Chapter 870: Unrivaled
"Frank Gore! Frank Gore!"
You could clearly hear the booming voice of Troy Aikman on the radio waves. In the face of Gore's powerful and unreasonable run, Troy was jumping up and down. More than the strength of the offense, the revival of the running game was a great sign. It was good news for the 49ers but bad news for the Rams.
This was supposed to be a standard run, but Gore noticed that all the defenders had dropped back half a step. Even though it was only half a step, the defensive alignment and coverage had changed a lot. Gore, with his keen sense, noticed a potential gap.
After the snap, Gore didn't run toward the middle. Although the offensive line had opened a hole, it was clear that they were slightly to the left and had lost their balance. So, Gore stopped and ran to the right. He didn't lower his center of gravity. Instead, he sped up, running as fast as a receiver with the ball.
The two defenders' coverage was too slow, and they were caught off guard.
Gore slipped out like a loach. With a turn of his body, he escaped the two-man coverage, but before he could take another step, he saw the rookie cornerback Trumaine Johnson quickly coming toward him. He had just been subbed in and seemed to be there to cover Logan.
Gore noticed the rookie cornerback's inexperience. His positioning was clearly not on point.
So, Gore charged forward and used his right hand to hit Trumaine's left chest and shoulder. Then, Trumaine spun around like a top and fell heavily to the ground like a clumsy sandbag.
Gore had gained more ground for himself!
"Beast Mode"?
No, this was Gore's own powerful running style! After missing the entire season due to injury, Gore's starting position had been taken by Marcus Lynch. After he returned this season, he had to start from scratch. He had to get used to his body after recovering from the injury and also adapt to the new offensive system.
Gore, who was full of pride, didn't bother with any underhanded tricks. As a professional player, he wanted to settle things on the field. He wanted to prove himself. The player in better form and with better skills would be the starting running back.
Gore was absolutely confident in this internal competition!
Now that the season was halfway through, neither Marcus nor Gore was in their best form. Although they had the best passing offense in the league, which relieved a lot of pressure from the running game, both of them were still adapting to the more targeted run defense from the entire league. Now, they were the target of everyone's attention, and everyone was studying their offense.
So, Marcus and Gore still shared playing time, and occasionally, LaMichael James would also sub in. Marcus still held the starting position.
Today, Marcus had taken the lead, with several powerful runs that showed he was getting into great form. In the face of fierce competition, Gore was not willing to be left behind.
So, Gore also exploded with unimaginable running power, putting on his most spectacular run of the season so far. He broke through a gap like a hot knife through butter, running for ten, fifteen yards, and no one could stop him. His running became stronger and stronger, more and more powerful!
It had been a long time. It had really been a long time!
While he was recovering from his injury, how much Gore missed these wonderful moments! He knew he belonged on the field. He should always belong on this field.
"Gore was finally tackled. It took a triple team from three defenders to finally stop Gore, but this run still gained a whopping twenty-two yards! Twenty-two yards! My God, after Lynch, Gore is also getting back into form. For the San Francisco 49ers, this is undoubtedly great news!"
"In this drive, Lu Ke used four quick passes to get the entire offense and the opponent's defense moving. The four passes found four different receivers: Logan Newmann, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, and Vernon Davis—
Especially Vernon Davis's unexpected appearance. Facing a third-and-three conversion, Davis unexpectedly came in to replace Randy Moss. Everyone thought Davis would be a blocker and that Crabtree would be the target, but Lu Ke passed the ball to Davis, who easily gained five yards. Then, Davis was subbed out again."
"With a 100% completion rate on short passes and a dazzling array of plays, the two Rams' cornerback positions have been completely exposed. The five cornerbacks on their team's roster are taking turns, but they still can't stop the San Francisco 49ers' constant cross-route running. The entire defense's rhythm has been completely disrupted!"
"It was in this situation that Lu Ke suddenly chose a running play. The offensive line took the initiative to break up the defensive line and linebacker's formation, gaining space for Gore! Gore, with his keen sense, found a gap, broke a tackle, and then an in-your-face tackle, completing the most excellent run of the game!"
"The St. Louis Rams' defense can't see any hope! The tide of the game is now shifting toward the home team. The Rams must get their heads in the game, or the gap will widen."
Logan's eyes were fixed on the opposing cornerback, Quintin Mikell. After Trumaine made a crucial mistake on the run defense, he was subbed out again, and Quintin came back in.
But this time, it was not a smoke screen.
After the snap, Logan rushed toward Quintin. Without waiting for Quintin to get in his face, he took the initiative to get in front of Quintin, in a stance like a blocker.
In an instant, Moss, who was also on the right side, rushed out, "Whoosh," passing by Logan and Quintin. But Logan was firmly blocking Quintin, as if he was protecting Moss's route.
But Quintin didn't fall for it, or rather, all his attention was on Logan anyway. He left Moss for his teammate to cover. So he kept bumping into Logan, trying to regain control. Then, he could clearly see the football thrown by Lu Ke!
The target was them!
Quintin's muscles tensed up. He tried to lunge forward to knock the ball away before the connection was made, but Logan had already gained the advantage. He was using his back to completely block Quintin's path. This forced Quintin to grab Logan's jersey to stop Logan from running to get the ball.
The yellow flag was already on the field!
But Logan was not affected much. He took a big step forward, and his jersey stretched out like a tail. Quintin, who had lost his balance, couldn't stop Logan, but he didn't want to let go. So he stumbled forward, crashing into Logan's back, trying to disrupt Logan's balance.
Logan, however, remained completely focused and was not affected at all. He steadily pulled the football into his arms, then made a big turn, using the centrifugal force to get rid of Quintin. He then gained more ground.
Without stopping, he accelerated at full speed like a cannonball.
On his left, he could see a large group of defenders swarming toward him like it was the end of the world. That wall of people created a huge wave, coming at him and seeming to squeeze out all of Logan's running room. The powerful momentum alone was enough to shock everyone in the stadium.
But Logan didn't hesitate or flinch at all.
He held the football firmly and took a small step to the right, continuing to run along the sideline. He was getting closer and closer to the end zone: six yards, five yards, four yards, three yards...
With the end zone right in front of him, a charging bull appeared next to him, seemingly ready to tackle Logan before he could get into the end zone. But Logan had a premonition and took a big step forward, like a triple jumper:
First jump!
Second jump!
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a teammate from the offense blocking. Even though the block was like a piece of paper and was torn apart in an instant, even a millisecond was enough for Logan.
Third jump!
He dove into the end zone!
Logan leaped lightly like he was cliff diving, jumping into the green "ocean." Then he glided forward. He even straightened his upper body and lifted his legs, sliding forward on his stomach. After sliding forward for about two or three yards, he stopped and laid on the ground like a starfish.
This time, there was no need for confirmation, because Logan's entire body was in the end zone. But... where was the football?
After a moment of stillness, Logan, who was lying on the ground like a dried fish, raised his right hand high. The reddish-brown football was in his palm! It was like a comma, creating a curve.
"Ahhhh!"
The playful little action landed in the eyes of all the fans. Candlestick Park burst into laughter, with cheers, screams, and roars of laughter. The atmosphere was incredibly lively. Then, a thunderous round of applause erupted, surging through the stadium in waves, sincerely cheering for Logan.
This was Logan's third touchdown catch of the game! He had dominated the first half with an absolute display of power!
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