37-31
That was the score that could be seen once the scoreboard clock reached 0 and the head referee of the encounter blew his whistle, ending the first game of the season and giving the victory to the Clemson Tigers in their own home.
"Tigers! Tigers!!" was the roar that could be heard throughout the entire stadium while the crowd of students and fans of the team celebrated the good start to the season by their team.
"And here you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the Tigers team takes the victory against the Bulldogs," said the analyst through his microphone while the cameras around the stadium panned across the entire venue, focusing on the main players of both teams.
"After dominance by Tajh Boyd, the surprise was the debut of rookie Wyatt Sterling in his first game against one of the best teams in the SEC," the analyst continued while the camera focused on the aforementioned, who was celebrating along with Laquon and the rest of his teammates the first victory of the season.
"Next to him is the other rookie on the team, Laquon Treadwell, who got a touchdown that completely sealed the team's victory," said the analyst while the camera continued pointing at both rookies, who had joined the rest of the team's veterans to celebrate their victory.
"It must be recognized that Dabo Swinney started the season on the right foot and managed to secure the competitive future of the Tigers if these two rookies reach their full potential in the coming years," the analyst finished saying to the camera while it now changed to focus on a reporter who was on the field, and next to her was Tajh with a smile, still with his adrenaline at its peak after the victory.
"Good evening, I am here with the Tigers' star quarterback Tajh Boyd," the reporter said with a cordial smile before pointing her microphone toward the aforementioned. "Thanks, it's a pleasure to be back on the ESPN cameras," said Tajh, already used to interviews at the end of games.
"Tell us, what did you think of this season opener for the team and for you?" was the first question launched by the reporter, while Tajh kept silent for a few seconds before responding in a diplomatic way.
"Well, of course a victory is always welcome; Georgia is a very strong team, but the team and I have just spent a few months training and fostering chemistry along with the rest of the rookies who arrived this season to the team," Tajh said in a diplomatic tone.
At his response, the reporter smiled as if that question had been premeditated. "Speaking of rookies, Wyatt Sterling—we just saw his debut throughout the entire 4th quarter of the game; tell us, are you nervous that he might soon replace you as the starting quarterback this season?" she told him with a wolfish smile on her face, seeking to generate more controversy and sensationalism with that question.
At that question, Tajh mentally cursed the journalist while thinking quickly what the best response would be in this situation that wouldn't affect the atmosphere inside the locker room.
"Well, what can I say that you haven't already said, and probably most analysts will say on tomorrow's programs," Tajh began with a civilized response toward her. "But yes, Wyatt had a solid debut; he knew how to handle the rhythm and pressure of the game in the stadium, something that not many rookies could do," Tajh finished saying, hoping that with that the interview would come to an end.
"Thank you, Tajh, now one last question," the reporter told him with a smile. "Many people thought we would see you in the 2013 draft along with your teammate DeAndre Hopkins; tell us, what is the reason why you opted to play your final year?" the reporter asked him, seeking to get the scoop since it was a topic that was speculated about a lot as soon as it was seen that Tajh had not declared himself eligible for the draft after his brilliant previous season.
After all, Tajh achieved 3,500 passing yards, recording 34 touchdowns in the season, consolidating himself as one of the best passers in the ACC and leader of one of the best offenses in the entire country, obtaining both the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year awards.
Although his run for the Heisman Trophy fell short, losing it to rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M, no expert can deny his ability and that he is one of the most prepared players to make the jump to the NFL, being projected as one of the top 5 picks in the draft.
"Well, the truth is that I still had things to prove on this team, and I can't deny to you that seeking to get the Heisman this year is another reason why I decided to stay with the team this season," he said with a smile while the reporter nodded, thanking him for the interview.
"That was Tajh Boyd for you," she finished saying directly to the camera while Tajh simply waved goodbye and returned to the rest of his team to continue with the triumph of the team's victory.
Still on the field, the reporter began to look for another person to interview until she noticed a corner of the field where Dabo Swinney was with Mark Richt shaking hands.
From where she could see, the reporter noticed that Coach Richt kept a tense smile while shaking hands with Swinney, and then excused himself and retired along with his coaching staff and players through the tunnel that led toward the visiting team's locker room, not wanting to stay one minute more to see the Tigers' celebration.
"Coach Swinney, do you have time for a few questions?" the reporter said quickly once she saw Coach Swinney was alone, running as fast as her heels allowed her toward the coach.
"Sure," said Dabo with a grin from ear to ear, catching the victory atmosphere that was being lived in Memorial Stadium.
"What can you tell us about the game that was played today?" the reporter asked with curiosity in her tone, wanting to know the opinion of the coach who led the Tigers team to victory in this game.
"I must say that all the players delivered, and some even exceeded the expectations I had for today's game," Coach Swinney began to say directly to the camera pointing at his face. "Everyone fulfilled their role and followed the plays they had learned and practiced in training before the season began, and now they are just showing the results of all that," Dabo finished saying while his gaze bypassed the camera and looked directly at the field where the Tigers' players were celebrating.
Seeing the direction Dabo was looking, a smile appeared on the reporter's face while she made a discreet sign to the cameraman, who did a panorama of the entire field before returning to point at the coach.
"What can you tell us about the two rookies who debuted today, Sterling and Treadwell?" was the new question the reporter launched at him while Dabo kept silent, ordering his thoughts before starting to speak.
"Well, what can I tell you—the talent of both is something that no one can deny, and that both are the number one quarterback and receiver of their generation, and the performance they both showed in this game confirms it," Dabo began while the reporter only nodded in response, knowing that the coach had not finished speaking yet.
"Sterling is a player we have observed for a long time; the first time I saw his report on my desk, I thought, 'I must have him on my team,'" Dabo began to relate. "After that, when he came to make his official visit here, I explained in detail the team's philosophy while we gave a tour through each of the team's installations and facilities... but this is still nothing," Dabo suddenly said with a serious voice. "While this time he had a solid performance, I know that we still haven't seen all of Wyatt's potential, and I can't wait to discover it," Dabo finished saying before returning to his normal semblance with a smile on his face.
"As for Laquon, it was quite a surprise, truth be told, that he came to the Tigers," said Dabo, remembering the day he received the news that the best high school receiver had chosen to come to the Clemson team. "It's a joke, right?" was the question he asked Chad as soon as the news reached him.
"But a very good surprise; the connection we saw between both in the Under Armour game was reflected in this game, but of course they are still rookies, so there is still a lot of room for improvement," Dabo finished saying, bringing the interview to an end, making a gesture toward the reporter as a sign of goodbye.
"We won!!" Sammy's shout was heard in the background while he had his game jersey in his hand and started spinning it over his head in a clear sign of euphoria.
"Alright guys, it's time to go," Dabo said along with Chad while both clapped toward the large group of players who were still celebrating amidst the shouts of the fans and directed them toward the locker room to end the day.
"Let's go!!" shouted Laquon, who at some point had climbed onto Wyatt's back and, like a horse, celebrated on top of his friend, who was rolling his eyes while following the rest of the players toward the locker rooms.
"Victory! Victory!" the players shouted as they entered the team's locker room and began changing out of their gear.
"Party at Alpha Tau Omega!" one of the players suddenly shouted, causing the crowd to become even more frantic at the idea of going to celebrate with the rest of the university.
While all that was happening, Wyatt was sitting in his spot while gradually starting to change and take off the team's equipment along with Laquon, who, upon hearing the word "party," got even more excited. "Amigo, we're going to the party, right?" Laquon asked hopefully toward the side where Wyatt had taken off his shoulder pads and was shirtless while looking for his things and heading straight to the showers.
Thinking it over, Wyatt thought that a party wouldn't be so bad as long as it didn't become a habit and didn't affect his performance on the field; besides, after a few very hard months watching film sessions and training, maybe relaxing for one night wouldn't be such a bad thing.
"Sure," said Wyatt as he entered the showers, ready to wash off all the sweat he had on his body.
10 minutes later
With a towel around his waist, Wyatt returned to his seat as he began changing clothes to head to his dorm and get ready for the party.
"Hey Wyatt, you're coming to the party, right?" Sammy asked him with a smile, sitting next to him and putting a hand around his shoulders. "Of course, man," Wyatt told him with a smile as he finished dressing.
"Perfect, let me tell you, I know a ton of people from that fraternity," Sammy replied to him. "Don't forget to tell Laquon to come too," he finished saying to return to his place and continue talking with his group while in one hand he picked up his phone and started looking for one of the team's cheerleaders among his contacts.
"Ready to go?" asked Laquon, who had also finished showering to start changing while Wyatt had already finished and was picking up his bag with his equipment.
"I'll save you a spot on the bus," he told him as he raised his hand and started heading straight toward the exit where the team buses were waiting for them.
As Wyatt walked, he couldn't help hearing the conversations of the rest of the team members talking about their plans for the party or if they would get some action afterward with some of the girls who would be at the party.
Without caring much about that, Wyatt took his headphones out of his jacket pocket and put them in his ears as he headed for the exit.
Authors thought's
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