Because his position overlapped with Mike's, Sam knew it would be difficult for him to outperform him at the running back position.
And now, he desperately needed a spectacular performance to regain his coach's attention.
Understanding George's intention, he stared at the opposing team's number seventy-four on the field and seriously promised, "Believe me, Coach. As long as you put me in, I will shut down that big guy."
Looking at the opponent's determined eyes, George nodded and instructed, "I don't need you to shut down the opponent; you just need to contain that big guy. Understand? Contain."
In George's opinion, it was unrealistic to completely restrict the opponent's number seventy-four with his strong physique and explosive power.
If Sam could just slightly contain the opponent when he was on the field, allowing that number seventy-four to not play his due role, it would already be considered a success.
Sam, who had watched a round of the game from the sidelines, had not yet realized Oher's terrifying nature. He only saw that the big guy on the opposing team was a pure football novice.
Bullying novices was what Sam was best at.
As the ball possession changed again, George, having received Sam's repeated assurances, put him on the field.
On the field, Sam's position also changed to an offensive tackler, directly matching up with the opponent's big guy.
Sam, who had another chance to play, was a bit excited. He looked directly at Oher, who had a simple expression, and provoked him, "Hey, big fella, do you know what you're going to do in a bit?"
Sam, who received no response from the opponent, tapped his helmet, pointed to his eyes with two fingers, and continued with an arrogant expression, "I'll be watching you, watching you the whole game. I'll be your nightmare—"
Beep—
The whistle for Medford High's offense sounded.
After Aaron received the snap from the center, he didn't think too much and threw the football to Mike on the sideline again.
If there was anyone in the Medford Football Team who was most trustworthy, it would definitely be Mike.
The crisscross tactic also allowed his powerful individual strength to play its due role.
"Fall back! Fall back!!..."
Seeing Medford's number twenty-one, Mike, again having the idea of charging through, Coach Cotton loudly reminded his players from the sidelines.
He had seen from the first round of offense that Medford's number twenty-one was definitely another core player on the team.
This time, Mike again possessing the ball confirmed Coach Cotton's guess.
The situation on the field changed instantly...
The players of Saint Mary's adjusted their defensive focus and surrounded Mike.
Facing the layers of obstruction in front of him, Mike did not choose to force his way through this time.
Football is a team sport after all.
Mike adjusted his posture and passed the ball back to Aaron in the midfield. He then crashed into Saint Mary's defensive players, engaging in intense close-quarters combat.
And after Mike attracted most of the defensive power, Aaron's front was almost unobstructed.
As the team's quarterback and absolute core, Aaron did not miss this excellent offensive opportunity either; he rushed forward with the football.
Amidst the cheers of the spectators, Aaron also achieved a touchdown.
After the touchdown, Aaron excitedly threw the ball into the sky. Then he ran to Mike and gave him a big hug.
This was the feeling; Aaron, who planned to make football his future career, thoroughly enjoyed this moment.
On the other side, Sam, who had provoked his opponent before the kickoff, was now sprawled on the ground.
Feeling the pain in his chest, he was somewhat questioning life.
"Sam, are you alright?" George, who had been watching the situation, asked loudly from the sidelines.
Hearing his coach's concern, Sam pushed away Oher's hand that reached out to help him up, scrambled to his feet, and lightly jumped twice: "I'm fine, Coach."
In that last round of play, although Sam was knocked to the ground by Oher at the very beginning, he did successfully attract the attention of the big guy on the other side with his trash talk.
In a way, Sam had successfully completed his mission.
Shortly after, during Medford's second extra point opportunity, Mike and Aaron executed another tactical play.
By Mike attracting the opponent's defense, Aaron again scored a solo touchdown.
The mild-mannered Aaron rarely had such a two-score performance. Having achieved a second touchdown, he excitedly hugged his teammates one by one.
This moment also became the most glorious moment of his entire high school career.
Beep—
As the whistle sounded, the first quarter of the game ended, and both teams entered a rest period.
During the two-minute rest period, George first affirmed his players' performance, then specifically praised Aaron and Mike.
Afterward, George also expressed his approval of Sam's performance in containing the opponent's number seventy-four.
Sam, who had received George's recognition, felt a sense of team honor for the first time.
After two minutes, both teams once again came to midfield for the kickoff.
Sam continued with his trash talk: "Big fella, I was careless just now, but this time, you won't get past me..."
Beep—
As the whistle sounded, it was Saint Mary's offensive time.
In this round, Coach Cotton learned from the previous lesson and changed the offensive rhythm.
Saint Mary's quarterback, after receiving the snap, directly initiated a charge. Other players quickly converged towards the center to clear interference for the quarterback.
Sam looked at the big fella trying to bypass him to help clear a path for his teammates and sarcastically remarked, "What's wrong, big fella? Are you scared of me—"
Bang—
What greeted Sam was a violent collision, and he fell to the ground again, meaninglessly.
This time, Oher did not stop his steps. Having shaken off Sam, he quickly caught up with his own quarterback.
Then, in the charging formation, Oher became the sharpest spear.
"Stop him... Stop him..." Seeing the situation was not good, George on the sidelines no longer had time to care about Sam. He loudly shouted to his players.
And Coach Cotton on the other side was also excitedly shouting: "That's it, Michael, you're the best... I knew you could do it—"
Clearly, at this moment, Coach Cotton found the correct way to use Oher.
The physically strong Oher only needed the simplest and most direct instructions to achieve the greatest effect.
Amidst the noisy sounds outside the field, Oher crashed through several Medford players along the way. Ultimately, he escorted his own quarterback to the end zone.
And during Saint Mary's second extra point opportunity, seeing Oher again push past opponents, helping his own quarterback easily achieve a touchdown, George muttered unwillingly, "Damn it, we can't contain that big guy—"
...
And as the ball possession changed, the football came into Mike's hands, and he used his agile footwork to shake off opponents, helping Medford High score another six points.
"Good thing we have Mike!"
George, who was watching the game from the sidelines, was both surprised and delighted, like he had been on a roller coaster. Having lost control of his expression, all he could do now was trust his players.
This game, foreseeably, would be a tough battle.