scored a touchdown, the penalty was nullified, and the touchdown was completed.
The entire Candlestick Park was boiling. Everyone was cheering, and everyone was jumping. The vast red ocean created a storm, and the crazy roars echoed under the sky. The bright red in their line of sight burned brightly, reflecting the entire sky. The overwhelming red spread out in their sight.
Unimaginable, it was absolutely unimaginable. In just the first half of the game, Lu Ke had completed four touchdowns, a total of four passing touchdowns. Even saying it was unbelievable would not be enough to express the astonishment and shock. Even though Lu Ke had scored five touchdowns in the first week of the regular season, it couldn't compare to the four touchdowns in one half of today's game.
Lu Ke had almost single-handedly completely destroyed all the confidence of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense.
Michael Bennett stood in place, his anger gradually calming down, replaced by a sense of confusion. He seemed to have lost his direction and his goal. He didn't understand how all of this had happened. He had tried his best, and his team had given their all, but they were simply unable to stop the San Francisco 49ers' offense. The offense's momentum, like a cavalry charge, had utterly defeated all the efforts of the defense.
Just now, a sure-fire sack had turned into a 21-yard run by Lu Ke. In just ninety-four seconds, they were once again helpless as they watched their opponent enter the end zone. They had missed tackles again and again, clearly having a hold on the opponent, but the duck they thought was cooked had flown away, and they were left watching the opponent's back disappear into the distance.
The frustration and oppression were suffocating.
It felt as if their last line of defense had fallen. Other than surrendering, there seemed to be no other option or way out.
Raising his head, Bennett saw the endless red ocean. It stung his eyes. The immense momentum of the home crowd's cheers made him feel incredibly small, smaller than ever before. A deep sense of powerlessness dragged on his shoulders, constantly pulling him down.
Noah Parker, standing in the surging crowd, seemed to notice the visiting team's slump and dejection. He realized that this was a perfect opportunity to completely defeat the opponent. The San Francisco 49ers had already crushed them in terms of score. All they needed to do was to completely crush the opponent's morale and courage.
So, Noah quickly moved his feet, patted his friends on the shoulder, and shouted loudly into their ears. One after another, the same words began to spread throughout the stands.
Jeff Locke was the first to shout loudly, "We are! Warriors!"
Then, the fans slowly joined in, first a small section, then a stand, and finally the entire stadium. The seventy thousand spectators once again recreated the magnificent shouts from the beginning of the game. "We are! Warriors! We are! Warriors!" The ferocious and grim faces, in the surging red ocean, erupted with a powerful fighting spirit and momentum, as if they were pouring down from the clouds and bursting onto the vast stadium.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' players stood on the field, looking lost.
After David Akers kicked in the extra point, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half. The score was temporarily 28-0, and the San Francisco 49ers took the lead with an absolute advantage of four touchdowns.
"Just looking at the score, this doesn't look like a matchup between two division champions. It looks more like a one-sided domination. But in reality, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played very tough in the first half. It's just that the missed tackles at crucial moments were too serious, which completely reversed the entire situation on the field," Teddy shared his opinion. "Kirk, what do you think?"
"In my personal opinion, the 49ers were more prepared, and the Buccaneers seemed to be unable to keep up with the rhythm. In terms of tactical arrangements, in the first half, the 49ers' rookie quarterback, Lu Ke, showed great ability, like a surgeon's scalpel, breaking down the Buccaneers' defensive strategy. One mistake led to another, and by the time the Buccaneers realized it, they were already completely behind."
Kirk's opinion was slightly different. "Looking at the game itself, both sides were going back and forth, and the confrontation was very intense. It was indeed very close. But the final score showed that the 49ers scored four touchdowns, while the Buccaneers couldn't even score a single point. This means that the 49ers are completely ahead. But the question now is whether this is a lack of preparation or a difference in skill? The second half of the game will provide the answer."
Both teams were temporarily first in their divisions, but the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed completely different competitive states. Compared to the previous four weeks of games, this was incredibly unusual. But compared to the entire long season, this was very normal.
As Charles Davis, a commentator for "Inside the League," said, at the beginning of the season, there are many teams that are well-equipped, in excellent form, and have great records. As the season progresses, their true abilities gradually begin to show, and some teams start to fall behind.
So, the direction of the second half of the game will be a touchstone for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Can they bounce back from this desperate situation?
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