With the score  USC 13 Tigers 10, the  Kick off  was  sent  high, and looked like it would be long, The  return man ( Runns)  snagged it   6 yards  deep, , but   brought the BAll out, he  weaved his  way passed   the contain men as the closed in, when it  was certain he  wasn't goign anywhere  , he lowered his shoulder into the Tackler ,   The  retrun took them out to the 30.

 2nd Quarter.

............

   Olsen  started out  well again, he hit   outs on each side,  for  5  and 8. Sticks  and Runns picked up   some nice  runs,  a holding call brought them back, but a  20 yard  Slant to Gains set them up nicely,

  a motion  flag  stalled them, even after  another Out   for 8  By gains.The trojan Kicker, a  'wunderkinder' from England who  first went there  as a soccer layer, , sent a  42 yarder through the Up rights.

  Though the   trojans    waved  and Cheered, Olsen stoped to talk with the O-line,  giving them some  whacks on the pads, 3 points was 3 points, but he knew they should have had more.

 USC 16 Tigers 10  10:14 left, 2nd Q

  Baily and Vic talked  about the   mistakes  that caused the flags,

 Colleen  mentioned    the trojans  might be slowing down after a Fast start.

 the door was Opened to  Lindsey after   Mindy  took a step back to make sure everyone  new Lindsey was the lead.

As the game went on, Lindsey tried to follow the action up and down the sideline. Both teams were good at moving the ball, but she stayed with them as much as she was allowed. As much as she could she took extra video and images with her phone, especially capturing Max in action so she could send those to Rock and his parents. If she got any good action shots of anyone that she thought Adam would like, she forwarded those as well. To that end, she kept an eye on the USC receivers and backs. Though she did get a fantastic shot of Olsen dropping back to throw. She showed that one to Mindy.

"This one cold be a cover shot for SI." She grinned, proud of that image she captured. "What do you think?"

After the Field goal, and Colleen's bit, Lindsey was cued up.

"USC came out of the gate strong, but it looks like Auburn has given them some pause. It was a another strong drive by Nick Olson, but again it was the penalties that held them to the Field goal. That said, Tigers Defensive Tackle Derek Shaw is a powerhouse. He was in range for the sack, so when he was about to break that block by Lim Hall, it was probably just instinct to grab his jersey. If the Trojans are slowing down, it's because the Tigers are giving them more of a game than they might have expected. But it's only second quarter and the game is still settling. These teams are looking pretty evenly matched right now. I predict the second half be a very different looking game."

"Now that said, I want to commend Trojans Kicker, Liam Mooreland. 42 yards and clean through the uprights. He was a soccer champion in England, and he thought that that was what he would do here in the US. But after he got here, he said he was just drawn to the grid iron. I'm sure Alexander gravis was glad he made that choice."

"Baily?"

The ensuing kickoff was high and deep. Very, very deep. Max drifted back and fielded it eight yards deep in his end zone. He took a quick peek at the coverage, then did the smart thing and downed the ball, putting it in the hands of his offense.

The Tigers offense jogged back on the field in their standard 11 personnel. On the first play, the RB motioned to the wide side and received a quick pitch at the snap. Blocking by the wideouts was pretty good, but the DBs kept contain and Carver was swarmed by the USC LBs that flowed quickly to the play. The loss of three was difficult to overcome, and after a seven yard pickup on second down, the third down pass was batted down by the safety as the slot received hooked up. On fourth and seven the Tigers punted. The kick was high enough to require a fair catch, but USC took over on their 25 yardline up by six with nine minutes left.

The USC machine went back to work, going no huddle and pressuring the Tigers defense with an array of short passes and interior traps. When they got into the red zone, it was looking a little grim for Auburn. USC ran play action and the QB zipped a pass toward Gains. But the pass was one yard behind Gains, and he was testing the Tiger wearing #2.

Max stepped smoothly across the body of the receiver, got both hands on the ball, and pulled it in at the Tigers' two yard line. Now, most defenders love the chance to get to run with the ball, and they get a little giddy. But most defenders aren't punt returners, and Max immediately went into punt return mode. "Bingo, bingo, bingo!" First he called out the pick to let his boys know they were turning this thing around.

If you think defenders get a little giddy when the ball is in their hands, they also get a similar feeling when they get a chance to block offensive players. And then some. Suddenly, all bets are off (though the QB has a little protection) and the Tigers' defenders made strong blocks as Max swung through the end zone and emerged on the other side. He put a juke on the TE, who wasn't much of a tackler, threw a stiff arm in the chest of the wideout, picked up a block on the OT as he crossed the twenty, and then was gone. There wasn't anyone on the field that had any shot at catching the DB once he was at full speed, and anyone that looked like they wanted to try were shielded off by Auburn defenders.

Max zoomed through the end zone with his arms wide and flipped the ball to ref before leaving the field of play and pointing to the Auburn faithful in the crowd who had made the trip. Half the crowd roared at the display, the other half suddenly quiet as the XP went through the pipes. A very emphatic version of the fight song reverberated throughout the building as the broadcast went to commercial break.

Before fading to commercial, the broadcast showed the score and time:

Tigers 17, Trojans 16 with 7:14 remaining in the half.

    Olsen got up from the  Black  and   snapped his    chins strap.  The Camer  was on his  face , he  said something   to the Ref  about   the 'tug' on Gains's  jersey, but he didn't argue, he  just made sure the ref knew, he saw it.

  He took a drink  bottle  and sipped  it as  the   Coach    came over  and they  flipped through the   tablet, Olsen's  hand  moving  at points  that he  saw, and what points  of  what he wanted.

  the  game  went to TV  time out.

 Baily  went through  all the bombastic thrill that  play by play guys  do  on big plays.

 That was  a remarkable play,....

Vic  smiled  and said,Yea he got away with that tug,  and he made up  for getting beat on that long one in the first  quarter. This  has the    makings of  a classic!

 they cut to Colleen

 I can tell you the  Tiger  fans  are going crazy  right now....but, we have seen this  before  USC   Has a   reputation for not  laying down.

 The Bailey   cued in Lindsey.

"Yeah, guys, what an upset. You have to hand it to Max Woodson. He read that all the way and did you see how he brought it back. Like most interceptions, the defender has the entire opposing team to evade, so they go for as many yards and hope for the best. In this case, Woodson had 98 yards ahead of him. He treated it like a kick return, finding his best route then signalling his blockers. He didn't get lucky on that. He played it all the way to the endzone. I don't think the Trojans are going to lay down either. They're a championship team and Olson has been playing like a pro, but they will have to adjust yet again as Auburn throws another surprise at them."

"Mindy, I know you have something to add to that."

After Mindy has a say, Lindsey sends it back to Baily "Back up to you Baily"

  Mindy just nodded  as she too a  quick look at the screen.well?  The trojans  are one for two there. There  must be a reason they're going there.. I'm sure we'll see how it plays out.

  The  kickoff  came  down,  the   return mad  was the  3rd head of  the  three headed   monster, Frank Pells,  he  broke     an arm tackle  at the 9,  and  found the fence, he  was  ..barely..pushed out by the kicker  at the  189...but an illegal block in the back set them back at their  own 35.

    Olsen  came out onto the  Filed,  , the trojans Lined up  , looking over at the placards. Olsen didn't  even need to check his  Wrist chart. the Called the  Play and Pells   took the pitch   heading for  the right side again,      The RB  sliced through the    tackles of   the LB  and Corner  but hit the turf for a Gain  Of   8...then the machine began to roll once more.. runs   with  an out  or  quick slat. to keep the backers Honest.  They seemed to Like attacking  that side, and it was  working , except  for one play.

 Then the  3rd and 6  came,  Gains   cut his post again, once more  it would be there if the ball was on the money,  But Olsen  faked the  pump, turned his shoulder  and Let the  ball  loose  down the opposite  side. Pells   was  tearing  down the sideline where he wheeled  as the defense shifted  to  the otherside   to try and cover  the  pressure being put  there. Pells  caught the   ball over his shoulder, The Safety could only trail...

  Olsen     gave a Nod to the  sidelines  and jogged off appearing  no more  excited  about the Touchdown, then he was upset about the Pic.

 The PAt was good.

  USC 23  Tigers  17  3;16   2nd Q

Since halftime was approaching, the network didn’t get another commercial break before the kickoff. The USC place kicker sent the pigskin high into the still air of the domed stadium, and Max fielded it four yards deep. This time he brought it out, though the gunner to his right had already slipped a block by the time Woodson crossed the ten. The return man evaded him with a burst of speed to his left, but there was no crease to be found there, either. He slipped between two Trojans, but they sandwiched Max and brought him down at the seventeen. When the bodies cleared, Max didn’t rise.

The talking heads quickly queued up a replay, and pointed out how a body landed right on Max’s lower leg at just the wrong time causing his ankle to bend a little more than it should. #2 waited for the trainers on the field, but then eventually was helped up and curled arms around shoulders of two of his teammates to get off the field to light applause from everyone. They didn’t stop at the small medical tent on the sideline, but rather went straight to the locker room with Max.

In his absence the Tigers’ offense got to work. They started with a heavy 22 look, and pounded three runs between the tackles, exerting their will on the middle of the USC defense, pushing out over the thirty-five as the clock rolled under two minutes. They didn’t seem to be in a great deal of hurry knowing they would get the ball to start the second half. They also didn’t want USC scoring again, and both teams had a full complement of timeouts.

With the clock rolling under two, Auburn sent out Zipper Willis and Scooter McGee to man double slots in 10 personnel. SC brought in their dime package, which was up to the task on first down, pushing Scooter OB after only a three yard gain on a little bubble screen. On second down from the 38, the Tigers dropped back and had their four wideouts all heading on outs and flags, but the call was for a wrap-around draw. The dime LB read it perfectly, but with the pass rush heading upfield, the lone LB got two guys in his face and had no chance. Carver broke through the line like he was leaving a burning building and was off to the races! The two USC safeties converged on him eventually, toppling the big man as he crossed the SC twenty.

The clock briefly stopped, but still no timeout from Auburn as the clock ticked under a minute. The next play was very well covered by SC, so Dempsey evaded the DE, sidestepped the DT, and then looked downfield again for an open receiver. He faked a pass to the left side and then tucked the ball and barreled ahead. His receivers had started blocking, so he crossed the ten before he met resistance. The Auburn QB lowered his left shoulder as the dime back came up to meet him, and Dempsey dragged the smaller defender a couple yards before hitting the turf at the five. Finally, Auburn called timeout with 24 seconds left.

The Tigers brought all the fatties in again, going with their 23 goal line look. This time, though, Derek Shaw came out to play fullback. The Tigers occasionally brought their all-conference DT in on offense, and did so again here. On first down, Carver pushed the pile to the three. Auburn burned its second timeout. On second and goal it was more of the same. USC didn’t allow even a crease of daylight, so Carver just pushed as hard as he could and got a yard down to the two. Timeout, Auburn, their third and last.

The Tigers came out with the same personnel, but this time went to hand the ball to Shaw. The big man barreled into the line, but he didn’t have the ball! Dempsey had pulled it and looked up for one of his three TE, but couldn’t find anyone. The pass rush got to him immediately for a sack, ending the half!

Or it would have if there weren’t laundry on the field. Two instances of defensive holding were called, and on replay it looked like you could have chosen three. Apparently the SC defense had been instructed to intentionally hold any receivers given the clock situation. Auburn was now faced with first and goal from the one, but with 2 seconds left. SC coaches wanted the Tigers to have to think about this one. But the same 23 personnel stayed on the field and the place kicker stopped practicing, choosing instead to watch.

Auburn faked the dive to the fullback, then pitched the ball out to Carver, hoping to get the edge. But SC was ready for it. Carver had nowhere to go, but he turned and threw back to Dempsey at the ten! The QB seemed to be expecting it, found the laces, and floated a high rainbow toward the corner of the end zone. The only person there was one Derek Shaw. The big man did have one interception to his name, but never a reception.

Until now. He bobbled it once, but then clutched it with both hands and fell backwards onto his prodigious backside. Touchdown! Auburn! The XP was good! 24-23 Tigers as the clock showed all zeroes and the teams headed to the tunnels!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:19, Thu 27 Oct 2022.

Lindsey cringed when Max was taken down and didn't get up. From where she was, it wasn't obvious what happened but max was conscious and the medic on the field was only interested in his ankle. She blew out a breath of relief when he got up, but it was concerning that he had to be helped to the tunnel.

Concern for Max aside, the offense was taking the field and the game went on. Lindsey was getting in her workout as she chased the Tigers offense up the field, mostly thanks to Lamont Carver picking up big yards in the initial drives. But that out all the action close to the SC endzone, giving her the opportunity to camp out where she could see the action at the line. She took note as Coach Frye sent in the heavies. These were the guys that made the inches matter and who also got so little credit in the sensationalized media. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, as the Trojans swarmed in for a sack.

But the whistles weren't signaling the end of the half. Defensive holding wasn't a common penalty and with two called and three seen in the replay, it was obvious that it was by direction. Who called that, no one would ever know for sure, but Lindsey would make sure to ask Alexander Gravis when she spoke to him next. What everyone knew, however was that Auburn would get another chance.

It was a trick play with multiple tricks. Lindsey noticed Shaw breaking into the end zone instead of blocking after the fake. She had a feeling somehow the ball would get out to him. But first it went to Carver, then back to Dempsey, then finally to Shaw in the corner of the endzone. Of course, he had to had a bit of drama by almost dropping it, but what a play to end the half on.  She was already doing some quick research on the heavies for when Baily called her up.

 Baily  went  on to talk  after the TD, about the Impact  that  the Injury,

 Vic stated, that it   mustn't be too bad, since  he walked off  with  some help, they'll tape him  up and see how it goes. Regardless, the  young man's speed would be reduced.   and he  may lose a closing set..TheGuys  behind him  were pretty good, But there was a reason Max  was  on the filed instead of them

.............

 Colleen, used her   time to  talk abut the  drive, and  USC defense. The Tigers  were movign the  ball, but they  had to work for it....she  said 'I'll get information on  Woodson  when they  came back to the filed.

.........

 Lindsey's  turn came.

"Thanks. Well I can say that this game has something for everyone watching. Both USC and Auburn are playing like champions. What's impressive is that both sides are keeping their cool. They're playing hard but the few penalties we've seen have been mistakes rather than anyone acting out. We did just have the first injury though, and I hope you're right Vic when you say that Max Woodson will be back on the field in the second half. His brother, Rock was probably out of his seat on that. You know Max's Dad was in the NFL and his mother was a big name in Soccer in the UK. He comes from a sports family and they would hate to see him out so early. That said, Auburn came back hard this last drive. Carver reliably moved the ball up field despite a fierce Trojan defense. Carver's total yards this year may not be that high, but he can move. Did you know that he's actually a pretty accomplished dancer, appearing in a couple Auburn stage productions? That's part of why he's so good on his feet.

And did you notice how Auburn kept switching up their tactics. They ran Carver for consistent gains, but that drew Southern Cal in opening up the pass. Once they got close they brought in Tackle Derek Shaw as Full Back to batter it in. Shaw, for all his size, can still run a 4.7 forty, so he's a double threat. And it was that element of surprise that put Shaw in the endzone for the last touchdown and the lead. Once the pitch went to Carver, Shaw was left by himself. And you could tell Dempsey was hoping for that as he relayed the pass. The strategies at play here are just fascinating and it's exciting to watch."

"So, now it's half time, and both teams will probably come out of that tunnel with a revised approach. Baily?"

After sending it back up to the booth, Lindsey sent a text to Michelle O.

[Hi Michelle. Are you in a place to know how Max is doing?]

The response from Michelle was quick and lacking details.

 the looonnggg halftime was fianlly over. a headliner  trying to keep her  name 'out there' andsome  folks on thier way out, trying to  get a shot in the arm


 Olsen came out with the others, he looked  determined.. the threehead  monster   were geting  ready,  and the  wideout  were playing Picth and  catch with  Olsen and  the other two QB

 The refs  signaled for the  return teams to  come out.

"So here we are at the beginning of the second half. The first half was like a rollercoaster. Both the Trojans and the Tigers had no problems moving the ball, but the defenses of both teams made the other work for their two scores per quarter. A penalty called back a Tigers touchdown keeping them to a field goal on that drive. The Trojan defense blunted a drive by Auburn only to give up a touchdown to an intercepted pass. Both teams are playing hard and the score of 24-23 shows it."

"So, what I see is USC quarterback Nick Olson is as relaxed as he can be. The Trojan machine is executing like the championship team they are. But on the other side of the scrimmage line, Auburn came ready. A couple of USC players told me yesterday that they thought Auburn had never faced an opponent like them, and that may have been true yesterday, but today they have and so far they're going toe to toe."

"So the second half is getting started here in a few minutes. It will be interesting to watch. Both teams have no taken a measure of the other and I expect there will be some adjustment. Max Woodson's injury is probably going to be a factor. If he comes back out to play, he might have lost a step which will slow down the defense overall. I know Coach Frye and Auburn defensive coordinator Mike Elsley will make the right adjustments. On the USC side, I see Nick Olson coming out to play as unflappable as ever. Alexander Gravis, whom some call Alexander the Great, he'll have to throw some new tricks out there though if he wants to upset the so far successful Auburn preparation. If it sounds like I think it's USC's game to lose, it's because that's how it's looked so far. Auburn is beating USC's game right now, but USC can change it which will test the creativity of the Tigers' tacticians."

"Mindy, how do you see it?"

There had been a lot of speculation about whether Max would even come back out of the locker room to start the second half, but the Tigers #2 was linked arm-in-arm with the other three captains as the four of them led the team out of the tunnel before the brief warmups preceding the second half kickoff. Walking out of the tunnel was one thing, but the cameras also caught Max doing some of his agility work and taking cuts. One of those cameras thought the might have seen a little wince on the cornerback's face.

The Tigers were all huddled together as the Trojan kicker was handed the ball by the referee, and they sprinted to their return spot as the Tigers' Special Teams prepared to start the second half with the ball. Max ran back to receive the kick. The kicker looked over to his sideline and received a series of signals from the ST coach, to which the kicker nodded. His kick was very high, but not terribly deep. Max fielded it on his five yard-line at a dead run.

He split the gunners who had been pushed to the outside, then picked up a nice series of blocks from his wedge before bursting toward the right sideline. He outraced the contain man who had shed a block, then only had the safety to beat. He stutter-stepped near the boundary, looking like he wanted to cut back inside, but then he simply lowered his left shoulder to pick up a few more yards before being ridden out of bounds at the SC thirty-five.

Max shook his head over at the trainer and headed over to the temporary medical tent they had on the sideline while the offense took the field.

It was a short field again for the Auburn offense, and they came out with yet another personnel grouping. This time they went with a 12 grouping, and ran a series of outside zone runs and bootlegs off the outside zone runs. They weren't picking up huge yardage, but marched down to the fifteen with relative ease. However, an illegal chop block and a holding call put them way behind the sticks and forced a fifty-three yard FG attempt. The Auburn kicker was completely still except for his twitching fingers as he stared at what would be the place kick spot. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick...sailed through the uprights!

With 11:20 on the clock in the third period, the score was Auburn 27, USC 23.

Just before the telecast cut to break, the cameras again found Max emerging from the tent with an ASO ankle stabilizer. He was jumping around testing it out and nodded at the trainer providing a thumbs-up. Seemed like he was going to get on the field for the next defensive series.

Mindy,  only added,USC haven't used thier kicker well on Lickoffs, I imagine they go  for touchbacks now, and make Auburn work the field. they have been giving too many free yards  on returns?

   SC's  coach talked to  the  return man who nodded.  went the  BAll came down, the returner let it  bounce  into and out of the endzone.

 The   Trojans  set up shop on the 25.  The  first Play was a sweep to   Max's side, Testing him if was there... going after the 'new guy' if he wasn't..

 The  Next play.sn made the signal  'call his own" The   Coached    waved as    Olsen    called the play  in the Huddle.  He  shifted   Runns into the  side  car, the   Ball  came  Back as   Pells  came    from  the  other side   , looking like he was going to  take a Jet sweep to Max's side ( whether he was there or not).

 the  Fake  worked, Runns  cut  down the  DE. Pells Slammed into the OLB,  Olsen set up like a  siege  engine  and  let the BAll   fly, deep   down the Middle..

 Gains took  off  to fake a block on the Corner, splitting the safeties ,  with nothing   but  green in front of him Olens  was standing On the  25, the effortless throw   came into Gains   Hands  at   the  15, and the  Trojan   ran into the Endzone,  Handing the   ball to the  Line Judge  who came running in with his hands up,

   Olsen Pointed down Field at Gains,  half the team   ran down to congratulate  the  receiver, the others, Olsen    gave  high fives  to each and  every one, while waiting at the sidelines at the  Auburn 40 to   give High fives to those  who came  back.

 The head Coach smiled, he was  Happy,  but already  waiting for the PAT to go through,  as the TV break   came up, he   went to his  QB and  Gains  whacking thier Backs , Olsen  smiled  and ni=nodded, but he wasn't overly   excited.

USC 30 Tigars 27

Louie Alston went out to Kick the  Ball through the   Endzone this  time.. as the   game returned.

Once More  Baily went through his  'play by play schtick'  being overly  excited  but the  Rainbow the speedster  hauled in .

Vic analyzed  the play, and the Play before it,  saying  that  USC  went  after the  injury area.  whether it was a Guy who had been watching most of the first half  or Max. he  finished his analysis  by saying.

 sometimes , when you play hurt, you  hurt the team...and if you don't  play you feel badly. Olsen is noted  for  being  an 'assassin', he finds  the   weak spots  and  attacks them. This comes from  hours  in the  film rom, and  Reps on the practice  filed...but?  we have 9:29  left in the  3rd  quarter...its  anyone's game!

 Colleen tried to do the   'family' aspect of the   short series  saying,This has to be hard  for  Max  Woodson. You  get hurt, but you feel you can play, Your family is here..you have a Brother in the NFL , most  likely watching.. if you sit out,  he'll feel like he let them down..if he stays  in,  it can only get worse? This is where the Coach needs to weigh the affect on the player, as well as the team?

 Vic  nodded on the split screen,...Its  always tough, The Kid's  a  starter  for a reason, and you don't want to pull the plu on him, in a game like this. maybe if this  was a regular season game, you sit him... But as you say, The Coach   was it in his hands.... if he ignores it , altogether, there could be  some ripples through the team depending on the effect it has.

 Lindsey? what have you got...

9:29  3rd quarter.

Before the half started, Lindsey brought the team around to the USC sideline. She really was rooting for the Tigers, but she was also there to do a job and she wasn't the beat reporter for Auburn. She was the sports reporter for New Jack and there would be fans of both teams back home. Being on the Trojans' estate would let her get close to them also, see their sideline and report on it and get a different perspective.

The Tigers received the second half kick. Max had come out with the team, and managed a return to the thirty-five but right after went straight to the medical tent. That wasn't a good sign. But while he was getting a better brace than tape, Auburn's Offense turned the drive into a field goal. Right after that, the Trojans attacked Max's side of the field ultimately putting up six and then the extra point.

During the commentary, the focus was on Max. Should he be in there or not, and the impact of playing injured. It was a worthy conversation, but when the camera went to Lindsey she would broaden the discussion.

"Last week, Max and his parents were watching the Dragons war with the Titans from the owners' box. I was there with them when Rock Woodson fumbled the ball. I was expecting them to be heartbroken but sympathetic to the situation. Rock was a rookie and the Titans played a perfect counterplay to his return. But instead all three of them pointed out how Rock should have expected that play and said that he had a lot to make up for. So Colleen mentioned feeling the pressure? I can tell you that he has to. That said, he's pragmatic as well. If he played while being an obvious liability, that pressure would go the other way. If Woodson knows he shouldn't play, he won't, because those consequences would be far worse than a little disappointment."

"But Max Woodson aside, I want to go back to Nick Olson. I am still so impressed by how capably he's leading this SC offense. He's going after his advantage, directing the plays, and getting results. The professionalism shows in the little things like how he just took that big touchdown in stride. No celebrating, no big high fives. He's just focused on the next play. The game's not over, and like you said this can still go either way. I expect Nick Olson won't celebrate until the last whistle."

"All yours, Baily"

Max trotted back out for the kickoff, but this one was again very deep. They'd tested him on the last return and gotten burned. Back to avoiding letting #2 beat them, and Max jogged out of the end zone with fists extended away from his body letting the refs know he was taking the touchback.

The Tigers started the drive down by three, and went with their four wides look, though this time Max was in there. On first down he flared out for a bubble screen, but it was a fake his direction and a draw play that picked up three. USC didn't appear to be fooled by the action toward Max. On second down, he started in the slot on the left and came all the way across the formation before sliding out into the flat. USC again didn't increase coverage on him, but that allowed for an easy pitch and catch to Max for a gain of 8. He stepped out of bounds without making any cuts, and appeared to come up a little lame. He jogged back to the huddle gingerly, then jumped up and down a few times.

The next play was another dive into the line that picked up two to the thirty-eight yardline. Max looked to make a feeble attempt at blocking, but didn't look quite right. On second down, he again went in motion across the formation to give a trips look to the wide side of the field. The other slot man ran a shallow cross, the split end went to the post and Max ran his out to the sideline again. Only this time he suddenly planted and burst upfield. The momentary surprise gave Max a step or two that he never ceded. Dempsey uncorked a long one down the sideline. Max dove for it, and came up with the catch! Fifty-four yards down the sideline for first and ten at the nineteen!

Max subbed out after the long play to catch his breath with a little knowing smile on his face. He did yank off his shoe and retie the brace, but he nodded to the trainer and gave a thumbs-up when he was finished.

The drive continued with the same 10 personnel. On first down, Scooter came in motion and took the handoff, but the DE completely blew up the play, causing a loss of two. The next play was a draw, but Carver was swarmed in the backfield to bring up third and fifteen. With third and long, down by three Dempsey chose not to test the Dime coverage that dropped back into a thick zone. He tucked and ran, sliding to a stop after a seven yard pickup down to the seventeen.

The ensuing thirty-five yard field goal attempt split the uprights, tying the game with 5:05 to play in the third.

Trojans 30, Tigers 30

 In the Booth, the talk  has turned to  the way the tigers seemed to be desperate.

 what do you think Vic?  Woodson's hurt, and they bring him out  for returns and play him on offense

 Every team has the  guys who get plugged in anywhere. But in a game  like this, when you're using a hurt guy , over  your normal starters? Its  not going to sit  well.. No matter how this game  goes. My The Coaching staff  what to just 'use him up' and hope  he recovers   for the title?  or...has a long offseason to heal up. But  , The transfer Portals  may be getting alot of action from Auburn  after this  season end for them.

Colleen   jumped  on the band wagon,I just asked  a USC  Coach what he thought  about  the use  of Woodson, after the injury.  he  said, and i'll paraphrase. "... they are  trying to win the game, , right now , their plan is out the window and their scrambling. The kid is a good ball player, but  laying a  kid  hurt like that on both sides of the ball, not  only sends a message to the  fans, about to the players  on that bench over there. They are well coached, they'll do what Coach tells them. But  you can't help wonder  how  healthy guys feel, after working all year  to  watch an injured  guy step in?....

she then added,He  added more, but  when asked  if they have  ever  done that, he  acknowledged  they have packages for some DLine and  LBs  in short yardage, but they would never use an injured player. This could impact his draft status, should he decide to come out for this years draft. That  injury  were be the focal points of any Pro days they set up.

 Baily asked Lindsey what she had.

"I have to say, it's curious. It seems to me that putting Max Woodson in on offense after his injury is kind of a stunt. I really don't think Coach Frye is desperate. He has no reason to be. We're in the third quarter and the score is tied. And I don't think they're using him up either. If they think he's too injured to play normally on defense then it's a risk putting him on offense when the regular offense has been doing just fine. The score is even. Both teams are playing well. No. I think they were just showing that Auburn is up to the challenge. Is it an odd way of doing that? Only because of the injury. If Max Woodson wasn't injured, then we'd be talking about how versatile a player he was. Seriously, he just outran his coverage and caught a 54yard pass! I honestly think THAT is what Auburn is trying to do. Injuries not withstanding, they're here to win."

"But now the score is tied. This game is still literally a tossup. and we have a lot of clock remaining. Mindy, Gravis thinks Auburn is desperate and without a plan. With all due respect to him, I think I would hold off on that kind of judgement and continue to play like I could lose if I don't bring my very best game. What do you think?"