Adams was fully focused.
As a safety, positioned slightly to the back, he could see everything in front of him clearly. He had all movements under control and noticed Li Wei and Hertz's exaggerated "fake run and real pass" performance immediately, and then he saw Hertz leave the pocket.
Generally, a quarterback wouldn't leave the pocket, for without the protection of the offensive line, he becomes extremely vulnerable, totally exposed to the defense; mobile quarterbacks, however, are an exception. When they leave the pocket, their field of vision opens up, and the dual threat of passing and running kicks in fully.
However, Hertz did not choose the read option, yet he still left the pocket, which meant—
His gaze quickly swept the field.
Hertz and Li Wei split up, each making a dash as if to run.
The double running back tactic, Crimson Tide Storm actually employed this strategy again, using Hertz as a second running back in such a critical moment.
It was neither a passing offense nor a simple running play.
The Tigers Defense Squad would never forget the first play that broke the deadlock in the second half of the game when the Crimson Tide Storm, relying on Hertz's feigned running play—not a read option but a true or false running back—caught the Tigers completely off guard, and now they were using the same tactic again.
Saban played a trick, but this wasn't typical of Saban. How could that old fox take such a risk at this critical juncture? What was going on?
But now there was no time to ponder Saban's behavior pattern because the Tigers Defense Squad was indeed facing a serious test—
Hertz to the left, Li Wei to the right, how should they decide, how should they defend?
Thoughts churned in his mind, yet it was only a fleeting moment, and the players of the offensive and defensive groups had already sprung into action.
Adams immediately noticed that Riley's steps had shifted with Hertz's lateral movement; Beckwith kept his eyes glued to Li Wei without blinking.
The other two linebackers scattered, following the running routes of the wide receivers to stay in close coverage.
The compact formation of the Tigers' defensive front thus dispersed.
Clearly, Crimson Tide Storm's offense, with its indistinguishable reality from feint, had caused a difference in judgment among the defense squad that was hanging by a thread.
Adams didn't even have time to curse; he needed to stay calm and react.
Pumping the brakes, Adams didn't rush to start; after all, this was at least second down and ten yards. If it was a ground play, the defensive group still had some space to fall back; if it was a passing play and the defensive group recklessly moved forward, leaving behind a vulnerable second line, they would fall right into the opponent's trap. He needed to observe.
A moment of calmness, and through the dense crowd, Adams saw Hertz's running motion. He wasn't holding the ball, Li Wei was.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
An alarm, sounding throughout.
And then, Adams saw Li Wei, amidst the surging crowd and rolling heatwaves; that figure, like a white wave dancing through a haze of purple mist.
Laterally, on the Tigers Defense Squad's left side, Li Wei's right, cornerback White lunged in like a dagger, only to see Li Wei calmly come to an abrupt stop, brushing past White's tackle with a 360-degree clockwise spin, instantly breaking free and continuing to push forward on the inside.
Next up, Beckwith's steps were rapidly closing in, but Li Wei remained composed, hitting the brakes urgently again, repeating the same 360-degree clockwise spin around Beckwith's tackle, shedding the tackle with a familiar maneuver and driving forward on the inside, like a tornado.
Light, agile, and delicately.
In a mere three yards of space, within layers of defensive gatekeepers, he danced with effortless grace, that white wave basking in the golden sunshine, leaping atop the purple tide, the momentary gasp left the whole Tiger Stadium engulfed in shock and disbelief.
Not only effortlessly but also composedly, Li Wei moved as if he was in a realm of his own.
In the nick of time, Beckwith finally made an impact. In the chaos of losing balance and nearly falling, he stretched his arm backward in a graceful arc, tripping Li Wei's ankle, disrupting his fluid motion.
Li Wei, propelled by inertia, lost rhythm and balance, his knee bent and his steps faltered.
Then, Adams appeared.
For a brief moment, that short instant, Li Wei and Adams's gazes intersected, resembling lone heroes in a Western movie poised for their final standoff, the vast field around them empty of all other players, all other figures vanished, leaving only them standing atop a metaphorical narrow bridge, facing off in a duel to the death.
Adams made the first move, taking the lead.
Li Wei, following the forward momentum of his body, continued to surge to the right. He had just cut from the outside back to the inside, and now he was cutting back outside again because he needed the space to accelerate, he needed to adjust his center of gravity and balance, or else he had no chance in a head-to-head confrontation with Adams.
Like a shadow, Adams stepped up quickly along a diagonal line, attempting an interception before Li Wei could regain his balance.
The two figures, along two radiating lines at a thirty-degree angle, rapidly approached the intersection point, with Adams's accurate foresight aiming to cut off the path ahead.
Just as the two figures were about to collide, Li Wei suddenly braked hard, controlling his body a step in advance, teetering on the edge of a cliff, reining in just before the precipice, and passed by Adams, who was within an arm's reach.
Adams was prepared, slightly overshooting but quickly braking, spinning around and diving forward, reaching out to grapple Li Wei at the first opportunity.
He knew Li Wei's capabilities, having just seen Li Wei shake off White and Beckwith, and he wouldn't make the same mistake a third time.
The tackle, successful!
But this time, Li Wei had braked hard to control his body, finding his balance and center of gravity again, and without missing a beat, he started moving again, pushing off the ground forcefully.
Li Wei intentionally collided with Adams, pressing against him as he continued to move forward, unable to achieve a firm grasp amidst the jostling and bumping.
Staggering unsteadily, just as Li Wei was about to break free from the tackle, Adams, in a moment of desperation and no longer caring for the rules—
The yellow flag made its appearance, the referees did not miss this scene.
But the game did not stop.
Li Wei felt the pull and collision of the force, not only did he not fall, but he also pushed off the ground more fully, once again increasing his power and speed.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Jostling, colliding, pulling, squeezing, entangling.
Li Wei and Adams were completely tangled up, with Adams refusing to let go, working hard to accelerate, trying to match Li Wei's pace, their speed escalating.
Stride, running, speeding up.
In the midst of shoving each other, the speed of both men had picked up.
In the blink of an eye, the two men had tangled and charged some distance, the first down already in hand.
Thompson, the Tigers' other safety, had an extremely ugly look on his face, not because Adams failed to stop Li Wei, but because Adams had become confused, completely forgetting the most important thing at hand—
Time, the game clock, that was what mattered most right now.