Please vote to show me your support for the story. The higher we climb in the rankings, the more motivated I will feel. Mass releases will be rewarded for each 10 rankings we manage to climb.
Join Discord to connect with me and give your suggestions about the story so far. https://discord.gg/hTQJtj2K9U
#More than 10 Chapter ahead on my Patreon: patreon.com/TrikoRex
{!!!Please leave a Review it helps me a lot and lets me know how many people are invested in the future of this novel!!!}
~~~
The first half of the game was nothing short of a disaster for the UCLA Bruins. Their initial drive had given them hope, hope that the rebuild as a result of the scandal wouldn't hurt the team on the field too much. However, that hope was quickly dashed by the resilience and calculated aggression of the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors.
The moment Hawai'i's offence took the field, the energy of the stadium seemed to shift. Their quarterback, Chevan Cordeiro, came out swinging. Like a true field general on the field, he commanded his offensive team with ease. The Bruins' defence had prepared for his dual-threat ability, but Cordeiro's quick releases and footwork proved difficult to contain.
That wasn't the worst of it, as his ability to read the game which had been underrated in his freshman year, was now truly put on display. Oftentimes, he could be seen making minute adjustments following the defence adjustment. It was little things like telling his receiver to stagger his run or to go down following the catch when he sent him into traffic through the middle.
This wasn't Madden, where receivers would run a slant across the middle, make the catch, and then be bodied by a linebacker, only to be back in 2 snaps. The Rainbow Warriors followed a philosophy of firmly attacking on the flanks and playing it safe through the middle. If one fumbles on the sidelines, the likelihood of a turnover drops drastically compared to when fumbling in the middle of the field.
Within minutes of UCLA's field goal, Cordeiro orchestrated a methodical drive. With the Rainbow Warriors lining up in a pistol formation, Cordeiro snapped the ball and immediately handed it off to Dae Dae Hunter, the freshman running back. The play was a simple inside zone run, but Hunter's burst through the line of scrimmage was explosive. He juked past one linebacker and powered through another tackle before being brought down after a 12-yard gain.
"Wow! Hawai'i's offensive line is manhandling UCLA's front," Callum Benson remarked. "And you have to credit Dae Dae Hunter for the way he's slipping through tackles like he's coated in oil."
The next play saw Cordeiro execute a flawless readoption, faking the handoff to Hunter and keeping the ball himself. UCLA's defensive end, caught out of position, lunged at nothing but air. Cordeiro darted around the edge, his legs pumping furiously as he surged past the 50-yard line before being knocked out of bounds by a desperate diving tackle.
[10:43, 1st Quarter – 1st & 10 – UCLA's 45-yard line]
The Rainbow Warriors continued to pound the Bruins' defence with a combination of power runs and short passes, forcing UCLA to play conservatively. Their linebackers were caught in a constant guessing game, unable to commit to the run or drop back in coverage fast enough. And Cordeiro capitalized on that hesitation.
In a 2nd and 6 situation, Hawai'i lined up in a trip's right formation — three wide receivers stacked on the right side of the field. Cordeiro took the snap, immediately scanning his options. His eyes flicked to Calvin Turner, who darted out on a crossing route, running horizontally across the field at a shallow depth. As Turner crossed the middle, he turned his head, his hands ready to make the grab as Cordeiro's quick release fired the ball right into his chest.
"Another clean completion! Turners got the jets to make something out of nothing if he gets space," James Rucker announced, his tone tinged with admiration.
Turner did just that. He slipped the initial tackle and pushed forward for a first down, the chains moving yet again to the frustration of the Bruins' sideline. Defensive Coordinator Corey James could be seen shouting his lungs out on the side of the field. No matter what instruction he gave his defensive squad, they found ways to let him down.
Whether it be a blown tackle, a failed block or the one guy who decided to slip just before he was about to sack the opposing QB. He was livid as he watched their opponents carving up his defence with a mix of slants, curls, and quick outs that left his defence floundering to make a stop. On the field, Kolby Wyatt, the Rainbow Warriors' tight end, added another dimension with his physicality, using his size to gain leverage against the smaller UCLA defenders.
He seemed to have absorbed Samoan-like strength in his time at the university as he made the Bruins' defence look silly. If he wanted to move you, he would do just that. No mere teddy bear could get in his way as he bullied his way through a tackle attempt and ploughed ahead for extra yardage, his momentum dragging defenders like ragdolls. Some of the supporters were already feeling sorry for some of the players who were likely to become the backdrop of his highlight reel.
As they reached the red zone, Cordeiro dialled up a play-action pass, fooling the defence once again. His eyes looked up the moment the ball entered his hands, locking onto Zion Bowens on a fade route— a pattern where the receiver sprints straight ahead before veering slightly toward the sideline to create separation. The throw was pinpoint, arcing perfectly over the defender's outstretched hands and into Bowen's waiting arms just as he stepped into the end zone.
[8:27, 1st Quarter – Touchdown, Hawai'i 7 – UCLA 3]
"Beautiful play design!" Callum Benson shouted. "And it all started with the ground game. UCLA has to find some way to adjust, or they're going to be steamrolled."
"Right now, it looks like the Rainbow Warriors are playing with the house's money. They've got nothing to lose and everything to gain, and it's showing," James Rucker replied.
Rucker's voice echoed the trend that followed the first half as UCLA's woes didn't end there. Their next offensive drive stalled out almost immediately, thanks to a combination of poor blocking and Maddox's increasing frustration. Hawai'i's defence, led by Darius Muasau and Khoury Bethley, swarmed to the ball like piranhas on a fresh carcass. They read the Bruins' routes with alarming precision after spending the time their offence was on to adjust.
This left Maddox scrambling to find any openings. Since the school emphasised on athletic QBs who had the ability to effectively scramble out of sticky situations, that became his go-to. Especially as a concerning trend started to emerge with the defensive outside linebacker managing to break the almost non-existent O-line. They might as well have been practice dummies by who easily they left Austin exposed, often times leaving him no more than 3 seconds to make a play.
However, this also created a scenario where he would instinctively play last year's plays instead of the new attacking scheme. This resulted in mind-boggling scenarios where he should bail out according to the game plan but would instead risk a hit for the extra yardage. The fact that he couldn't rely on his O-line for protection made him all the more skittish, leaving little room for him to fully consider where to throw the ball.
A miscommunication on a third snap on the 45-yard line on a crossing route left Isaiah wide open for a potential big gain, but Maddox's throw sailed over his head. He had panicked as one of the opposing linebackers had just broken through the O-line and was gearing up to hurt him. They were forced to punt, and the crowd's grumbling intensified as the mood instantly turned depressing.
To make matters worse, Hawai'i continued to dominate on offence. Cordeiro's ability to extend plays with his legs was measured risk taken by him unlike in Austin's case, who was forced to make a choice. He became a headache to the Bruins' defence as just when they managed to collapse the pocket, he'd slip out and pick up crucial yards with his legs, making the Bruins look slow and clumsy by comparison.
The hits kept coming. Calvin Turner took a jet sweep around the right edge, using his blockers masterfully to carve out a 20-yard gain. Hunter continued to find seams in the defence, churning out hard-earned yards and wearing down the Bruins' front seven. By the time the first quarter ended, Hawai'i had already tacked on another field goal, and their momentum was snowballing.
[End of 1st Quarter – Hawai'i 10 – UCLA 3]
.
.
.
.
To Be continued...