Beep—
The offensive whistle blew again.
Saint Mary's quarterback was not in a hurry to organize the offense; he held the football and made a few gestures to his teammates, who immediately spread out after receiving his instructions.
This formation, at first glance, somewhat resembled a penetration tactic.
However, Saint Mary's quarterback did not attack rashly; instead, when faced with pressure, he passed the ball to a teammate who was providing support.
Then, when that teammate was blocked, he passed the ball back to the quarterback again.
This four-three-four strategy emphasized stability, with teammates always ready to assist.
Its drawbacks were extremely slow progress and very poor entertainment value.
Before long, the audience, fed up with Saint Mary's soft offense, began to curse loudly.
What do people watch in football? They watch the passionate confrontation between the two sides.
Saint Mary's conservative style naturally failed to satisfy them.
Beep—
Just as the boring back-and-forth continued on the field and the audience was about to lose patience, the head referee blew the whistle for a foul, signaling an offensive foul by Saint Mary's number seventy-four.
Michael Oher, Saint Mary's number seventy-four, although tall and strong, had an intelligence quotient of only eighty.
Having only recently joined the football team, he was unable to adapt to the movement requirements of his teammates.
And in Saint Mary's tactical execution just now, Michael Oher was marginalized by the Medford Team's players and showed no usefulness at all.
The single-minded Oher, in his eagerness not to disappoint his coach and family, directly grabbed an opponent's shoulder and threw him to the ground.
This was a routine offensive foul.
"Calm down, Michael— You just need to do your job, protect the quarterback…" Coach Cotton of Saint Mary's, seeing Oher's foul, anxiously called out to remind him.
Clearly, although Oher had explosive physical qualities, Coach Cotton had not found a way to utilize him.
Beep—
As the whistle for Saint Mary's second down offense sounded, the field once again entered a period of boring back-and-forth.
Seeing that Saint Mary's was still using the same tactic, the spectators outside the field cursed with words like "wimp" and "coward."
Beep—
Number seventy-four committed another offensive foul.
This time, Oher was indeed blocking in front of his quarterback.
Seeing someone rush forward to pressure him, he directly hoisted a Medford Team player onto his shoulders.
This was a mistake even a novice wouldn't make; the scene was quite comical.
"Michael, push the opponent away…" Coach Cotton was truly anxious this time; he shouted while demonstrating to Oher how to push someone away.
On the sidelines, young Sean, who was preparing to film Michael Oher's exciting moments, covered his eyes in exasperation.
Oher's football knowledge was all taught by him, and his current performance on the field made him feel a bit ashamed.
Especially since he had previously issued a challenge to another Mike.
And his parents, standing behind him, were also anxious about Oher's performance.
Among them, the blonde mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy, even shouted excitedly at Coach Cotton: "You've wasted Michael's talent; you should let the quarterback go for a touchdown.
Michael will protect his teammates as he would his family.
He just needs a chance…"
Coach Cotton still didn't quite believe in Oher's ability; he turned his head as if he hadn't heard Leigh Anne's words.
Then, he gestured to the players on the field, indicating that they should continue with the original tactic.
Beep—
Saint Mary's third down offense.
This time, Oher, wearing jersey number seventy-four, dared not make any other moves.
He circled aimlessly on the field like a lost child, then was knocked to the ground by a Medford Team player.
Beep—
Oher lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
"Michael!" Seeing her child being bullied, Leigh Anne, disregarding her husband's dissuasion, rushed to the sidelines and shouted: "Get up, Michael!"
After Oher got up as if nothing had happened, Leigh Anne continued to excitedly shout to Saint Mary's quarterback: "You should attack for a touchdown; Michael will protect you.
He has the ability to help the team win…"
"Madam, please leave here!"
Seeing Leigh Anne trying to influence the game, the referee immediately came over and asked her to leave.
"Cotton, say something—" Being sent back to her husband, Leigh Anne was still shouting loudly.
Saint Mary's had already used three offensive opportunities, but because the tactics were too conservative, the football had only advanced a little over four yards.
Now the dilemma lay before Coach Cotton: whether to punt or continue with the existing tactic.
Clearly, the existing tactic had already been proven to be largely ineffective.
Listening to Leigh Anne's shouts, Coach Cotton decided to take a risk.
He used a timeout, called Oher to him, looked him in the eyes, and asked: "Michael, can I trust you?"
"Yes, Coach. You can trust me." With the encouragement of his family, a hint of determination appeared on Oher's simple and honest face.
"Very good, Michael. From now on, no matter what happens on the field, I just need you to protect the quarterback." Coach Cotton stated his requirement.
Then, he called the quarterback over and gave him the instruction to go for a touchdown.
Beep—
The game resumed, and this time Saint Mary's quarterback, clutching the football, charged forward fiercely.
Beside him, a tall figure followed him, moving forward together.
As a left tackle, Oher's duty was to protect the quarterback and help him clear all obstacles.
Although Oher didn't understand complex tactics, he remembered Leigh Anne telling him to protect his teammates as he would his family.
With this concept in his mind, Oher charged straight through the offense, knocking several Medford Team players who tried to block him flying.
He then led his quarterback into the Medford Team's end zone.
Finally, this strong offensive play by Saint Mary's received a small amount of recognition from the spectators outside the field.
Many people also changed their perception of this big guy, Oher, and gave him scattered applause.
Compared to the excitement on Saint Mary's side, George on the sidelines, staring at the opponent's strong number seventy-four, furrowed his brows.
Indeed, this number seventy-four was not simple.
And when Oher led his quarterback to score another touchdown five yards outside the end zone, tying the score, George finally couldn't sit still.
He looked at Sam, who hadn't played in the previous two rounds, and asked: "Sam, if I put you in now, can you contain their number seventy-four?"
Sam used to be the team's running back, but ever since Mike took his position, he had been warming the bench.
That's how it is in high school football: the capable play, the weaker step aside.