Everyone remembers the devastating defeat our football team suffered last year against Gilmour. In the final second of the game US attempted a field goal to win the game by two points, but the field goal was blocked which let Gilmour win by a single point. This loss was not forgotten by any of the coaches or the players.

During the week of practice leading up to the Gilmour game, the coaching staff put the final score of last year’s game on our scoreboard. Every time the players looked at it they saw the devastating score: 20-21. Every time the players looked at the scoreboard they were reminded of how much they hated that loss. Every time they looked at the scoreboard they were reminded of the Gilmour student section at the US vs. Gilmour basketball game chanting, “let’s play football!” Every time they looked at the scoreboard they were reminded of the Gilmour players, coaches, and fans going crazy after the blocked field goal. And every time they looked at the scoreboard they told themselves, “never again.”

The US football team had the most focused, determined, and crisp week of practice all year in the week leading up to the Gilmour Game. It began with the freshmen, who did not suffer last years defeat but still felt the same desire to make sure that the US football program never lost to Gilmour again, and it ended with the seniors, who worked the hardest that they ever have to ensure a US victory.

US started with the ball at about the 20-yard line and in only two plays, went 80 yards to score a touchdown. This score set the tone for the rest of the game. The US football team did not take their foot of the gas pedal until the game was far out of reach. With about two minutes to go, US had a first and goal at Gilmour’s 5-yard line, and instead of running the ball all over Gilmour’s defense like US had been doing all game, they decided to take four knees in a row. US knew that taking four knees would not run the clock all the way down to zero and that they would have to send their defense back out, but US did it to show Gilmour that they don’t matter to US enough for us to score another touchdown on them, no matter how easy that touchdown could have been.

Right after the US football team sang Hail University and shook the hands of the Gilmour players, we ran over to the scoreboard and took a team picture with the new final score that has now replaced last year’s score as the score to be remembered.

US has once again reclaimed their title of Kings of SOM.