“For us, this is a must-win game because it gets us to that magic number 6, meaning we’re going bowling,” David said.
He looked around the room, and everyone agreed with him to this point.
“Both teams have had the same two main issues go against them this year: injuries and mental mistakes. Our roster is loaded with talented players, making the injury issues not as bad for us as they are for UCLA. Last week, mental mistakes and penalties cost us the game.
“I think we can fix the unsportsmanlike conduct by our best defensive back. Our left tackle, who can’t seem to remember the snap count or who he’s supposed to block, should be replaced. I know his backup is a true freshman, but if you point him in the right direction, he’s a rock,”
David said.
Offensive line coach Mike Bolton had a neutral look on his face. David bet that he’d voiced the same concerns and had been shot down. Amy caught his eye and gave him a little nod to continue.
“Matt Long stepped in after Ridge Townsend left early for the NFL. His raw numbers aren’t terrible. He’s passed for 1,545 yards on the season for an average of 220 yards per game with a 57.1 completion percentage and 11
touchdown passes. The problem is the 8 interceptions.
“Matt will continue to improve, but he gets rattled when pressed. It looks like the game suddenly speeds up for him, and he makes questionable decisions. My best advice would be to watch, and if Matt starts to get happy feet or looks lost, pull him from the game for a few plays to settle him,”
David suggested.
“Won’t that make the situation worse?” Coach Thomas asked.
“Not if you bring Matt in and explain it to him. Show him how after getting knocked on his ass, three plays later, he’s throwing an interception or badly missing an open receiver.
Matt understands winning plays. You’d just be putting him in a position for success,” David said and then had a thought. “Call his dad. Matt goes to him for advice, and if he hears it from his dad, too, you’ll be fine.”
“I should have thought of that,” Coach Stackhouse said.
Her job as team psychologist, along with being their special teams coach, meant she was responsible for knowing how to communicate with each player. She was right; she should have been using Matt’s dad to help him become a better player.
“The overview is nice, but the bottom line is the upcoming game for us,” Coach Merritt said.
“Let’s start with line play. We’ve allowed twenty-four sacks this season, and last week against Cal, they got us for four. That led to us giving up ten tackles for a loss. On top of that, we snapped the ball before Matt was ready. Like a lot of our games, once the mistakes began, the floodgates opened. We can’t have that against an overmatched UCLA team.
“Our run game has been solid, and I would give UCLA a steady diet of that. Then I would play-action pass deep to Bill. If Matt is off target, Bill’s the receiver who can go to the ball and catch it. Even if it doesn’t work, UCLA has to worry about us picking up chunk plays, which in turn forces them to play the run honestly.
“I’ll put our line up against theirs any day. I would grind out first downs and take my time between plays. Force their defense to be on the field as you throw body blows.
Come the fourth quarter, they’ll be tired, and we can win the game.
“I know that isn’t the sexiest way to win, but if you have superior talent, pound them,” David said.
“And what should we worry about?” Coach Merritt asked.
“This is a rivalry game. They’ve had this date circled since day one. Their emotions will be high at the start.
That’s why the long drives that end in scores are so critical.
If we go three-and-out, their confidence will grow. If they jump out to a lead, we might be in trouble.
“Ultimately, it will come down to us controlling the game and not making mistakes. Also, we have to keep an eye on matchups. If you see Bill one-on-one, run your run-pass option, and throw him the ball. We win this game by two or more scores if we do that. If it’s close, we could easily lose,” David predicted.
◊◊◊
UCLA was a quick bus ride, but the coaching staff wanted to treat this like any other away game. That meant staying in a hotel near UCLA’s football stadium, the iconic Rose Bowl.
Since David wasn’t starting and was a freshman, he didn’t get to pick Alex as a roommate. Instead, he drew Nick, aka Big Cat.
As they got off the buses, Pac-12 TV crews were filming to get B-roll for tomorrow’s game. Coach Stackhouse must have drawn the short straw because she was handing out key cards.
“Go use your charm and get us a quiet room away from the dumpster,” Big Cat said.
David got in line and waited. When it was his turn, Amy winked at him.
“Thank me later,” she said under her breath.
David took the cards and found Big Cat talking to the other freshmen.
“What did you get?”
“I didn’t look,” David said, handing the envelope to his roommate.
“We’re on the third floor,” Chuy said.
Big Cat gave David an unreadable look and said, “Grab your gear and let’s get settled before dinner.”
David followed him to the elevators. When they got on, they were alone.
That was when Big Cat began to bounce around.
“Holy fuck! I think they gave you one of the coaches’
room by mistake.”
David looked at the elevator number pushed; it was the top floor. Something was up. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was some prank, so he had his guard up when they got off. Their room was one of the end suites, with two bedrooms with king-size beds.
They’d just gotten unpacked when there was a knock at the door. David let Big Cat get it.
“David! I think this is for you.”
He came out to find Drew Langford, USC’s new athletic director.
“I was hoping I could have a word,” Drew said.
“I’ll let the coaches know that you might be late for dinner,” Big Cat said as he left.
David went with Drew to a conference room on the first floor. When he walked in, it was a strange assortment of guests. From the Pac-12 television network were their college game-day announcers, along with Tracy. Pac-12
Commissioner Brent Allison was talking to Channel 10’s sports reporter Chip Wagner. There were USC boosters, including his grandmother, Ron Pennington, and Gabe Francis.
The one that puzzled him was Abigail Barnes, his director from the soap.
“Everyone! Go on through to the other room, and we’ll talk over dinner,” Drew called out.
“What’s going on?” David asked.
“A little PR,” Drew said and left him standing there.
His grandmother came and took his arm. It was probably for the best because he was contemplating walking out.
She guided him to his seat and then took hers next to Ron.
David found himself between Tracy and Chip, with Abigail across from him.
Tracy gave him a look that said to hold his questions.
The waitstaff took drink orders and brought Caesar salads as a starter. Once everyone was set, Drew stood up.
“Tracy Dole, USC’s student reporter for the Pac-12
Network, came to me at the first of the week. She pointed out that one of our own was starring in a nighttime soap opera called The Young and The Wild. I watched it and at first worried about some of the content.”