Another day of practice had ended for the Dons. Ty had made no comment about his extra-curricular activities. It wasn't like he'd done it on purpose. What else was he supposed to do to burn off excess energy? He was just thankful nobody was treating him with kid's gloves during practice.
The pads had been on as they went through their fundamentals again, and even ended the day with a quick scrimmage of second-stringers—plus Rabbit—going against the starters. Nobody kept score, but obviously Ty led the defence in shutting out the bench players. However, not even he cared enough to track how many times the offence had scored.
Then it was over, but instead of the coaches letting the boys go home, they led them towards the AV room for the most important film study of their lives.
Ty had already been watching a lot of film on Kentavious Rice Junior. While he was still yet to see the rest of the team, Kentavious was good. Very good.
Highlights didn't do him justice. Anyone could mash together a series of flashy plays for just about EVERYONE. What was most impressive about Kentavious were the little things, the things that went unnoticed to the kind of casual viewer that would be wowed by a montage of one-handed catches.
Kentavious never put a foot wrong, never gave up leverage. If you pressed him, he beat you by thinking you had him pinned. Even when people were grabbing him, he'd made sure they only gripped places where he could break away at any second, and all the defender would accomplish was looking stupid as they were called for a clear foul, AND STILL LOST.
If you backed off and gave him space, he killed you by controlling that space. He could flash by you in an instant, or rock you to a sleep with a series of simple-looking, but flawlessly executed stutter-steps before leaving you staring at nothing.
His hands were even better. No matter where the ball was thrown, no matter what position he was in, even if you somehow clung to him (usually literally so), even if you pushed or pulled him out of the way, he could complete the catch. His leaps were explosive. Of course, his vertical was the most eye-catching thing about him, and from tape alone Ty could see he'd rival Stringbean's—and his own—reach, but laterally he was just as impressive; if Kentavious got a hand to the ball, it was his.
The QB was nothing to scoff at either, though Kentavious made him look better than he was. If there was a weakness to that passing game, Ty hadn't seen any from Kentavious's side. The QB would be the breaking point. If Ty could get in his head, he could throw off his entire game; throwing to Kentavious was easy, no other CB had ever gotten the better of him. As soon as Ty did, the Longhorns' false confidence would crumble in an instant.
That was his very rudimentary plan, though he still had plenty of time to think. Studying the team could shine more light on how his duel with Kentavious would go—if the QB was willing to trust his other Receivers as much; if they used their RB as a supportive pillar, or just a crutch; most importantly, if the Dons were better.
'Come in, sit down, be quiet,' Coach Long said, waving everyone through the door of the AV room and to their seats. 'You boys know the drill by now.'
Once everyone was seated, he stood at the front of the room, smiling out at them all. 'I know for most of you this is your least favourite part of training, but look on the bright side, for a lot of you this'll be your last time, so let's make it the best one. Quick and easy, that's how we like it, right?' There was a touch of sadness in his voice, but warmth in his smile as laughter came from the seats.
When all was quiet again, Coach Long started the first clip, and took his seat by the front. The Longhorn's defence was showcased first. Ty sat back, relaxing, but still keeping his focus on the projected video before him.
Of course, watching his opponent's offence was the most important part of these studies, but he could still learn from their defence as well. What were they used to facing in practice, and vice versa, if the defence showed something consistently enough, he could infer a potential habit the offence might've learnt from them.
Like the Shamrocks before them, the Longhorns almost never blitzed. However, their D-Line still acted incredibly different. Whereas the Shamrocks held the line to create a wall and give themselves chances to swat down passes, the Longhorns' front four were still aggressive, and often got sacks without needing a blitz.
Coach Norman said running could be hard because of this, as the Longhorns' LBs wouldn't be pulled out of position by blitzes. That meant not as many lanes would open up, and what few did could quickly be plugged. Still, it would be important for Chris and Cameron to offer support and alleviate pressure off the Dons' Receivers.
Which would need all the help they could get by the looks of things. Even though the Longhorns didn't blitz, they could've done so, leaving every DB on an island, and still been fine if their blitz failed.
Ty couldn't see a standout lockdown CB … or maybe they all were. Training against the so-called best Receiver in the nation had seemingly done them wonders. Maybe Stephen's size would give them trouble. If not, it'd be up to the coaches to scheme the Receivers open.
By the time it got around to showcasing the Longhorns' offence—which made Ty lean forward in his chair—he'd realised the Longhorns didn't stand out in any particular way.
Yes their secondary, and thus their pass defence, was strong, but so was their LB core, and their D-Line. Everybody helped when it came to run defence, but nobody slacked for their pass defence either.
With their offence, it was clear Kentavious Rice Junior was their best weapon, but they didn't rely on him too much. They kept a good balance of runs and passes, even filtering through a trio of RBs depending on if they needing power, finesse, or another Receiver/blocker on third down.
When they did go to the air, Kentavious wasn't ALWAYS the target. However, they didn't wait until they were in the shit to go to him either.
They had a speedy deep threat on the opposite sideline, with an elusive Receiver in the slot beside him, and a strong, bulky TE who could take up space over the middle, or flare out wide for a mismatch through speed when most LBs stayed with him, or through size against a DB.
Their O-Line was quick on their feet to lead the way for their RBs, but stout and sturdy when protecting their QB.
Perhaps their QB was the weakest link. Even then he was still good enough not to make mistakes. Maybe if things got messy … but how could they make it so when everything else about the Longhorns ran so smoothly? Was that the key?
They were exceptional … yet nothing popped. Nothing—outside of the obvious—screamed that they were special. Saying that, he could see no flaws. Was that how they were special? A flawless team?
Then they were a good match for the well-rounded Dons. What flaws did Ty's brothers have? None they didn't make up for in other ways.
All Ty had to worry about was Kentavious Rice Junior. As long as Junior was shut down, the Longhorns would eventually flounder, just like every team had once Ty neutralised their best Receiver. With that, the Dons' victory would be assured.
###
Luke saw how the Longhorns were without flaws … potentially. There was still hope. Their QB—Morrison. He wasn't happy with the limited film they had on Morrison. The junior had only just become a starter this year, and it was the same year Kentavious had arrived, transforming the team into an absolute juggernaut.
The Longhorns hadn't trailed at all this season. Morrison had never been tested. If the Dons could get in front; could get through the stupendous O-Line in front of Morrison and make him second guess himself … but could a QB second guess themselves when they had a Receiver like Rice downfield? From what he'd seen, the kid might as well've been named JERRY Rice.
Either way, he was yet to find another point of weakness for the defence to attack. "Some Defensive Coordinator you are. A POTENTIAL weakness is all you can come up with in the most important game these kids have ever played in?"
When had he helped them? Wasn't he always leaving their fate up to someone else, one of those children he should've been nurturing and guiding?
He watched Ty leave. There was a fire in his eyes. Luke doubted Ty had been keeping to his orders about minimal exercise—he probably worked out in his sleep. It wasn't any wonder why, however. Ty was up against his greatest challenge yet. Every damn week the obstacle before him got more insurmountable.
Once the last kid funnelled out of the room, Coach Long approached Luke, still smiling. 'How do we think the defence will do this week, Coach Hoang?' The smile faded from his face. 'Good, I hope, because I know the Longhorns' defence will be a tough nut to crack. Nothing for it but to help the boys find the way to do so. That's our job.'
Coach Long was a nervous talker—someone who could carry a conversation all by themselves when they were adequately anxious. The opposite of Luke, whose internal monologue ran a hundred miles an hour in the same situation.
Why was he so worried? "You know why. You just don't want to admit it because its the scariest possibility you could imagine for any game."
'It'll be tough for the defence, too,' Luke finally said. 'They're good.'
'They do look it, don't they. But that's the one annoying thing with watching film. It can show you so much, but it can't show you everything. A team can look perfect on film, but once you stand across from them, their flaws can become so obvious. Or the opposite could happen. Hah, I reckon we've made a few teams second guess themselves after they got a look at us face-to-face.'
He kept laughing, and Luke didn't interrupt. The noise echoed around the now empty room, then faded. Coach Long's smile returned, full force.
'You know, these Longhorns might be flawless. Each team we've faced since…since the State Championship has been better and better. It would make a lot of sense that we would eventually run into a perfect team … but the Longhorns are not that team.'
'It's their Quarterback, isn't it?'
Coach Long's smile widened. He patted Luke's shoulder. Not patronisingly, but like how he would one of the kids—like he would a son.
'It's their heart.'
Luke's mouth dropped open, but he realised he had no idea what to say in response, so he closed it again without uttering a sound.
'Oh, they might have a lot of heart, you can't get as far as they did without it, but they don't have as much heart as us. THAT is why we will win. Because nobody has more heart than our boys.' Coach Long looked off through the door where all those boys had departed. His hand slipped from Luke's shoulder. 'Goodnight, Coach Hoang.'
'Goodnight,' Luke said. It was all he could say to Coach Long's back. Had it always been that broad? Had he always been that tall?
When Coach Long disappeared through the door, doubt crept back in. Luke hoped Coach Long was right, he really did. Because the thing that worried him; the thing he didn't even want to admit to himself, either of his fellow coaches, or—least of all—Tyrese, is that Ty would be so outmatched in this upcoming game, he'd be the Dons' biggest point of weakness.
There had been other games where Ty had struggled—Langford and the Monarchs came to mind first, though Ty's chance to overcome that foe had been ripped away by Langford's unfortunate injury. In every other game, however, no matter how Ty struggled, as soon as he gained the upper hand, so had the Dons.
Even against the Bears, where Kingston—a RB—had been the main issue, it was still up to Ty in the end. Once JJ had shut down Kingston, it came down to Ty to take away the Bears' last threat and hope for victory, and he'd done so.
The Shamrocks and Byrd had almost been too much for Ty, but even then he eventually overcame that giant obstacle and that gave the Dons the chance to win.
But with Rice? Luke didn't even know where to begin.
"And you're going to blame Samuels for that? He's just a kid. Take responsibility for once. Stop leaving the burden for someone else to pick up!"
There had to be a way—some sort of opening, a hint even, no matter how small there had to be SOMETHING—Luke just hadn't found it yet. He wheeled himself over to the projector, switching it back on. The film for the Longhorns' offence was still in the player. He turned to the screen, starting from the top.
There WAS a flaw—no team was perfect—and Luke was going to find it.
###
Ty stepped off his bike, leaning it against the wall just by the backdoor. The house was quiet; the reverie and unity his success had brought hadn't lasted long, though he was sure once they all spent some time together during the trip, celebrating his championship, the changes would stick.
As he reached for the door, a hand thrust out of the darkness behind him, smothering his mouth, and yanking him back.
His initial cry was stuffed back inside, though he kicked and thrashed against the body he felt behind him. When a familiar hiss hit his ears, his panic only heightened.
'Relax, you fuckin' dumbass!' Devon whispered, grip solidifying. He whirled Ty around, glaring down at him, still covering his mouth. 'If I was here to fuck you up I'd have done it.'
Ty calmed himself, standing still, though his heart was racing. He kept his eyes on Devon; he couldn't see any weapons, but that didn't mean Devon didn't have any on him somewhere.
Slowly, Devon lowered his hand from Ty's mouth. 'I heard you won.'
'…I told you I would.'
'Now you gonna win again, right?'
Ty clenched his jaw. 'Why? You bet on me to lose again?'
Devon shook his head. 'Not this time. Nobody else thinks you an' that sorry ass team of yours is any good, so you gonna double my money when you win again, 'ight?'
'I'll win. It's not for you, but I'll—'
'I don't care who its for, as long as you win. You lucky some of my boys was stupid enough to bet on you winning last weekend. But you let me down this time and—'
'And what?' Ty growled, fists clenched at his side. He glared up at Devon, unyielding.
'Just win the fuckin' game, you stupid little shit.' Devon shoved him back, then slunk away around the corner.
Once Devon was gone, Ty's heart finally slowed. He rubbed his chest, still panting when he entered the darkened home. Yet now the moment—and with it, the danger—had passed, a smaller detail stuck out clearer in Ty's mind, stoking the flames of hatred more than his brother's bullshit did.
The Dons were back to being underdogs, expected to lose. What the fuck was that? How many more times did Ty have to prove himself before people believed?!
"Just one. One more victory, and that's it. After I crush Kentavious and the Longhorns. EVERYONE will know I'm the greatest."