Saturday, October 20, 2012
Andrew opened the door to his apartment and found Amari Cooper, Thomas Duarte, and Andrus Peat standing there.
Amari was the starting wide receiver in the offense and was used mainly on intermediate routes.
Thomas, for his part, was the backup tight end, although he had already logged several minutes in games where the result was practically decided.
Andrus Peat was the starting offensive tackle on the left side.
All three were freshmen, just like Andrew.
The only one who still did not have a guaranteed starting spot was Thomas, and the reason had a first and last name: Joseph Fauria.
Fauria was the starting tight end. A senior. To be more exact, a redshirt senior.
The giant, tall and packed with muscle, had begun his college career in the 2008-2009 season, the year in which he did not play. He spent that first season as a redshirt.
In 2009-2010, he was a redshirt freshman.
In 2010-2011, a redshirt sophomore.
In 2011-2012, a redshirt junior.
And now, in the 2012-2013 season, he was a redshirt senior.
Fauria was going through his fifth and final possible season of college football.
A new player, like Andrew, for example, had a maximum of four seasons to play.
However, if he redshirted in his first year, meaning if he did not play a single second of an official game, that season did not count against his eligibility. During that year, he could train with the team, learn the system, adapt to the college level, and develop physically, but without burning one of his four available seasons.
In the end, he would still only play four seasons.
The difference was that he could spend five years inside the program.
That was why players like Fauria existed, already twenty-two years old and only a few months away from turning twenty-three.
In a position as physical as tight end, that mattered far too much. Thomas could be talented. He could have shared Mater Dei with Andrew and arrived with great potential. But taking the starting job from someone like Fauria was almost impossible.
The physical difference was too great.
One of them had spent nearly five years training at the college level, facing high-level defenses and playing games of maximum intensity.
The other had barely just come out of high school.
"Hey," Andrew greeted when he saw them.
Amari was the first to step closer. He greeted him with a firm, natural handshake. He already considered him not only a teammate, but also a friend. They had spent months sharing practices, offensive meetings, and games.
"Everything good?" Amari asked, with a calm smile.
Thomas greeted him after that, with even more confidence. In his case, it was not only because of UCLA. He and Andrew had shared two years at Mater Dei, so there was already a previous familiarity between them.
Andrus was quieter. Not because he was distant, but because that was simply his way of being. He gave him a strong, almost excessive handshake, and a brief nod.
Even so, there was something else in all three of them when they saw him.
Trust and camaraderie, yes, but also an admiration that was hard to hide.
After all, standing in front of them was the quarterback who, despite being only a true freshman, had become the favorite to win the Heisman. The same one who was leading UCLA through a historic campaign and who, week after week, seemed to be completely changing the perception of the program and of what a first-year quarterback could do.
Andrew stepped aside and gave them room to enter.
"Come in," he said, and once they had passed, he closed the door behind them.
Inside, the apartment was already far from quiet.
Loud voices, laughter, and the messy sound of a conversation that seemed to have started long before Andrew opened the door came from the living room. Steve, Jordan, and Vadal were on the sofas, talking among themselves and looking toward the television, which was on.
Steve was reclining comfortably, laughing at something Jordan had just said.
Jordan, another freshman wide receiver, was sitting forward, his elbows resting on his knees and an animated expression on his face.
Vadal occupied a good part of one of the sofas, relaxed, but with the heavy presence some linemen had even when they were not doing anything.
He was the starting right guard.
Five of UCLA's eleven offensive starters were gathered in the same apartment.
The curious thing was that they were all freshmen. That alone was a rarity.
In college football, seeing so many first-year players forming part of a starting offense was extremely rare. Having one of them be the quarterback made it even more unusual.
The position demanded talent, yes, but also intelligence, defensive reading, leadership, and a deep understanding of the playbook. A true freshman could get an opportunity if he was too good, too mature, and too quick at processing the game.
But it was still difficult.
And the linemen were even more striking.
In those positions, the physical difference between high school and college was usually brutal. That was why they almost always needed time to develop. However, Andrus and Vadal were not normal cases.
Even in high school, they had already been what many coaches called physical freaks: huge, strong, coordinated players with bodies that seemed ready to compete ahead of schedule.
Jordan was also part of that new wave.
He had been a four-star receiver in high school and had chosen UCLA because of the program's rebuild. And, above all, because of Andrew. He wanted to be part of what was beginning to be built there.
The problem was that the competition had been very high on the offensive side.
During the preseason, Jordan had lost the fight for a starting spot against Amari and Steve. Shaq's place, the senior receiver, was directly impossible to challenge. His experience, his physicality, and his place within the team made him untouchable for now.
Even so, Jordan was not off the map.
He had already logged several minutes in the games UCLA had won by a wide margin. And if he kept working, if he maintained his place within the group and took advantage of his opportunities, the following year could be his. Shaq would leave at the end of the season, and that would open up a spot as a starting receiver.
Something similar was happening with Thomas.
This season, he was behind Fauria, and winning the job from a twenty-two-year-old redshirt senior was practically impossible. But with a full year of training, adaptation, and experience, Thomas could become the natural replacement.
"You finally made it!" Steve said, getting up from the sofa.
He greeted them enthusiastically, first with handshakes and then with pats on the shoulder, as if he had not seen them in weeks and not just a few days earlier at practice.
"Yeah, the game's about to start," Jordan added without getting up from the sofa, turning his head to look at the newcomers.
There were not many formalities. By that point, the group already trusted each other. They had spent months sharing practices, meetings, trips, locker rooms, and games, so everything flowed naturally. Within seconds, the newcomers had set their things aside, and everyone ended up settled on the sofas in front of the television.
The screen was already tuned to Pac-12 Network.
The game: USC Trojans against the Colorado Buffaloes.
In itself, this game did not have much national hype. Almost none, in fact.
It was an early matchup, just past one in the afternoon, and it had not even managed to land a slot on a major network like ABC, ESPN, or Fox.
Being on Pac-12 Network meant a regional broadcast, less flashy, with less exposure and far less media weight.
The big games of the week, the ones that could influence rankings, individual awards, or the national narrative, usually ended up on much bigger networks.
That was not the case here. But to them, it did not matter. USC was USC: their classic rival.
The rivalry between both universities did not need any additional context.
They wanted to watch it to see if USC stumbled and to be able to laugh about it.
At the very least, they wanted them to suffer, since against a team as weak as Colorado, USC was far more likely to end up winning.
Andrew dropped onto the sofa and leaned back slightly against the cushions as he looked at the screen.
"How do you think the game goes?" he asked curiously.
"Trojans lose," Steve said with absolute conviction.
Jordan nodded immediately, "That's right! Today Colorado makes a statement and becomes the surprise of the day," he said, with the obvious hope of getting that small extra bit of happiness that only watching their rival lose could give him.
Andrus looked at him calmly, "Guys, let's be serious. Colorado is 1-5, and the Trojans are playing in their stadium, with their crowd," he said in his deep voice.
It was hard to argue with that.
Home-field advantage, added to the talent gap between both rosters and USC's overall status, made a hypothetical Colorado win seem almost impossible.
"Exactly," Vadal added. "USC is ranked eleventh and has won three straight since the loss to Stanford."
"I'll give you that, but…" Thomas said, looking thoughtful.
Steve immediately turned toward him, "That's it, Thomas! Back us up!"
Thomas shot him a sideways glance, "I'm not joining you, Steve. But maybe they struggle to win. Or at least maybe it won't be that easy for them."
Steve narrowed his eyes, interested.
Thomas continued, "Their three wins after Stanford came against the Bears, the Utes, and the Huskies. None of them were especially dominant. They were weaker, unranked opponents, and even then, the starters had to play practically the whole game. They won, yes, but by margins of ten or fifteen points at most."
"That's it..." Jordan said, snapping his fingers. "Their offensive and defensive level hasn't been that solid. Colorado is one of the worst teams in the Pac-12, yeah, but maybe they can give them some problems."
Andrus and Vadal nodded. That much, they could agree with.
USC, after its loss, had dropped from number 2 in the rankings to 13. Since then, it had played three games, with a bye week in between. It had won all of them, and that had allowed it to climb two spots to number 11.
But the national perception was still one of disappointment and skepticism.
At the start of the season, the Trojans had been seen as a serious National Championship contender. A dominant team, loaded with talent, with an offensive star many had already imagined lifting the Heisman.
Now, instead, the press and the public saw them as an overrated team.
A group that was still winning, yes, but struggling too much against mid-table Pac-12 opponents.
Their biggest star, the supposed Heisman favorite before the season began, had fallen down the lists. With luck, he appeared inside the top seven in some Heisman Watch rankings, but he no longer gave off that sense of inevitability he had carried weeks earlier.
USC was still mathematically alive. It had only one loss, just like UCLA.
But it did not give the impression of being an elite team.
UCLA, on the other hand, had built a completely different narrative.
It had also lost one game, yes. But it had been a hard-fought matchup against Nebraska in the second week, with a young team, a new staff, and an offense that was still finding its shape. Since then, the Bruins had not stopped growing.
Each win had come with better impressions.
They did not just win.
They convinced.
The offense looked more fluid, the defense more organized, and the team in general much more dangerous than anyone had imagined at the start of the year. And above all, there was Andrew.
His numbers, his impact, and his status as a true freshman had turned UCLA into one of the most striking stories of the season.
That was why the comparison with USC was inevitable.
One looked like a giant losing its shine.
The other, a rebuild moving faster than expected.
"I'd be satisfied just seeing them struggle against Colorado," Amari said, crossing his arms without taking his eyes off the television. "Even if they end up winning."
[We are less than five minutes away from the teams taking the field!] Kevin Calabro, the Pac-12 Network play-by-play announcer, exclaimed, his voice coming clearly from the television.
The image showed a wide shot of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The stands were filled with red and gold, with thousands of USC shirts moving among flags, signs, and the constant noise of a fanbase that was beginning to find its voice again.
[What's the atmosphere like down there, Yogi?] Kevin asked.
A few seconds later, Yogi's voice came in, the sideline reporter.
[Kevin, the atmosphere is excellent. We have an attendance of 83,000 people here at the Coliseum, and you can feel it. There is energy, there is noise, and above all, you can tell that USC fans are starting to regain some confidence. The loss against Stanford was a tough blow, but with three straight wins, little by little, this fanbase is starting to believe again.]
Amari snorted with a certain disdain, "Eighty-three thousand," he murmured.
The others nodded at his comment.
It was certainly not a small crowd. Few college programs in the country could boast attendance like that. But to them, in that moment, it sounded unimpressive.
The Rose Bowl was a monster with more than ninety thousand seats, and UCLA had been filling it every Saturday with a consistency that would have seemed impossible years earlier.
[No doubt,] Adam, the broadcast analyst, cut in. [USC is coming off a painful loss against Stanford, but since then it has responded with three straight wins. It's true, the manner of those wins was not the best. They have not dominated the way many expected at the start of the season. But wins are still wins. They are 5-1 overall and, mathematically, they remain in the conversation.]
[Let's take a quick look at the Pac-12 South Division standings,] Kevin said.
The graphic appeared on the screen with the six teams in the division, showing both their conference record and their overall record.
1. UCLA Bruins — Conf Record: 4-0 — Overall: 6-1
2. Arizona State Sun Devils — Conf Record: 3-1 — Overall: 5-2
3. USC Trojans — Conf Record: 3-1 — Overall: 5-1
4. Arizona Wildcats — Conf Record: 0-3 — Overall: 3-3
5. Utah Utes — Conf Record: 0-4 — Overall: 2-4
6. Colorado Buffaloes — Conf Record: 1-3 — Overall: 1-5
"In your face, Trojans!" Jordan said, bursting into laughter.
Steve immediately raised his hand, and the two of them high-fived when they saw UCLA at the top of the standings.
The Bruins had played four conference games up to that point, and they had won all of them: Oregon State, Colorado, California, and Utah.
Outside of conference play, they had played three games. They had beaten Rice and Houston, and they had lost to Nebraska in a close game that, in hindsight, no longer weighed as heavily as it had at the beginning.
In the South Division, what truly mattered was the conference record.
Not losses outside of it.
That was why, if UCLA kept maintaining that pace, it would win the division and earn the right to face the North Division champion in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The ironic thing was that, at the start of the year, absolutely no one had imagined that scenario.
Everyone had taken it for granted that USC would win the South Division with ease. For the Trojans, the real goal did not seem to be the conference, but something much bigger: destroying Alabama's dynasty, fighting for the National Championship, and, before that, getting past Oregon or Stanford in a hypothetical Pac-12 final.
For Andrew, Amari, Steve, and the others, that standings table was impossible not to enjoy.
[The Bruins are off today,] Kevin said. [That will also help sort out the standings a bit. UCLA has already played seven games, while other teams in the conference are still one game behind because of their respective bye weeks. Starting with this week, several of them will begin catching up.]
[Do you want a favorable stat for the Pac-12 freshmen?] Adam asked, almost with an amused tone.
[Oh, what is it?] Kevin replied, curious.
[This week, they have a real chance to win the conference's weekly freshman award, because Andrew Pritchett-Tucker is resting with the Bruins,] Adam said. [He had won the award five consecutive weeks. He already has six awards in seven weeks of competition, but this time he won't play.]
Kevin laughed, [Great stat. So this is the perfect opportunity for some freshman to shine this week and for the award not to end up in Pritchett's hands again.]
As soon as they heard Andrew's name on television, everyone in the room started applauding and whistling as if a major announcement had just been made.
Steve was the first to lean toward him and give him a hard slap on the back. Jordan followed immediately, and then Vadal, Andrus, Thomas, and Amari joined in with friendly hits on his shoulders, treating him as if he were the group's living trophy.
Andrew laughed, shaking his head, "Enough, enough," he said, trying to push them away without much success.
Shortly afterward, the game began.
The guys still held on to the hope of seeing USC suffer. Not necessarily lose. By that point, even Steve and Jordan had thought it over and realized that asking Colorado to win at the Coliseum was too much.
But at least they expected an uncomfortable game. A messy matchup. An ugly afternoon for the Trojans against the worst team in the South Division.
But that was not what happened.
Steve and Jordan's hopes died during the first two quarters.
USC destroyed Colorado: 38 points before halftime and only 3 allowed.
Matt Barkley already had four touchdowns and no interceptions, running the offense with a comfort that made everything look far too easy.
"Ugh… Colorado sucks," Steve said, sinking into the sofa in frustration.
Amari glanced at him, amused, "Didn't you know that? You scored two touchdowns on them when we played them."
"I know," Steve replied, grimacing. "But that's us. We're better!"
Amari smiled faintly, although he was not too satisfied either. Part of him had wanted to believe that Colorado could make USC suffer a little, especially after seeing how the Trojans had struggled against teams like Utah and other lower-level opponents.
Jordan, meanwhile, did not take his eyes off the screen.
"Hey, man… Marqise Lee is having a hell of a season," he finally said. "We can hate USC all we want, but that guy is carrying the offense."
Steve turned toward him with an expression of betrayal, "Praising the rival?"
Jordan raised both hands, "I'm a receiver, what do you want me to do? I have to acknowledge it, and you should too."
No matter how much rivalry there was, Jordan could not ignore what Marqise Lee was doing.
That sophomore receiver had become the most dangerous piece of the Trojans' offense. In previous games, he had often seemed like the only player capable of holding them up when the rest of the attack got stuck.
In fact, Washington had understood that perfectly.
In their game against USC, the Huskies had identified Lee as the real problem and punished him with double coverage for almost the entire matchup. The result had been obvious: the Trojans' passing offense looked far less fluid, almost inoperative at times, and USC had to win by dragging the ball forward on the ground with its running back.
"Yeah, yeah… I'll give Lee some credit," Steve admitted reluctantly.
He did not like saying it, but he was not blind either. He knew how to appreciate talent when he saw it, even if that talent wore red and gold and competed at his same position.
And Marqise Lee was playing like one of the best receivers in all of the NCAA.
For many, in fact, he was USC's potential Heisman candidate.
The third quarter began, and the beatdown continued.
To no one's surprise, Barkley stayed on the field for much of the period. USC did not seem too eager to take its foot off the gas right away, and Colorado still could not find a way to stop the bleeding.
Two more touchdowns.
When Barkley finally came out of the game, he had already reached six passing touchdowns.
The same mark Andrew had achieved against California.
It was also the Pac-12 record for most passing touchdowns in a single game, a number shared by several quarterbacks throughout the conference's history. Now, among those names, were Andrew and Barkley.
The difference was that Barkley had already done it three times in his college career.
The final score ended up being decisive.
USC Trojans 50 — Colorado Buffaloes 6.
"Like I told you," Andrus said, shaking his head.
Vadal looked at Thomas, Steve, and Jordan with an annoyed grimace.
"Your stupid arguments gave me hope they'd struggle," he said. "And in the end, I had to watch more than two hours of a damn Trojans party."
Thomas looked at him, somewhat offended, "They weren't stupid arguments. It was a reasonable possibility based on what they had been showing. Against opponents a little better than Colorado, they hadn't dominated like this. Statistically, there was a chance it could be a little difficult for them."
Vadal stared at him in silence for a second, "50-6."
Steve raised a finger, "Well, we scored 56 points on them."
Jordan nodded quickly, "But our defense let them score 10 points," Andrus replied.
Steve made a dismissive gesture with his hand, "Details."
On television, the Pac-12 Network broadcast was already showing images of Barkley greeting his teammates on the sideline, while Marqise Lee appeared in several replay clips.
[Huge win for USC,] Kevin said. [Not only because of the result, but because of the way they did it. The Trojans needed an afternoon like this. They needed to win, to look good, to look dominant again, and to regain some confidence after several weeks with more doubts than certainties. Matt Barkley had a spectacular game, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and Marqise Lee once again showed why he is one of the most electric players in the country.]
[Absolutely, Kevin,] Adam replied. [And the most important thing is that USC still controls part of its destiny. They do have one conference loss, yes, but they are still alive in the South Division race.]
In the room, everyone fell silent for a moment.
[But they still have a complicated schedule ahead. In the coming weeks, very tough opponents appear, including the Ducks, number 2 in the country, and later Stanford and Arizona, ranked 24th. That is no small thing.]
[And even if UCLA managed to get through all of that…] Kevin cut in, knowing where his partner was going.
[Exactly,] Adam said. [Even if UCLA does the hardest thing and wins all of its remaining games, USC would still have a direct opportunity. If the Trojans also win out and then beat UCLA in the head-to-head matchup, both teams would finish with the same conference record. And in that case, the tiebreaker would go to USC for winning the head-to-head duel.]
The atmosphere in the living room shifted slightly.
It was not absolute silence or dramatic tension. But everyone felt it.
The game against USC would not be just another game.
It never was, because of the rivalry. But it would also be key in deciding who became champion of the South Division, if USC stayed alive.
Before reaching the end of the season, UCLA still had Arizona, the Oregon Ducks, USC, and, finally, Stanford ahead of them.
Those were the four toughest opponents, all ranked among the top 25 teams in the country.
USC had already gone through Stanford. That made the situation even more uncomfortable.
Even if neither UCLA nor USC managed to get past Oregon and Stanford, even if both teams ended up accumulating two conference losses, the game between the Bruins and the Trojans could still be the one that decided the South champion.
Andrew straightened slightly on the sofa.
USC was still there.
They were coming off uneven weeks, unconvincing wins, and a loss that had damaged their national image. But they were still alive. They still had talent, players capable of winning the game.
Underestimating them would be a mistake.
On the screen, Pac-12 Network showed Matt Barkley's final stats.
[Six touchdowns for Barkley and eighteen of twenty passes completed. That's absurd,] Kevin said. [Do you think this is enough to put him fully back into the Heisman conversation, Adam?]
[Not yet,] Adam replied without much hesitation. [It's a great performance, yes. The numbers are excellent. But if we're talking about the Heisman, Barkley still has ground to make up.]
A quick comparison with other national candidates appeared on the screen.
[Right now, Geno Smith and Collin Klein have better overall statistics, especially in efficiency and ball security,] Adam continued. [And then there's Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, who, after Geno's fall, has probably become the favorite. Thirty total touchdowns in seven games. Only two interceptions. And, on top of that, he's doing it as a true freshman at a UCLA no one expected to see in this position.]
[With today's game, Barkley also reaches seven games played, but he sits at twenty-two touchdowns and six interceptions,] Kevin commented.
[Exactly,] Adam said. [And that's the difference. Today he was brilliant, but the opponent was Colorado. If Barkley wants to seriously get back into the conversation, he needs to start dominating consistently. Not just have one isolated great game. He has to look like the quarterback everyone expected at the start of the year.]
The image once again showed Barkley on the sideline, smiling as he greeted the fans in the stands.
[And above all,] Adam added, [he has to show up in the difficult moments. USC is going to need him. The schedule ahead will not be as comfortable as this game.]
"What's USC's next game?" Jordan asked.
"Arizona State," Andrew answered instantly.
Thomas crossed his arms, thoughtful, "Mm… it won't be as easy as Colorado, but they're not the Wildcats either."
They would face the Arizona Wildcats the following Saturday, October 27.
The Wildcats had just entered the national rankings as the number 24 team in the country. At first glance, their conference record did not seem intimidating. They had lost three games inside the Pac-12, yes, but the context changed everything.
Those losses had come against the Oregon Ducks, the Stanford Cardinal, and Oregon State.
Three massive opponents and three straight games of brutal difficulty.
Oregon was an offensive machine. Stanford was still one of the most physical teams in the conference. And Oregon State had become the dark horse of the season, climbing all the way into the national top 10.
Arizona was not a weak team.
Not even close.
Outside of conference play, it had won all three of its games, including an important victory against Oklahoma, the number 18 team in the country. Then, the previous week, it had beaten Washington, earning its fourth win of the season with a series of scores that stood out:
52-17.
56-0.
59-38.
And their losses had not been disastrous either.
Against Stanford, they had fallen 54-48 in overtime.
Against Oregon State, only 38-35.
Only Oregon had truly destroyed them, 49-0, but those were the Ducks, ranked second and still unbeaten.
Aside from that game, Arizona had competed well.
So, on paper, UCLA had a tougher opponent than USC the following Saturday.
After that, the afternoon continued with games, comments, teasing, analysis, and the constant noise of the television, with different commentators filling the apartment.
They watched the best matchups of the day, jumping from one broadcast to another.
Saturday ended that way, with the group settled in front of the television until late into the night.
Sunday passed much faster for Andrew.
Monday marked the beginning of a new week, one that opened a decisive part of the schedule.
Up to that point, much of the season had been about adaptation.
That was about to change.
From now on, the schedule was entering its truly decisive stretch. It was no longer just about winning and continuing to grow. Now every game could alter the race for the South Division, the national rankings, and the real perception of UCLA as a contender.
The opponents ahead were not teams destined to fall before halftime.
There would no longer be comfortable afternoons where Andrew could watch the fourth quarter from the sideline, a towel over his shoulders and the game already decided.
Starting this week, UCLA would have to prove whether everything being said about them was real.
It was no longer enough to be the surprise of the season, nor to pile up big wins against inferior opponents. Now they had to prove they could compete and win against truly serious teams, programs inside the rankings.
They had already done it once against Oregon State.
Now they had to prove it had not been a fluke.
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