Chapter 33

Mid-November brought on the first snows of a Vermont Winter and stadium crews were busy clearing the field so Jared Winslow could take his 5-4 overall, 4-3 in conference, Green Aggies to the field for Thursdays practice. Despite the pressure on the crews to get the stadium ready for Saturday's full house against Jersey State U, Fridays forecast promised more snow. Temperatures wouldn't get much below 28, but they probably wouldn't see the sun anytime before Sunday, so a melt off was likely out of the equation. There were hot spots built into the stadium seating where if you moved snow in that area it would melt and drain off. Otherwise it was moved, piled or trucked out. It was an arduous task but the staff was up to it. They knew getting the field clear for practice was job one, and it was done.

Jared sat behind his desk and fantasized what a 7-3 finish would be in the conference. Providence was 6-1 and had a softer schedule to finish, so thoughts of finishing at the head of the conference were probably folly. He really felt that 7 wins would almost guarantee him a secondary bowl invitation. With 40 bowls broadcast on National Television and another 5 or so broadcast regionally, certainly the factors of having female contributing members and (currently) the nations leading scorer, not to mention a top 3 rusher, all added up to some interest. Bowls led to money for the University and the more well known the bowl, the more it meant when recruiting. But, there would be no 7th win without the 5th win and that was his goal for the moment. Jersey State was only 2-5 after being touted as a conference powerhouse. Injuries had broken their season, but they were getting players back this week to help them offensively, but probably not enough to spell a win for them. Jared knew that for them to win he had to keep his team within itself and their game plan without being over confident.

No one would have guessed that the poised quarterback that was calling half of his offense' own plays was playing in just his 10th game at the position. Marv Hudson was so natural at the position, and as a leader, he no longer needed the push from Boge Hollins to force himself to trust his instincts. Calling a play while looking intently into Boge's eyes for a nod of approval was a thing of the past. Boge intentionally made no eye contact with him during the huddle to show his trust. If left to his own mind, Hudson would open a total air assault offense, he felt so confident, but he trusted the better judgment of his coach. The balance of showing what he was capable of and the constant threat of Hollins breaking loose kept defenses on their toes and second guessing. Third down plays where he wanted to go for the big score, Coach would send in a conservative choice, happy to settle for the "sure 3" rather than risk the interception in the smaller scope of playing field.

Coach Winslow knew the talent that Hudson had and wanted no chance of breaking his confidence with interceptions at this early stage of his maturation. He had more college years to spend his talents while he learned the intricacies of the position in his nascent stages.

Frank Ruffen was working his defense as hard as he ever had in preparing for the Jersey State game. Jerseys backfield would be playing only their third game this season as a whole unit after losing their Quarterback and key running back in a botched reverse during week 2. A blitzing defender and both Jersey State players met at one time resulting in severe neck and shoulder injuries. Frank didn't think they would be playing with the same flair they were known for, but still he wanted to prepare his squad. One constant reminder was footing, and that New England Ag could practice on the frozen and slippery field and get to know the quirks of how you might react to sudden moves.

"On pass plays anticipate where that ball should be when it's passed. There's bound to be missed steps and balls flying to places where nobody ain't." Frank said in his homey way. "When you're playing the ball it's easy, but when you're in that 10 yard zone from scrimmage and you're playing the man and he loses the step or goes down, GET THAT BALL!" He told them each day after the snows hit, convinced that his boys who practiced in the cold and snow had the advantage.

Where there would be heaters on the sideline for the game, Jared insisted on practicing without them. He felt it eased the pressure you felt in practice all week and got your head more into the game and less worried about the conditions on game day.

Defensive Assistants Barry Wicker and Ben Elgart were going through the whole team man for man, all squads, showing them ways to keep warm and what you could wear that wouldn't impede your game. Both of them played their college ball in Minnesota and each did parts of seasons in the NFL in Green Bay and Detroit. They knew the cold and how to handle it in case anyone was new to it.

By game time on Saturday conditions had improved a bit, with the promise of sunshine during the first half, but they had gotten an additional four inches of snow late Friday afternoon. Bulked up crews with lots of student and alumni volunteers got the field and stands ready for the sell-out crowd. Most of the players were in early, not quite knowing what to expect. Some were already dressed and on their stools as others arrived. It was obvious there was a quiet nervous air about the clubhouse.

Julie Murcer had just stripped down to her panty and realized she had forgotten to bring an anti-friction cream she used for her breast and nipples before she put her protective Zena gear on. She slipped into her shower robe and went back from her privacy panel to her bag next to her stool. As she bent to get the tube she needed her robe fell open. She panicked at first but realized she was pretty much alone in the front of the clubhouse locker room area as she pulled the tube out and closed her robe to go back to behind the privacy panel. When she looked up Gerry Granahan stood there with a grin on his face and instead of being embarrassed, she just smiled at him before slipping back around the panel. She hadn't been with a man for weeks since Brian and she had broken off their affair and suddenly she felt naughty and happy she had made the faux pas. During pre-game warm-ups, cool down and Coach Winslow's pre-game talk she tried to make eye contact with Gerry, but he seemed aloof and disinterested. She hadn't meant to overtly flirt and apparently he hadn't taken any unintended bait. Brian's girlfriend wouldn't be out of the picture in the States until after Holiday break, she didn't want to wait that long for some sexual relief, but she had to be careful as well.

Jersey won the coin toss and wanted the ball first, hoping to come out with their refurbished offense and make a statement. On their first play from scrimmage they connected for a 47 yard pass play that brought them deep into NEAT territory. From the 33 they used a draw that was good for 11 yards more down to the Green Aggies 22. Frank Ruffen and Coach Winslow were screaming mad on the sidelines about missed assignments. On the next play Jersey ran a little turnout, fake inside and turn out for the ball in your chest as you went out of bounds. On the inside fake the receiver went down on one knee as "Tee" Smythe thundered past the flailing receiver and picked the ball in full stride for an 80 yard scamper to the end zone. The Green Aggies had played sloppy and got a break. Brian Faraday begged off the extra point try, saying he felt sick. It was a move Julie felt was a peace offering for her, but if it was he played it to the hilt, vomiting near the end of the bench while she converted to the delight of the fans.

While Marv Hudson took his offense on to the field Frank Ruffen was tearing new anal openings for the line backers and linemen.

"You take our defense to THEM!" He bellowed. "You're sitting back waiting for a mistake and you got lucky! PRESSURE, PRESSURE!! Read him at the line. He ran that play because he thinks he can pass at will. If he gets confident he'll walk all over you." Frank said sputtering, he was so mad.

He schooled them all week on how good the Jersey State Quarterback was, one Verne Ferry, whose nickname was "Elway". He was coming back from a partially separated shoulder and strain and warned not to let him get too comfortable.

Meanwhile Marv Hudson was fashioning one of his patented 10 plus play drives, eating up the field in small bites and converting 3rd down plays. At the Jersey 29 with 2nd down and 6 he looked to see if Brian Faraday was warming up. He wasn't, but he was up and walking. Marv didn't want to go to a third down where Coach would send in a play designed to put them in position for the sure field goal.

When Marv called "26 Hot Pass Flicker" for Gerry Granahan's number he looked up to Boge and Boge just rolled his eyes and smiled. Successful for not, Coach Winslow was going to tell Marv he was showboating. With the lead, it was a very un-Marv call as he had been trained. If other teams watched game films as intently as the Green Aggie staff did, he wouldn't be able to make this call the rest of the year. He had done it twice already in like situations.

As he flicked his wrist on the fake to the sidelines, Granahan's defender slipped in front of him and then fell on the sloppy turf. Granahan got 5 big strides in before turning over his left shoulder to see the ball spiraling into his arms. While Brian Faraday was trying to convince Ira Pressley and Coach Winslow that he was OK, Julie Murcer converted her second extra point of the day.

Jordy Alford and Coach Winslow lauded Marv for his execution of his play call, but he was ripped to shreds for making the play near unusable in any similar situation. For a Jared Winslow offense it was an unnecessary risk inside the 30 when you already had the lead. With a sure footed kicker Jared had made a successful career of eating the clock and taking things in 3 point bites. He liked to show long air gains in the middle of the field with the lead. "Let them know you have the gun, but keep it in the holster until you really need it." Marv ran the offense in just such a manner for the rest of the half as the defense tightened and the Green Aggies went into the locker room at half time with a 23-9 lead.

Brian Faraday apologized to the team for getting sick. He insisted that he had not drank too much the night before, but had had a large dinner with his girlfriend and she had made him breakfast that morning and warm-ups had brought it all up. He had gotten some good natured ribbing, but since he had punched through 3 field goals in the half he was easily forgiven.

The sun had come out near the end of the half and Coaches warned everyone that the field may be getting slicker.

"Jersey is going to make adjustments on the field to try and make up the score so keep your head about you. I'm guessing they'll work more on the ground game and try to see what pass defenses open up. We'll do our best to keep the ball as long as we can and force them into mistakes. If we can add points when we get the ball to open the half they will need 3 scores to catch or tie us. They'll take risks, that's where we beat them. We keep to the game plan and we try to make the field conditions work FOR us." Coach Winslow said in his closing remarks to end the halftime.

The game plan may have been to keep the ball as long as possible, but someone should have told Boge Hollins. On the third play from scrimmage, after a short return, a third and one play, Hollins broke free for a 73 yard touchdown run after spinning free from a would be tackler after cutting right after breaking the line. Green Aggie defense tightened after consecutive pass play advances and made Jersey settle for another field goal. At 30-12 the NEAT lead was comfortable but not at the "3 score" threshold where Coach felt comfortable. However, on another 3rd and short yardage play Jersey, while apparently trying to over compensate for Hollins line breaking power, let him slice through the line and go untouched for another touchdown, this one for 56 yards. The rest of the day was textbook ball control and tight deep defense as Jersey tried to get back points quickly in a failed effort. The final was 40-19. It brought them up to 5-3 in conference and instilled an instant air of confidence as they trotted victoriously off the field.

The cold and slippery field had worked to their advantage until Jersey adjusted, but still they proved to be the dominant team. They knew they were well coached, well prepared, and had solid leaders on the team from the locker room to each end of the field. One realization swept over the team that day. The magic of Jared "Winning" Winslow was not in his head or heart, it was in theirs. It was his ability to make them believe in themselves and reach into your own inner depths to gather the confidence to succeed. Surely, certain players made it look easy, they had that special talent. Humphrey "Boge" Hollins, Brian Faraday, and Oksana Cushman were all first year players with the team who excelled quietly by just "doing their job". While the spotlight often found Boge he never took advantage of that off the field. The press tried to create a Terrell Owens type of figure, but it never got off the ground. He did his talking on the field.

Once the glad handing, back patting and press interviews were over, the team "closed" the clubhouse for a final reflection. Jazz Carey and Boge went to the coach's podium and a round of clicks went around the room that fell into silence.

"No party at Ethan tonight." Jazz said as the group groaned. "There's Open House tomorrow and we have to be good boys and girls." He said with a grin.

"Coach says we meet at two o'clock tomorrow. Be smart tonight. There's a band at "The Union" tonight, but I think it's going to be dry because of the Open House." Boge chimed in to a loud round of groans and boo's.

It was true that whomever the good times benefactor of the small team beer parties at Ethan Hall was, he or she had let it be known that it was too risky this week, to supply the goods, and Dean Crawford had instructed the Student Union to not serve on this night so visiting prospective students could all attend. The rule was normally, 18 to get in, 21 to be served and only 1 beer at a time.

A lot of the team agreed to meet at "The Union" and there were rumors that "airline" bottles of booze may make their way in. Still, there wouldn't be too much of a rowdy crowd. "The Union" was an on campus nightspot in the Student Union that served basically beer, soda, coffee, pizza and sandwiches. It went dry on Sunday nights and served as a study social. With Open House the University wanted to show its best side and banned alcohol this night to allow underage prospective students in to see the slice of campus life it provided. True to the rumors, there were little bottles of vodka and whiskey passed around, but no one seemed to be out of hand as a local band favorite "The Kelvinators" played for people to listen and dance. Any team members who went chose to be in the far corner, standing by and occupying a few tables.

Julie Murcer stood swaying and foot tapping to the music as she watched the musicians intently while sipping a liquor laced soda. She had come with Oksana and Jack "Whiskey" Daniels. Whiskey seemed to have a small crush on Oksana, but hadn't acted on it, besides some meeting up for a drink or study. Oksana took the Coaches rule about inter-team dating seriously and vowed not to get involved with a team member, even though she was a bit sweet on Jack. Her breasts were near falling out of the top she wore, making Jack the envy of any guy who was alone that night. Julie looked at it a little differently, if she hooked up with a team member, she knew who she was with, they all passed physicals and were accessible if anything came into question. She wasn't looking for a love relationship. She had a steady boyfriend back home and already felt guilty for getting involved with Brian when she promised Coach she wouldn't. She also got emotionally involved with Brian when she promised herself she wouldn't, but that heartache had passed already proving to herself it was just over familiarization.