Chapter 912: A Definitive Touchdown

"Hut!"

Frank Gore quickly stepped forward, ready to meet Lu Ke for the exchange. He saw Lu Ke turn to face Marcus Lynch, as if to hand him the ball, but then Lu Ke made a counter-clockwise turn and quickly handed the ball to him instead.

Gore held the ball with both hands, adjusting his feet with small steps. He quickly glanced around and realized the seriousness of the situation.

The left and right sides were heavily fortified. He could see at least two players blocking every position, especially the two on the left, who had instantly realized Gore had the ball and were already rushing toward him.

The center was a pileup of bodies, with offensive and defensive linemen all crammed together. It was a bullfight of shoulders and horns, with no one giving an inch, creating a completely sealed-off wall.

Gore wasn’t panicked.

This was a running back’s everyday reality. They had to advance when they could, and they had to try even when they couldn’t. Even with a sea of bodies in front of them, they had to find a gap to advance, just like in this moment. Otherwise, why would everyone say a running back’s career is so short?

The distance from his position to the center was about seven yards, and to Lu Ke’s position, about four yards. Now, Gore had about three yards of space to accelerate. Should he go forward or change direction? Should he go through the middle or to the sides?

In a single second, countless ideas flashed through his mind.

Then, Gore caught a clue: during the tactical briefing, what were the routes for the three receivers?

On the left, Crabtree would run forward and veer to the outside.

On the right, Vernon Davis would run forward and veer to the outside. Moss would run straight forward, and once he got to the end zone, he’d run a post route. Marcus would slow down, and after all the players had sprinted out, he’d cut back inside and also veer to the outside, creating a deep and shallow overlapping position with Vernon in the end zone.

In other words, the four receiving targets were all pushing to the sides, drawing all the defensive strength with them. This meant that compared to the heavily-fortified sides, the center was the weak point, despite the pileup of offensive and defensive linemen.

The repeated tactical meetings had gradually created a game-time instinct. All these thoughts flashed through his mind without any analysis, forming a natural habit. In the time it took to adjust his steps, he made his choice and decision.

Gore’s feet kept moving forward. The short three-yard space wasn’t enough to build up speed. He hadn’t even reached top speed when a dense wall appeared in front of him. There was no gap, not even a tiny one, but Gore’s feet didn’t stop. He charged forward like he was going to run into a wall.

A collision seemed imminent.

Gore’s feet were already behind Jonathan Goodwin, but he didn’t hesitate or panic. He used the momentum from his short sprint, pushing off the ground with both feet like a diver on a ten-meter platform, and launched himself into the air.

First his head, then his upper body.

Because the confrontation between the offense and defense was so tight, all the players had their heads down, creating a "trough" in the center. The trough was only about half a person high, so he could use his momentum to vault over it like a gymnast on a pommel horse.

But he couldn’t use his hands to support himself. The distance he had to run wasn’t enough. The momentum from his push and sprint wasn’t enough to carry him all the way over. He had just launched himself when he started to lose momentum, and it looked like he was going to come crashing down on the linemen.

In that critical moment, Gore tucked his head toward his chest, trying to press his chin against his sternum. He tucked his upper body forward, doing a forward roll in mid-air. He spun 360 degrees, soaring over the "Great Wall" in front of him.

Whoosh!

His ears were filled with the sound of the wind, and the world in his eyes began to spin. Gore could even clearly see the players below him, their heads tilted up in a look of shock, as if he were in a reversed world. The upside-down reflections in their eyes revealed their surprise and astonishment.

Urlacher was retreating and moving sideways, trying to block Marcus’s slot run, but he had just left his middle linebacker position when he noticed Gore’s sprint. A sense of danger from years of experience made every cell in his body tense up.

He quickly stepped up and adjusted his body to collide with Gore in mid-air, trying to take him down.

But Gore’s takeoff was unconventional, and his time in the air was fleeting. Urlacher couldn’t get into position in time. He only managed to hit Gore’s back, but he couldn’t get a solid hit. Instead, his feet slipped, and he fell in a heap.

Time slowed down, then sped up again.

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind filled his ears instantly, and the speed of his roll exploded ten- or even a hundred-fold. The world, which had been inverted, returned to normal, but the powerful force of the horizontal collision made it all a blur. The immense force hit him hard, but he was in mid-air, so he couldn’t resist. He could only grit his teeth and endure it.

All the images in his sight became fragmented. People and images tumbled in front of him, but in the end... he stumbled and rolled into the end zone. He landed in a chaotic, clumsy heap. It wasn’t a smooth landing, but he wasn’t hurt.

"This is a... run!"

"After three straight two-running-back formations, Lu Ke handed the ball off to running back Frank Gore! The 49ers’ offense has spread out, with all the receivers scattered to the sides, and three different receiving options on the right, but Lu Ke chose to run the ball!"

"It’s not Marcus Lynch, it’s Frank Gore!"

"Gore sprints! Gore rushes forward!"

"He chose to go up the middle! It’s crowded with players from both teams. You can’t see any space to advance, but... Gore leaps! My God, Gore chose to vault over! Jesus Christ! He’s gone over! He actually vaulted right over them!"

"Urlacher is trying to fall back to cover! Urlacher hits Gore! Urlacher and Gore fall in a heap! But... he’s in the end zone! Gore successfully entered the end zone! My God, this is a Hollywood stunt! Gore actually made it into the end zone! Could this game get any more exciting? Unbelievable! This is absolutely unbelievable!"

"Touchdown!"

"This is a touchdown!"

"Undoubtedly, this is a touchdown! For the 49ers, a touchdown seems to have become a habit, but scoring in this manner is still astonishing! I’m at a loss for words, but... ’unbelievable’ is the perfect word to describe how I feel right now!"

"Facing the Bears’ strong defense, the 49ers repeatedly used the retro two-running-back formation to complete two passes and one run. In a head-on clash, they used their absolute skill to tear through the tight defense and get into the end zone! Touchdown!"

"From the moment they got the ball after the interception near midfield, Lu Ke once again showed his superb ability to orchestrate a plan and seize an opportunity. Although the two-running-back tactic was Harbaugh’s idea, on the field, Lu Ke maximized his skills. Whether it was a quick release or a delayed one, whether it was a fake or precise control, the details of the play were executed perfectly! It’s flawless!"

"The 49ers’ offense, with its overwhelming power, delivered a spectacular touchdown!"

"Let’s watch the replay again. My God, Gore’s takeoff and hang time were beautiful. It was a standard, high-difficulty gymnastics move, showing unparalleled flexibility and strength. He completed this touchdown in the most impossible way, delivering a direct blow to the Bears’ defense."

"Wait, the referees need to review the replay to confirm whether Gore maintained full control of the football when he landed."

"From our view, there’s no debate. Gore had full control of the football, but Urlacher’s last-second collision did create some suspense. Maybe from a different angle, the ball did come loose. We can only wait for the final decision from the referee."

"From the perspective of a neutral fan, I hope this is a successful touchdown, because the 49ers’ tactics and execution were so beautiful. But on the other hand, if this is a touchdown, the suspense of the game is basically gone, and the fourth quarter won’t mean much. If it’s not a touchdown, the Bears still have a fighting chance."

"The referee has announced the result! It’s a touchdown! Confirmed! It’s a touchdown!"

"That’s a definitive call. With this touchdown, the home team has basically secured the victory. The Bears’ offense doesn’t have much fight left. The suspense is fading. Candlestick Park is absolutely on fire! Gore’s vaulting touchdown has ignited the entire crowd!"

"Gore!"

"Gore!"

"Gore!"

The cheers of the whole stadium roared like a tempest.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!