Season 4, Episode 2
Kam groaned as he stumbled into his dorm room, the remnants of last night’s party still echoing in his head. The taste of cognac and the scent of Amy’s perfume lingered, a hazy memory of laughter and tangled limbs.
D.J. and James, his fellow teammates, were sprawled out on the living room couch, nursing their hangovers. They exchanged knowing glances when Kam shuffled in, disheveled and bleary-eyed. D.J. raised an eyebrow, and James smirked.
“Kam, my man,” James. drawled, “How was your night with Wisconsin?”
“Shut up, nigga,” he mumbled.
James chuckled. “All she needs is a quarterback and that bitch might hit for the cycle.”
Kam rolled his eyes, too much in a weakened state to deal with James’ daily shenanigans. He opened the fridge, enjoying every ounce of the cool water before taking another glance towards the couch, finally noticing their attire.
“Fuck,” Kam muttered, panic rising, “We’ve got a fucking game. Did the coaches do curfew check last night?”
D.J. grinned. “We wouldn’t know, nigga. You weren’t the only one getting some of that sweet nectar. We redshirts anyway, not like we got a game.”
...
"Kam! Kam!"
Kam sprinted onto the huddle, the play call barely audible over the thumping sound in his chest. He got into his stance, taking a peak out to the yard to gain. One yard, that's all he needed but it seemed so far away with the mass of bodies in between them.
He was on a college football field, playing in front of thousands and even more watching at home. Would his dad be watching, would Lana, Jasmine? He had tampered everyone's expectation, telling them that he wouldn't play this year but now he wished he hadn't.
He steadied his heart rate as the ball was snapped, the ball placed into his belly. The hole formed instantly and he ran right through it, extending his arm through the incoming defensive back's chest before he was dragged to the turf by the defensive end that spun his way back onto the play.
He quickly got up and looked for the first down marker, unable to find it. He looked back, realizing it was ten yards behind him.
"Good shit, rook!" yelled his teammates as he jogged off the field.
Season 4, Episode 3
The team’s dismal record weighed heavily on their shoulders as the grind of a season had begun taking its toll on the coaching staff, each meeting becoming a more arduous task.
“Look,” Running back coach Johnson began, leaning forward, “Spegal’s been solid. No doubt about it. But Kam… Kam’s got something special.”
Coach Reynolds nodded. “Did you see those plays today at practice? Explosive. Electric. He’s a game-changer.”
“But,” Coach Elliott, the offensive coordinator, interjected, “we can’t afford to gamble. We need wins now and you start playing freshmen all over the place, the seniors might feel like we’re checking out and they’re going to check out.”
Coach Neu, the head coach, leaned back in his chair. His grizzled face bore the weight of years in the game. “Gentlemen,” he said, voice gravelly, “Those same players got us to where we are at right now so I quite frankly don’t give a shit if we got to break a few eggs.”
Coach Johnson suggested, “We give Kam more snaps. Rotate him in, see how he does with a bigger role.”
“Charlie’s been pretty good, rushed for over a hundred yards last week so I don’t think he’s the problem,” Coach Elliott insisted.
Coach Neu leaned forward, eyes piercing. “We’ve given him all the opportunities in the world, and he’s been giving us just another guy production. Hell, half this room can run for a hundred yards if we just keep giving us the ball.”
…
Kam lay in bed, the raucous laughter from his roommates’ get-together seeping through the thin walls. They reveled, blissfully unbothered by his impending early morning flight to Nashville.
His roommates hosted these gatherings like clockwork as non-traveling redshirts and co-eds mingled. Kam’s patience wore thin as he’d endured this ritual before, but now it grated on his nerves.
If he couldn’t find rest, he’d find something else. His phone glowed in the darkness, and he tapped out a message to the only girl he knew on campus.
“wyd?”
The reply came swiftly: “trying to hang?”
...
Kam's eyes widen as he saw the open patch of grass to his left, planting his foot as he went to accelerate, fully expecting to be in the endzone within seconds. Even against Vanderbilt, the step up in talent was evident as the hole quickly closed and Kam was brought down after a modest gain once more.
"Fuck," he exclaimed to himself, slamming the ball on the ground as he got to his feet and was greeted by the sight of Charlie jogging into the huddle to replace him.
...
Thirteen yards through the first seven carries, coach Johnson felt the judging eyes of his colleagues as they huddled before the start of the second half.
"At least he's hanging on to the football," coach Elliott shrugged, "Picking up the yards that are there but goddamn, we need a push up front."
"Give him some space," coach Johnson pleaded to the offensive line coach, "He's going to get going, I'm telling you."
...
Kam got skinny, turning his shoulder as he kept his feet moving through the small crevice that was available. Once cleared, he lowered his shoulder into the oncoming defender, picking up the first down and more.
...
"Handoff to Seidu-Harris and he's going to stiff arm the linebacker! He's blown up around the 50-yard line but what a stiff arm by the freshman!"
...
"Get big little nigga," Kam muttered to the downed linebacker, brushing his leg past his helmet as Kam walked back to the huddle, not bothering to turn around as the defense hurled insults back to him.
...
"Seidu-Harris cuts back inside and he's going to pick up nine yards on that play to bring up second and inches."
...
Everywhere hurt as Kam settled into his stance in anticipation of his twenty-second carry of the day. The light rain drops offered some comfort, cooling his body. He kept a watchful eye on the scoreboard, the time clock area vacant as they went into overtime.
"Ready, ready! Hut!"
Kam did a small hop step, placing himself right by Kial's hip as the quarterback brought the ball up to his ear like he was going to drop back before handing it off to Kam. Kam made sure to secure the ball, weary of Charles' two fumbles already. The defensive tackle quickly got off his block, forcing Kam to adjust his track as he picked up steam, the first down within sight. He kept his legs churning through the twist and turns as more defenders joined in on the tackle.
The ground offered sweet relief, a moment of reprieve as he looked to the heavens.
...
"He's going to be short of the first down and it looks like Ball State is going to kick a field goal here."
...
"Alexander is going to get the first down and more as he sprints into the endzone for the touchdown, Vanderbilt wins! The Commodores hang on and beat the Ball State Cardinals at home, in overtime, 26-23!"