"And with that, we wrap up our recap of what has been an incredible week for college football. But before we close the show, we can't overlook what the Clemson team did in these last two games," the ESPN anchor said, as the Tigers' logo appeared on the screen alongside the scores of the team's two most recent matchups.
"That's right, because after the humiliation they suffered in their own stadium against Florida State, where they lost in a resounding 51 to 14 blowout, this team came out to prove that that defeat hadn't broken them," the analyst next to him responded, leaning his elbows on the studio desk while looking directly into the camera.
"First it was Maryland, whom they defeated 40 to 27 in a game that was tightly contested for three quarters, but where the Tigers finally showed their superiority in the fourth period thanks to Roderick McDowell, who finished with 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Sammy Watkins established a new school record with 14 receptions for 163 yards," the anchor continued, as a replay flashed on the screen showing McDowell breaking away on a 45-yard touchdown run, with the Maryland defense completely unable to catch him.
"But if Maryland was impressive, it was Virginia that left us speechless," the second analyst said with a smile on his face. "59 to 10 is a score that speaks for itself, and within that result, the name everyone is starting to mention in a serious way is Wyatt Sterling, who came into the Maryland game in the third quarter and never stepped off the field again."
A sequence of plays then appeared on the screen, showing Wyatt throwing a perfect 47-yard pass to Martavis Bryant that ended in a touchdown, followed by another play where the freshman evaded two defenders before finding Sammy Watkins wide open in the end zone with a pass the receiver caught without even having to break his stride.
"That kid has something special," the first analyst said, nodding as he watched the replays. "It's not just about the physical talent, which he obviously has plenty of, but the way he reads the opposing defense and makes split-second decisions that you normally only see in much more experienced players."
"And the most impressive thing is that Dabo Swinney has managed the freshman incredibly well," the second added. "He didn't throw him out there from game one; instead, he integrated him gradually. And right now, with the level he's putting on display, the question everyone in college football is asking is how much longer Clemson can keep playing without naming Wyatt Sterling the starter from the opening kickoff."
"It's a very valid question, but let's remember that Tajh Boyd remains one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC," the first one responded. "What is certain is that Clemson heads into the Georgia Tech game with renewed momentum, and with two players who can make life a living hell for any defense in the country."
"Exactly, and that game will be very interesting to watch," the second anchor concluded before the camera pulled back from the studio and the broadcast cut to a commercial.
Katy, Texas
The living room was silent, with the television still on, displaying the commercials that had replaced the ESPN program, while the family members present continued processing what they had just heard.
Ed had kept his arms crossed throughout the entire segment, wearing that expression of his that his wife had spent thirty years learning to read, and which in this case clearly signified pride, even if his husband would be the last one to admit it.
"That's what he does when he finds an open receiver," Rudy said from his usual armchair, pointing toward the screen where the replay of Wyatt's pass to Watkins remained frozen. "He doesn't rush, he doesn't panic, he simply finds the outlet and throws."
"He's been doing it since he was twelve years old," Ed responded, though without the usual tone of objective fact with which he normally said those things, but rather with something that sounded closer to satisfaction.
"I always said it," Elena added from the couch, with the same casualness she would offer any opinion about the weather.
"You always say that you always said it," Ed responded, turning toward his wife.
"Because I always say it before it happens," Elena countered, not getting altered in the slightest, while Max lifted his head from the rug, looking back and forth between the two of them as if he were following the conversation.
"Honestly, he looks really good out there," Caitlyn said, who had been sitting quietly next to Rudy, her eyes fixed on the screen and a smile that hadn't left her face since Wyatt appeared in the segment. "He looks at peace."
"That's what makes me happy," Elena said, turning toward her mother-in-law with a nod. "That was what worried me the most about him being so far away with all those people watching—that you'd be able to see the pressure getting to him."
"That boy has never let anything show on him," Caitlyn said in the tone of someone who has spent years observing a person and knows exactly what she's talking about.
Rudy let out a soft chuckle from his armchair at that, while Max got up from the rug and walked over to sniff Caitlyn's feet, looking for attention.
"That comes from the training," Ed said, though his voice had softened a bit.
"It comes from him," Rudy corrected him simply, giving Max a gentle pat on his back.
"Are we going to call him later?" Elena asked, looking at her husband.
"Let's let him celebrate with the team," Ed responded, leaning back on the couch. "We'll call him tomorrow."
"Yes, but without the interrogation about his grades," Elena said before her husband could even open his mouth.
Ed sat with his mouth open for a second. "I was only going to ask how his classes were going."
"Same thing," Elena said with a small smile before reaching for the remote control.
"I do want to talk to him," Caitlyn said simply. "I want him to tell me how he's eating."
Elena looked at her with an expression that mixed the relief of not being the only one asking that with the solidarity of someone who perfectly understands the worry, nodding in her direction while Max finished settling himself firmly right on top of Rudy's legs, completely ignoring the fact that he was not a small-sized dog.
Clemson, South Carolina
Several miles away, the Tigers team was at that very moment wrapping up their final practice session ahead of the Georgia Tech game, the atmosphere being completely different from that Monday after the loss against Florida State.
"Five dollars says Laquon drops the ball again in the hands drill," Sammy whispered to Wyatt while both awaited their turn for the next exercise, watching the starting receiver get into position.
"I'm not taking that bet because I already know I'm going to lose," Wyatt responded, trying not to laugh as the receivers coach signaled for Laquon to line up.
"Trust my instincts," Sammy insisted with a teasing grin, right as Laquon executed the route pattern perfectly without any issue, leaving Sammy with his mouth slightly open.
"Dinner's on you," Wyatt said, nudging him gently on the shoulder, unable to help letting out a laugh that caught the attention of a couple of nearby teammates.
"That doesn't count because he clearly overheard us," Sammy responded, pointing at Laquon, who had indeed been looking at them sideways with a grin from ear to ear.
"I didn't hear a thing, I don't know what you guys are talking about," Laquon said, passing by them with all the innocence in the world but with the smile still plastered across his face.
The rest of practice carried on with that same energy, the team moving fluidly and with a confidence that the previous week simply hadn't been present, as the double victory had done exactly what Dabo needed: restore the team's certainty that the loss against Florida State had been an anomaly and not the true reflection of what they were capable of doing.
At the end of practice, while everyone headed toward the locker room, Wyatt lingered outside for a moment, tossing the football into the air absentmindedly, thinking about Saturday's game.
"Wyatt," Tajh called out to him from the locker room entrance. "Drop that ball or are you planning to fall asleep out here?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Wyatt responded, smiling as he started walking toward his teammate, never ceasing to toss the football into the air.
Framingham, Massachusetts
In the Bennett household, Saturday afternoon held the same usual chaos, with the television blaring in the living room and Matty Bennett occupying his habitual territory on the central couch with a beer can in hand, while the screen showed the end of the very same ESPN segment the Sterlings had just watched in Texas.
"See, that's what Boston College is missing—a quarterback who reads the defense before it even takes shape," Matty told Jhon, who was sitting next to him, though with half his attention on his phone.
"We heard you, Dad," Jhon responded without lifting his gaze too much.
"Ted, where's your cousin?" Matty asked, turning his head toward the other side of the couch, where Ted also had his phone in hand.
"Upstairs," Ted responded with the intense concentration of someone who does not want to be interrupted.
Upstairs in her room, Blaire was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs tucked underneath her and her phone in hand, looking at the screen with an expression that oscillated between curiosity and something she clearly didn't want to admit was curiosity.
On her phone screen was Wyatt's Instagram profile, which she had found without any difficulty because, for one thing, his name had begun appearing more frequently in college football news.
There weren't many posts on the profile, with most being team photos, a few of the Clemson campus, and one or two of what appeared to be his family in Texas, but there was something about those images that made Blaire stare at the screen longer than she probably should have.
"You've been up here for like twenty minutes," Ted's voice said from the doorway, appearing with a bag of chips in hand and looking at Blaire's phone with the exact expression of a cat that had just found something very interesting.
"Nobody invited you in," Blaire responded, lowering her phone instinctively, though it was already too late.
"Jhon!" Ted shouted over his shoulder without breaking eye contact with his cousin.
"Don't call him," Blaire said, but Jhon was already coming up the stairs.
"What happened?" Jhon asked, appearing behind his brother, looking back and forth between the two.
"Our dear Blaire is looking at the Instagram of the guy from the other night," Ted reported with the solemnity of someone presenting evidence before a jury.
"I haven't been on it for twenty minutes," Blaire countered, though the tone of her voice didn't sound as convincing as she would have liked.
"It was Wyatt, right?" Jhon said without any surprise, which Blaire found slightly irritating.
"Could be," Blaire responded with indifference, looking out toward the window.
"Message him," Jhon said simply, leaning against the doorframe with the same casualness he would offer any piece of advice.
"I'm not messaging him," Blaire responded immediately.
"Why not?" Ted asked.
"Because we saw each other for one night, it's not like we're friends," Blaire explained.
"But you're clearly thinking about him," Ted pointed out, gesturing toward the phone.
"I can think about someone without needing to contact them."
"That is the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life," Jhon commented, though loud enough for Blaire to hear him.
"Blaire," Jhon said after a moment, in a more serious tone. "You don't have to do anything grand. Just write him something, the way any person would."
"I'm not just any person."
"That's undeniable," Jhon conceded. "But you're also not the person who spends twenty minutes staring at someone's Instagram without doing anything."
Blaire opened her mouth to respond and closed it again, because the truth was Jhon was right, and she knew it perfectly well, even if she had no intention of admitting it out loud.
"BLAIRE! TED! JHON! DINNER'S READY!" Susan's voice rang out from downstairs, interrupting the moment.
"We're coming, Ma!" Jhon shouted down the hallway before turning to look back at his cousin.
Ted and Jhon looked at each other for a second over Blaire's head, and without saying another word, they turned around to head down, leaving her alone.
Blaire listened to them head down the stairs and heard the familiar noise of the Bennett house, with Matty saying something about the political situation and Susan responding to him from the kitchen, while Jhon and Ted's footsteps faded down the hall.
She sat staring at the phone for nearly another minute before unlocking it, navigating to the message box on Wyatt's profile, and starting to type something, erasing the first two words, then the next three, starting over again before freezing with her thumbs hovering over the screen.
Finally, and with the exact expression of someone who knows perfectly well what they are doing while pretending they don't, Blaire finished typing the message, reviewed it one last time, and hit send before her brain could find a convincing enough argument not to do it.
The only thing Wyatt was going to see on his phone after practice when he finally checked it would be a message from an account he didn't know, which read simply: "saw you guys won the last two games. not bad for a texas boy."
Author thought
What did you think of today's chapter? Give me your opinions and thoughts.
Don't forget to check out my other fic on my profile
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For those wondering how long the show will last after the Orange Bowl, there will be a time jump to their junior year, followed by draft night.