Legendary Football Superstar

In a split second, sparks flew between Kevin and John. Kevin whipped around, shooting daggers at John, who shot 'em right back, not budging an inch. But before they could throw down, Anthony's pissed-off voice cut through the tension, "Yo, you guys! Get your butts over here! Did you hear me? Move it!"

That shout broke their stare-down. Kevin, grumbling under his breath, turned and sprinted to the meeting spot. After a blow-up in the last practice, he'd been knocked down to fourth backup. Officially, he was still on the team, but let's be real, a fourth- string QB is basically a benchwarmer. He couldn't screw up again.

Seeing John all riled up, Luke just laughed, "Dude, he's stuck in college ball. We're gunning for the big leagues. Why waste time on a nobody?" That jab left John speechless. Luke aiming for the pros? From practice squad to NFL? Even Hollywood wouldn't buy that script.

But the more he thought about it, the less he could argue. Eventually, John cracked a smile too. He jogged alongside Luke and joined the rest of the team.

The coaches were huddled nearby, Rick looking like he just bit into a lemon, muttering to the other two. Anthony glanced over, and Rick just waved him off. Then Anthony turned to the players and barked, "Alright, training's done for now. Next up, we got an intra-squad scrimmage. Third team versus the practice squad."

Scrimmages at training camp? Totally normal. They could be testing out new plays, practicing strategies, or just getting a feel for the competition. They happen all the time, either as scrimmages or group drills. But third team against the practice squad? That was a curveball.

The practice squad doesn't have set positions; they're like the Swiss Army knife of the team, filling in wherever needed-offense, defense, special teams, you name it. Mostly, they help out in specialized drills. In official scrimmages, they rarely see the field.

Ten days ago, Luke and Kevin's showdown was during one of those group drills, a setup specifically for working on offensive plays.

So, the practice squad was actually gonna have an official scrimmage? That meant they had to pull together an offense and a defense, and throw in special teams when

needed. Plus, they needed a quarterback. The practice squad didn't have a QB; usually, they'd borrow the third or fourth-string guy to run plays.

Anthony knew exactly what kind of chaos he was stirring up and kept going, "The game's gonna be fifteen minutes long to see how well, v'all have nicked, in the plays Our first and second teams are banged up, no secret there. After this camp, we gotta pick some solid players from the third team, freshmen, and practice squad to beef up the backups. Today's the start of that."

Everyone had that "aha" moment and started buzzing with excitement.

UCLA had a killer history, winning the Rose Bowl thirteen times, including an insane eight-year streak-a record that still stands in NCAA history. But since the 21st century hit, they've been in a major slump, nowhere near their glory days of the '50s and '80s.

Last year, they finally showed some life, ending the season 7-5. It was the first time in five years they had more wins than losses, so hopes were high for the Bruins this year. But before the season even kicked off, injuries hit hard, especially the first team, putting a dark cloud over their chances.

The coaches couldn't just sit around and hope for the best. They had to prep for both scenarios: waiting for the main guys to heal up and boosting the bench strength. This training camp was their last shot, with the season starting next week.

The fifteen-minute scrimmage was basically a longer version of a group drill, just with clearer roles. In other words, the coaches had a more focused way to evaluate everyone.

After Anthony's announcement, the first and second teams exchanged glances, ready to watch the action. The third team, freshmen, and practice squad were all hyped. This was their golden chance. Everyone was pumped, ready to show what they had.

John looked at Luke, eyes wide with excitement. He nudged Luke with his shoulder, "Did you hear that? Did you hear that?" He was practically bouncing, fists pumping in the air.

Luke clenched his fists, fired up. He'd just earned a basic point and was ready to level up. But the big question was, where to put it?

Amid the buzz, Anthony raised his voice, "Alright, let's get into groups." The freshmen were gonna stick to their usual spots for now. The coaches were still figuring out their skills and would shuffle them around based on what the team needed. Same deal for the practice squad-everyone played all over the place, no fixed roles.

"Before we group, who's gonna be the quarterbacks for the two teams?" Anthony shouted. The chatter died instantly, and all eyes locked on Kevin, John, and Darius Bell -the new freshman QB.

Darius was technically the third-string QB, with Kevin as the fourth. John, on the practice squad, was the obvious choice for their QB, given his past performances.

But Darius was still green, only with the team for a couple of weeks and not yet up to speed with the playbook or the college game pace.

So, Anthony called out, "Kevin, you're QB for the third team." No one was surprised, not even Darius. The third team players congratulated Kevin, who tried to play it cool but couldn't hide his grin. "What about the practice squad?"

Darius? Or John?

"I will!" A voice rang out. Heads turned to see Luke stepping up. Everyone was stunned, their brains short-circuiting.

But Luke stood tall, meeting Anthony's gaze with confidence. This was his shot, and he wasn't gonna blow it.

Anthony was a bit taken aback, remembering Luke's killer rainbow pass in the three- on-three game. Just then, John stepped forward. Everyone thought he was gonna volunteer, but instead, he said, "I recommend Luke. He's a solid quarterback."

Minds were blown. But the real shocker was yet to come. Anthony nodded, "Alright, Luke, you're QB for the practice squad. You know the offensive plays?"

"Absolutely!" Luke replied, brimming with confidence.

A buzz of disbelief rippled through the crowd. Everyone was looking around, unsure how to react. Kevin just muttered, "Clown," with a sneer.

Anthony ignored the stunned faces and announced the rosters, finishing up the groupings for the third team and the practice squad. "We're skipping the kickoff. Third team starts on offense, practice squad on defense. Game starts in five. Get ready."

With that, Anthony walked off, leaving the field to the players.

In no time, Luke was swarmed by his practice squad teammates, all eyes on him. "You sure about this? Can you really pull it off?"

There was no real beef among the practice squad. In fact, they were tighter than the main team, united by being the underdogs. They might've been annoyed by Luke's standout performances sometimes, but they got along way better with him than with Kevin's crew.

Luke grinned, "We'll see once we hit the field, right? Don't sweat it. If I throw a pick on the first play, the coaches won't have the stomach to keep watching." His joke broke the tension, and everyone laughed.

An interception in football is when the other team catches the ball before it hits the ground. Whether it's first down or fourth, the offense loses possession, and the other team takes over.

The practice squad's offensive guys cleared the field, making way for the defense. They all cheered for their teammates. From practice squad to backup? Maybe even making the game-day roster? That was the dream-far-fetched but possible.

Luke had a moment to himself and summoned the system again, thinking about where to put that basic point he'd just earned. To his surprise, he saw the task icon flashing. He'd already read the message about completing the daily training task, so what was this new notification?noveldrama

Curious, Luke opened the mailbox and saw a new task: a game task!