"And with that, the referee signals the end of the first quarter here in Death Valley, with a scoreboard that is already starting to tell a very clear story tonight," the ESPN play-by-play announcer said, as the camera panned to the stadium jumbotron, which displayed a resounding 20 to 0 in favor of the Tigers. "Chandler Catanzaro already has two field goals tonight, including a 51-yarder that sets a new personal best for the kicker, and the Tigers' defense simply hasn't given the Georgia Tech rushing attack any room to breathe."
"That's right, and what's most surprising, Chris, is that we were talking before the game about the Yellow Jackets averaging 311 rushing yards per game, and up to this point, the Clemson defense has held them to just 38 yards in the first quarter—a number Paul Johnson definitely did not expect to see on his scoreboard at the end of the opening period of this big game," the color commentator responded, while comparative statistics for both teams appeared on the screen.
The stands of Death Valley continued to roar with the same intensity as the start of the game, with the orange block completely on their feet, celebrating every positive play by the Tigers, while the team mascot roamed the sidelines, feeding the energy of the fans who responded with cheers and applause every time The Tiger approached their section.
"And as for Wyatt Sterling, what a debut as a starter tonight," the first commentator said, his tone mixing genuine admiration with the controlled surprise of someone who has seen many games. "The freshman is 8 of 11 passing for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first quarter alone, which is a stat line that many starting quarterbacks with years of experience would envy."
As the teams headed to their respective sidelines for the break between quarters, the ESPN cameras cut briefly back to the studio, where the panel of analysts had already begun reacting to the development of the game.
"Look at what the official ESPN College Football account just posted," one of the studio analysts said, pointing to a side screen where a tweet published just a few minutes prior could be read.
@ESPNCollegeFootball: Wyatt Sterling in his FIRST start: 8/11, 127 yards, 2 TDs. Are we looking at the ACC's next great QB? #ClemsonvsTech #DeathValley ❤️ 154 💬 78
"The numbers speak for themselves," the analyst said before the broadcast cut back to the field.
"And we have to add that what we're seeing tonight from Sterling is no accident," another analyst on the panel chimed in. "This kid has been working in Chad Morris's system for months, and you can tell the difference between someone who simply executes plays and someone who understands the why behind each of them. That is what you're witnessing tonight in Death Valley."
The second quarter kicked off with the same dynamic as the first, with the Tigers' defense containing Georgia Tech's triple-option in a way no one outside of Clemson would have predicted before the game, while the orange offense kept finding answers for every adjustment the visiting defense made.
Three plays into the second quarter, Wyatt connected on a 22-yard pass to Sammy Watkins, who, after hauling in the ball right along the sideline, managed to evade the first tackler and pick up an additional 11 yards, leaving the team within striking distance of a touchdown just before Watkins himself caught a 41-yard pass in the back left corner of the end zone, widening the score to 27 to 0.
"TOUCHDOWN CLEMSON! And it's Sammy Watkins putting his name on the scoreboard tonight with a 41-yard reception where there was simply no way the Georgia Tech cornerback could keep pace with him!" the announcer shouted, as the cameras captured Watkins' celebration in the end zone, with his teammates converging on him from all angles of the field.
Social media exploded with the touchdown, with trending topics for the game climbing the ranks on Twitter as more people tuned into the night game.
@SammyWatkins_Fan: NO ONE can cover Sammy when he's playing at this level. NO ONE. #ClemsonvsTech
@CFBAnalytics: Sterling + Watkins tonight is basically a cheat code. 41 yards making the CB look like he was standing still. #DeathValley
@TigerNation_oficial: 27-0 and barely halfway through the second quarter. Death Valley is ALIVE tonight 🔥🔥 #GoTigers
@FootballInsider_ACC: Somebody let Paul Johnson know his triple-option has 72 total rushing yards tonight. SEVENTY-TWO. The Clemson defense is something else. #CFB
The commentator resumed the broadcast. "And something that must be mentioned before we move on is the performance of the Clemson offensive line tonight, which has given Sterling all the time in the world to find his receivers—undoubtedly one of the most important factors in this dominant performance by the freshman."
"Completely agree, and that also speaks to Chad Morris's work during the week, because the scheme they presented tonight against the Georgia Tech defense has been practically flawless, with clear reads and quick releases that haven't given the visiting pass rushers any opportunity to get to Sterling," his partner added.
Meanwhile, from other stadiums across the country, the results of the rest of week ten were also taking shape, with scores appearing in a small ticker window in the corner of the screen.
"And before we continue with the game here in Death Valley, a quick update on what's happening in other stadiums tonight," the commentator said. "Florida State remains undefeated after defeating Miami 41 to 14, keeping them as the number one team in the country with full momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season, while Alabama defeats LSU 38 to 17 in a game that at one point seemed tighter than it ended up being."
"And that has direct implications for what we are seeing here tonight," his partner added. "Because if Clemson finishes the regular season strong after the loss to Florida State, they still have very real options to finish in a major position in the national rankings, which would make these final games something more than simple regular-season formalities."
Social media remained active with comments coming from every angle of the game.
@AccFootballNerd: Tajh Boyd on the bench tonight and Clemson is winning 27-0 in the first half. Dabo has a good problem on his hands. #WyattSterling
@GeorgiaTechFan_Atl: This is painful to watch. Our defense can't stop anything. Long night ahead in Death Valley 😞 #GaTech
@CollegeFootballTalk: Tonight's game in Clemson should be required viewing for any offensive coordinator wanting to understand how to read a triple-option defense. Sterling looks like a five-year veteran. #CFB2013
The second quarter continued with Georgia Tech finally securing their first first down of the game, thanks to a 14-yard run by Godhigh that provoked a murmur of relief among the visitors, though the orange stands barely reacted, holding the confidence of a team that knows it has the game under control.
Wyatt, for his part, subbed out to rest for two possessions, letting Tajh take the field, who looked loose and relaxed without the pressure of the starter, executing a couple of clock-management plays with his usual efficiency, while the stands welcomed him with a respectful applause that he acknowledged with a simple wave of his hand before lining up.
It was a 33-yard field goal by the Yellow Jackets right at the end of the first half that put the visiting team's only points on the board before the break, leaving the score at 27 to 3 at halftime, with the Tigers' defense having limited the ACC's best rushing attack to a mere 72 yards on the ground during the first thirty minutes.
"And with that, Chris, we hit halftime here in Death Valley with a score that few people would have predicted before this game began," the commentator said as the teams headed toward the tunnels. "27 to 3 for Clemson, with a defensive performance that has been simply dominant, and with a freshman who is playing tonight as if he's been doing it for years."
Emerson College Campus, Boston
The study lounge on the third floor of the library was occupied at that moment by a handful of students spread across the long wooden tables, laptops and books open in front of them, while the warm glow of the overhead lamps created a quiet atmosphere that was supposed to be conducive to concentration.
Blaire, however, had spent the last twenty minutes with a single earbud discreetly tucked into her left ear, her phone propped against the inner edge of the open book in front of her. From any angle, it looked as though she were simply reading, when in reality, the small screen displayed the live stream of the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game, with the score sitting at 27 to 3 at the start of halftime.
She had told herself she was only going to check the score once to satisfy what she had conveniently and deliberately decided to call "general curiosity" and nothing more. But one thing had led to another, general curiosity had turned into searching for the full live stream on the ESPN app, and the discreet earbud had appeared in her ear with the same inevitable logic that usually governs the things one decides one is not going to do.
It wasn't the first time she had checked the game that night, but it was the first time she had decided to look for the full broadcast instead of limiting herself to checking the score every ten minutes, as she had been doing since she sent the message to Wyatt two days prior—and hadn't received a single response since.
Which was perfectly fine, because Blaire hadn't expected a response, and she certainly hadn't checked the conversation more than three or four times in the last forty-eight hours to confirm that, indeed, nothing had arrived. And if she had done so, it was simply out of the kind of residual curiosity that any normal person would experience in that exact situation, and absolutely for no other reason.
On the phone screen, the camera showed Wyatt walking off the field toward the tunnel, helmet in hand, wearing an expression that was impossible to fully decipher from that distance, though Blaire found herself staring longer than was probably necessary just to verify the score.
The announcers kept talking in her earbud while she mechanically turned a page of the literature textbook open in front of her, without reading a single line of what was in front of her, her mind completely elsewhere.
It was then that the student sitting two chairs down looked over at her briefly, wearing the expression of someone trying to concentrate who finds their neighbor's earbud emitting an audible sound. This reminded Blaire that she had turned the volume up slightly during Watkins' touchdown without fully realizing it, and she lowered it immediately with the same automatic gesture one uses to turn off an alarm at three in the morning.
"Hey."
The voice made her snap her eyes up with the automatic reflex of someone who had just been caught doing something they shouldn't, while with an equally automatic motion, she clicked off her phone screen and pulled the earbud from her left ear, slipping it into her sweatshirt pocket in one fluid gesture that would have convinced anyone who didn't know her well.
Sarah was standing on the other side of the table, backpack slung over one shoulder and two coffees in her hands, looking at Blaire with that expression of hers that mixed curiosity with the amusement of someone who had just arrived at the most interesting moment possible. Blaire knew that expression well enough to know the questions coming next wouldn't be easy to deflect.
"Nothing," Blaire said before Sarah could even open her mouth, looking back down at her book as if the conversation were already over. "I was just listening to music."
Sarah set one of the coffees down in front of Blaire and sat in the adjacent chair, never breaking eye contact with her friend, wearing the expression of someone evaluating whether it was worth pushing right now or simply saving it for the most inconvenient moment possible.
"Music," Sarah repeated, her voice low enough not to disturb the other students, but in a tone that made it perfectly clear she hadn't believed a single word of what she had just heard.
"Music," Blaire confirmed without looking up from the book, taking the coffee with one hand and bringing it to her lips as if that gesture could close the subject definitively and permanently.
Sarah took her own coffee, wrapped both hands around the paper cup, and said nothing more for the moment, though Blaire could feel perfectly well that her friend was still watching her from the side with that smile of someone who already knows exactly what is going on, even if she doesn't have a single concrete piece of data to prove it, and who is saving it with all the patience in the world for the exact moment it can do the most damage.
Author thought
What do you think of the idea of Wyatt being drafted by the Texans? After all, in 2016 they desperately needed a QB.
What did you think of today's chapter? Give me your opinions and thoughts.
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Tomorrow I'm going on a trip for personal reasons, so there won't be any new chapters until Monday—neither here nor on The Perfect Center. I appreciate your understanding, and I'll also take this opportunity to rest and clear my head.