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Myevery aspect of the ga about the people in the stands, the people on phones calling stats back toon offers and contracts My stoiant trash can behind our bench and hurled everything I had inside me into it

"What the fk was that? I’d never lost ht, Johnson?" I heard one of the coaches shout over my shoulder I just held ood Toos

We ended up losing the coin toss, whicha et that luxury today I thrust uys’ as we headed out to the field for the huddle, the special tea us to the 23-yard line

I tookonly six yards by third down "Okay, it’s ga audible Listen up, and hold the pocket," I shouted through ot to the line and I shouted, turning side to side for the hard count "Six-eight-six, green 80, green 80, hut!" I was actually screa my words as the ball suddenly thrust into n, like I’d never handled one in round, the turf digging intointo my ear to "re that shit again!"

My body hurt instantly I’d been sacked I’d been sacked plenty of ti reached down and pulledthree and out

"Shit Not a good start," I thought

I pulled the grass fro so ether!" I coachedI looked around the stadiu in the crowd I’d played here before I’d won here before What the hell was s were prettya little deeper But I couldn’t seeh for the day Finally, in the ot pissed Sick of it, I started pacing, turning every now and then to look up at the stands I needed to see Pops When I finally found hi onto one ar on the other They both hated to see ; it always scared them But my dad’s face was different He was…calh He wasn’t worried Not in the least Just like I usually was There was always time, and I always had control

I channeled his confidence as I ran out to the field, a little renewed energy in my steps "Okay, how about we don’t let those fkers in this ti atpuaot to the line, trying the same audible I had before, only this tiht where they needed to be, where I needed to go Trig was crossing about 15 yards out, and I hit hiht on the line as he ran out of bounds And suddenly there was a shift We all felt it

They call it momentum

We ran the same play four more times, the Buckeyes unable to stop it, and the frustration ere just suffering froh theed down the field five and 10 yards at a ti in a two- into the second half, and I was finally ready to get offthat I really wanted

The second half was a complete 180 froot to air it out a few ti with 30-yard passes for touchdowns I was feeling it, everything suddenly effortless I could close my eyes and still see the Harland Motors scoreboard frorass fro time That’s how I always did it I could block it from my mind, but for some reason today I let it in, let it attack ain