The timeout ended, and Mike, on offense again, lined up at running back.
This was Coach George's call after weighing everything.
He wanted Mike to widen the lead right out of the gate in the fourth quarter, build a cushion.
Then, once they switched to defense, Mike would slide over to defensive tackle and test how he'd fare against that monster.
If it didn't work, George still had one timeout left to tweak the plan.
When it came to football IQ, Coach George was no slouch. The guy's experience meant he'd thought through every angle on this adjustment.
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Second down. Captain Aaron, facing heavy pressure from their quarterback, spotted Mike perfectly again and whipped the ball his way.
Mike caught it, quick-scanned the defense, and once more exploited the weak side—bursting out to the right.
GO! GO! GO!
With his level-3 football experience, Mike kept switching up his strides, blowing past defender after defender.
That perfect mix of blazing speed and slick moves turned it into a textbook solo rush highlight.
"Stop him... stop him..."
Coach Cotton on the sideline was yelling for his guys to hustle back as Mike carved through half the team like they weren't there.
Over on the left side, Oher—who'd been unblocked—heard the call and charged across the field to join the chase.
He barreled in with raw power, actually catching up to Mike.
"Ohhh!"
The crowd's jaws dropped seeing No. 74 closing in fast.
Nobody expected a guy that huge to have speed matching Mike's.
With all those traits, Oher was the kind of nightmare opponent you couldn't ignore.
Now it was on Mike—how would he handle it?
Mid-sprint, Mike caught the big man closing in from the corner of his eye.
That speed forced him to take it seriously.
Truth was, Oher was giving it everything this play. Huffing hard, he lunged sideways the second he got close, aiming to flatten Mike.
'Right now!'
That's exactly what Mike was waiting for. Reading the charge perfectly, he used his insane core strength—quick little stutter steps to kill his momentum, then leaned back just enough.
Oher, already committed, had no way to adjust—he'd lost his balance.
The two missed by inches.
Oher crashed into nothing and stumbled out of bounds.
Mike, ball secured, hit the jets again and cruised into the end zone amid roaring cheers.
Scoreboard flipped to 39-30.
And Melford still had the extra point try coming.
The guys swarmed Mike in the end zone, hyped and celebrating.
That solo run looked smooth, no big hits—but every teammate knew how dangerous it really was.
Mike's touchdown stretched their lead to nine points.
Victory felt close. Top 10 in the state didn't seem so impossible anymore.
Plus, having Mike as their rock kept everybody loose and confident.
On the two-point conversion, Mike pulled off more slick moves and punched in another two for the team.
Early in the fourth quarter, the gap was finally wide open.
41-30
Melford up by eleven. Now it was about protecting that lead the rest of the way.
"Don't get down, boys—the game's not over. We've still got a shot!" Coach Cotton saw his St. Mary's players slumping after the score and fired them up from the sideline.
He gave extra encouragement to Oher, who'd been carrying the load: "Michael, you've been awesome today. Next drive, do what you've been doing—help the quarterback put points up."
Almost ten minutes left—Cotton truly believed they could still flip it.
If Oher kept dominating on offense like before, two quick scores and that eleven-point gap was gone.
Yeah, even now, Coach Cotton hadn't given up on winning.
He just conveniently ignored one thing: while St. Mary's chased points, Melford could still add to their lead too.
But they couldn't dwell on that. St. Mary's had to go all-out and score—now.
Possession switched. St. Mary's quarterback huddled up, ready to attack again.
That's when the crowd lost it with a massive roar.
What the hell did they just see?!
Melford's No. 21—Mike, who'd been lighting it up on offense—was shifting positions.
He was lining up at defensive tackle.
Right across from St. Mary's monster, Oher.
The fans who loved brutal matchups gave the loudest cheers of the game when they realized Mike was about to take on the big man head-on.
Of course, some folks didn't get Coach George's move and booed in protest.
Visually? Lean, athletic Mike versus that bloated giant? Not even the same weight class.
Everybody had seen what No. 74 could do.
Better to keep Mike healthy on offense, doing his thing, than risk him getting wrecked trying to block the beast.
"George must've lost his damn mind..." Jack the reporter muttered from the prime seats, griping nonstop.
He'd watched Mike rise from the start and knew the kid was freakishly strong—but in his mind, Mike was a finesse player.
Those smooth, beautiful runs were pure art.
Putting him in a phone-booth brawl with their tackle? Bad call.
Over on the other side, little Sean with his DSLR was pumped. "Big Mike—let's go! You're the man!! Show 'em that power!!!"
Yeah, as a huge hater of Mike Quinn, Sean was rooting hard for his relative, Michael Oher.
He was already planning to snap Oher's highlights and blast them online.
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Offense on.
St. Mary's quarterback tucked the ball and charged toward Melford's backfield.
As soon as the play started, Mike slid over and planted himself right in front of Oher, who was trying to link up with the pack.
Mike crouched low, arms up, braced for the collision.
In Oher's head, Coach's words echoed: help the quarterback score.
Seeing No. 21 blocking his path, Oher didn't hesitate—he lowered his shoulder and exploded forward.
He wanted to plow through this guy like he had others.
But the massive hit he expected? Never came.
The instant Oher committed, Mike timed it perfectly—grabbed the upper pads, twisted his hips, and used the big man's momentum to fling him aside.
A dude over six-five and 220-plus pounds getting tossed like that? The visual was insane.
"OMG!"
"How the hell did he do that?!"
Fans locked in on the matchup went absolutely wild.
Cheers and gasps—one wave louder than the next!