The commentators were buzzing with their opinions, creating a lively and chaotic vibe, with radio waves crisscrossing all over North America.
Meanwhile, Luke led his team back onto the field. The doubts, discussions, and taunts didn't faze him. On the field, there was no room for distractions.
With the game plan set, the offensive line lined up at the twenty-yard mark. Running back Anthony Dixon was still looking for confirmation from Luke, but Luke couldn't say anything. He just widened his eyes and spread his hands, showing he was just as confused. The chemistry between Luke and Anthony Dixon was still a work in progress. Frustrated, Luke had to shout, "20, 20, 20, hold steady, 20."
Twenty yards was their starting point. Usually, it meant the running back was supposed to run the ball. But when Luke shouted "hold steady" and pressed his hands down, he was signaling: get ready to receive the ball, but I'll read the defense and decide. Don't rush to take the ball. It might be a fake run and a real pass.
Anthony Dixon finally got it and nodded repeatedly.
So, Anthony Dixon positioned himself seven yards behind the offensive line, ready to sprint. When moving the ball, a running back needs bulldozer-like energy, requiring more running space and room to find gaps.
Then, Luke stood behind Jonathan Goodwin. Without even looking up, he caught a glimpse of a familiar, taunting figure. Richard Sherman, again.
After the first play, Luke hadn't paid much attention to Richard. Logan had found an open space, and Luke had passed the ball decisively. As for Richard, he hadn't considered him, feared him, or challenged him.
But clearly, Richard didn't see it that way. He widened his eyes like two big glass beads, making faces and shouting, "Bambi, Bambi, little Bambi. Bambi is scared, going home to mommy. Mommy's not home, only the big bad wolf. What will you do?" After saying this, he turned around, wiggled his butt at Luke, then quickly retreated to his defensive position, ready for defense again.
Despite the taunts, Richard didn't let his guard down.
With just a quick glance, Luke noticed the change in the defensive formation: five in front, six in the back.
Technically, the overall defensive formation hadn't changed much. The front half still had seven defensive players, but they had switched formations, from four in front and three in the back to four players attacking the offensive line, increasing the pressure on the quarterback, and three players covering the run and short pass areas, shifting the defensive focus forward.
The back half still had four defensive players: two cornerbacks and two safeties, defending the backfield passes. However, their positions had clearly moved forward, with two cornerbacks and one safety at the twenty-five-yard line, leaving another safety roaming at the thirty-five-yard line.
So, the defensive formation became "4-3-3-1," but with one player from the second line moving forward to join the four players in the front line, the formation evolved into "5-2-3-1."
The Seahawks still left the entire backfield open, seemingly unconcerned about Luke attempting another long pass, but they had clearly amassed a lot of forces on the front line, aiming to pressure the offensive line and the quarterback.
Under enough pressure, the quarterback wouldn't have time to choose a long pass route, cutting off the possibility of a long pass from the start; they might even sack the quarterback, killing the play.
In an instant, Luke decided on the offensive tactic.
He loudly issued a series of commands, and the tight end Logan Newman and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who were originally on the sides, moved back in, positioning themselves on either side of the offensive line. The offensive line now had seven players, with wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams on the left and right sides.
Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams were both drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, the former a first-round pick in 2009, the latter a sixth-round pick in 2010.
However, neither player had many opportunities to perform before this year.
Michael was a troublemaker, spending almost his entire first year in a holdout and on the bench. He only signed his rookie contract a third of the way through the season and officially played, scoring seven touchdowns with a mediocre performance. Kyle's lack of ability meant he never gained trust, let alone opportunities to perform.
From the offensive line to the receivers, the San Francisco 49ers were a young squad, with no big-name players or stars. Tight end Vernon Davis was probably the most well-known player in the offensive group, but due to a lack of chemistry, Jim Harbaugh had benched him.
In a way, this was good for Luke, as he had no pressure to choose passing targets and could make decisions entirely based on his own judgment.
After the tactical change, without waiting for the Seahawks' defense to react, Luke called for the snap.
Jonathan snapped the ball to Luke, who took a few steps back to create some space. Anthony Dixon sprinted forward, reaching out for the handoff, but at the last moment, Luke quickly pulled his right hand back, keeping the ball. Anthony Dixon understood and pretended to hold the ball, charging forward.
It was a fake run and a real pass.
The Seahawks, like a fierce tiger pouncing or a dam bursting, surged forward. Five players attacked the front line, two defended the short pass area, two defended the mid-pass area, and one player quickly retreated to join another teammate in defending the long pass area.
They had seen through Luke's plan, abandoning the run defense to focus on defending the pass and increasing the blitz pressure.
Facing such an onslaught, the 49ers' offensive line held firm. With the line increasing from five to seven players, it wasn't a feint. Logan and Ted were both helping to block, and with Anthony Dixon joining in, they ensured a clean pocket, giving Luke enough time to observe.
Luke remained calm, as if this scenario was entirely expected. With a sidestep and a step forward, he raised his arm and fired the ball like a bullet—not a long pass, but a precise short pass, exactly ten yards!
Richard Sherman was patrolling the area and noticed that Luke's pass was heading his way. The target he was covering was Michael Crabtree.
Michael was running according to the set route. It was undoubtedly a short pass, but whether it was a pass or a run could only be known at the moment of the pass. So, he couldn't think too much and just focused on running his route.
On the field, the 49ers had only two wide receivers running routes. Fortunately, the short and mid-pass areas each had only two defenders, resulting in one-on-one coverage. The Seahawks thought they had deciphered the 49ers' tactics, but the 49ers had also found the Seahawks' weakness. Now it was up to the quarterback's pass.
Michael made an emergency stop and turn, raising his chin, and saw Luke's sharp gaze through the helmet.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Richard losing his balance. Michael took a big step forward, extended his hands, and securely caught the speeding ball. With both hands firmly controlling the ball, he turned around, ready to start advancing, but Richard had already arrived.
Richard couldn't disrupt the catch in time, so he pushed Michael out of bounds, ending the play. But it was too late; the ten-yard pass had Michael standing at the eleven-yard mark, successfully completing the first down!
Richard was stunned, cursing under his breath, but it was futile. He had mispositioned his defense: Luke had completed the pass, right over his head!
"Wow, in just a breath, both teams' offensive and defensive tactics changed subtly, but in the end, the 49ers had the upper hand, easily completing an eleven-yard pass. Number fourteen leads the 49ers forward!" In the studio, Teddy couldn't help but exclaim again, then turned to Kirk, "So, has he always been this wise and smart?"
"Yes, on the field, his judgment, his choices, his decisiveness are undoubtedly the greatest assets to the offense," Kirk nodded, not continuing to recount the exciting moments of the Rose Bowl, but analyzing while watching the replay.
"The Seahawks set up a blitz; the 49ers set up a run. But in the end, the Seahawks focused on defending the mid and short passes; the 49ers chose a short pass. In the ever-changing tactical choices, number fourteen leads the team forward again."
After finishing his commentary, Kirk turned to Teddy, "The most famous event in this year's rookie training camp was the second perfect score on the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and it was a quarterback."
"Yes, I know about that..." Teddy started to say, then suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean the 49ers' number fourteen, he's the one with the perfect score? Damn!"
An almost expletive expression clearly conveyed Teddy's shock.
On the field, Richard was furious, cursing loudly to vent his frustration and anger. Despite his taunts, Michael had easily completed the catch. Although it didn't gain more yards, it was still humiliating.
But for Luke, he had no time to care about Richard's sharp gaze. Calmly, he led the team forward.