Chapter 101 100 Stand tall and proud
"21:0".
The game ended, and everything came to a stop, drawing to a period.
Adams stood in place, staring at the giant scoreboard above the field.
That group of numbers twinkled as if they were mocking all their efforts throughout the game as futile; the overwhelming purple wave of Tiger Stadium's crowd remained, loyally standing by, just like when they had lost to Auburn University before.
Memories surged like a tide.
The scene before him, under the reflection of the scoreboard numbers, became increasingly jumbled and uncomfortable.
There was a bitter taste in his mouth.
Yet, this is the nature of competitive sports—
The joy of victory is as intense as the pain of defeat.
And this time, it was against a bitter rival.
Before the game started, they truly believed they could defeat the Crimson Tide Storm, not just to beat their archenemy but also to salvage a season fraught with hardship. But dreams are plush, reality is skeletal.
They not only lost the game but were shut out, right there in Tiger Stadium.
Adams couldn't remember the last time Louisiana State was shut out in Tiger Stadium; not to mention, by the Crimson Tide Storm.
This was a true disgrace.
His nose felt sore.
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But—
Taking a deep breath, Adams had already started walking, having locked onto Li Wei's position from the start. He wouldn't run away or deny it, like a coward, he would face defeat head-on.
Perhaps they lost to Auburn University, and then suffered a crushing defeat against the University of Alabama, but that didn't mean they would keep losing. Absolutely not.
He could face the opponents who defeated him with his head held high.
In a blink, Adams had already stopped in front of Li Wei.
Li Wei was about to leave; his time with the Crimson Tide Storm was too short. When it came to the enmity of archrivals, he still lacked some resonance. Let his teammates do the gloating, Humphrey was good at that—
He had started to dance Crayon Shin-chan's elephant dance again.
Then, Li Wei saw Adams standing in front of him.
Li Wei was a bit confused and looked around to make sure Adams was looking for him, but the issue was, once he took off his helmet, he didn't recognize this face. Blinking, he asked, "Can I help you?"
Adams: Damn!
He was so close to exploding on the spot, but he managed to contain his fury. He didn't bother to explain and instead extended his right hand generously, "Great game."
Li Wei gripped his hand firmly in response, "Great game."
The suspense and pressure continued until the end. Li Wei wouldn't belittle the opponent just because of the Crimson Tide Storm's victory, as that would devalue the triumph. In truth, Tiger's performance today was commendable, and it would be an important battle in Crimson Tide Storm's journey this season.
The handshake was firm, forceful, a standoff.
Adams noticed Li Wei's grip strength was excellent and it reminded him of Li Wei's background as a mixed martial artist. The last traces of his provocativeness vanished, as he stood up straight to boost his morale.
"Next time we meet, we will defeat you."
"Oh, good luck with that."
That casual demeanor irritated Adams, causing a stifled feeling in his chest.
Immediately after, Li Wei continued, "But I think it's going to be tough, so you might need a bit of luck, oh, a little bit might not be enough, so I wish you guys extremely good luck."
Adams: ...
Li Wei unfurled his right fist and, like a toothpaste model, revealed a row of neat, white teeth, "Good luck."
Taking a deep breath, then another, Adams finally got a hold of himself, "Looking forward to our next meeting."
Li Wei nodded seriously.
Without lingering any longer, Adams turned and left.
The sound of the wind carried the conversation from behind—
"You've become friends with the Tigers' ace?"
"Who?"
"That, Adams."
"Oh, so that was Adams."
Adams nearly stumbled over nothing at all, almost performing a fall right where he stood, but he managed to control himself, only one thought in his mind:
Get away from here, the faster the better.
Yet his body did not cooperate with his brain, and his steps halted; he even turned back for another look at Li Wei. Adams had a feeling they might cross paths again in the future.
Rivals though they might be, after the game, the greetings between the two sides were more sincere and careful. Precisely because they were rivals, intense matchups bred feelings of familiarity among the players, each one looking forward to the next encounter, leaving what happened on the field on the field, to the bitter end.
From the current situation, the Crimson Tide Storm's advance to the subsequent bowl games and the nationwide championship seemed highly likely, while the Tigers needed to push harder.
So, what exactly happened in this match? And how did things develop to this point?
The Crimson Tide Storm shut out the Tigers and won this defensive showdown with an absolute advantage, taking away a perfect victory from Tiger Stadium—an outcome that nobody had predicted at the start of the game.
NCAA: ...
Without watching the game, if one only glanced at the score, they might sneer and say that the Louisiana State University Tigers were paper tigers after all. What Tennessee and Texas A&M couldn't do, they naturally couldn't manage either. Saban should have had a very easy victory; there was nothing noteworthy about this game. Your journey continues on empire
But those who actually watched this game would vehemently disagree.
The score simply couldn't show the intensity of the match. Without a doubt, the Tigers put incredible pressure on the Crimson Tide Storm, making it their most difficult and dangerous game of the season, even tougher than the one against Mississippi. The Crimson Tide Storm stood up to the test.
The suspense over the victory lingered until the last quarter. If it wasn't for Li Wei's seventy-five-yard dash to score a touchdown and crush the Tigers' hopes, Orgeron and his Tigers had not planned to give up without a fight.
Behind the seemingly wide score difference, not only did the Crimson Tide Storm's defensive group show their dominance again, but also their offensive group withstood the test, facing off against one of the NCAA's top defensive groups and continuing their outstanding performance.
The controversy and doubt, having developed to such a state, could now take a breather.
After three consecutive weeks of facing tough opponents in a devilish schedule, the Crimson Tide Storm claimed three straight wins with unparalleled performances, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Clemson Tigers as the only two undefeated teams in the NCAA so far this season.
Prior to this, Clemson, because of weaker opponents, remained unbeaten but hovered around fifth place nationwide. However, with consecutive victories over tough teams, including one led by Jackson of Louisville, their ranking continued to climb. After defeating Florida State, which had slipped to twelfth place, their ranking had risen to second place by this week.
The two teams that faced off in last season's national championship remained dominant this season.
With the season more than halfway through, the hustle and bustle of battle pervaded, and the challenges for the reigning champions kept increasing. Louisiana State was not just one hurdle, but undoubtedly, this battle had brought even more confidence to the defending champions.
Fierce battles. Bitter struggles. Bloody fights.
This is the right way to build a strong team.
And it is for this very reason that Li Wei became famous in one battle.