"And with that, referee Jerome Boger brings the first quarter to a close with a score that is already starting to feel impossible for the Tigers to overcome," the ABC commentator said, as the studio cameras focused on the Memorial Stadium scoreboard, which read a resounding 17-7 in favor of the Florida State team.
The stands of Death Valley, which just a few minutes prior had been roaring with excitement as the team made their traditional entrance running down the hill, were now plunged into an uncomfortable silence, interrupted only by the sporadic shouts of a few fans who refused to lose faith.
"The truth is, nobody expected Florida State to come out with this level of intensity," the second analyst commented, watching the replay on the screen of Mario Edwards scooping up a Tajh Boyd fumble and returning it straight into the end zone.
"And we're barely in the first quarter," the first one added, as the stadium cameras shifted toward the Tigers' sideline, focusing on the players sitting with serious expressions on their faces.
Among all of them, the cameras stopped briefly on one player in particular, who was sitting on one far end of the bench with his helmet resting on his lap and his gaze locked onto the field.
"And right there we can see Wyatt Sterling, who has been an absolute surprise for the entire world of college football so far this season," the commentator said, while the camera stayed on the player in question.
"That's right, but curiously enough, we haven't seen him on the field at all during this game," the second analyst added with a certain hint of puzzlement in his voice, checking his notes and finding no participation from Wyatt in the opening plays of the matchup.
"It's strange, considering the level he has shown over the last few weeks," the first one replied, while Wyatt's statistics from recent games appeared on the screen.
Without either of them knowing it, the reason for this was buried in a conversation that had taken place just a few days ago inside Coach Dabo's office.
Flashback
"Close the door," was the first thing Dabo said the moment Wyatt entered his office, his head slightly lowered, knowing perfectly well the reason his coach had called him in.
Doing as he was told, Wyatt closed the door behind him while standing in front of the coach's desk, who was looking at him with an expression Wyatt couldn't quite decipher.
"Sit down," he ordered, gesturing with his hand to the chair on the other side of the desk, while he leaned back in his own, crossing his arms over his chest.
Once Wyatt took a seat, a heavy silence settled into the room, with Dabo simply staring at him intently without saying a single word, as if he were waiting for Wyatt himself to confess to something.
"Do you want to tell me where you were the other night in Boston?" Dabo finally asked, breaking the silence, his voice remaining calm though with an edge that didn't bode well at all.
Wyatt felt his stomach turn, knowing that any lie he tried to tell at that moment would only make things worse, so he opted for honesty. "I was at the house of a girl I met at the party, Coach," he responded with the firmest voice he could muster.
"A girl," Dabo repeated, raising an eyebrow as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Do you know how many calls I received that night from your teammates, worried because they didn't know where you were?"
"I'm sorry, Coach, it wasn't my intention to worry anyone," Wyatt said, feeling smaller and smaller under his coach's gaze.
"It wasn't your intention," Dabo repeated with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Wyatt, you are the most promising freshman to come through this program in years, but that doesn't mean you are exempt from the rules that govern this team."
"I understand, Coach," Wyatt responded, not daring to lift his gaze very high.
"You vanished without letting anyone know in a city you don't know, during the night before we flew back. That is exactly the kind of irresponsible behavior I cannot allow on my team, no matter how much talent you have," Dabo continued, slightly raising the tone of his voice.
"It won't happen again," Wyatt said quickly, wanting to show that he had understood the gravity of the situation.
"I hope so," Dabo responded, softening his expression a bit. "But actions have consequences, Wyatt, and this will be no exception."
At those words, Wyatt felt his pulse quicken, knowing that whatever his coach was about to say, he wasn't going to like it one bit.
"You're going to sit on the bench this next game against Florida State," Dabo finally said, letting the words sink in for the young quarterback sitting in front of him.
"But Coach, that's the biggest game of the season," Wyatt couldn't help but protest, feeling panic take hold of him at the thought of missing a matchup of such magnitude.
"Precisely why it's the perfect punishment," Dabo responded, not getting altered in the slightest. "Tajh is already recovered from his concussion, and he will be the one starting this game, while you stay on the bench thinking about the consequences of your choices."
Wyatt wanted to protest; he wanted to say it wasn't fair that a single mistake off the field was costing him the opportunity to play in the biggest game of the season, but something in Dabo's look let him know that any attempt to negotiate that decision would be completely useless.
"Understood, Coach," was all Wyatt could say, swallowing his frustration.
"Good," Dabo said, nodding slightly. "And Wyatt," he added just as the young man was preparing to stand up from the chair, "I hope the next time you decide to vanish like that, you think twice."
End of Flashback
Back in the present, Wyatt remained sitting on the bench with his helmet on his lap, watching Tajh desperately try to find some offensive rhythm against a Florida State defense that seemed to have no weak points.
"This is a nightmare," muttered Sammy, who was sitting next to Wyatt, watching the opposing defense force yet another fumble, this time intercepted by Ronald Darby.
Wyatt couldn't say anything about it, knowing that any comment he made would only serve to remind him even more of how frustrating it was to have to watch the game from the sideline, unable to do anything to change the course of the matchup.
The second quarter brought no relief for the Tigers, with Jameis Winston connecting on a 72-yard pass to Rashad Greene that ended in a touchdown, while the receiver himself made silencing gestures toward the Clemson student section, leaving the score at 24-7.
"Somebody needs to stop that guy," Laquon said, slamming his helmet against the ground in frustration upon seeing how Winston seemed unable to make a mistake at any point in the game.
Things didn't improve much more, with a Roberto Aguayo field goal bringing the score to 27-7 right before the first half came to a close, leaving the Tigers team with their morale on the floor as they headed into the locker room.
Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was tense, with most of the players avoiding eye contact with each other, knowing that halftime wouldn't bring any words of encouragement from the coaching staff.
"What is happening out there is unacceptable," Dabo said, entering the locker room with a serious expression, while all the players straightened up in their seats, paying full attention to the coach.
"Four turnovers in a single half. That is not football; that is giving the game away to the opposing team," Dabo continued, pacing in front of his players, his voice growing firmer.
Tajh, who was sitting with his head slightly lowered, knew perfectly well that his coach's words were directed primarily at him after having thrown two interceptions and losing a fumble in the first half.
"I know we can play better than this," Brent Venables said, taking the floor as he addressed the defense specifically. "But we need to put more pressure on Winston. We can't keep giving him so much time to find his receivers."
Wyatt listened to everything in silence, sitting on one of the locker room benches, feeling strangely out of place by not being an active part of the tactical conversation taking place.
"Wyatt," Dabo suddenly said, turning in the direction of the young quarterback, who tensed up immediately upon feeling his coach's gaze on him.
"Yes, Coach," Wyatt responded, straightening up in his seat.
"I want you to study every single play that Florida State defense makes on the field. Even if you aren't playing this game, I want you to learn from this," Dabo told him in a tone that no longer sounded as harsh as it had in his office days prior.
"Understood, Coach," Wyatt responded, feeling that maybe this was Dabo's way of letting him know that the punishment didn't mean he had lost confidence in him.
The second half brought no relief for the Tigers, with Florida State extending their lead with a touchdown by Devonta Freeman and another from Rashad Greene, while Tajh continued to struggle to find any sort of rhythm against a defense that seemed to guess every single one of his plays.
By the time the clock finally hit zero, the scoreboard showed a resounding 51-14 in favor of the Seminoles, leaving the entire Memorial Stadium in a deathly silence while the Florida State players celebrated in the middle of the field.
"And with that, the Florida State team takes a historic victory here in Death Valley, clearly proving to be the best team in the country right now," the ABC commentator said, as the cameras focused on Jimbo Fisher being congratulated by his own players.
On the Tigers' bench, Wyatt watched in silence as the rest of his teammates headed toward the locker room with their heads held low, knowing that this defeat was going to weigh heavily for a long time this season.
"This is only one game," Wyatt told himself as he stood up and followed the rest of the team, even knowing that the following week at practice was not going to be easy at all after a defeat of such magnitude.
Inside the locker room, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different from what they had experienced in Boston just a few weeks ago, with most of the players changing in complete silence, without any background music or celebrations.
"I've never seen this team lose like that," Laquon commented, sitting next to Wyatt as he took off his shoulder pads listlessly.
"Florida State was just better today," Wyatt responded, still feeling strange talking about a game in which he hadn't even been able to participate.
"At least you didn't have to go through that humiliation on the field," Sammy said, joining the conversation with a tired smile on his face.
Wyatt couldn't help but smile slightly at that comment, although inside he still felt the frustration of not having been able to help his team when they needed him most.
"Next week will be different," Dabo said, entering the locker room once most of the players had already changed, addressing all of them with a serious but not defeated expression.
"This game doesn't define our season. What defines our season is how we respond from here on out," Dabo continued, scanning each of his players with his gaze.
"I want everyone to rest this weekend, and on Monday, come ready to work, because we are going to correct every single mistake we saw today," Dabo finished saying before leaving the locker room, leaving the players with their own thoughts.
Wyatt finished changing in silence while his thoughts inevitably traveled back to Boston and toward a pair of blue eyes that he hadn't been able to get out of his head since that night.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he couldn't help but check if there was any new message, even though he knew perfectly well that he had no way of contacting Blaire, beyond a number he had never got around to asking for.
Author thought
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