Claw to the Top | A University of Vermont Catamounts Dynasty

[kyhadley]

LSU coach Les Miles just kept pacing back and forth, with his hand on his hips, in front of his players in the locker room.
He would occasionally open his mouth to start to speak, but then close it in frustration. This routine carried on for a
minute, as his players anxiously waited for his words. They finally came.

"What in the fuck is going on out there?"

He said it again, slower this time, "What, in the fuck, is going on out there?"

Everyone was afraid to answer except for QB Jordan Jefferson, who was confused by the frustration.

"Coach", he said with a grin and his eyes rolling. "the game is tied, its not like we're losing or nothing."

"What? You think thats a good thing? It's okay that the game is tied.

"Coach, its not like we've lost already, we still got the second half."

"Do you know who we're playing boy, do you know where this team was two seasons ago. They were in fucking 1-
AA, or whatever the hell its called now. And do you know who we are? We are fucking LSU! We're ranked 6th in the
nation!

"Do you really think that we should be tied right now to this team, we should be up 28 to nothing already, not tied at 14!"

Jefferson shrugs and looks at his feet.

"I don't know if you buffoons noticed or not, but there are 92,400 out there [points out the door] in purple and gold
cheering for us. Do you think this team from Vermont fetches that many per game? Of course they fucking don't, they
couldn't get that many people if they paid 'em. We are fucking L. S. U."

"Coach, we'll be fine in the second half, there's no way they can stay with us." Jefferson spoke up again.

"Oh will we? Not if you keep throwing interceptions we won't, especially if they end up in our endzone." He looks at wide
receiver Mitch Joseph.

"And not if we keep dropping the ball, these guys are fucking pansies, they aren't gonna hurt you!" He looks at lineman
Josh Dworaczyk.

"And not if we keep false-starting, what is the crowd getting to you? Jesus christ.

"No if we keep doing those things, we'll be looking at our names in the headlines, but in the worst way possible, I can see
it now, '#6 LSU stunned by recent newcomer to division 1'...

"Are you guys looking forward to seeing that?"

A few mumbled out a response.

"I said, do you guys want to see that!?!?"

This time they belted out a "no".

"So get out there and show this team where they fucking belong!"

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They had come so close to the biggest win in their life, but they fell short.

The locker room was different this time, this time there was no chatter. This time people went about their business
quietly, thinking about the game that could have been.

The mood in the room was somber, like every single one of them had lost a loved one. To some of them, they had, it was
so close, just a first down here, one less penalty there, and maybe the game could have ended differently.

But yet, it didn't. They had lost there chance at making a mark, sure it will make the headlines as the upset that almost
was, but who wants to be that?

Donald McKillop just sat next to his corner locker on the bench, still with his pads on, just looking at the floor. He felt the
weight of the loss on his shoulders. No one said a word to him.

"Those two interceptions, if I hadn't thrown them.... and why did I just throw the ball away? I know thats a penalty, ahh that
was so dumb, I cost us the game.", donald thought to himself.

This was the first time Donald had ever made it into a game. He had been very successful with his team in High School
back home in California. His deceivingly strong arm led his team to a division 3-AA super bowl birth, they lost it, but he
still got them there, even if he didn't garner much attention.

Vermont made notice of him though, and recruited him to come 3,000 miles across the country to play 1-AA ball for them.
Donald McKillop accepted their offer in December.

Three months later, some kid by the name of Jack Kramer, of Brattleboro, Vermont, walked-on to the football team. Jack
had played fullback for his high school team, mostly a receiving one as he still had good speed and hands.

One day after practice, during the beginning of training camp of McKillop and Kramer's freshmen year, a few guys were
just tossing the ball around, Jack was one of them. Eventually it turned into a two on two touch-game. Jack played QB,
and was zipping the ball all over the place. The coaches caught a glimpse of the fun, and on the next day at practice
decided to give him a few reps at quarterback. He stuck, his speed matched with his throwing skills was too much of a
threat to pass up.

Jack became QB1. Donald McKillop became QB2. At first he was upset, naturally as he should be, but McKillop was a
quiet kid, and a good teammate. He kept his feelings to himself and accepted his new role. He started to focus less on
football and more on his schoolwork, he wanted to get into something physics-related. And anyways, how was he
to compete with the charismatic, double-threat that is Jack Kramer?

But now here we are, some two years later, when Jack Kramer gets caught by a rolling linemen, and is reported as out for
the game. It was time for Donald to step into the role he was brought here to do, in front of 92,400 at Tiger Stadium.

He just couldn't put it away though, he played well, but costly mistakes lost the game. Now he just sat quietly, like he
normally does, but for once his jersey was covered in dirt and grass stains.

Jack sat in the opposite corner of the locker room, but he was already in his "civilian" clothes, having been taken into the
locker room early. He sat with his leg up on a stool, holding the ice on his knee, a pout on his face.

He wanted to come back into the game, desperately. He nearly fell on his hurt knee begging Coach Motherway to put
him back on the field. But Motherway would have none of it.

"We can't risk having you get more hurt Jack, we're gonna need you for the next 10 weeks."

"But I'm fine I swear! I can play on it, See?" He proceeded to jump up and down a few times, hiding the wince on his
face, before Coach Motherway could grab him to stop.

"No Jack, you're not playing any more in this game, now go cheer your team on the sidelines." He went and say down on
the bench and crossed his arms in frustration. He stayed that way until the last quarter, when even he couldn't contain
his excitement over his frustration.

But now, still naively thinking he could have one that game, he returned to his crossed-arm position.

Coach Motherway eventually made his way into the locker room, once he had finished his post-game interviews. His
players expected the worst from him, especially after last week's episode, but thats not what they received.

He walked into the room, chuckling to himself, shaking his head, looking at the floor. The team looked around at each
other, wondering why he was in such a chipper mood.

Coach Motherway stopped walking once he had reached the center of the room.

"Ya know, I just got asked a whole bunch of questions by a bunch of reporters." The players looked up at him wondering
where he was going with this.

"And they were very amusing to me, there was a lot of 'coach, how does it feel to come up short?', and 'coach, what could
you have done differently to have won that game?'

"But frankly, I don't really care that we lost that game, I don't care about what we could have done differently to win. Yeah,
not this week I didn't. Do you wanna know why?

"Because you guys played your asses off. Thats why.

"McKillop pick your chin up son, that was a brilliant game you threw out there, you kept us in that game, we owe the
chance of even beating this team to you, do not blame yourself for this loss.

"And Kramer...stop pouting like a kid not allowed to play on the monkey bars, would ya?"

Everyone in the locker room laughed, Jack eventually broke up too.

"Guys, that was a great performance, if we can play like that against the rest of the scrubs in the MAC, then I think that
we have a shot at proving we do belong. Now bring it in here...except for you Kramer you just stay there... Go Cats
Go on three, one, two, three."

"Go! Cats! Go!"

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How to Run a Post-Corner Route....

....with James Millard

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Week 4 vs Ball State

QB Jack Kramer throws to an open James Millard on the run in the second quarter


WR James Millard runs for the TD on a 10 yard reception in the second


CB Dan Halsuka goes up and makes the pick at the end of the first half


DT Dam White and RE Steven Marino bring down the QB when he tries to scramble in the third


Kramer runs 24 yards for a TD late in the fourth to put the game out of reach for Ball State

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How to do the chicken dance....

....with Kelly Page

It made me lol.

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*through 3 games*

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Week 5 at Bowling Green

FS Andrew Poulin makes the interception early in the first quarter


WR James Millard makes his way 83 yards into the endzone in the second


HB Erik Rostad scampers his way 31 yards for the TD in the second


Millard stretches out to make the catch and runs 65 yards for the TD in the second quarter


MLB Eric Kamback brings in the errant pass and takes it 99 yards back for the touchdown still in the second