The Diary of Benjamin Taylor

[hockeyplaya2724]

Quote: Originally Posted by A_True_Fan

I appreciate the vote of confidence! lol. My time will come...I'm trying to make this fairly realistic. I've seen a lot of these things where the guy comes straight in from high school and dominates college football, and that didn't seem that fun to me. I've been simulating all of the games where my guy doesn't play, so it's kind of interesting to see Indiana get hammered by the likes of Ball State or something and not being able to do anything about it. And in the games where my guy finally does play, I don't play any defense either, just offense, so it's frustrating to see the defense get torched!

Hopefully the coach will start you once or twice this season. If I was the QB being benched I would enjoy watching my team get torched lol

[nicolas-11]

Hey, I think that your report would be a lot better if you actually created a story line on the Benjamin's life. Its a lot more interesting that way, because its not just like, we got hammered again, 18-14. We could have won. Oh well I hope to play someday. Like, you should have a storyline going on. Look at this post: http://www.thegamerslab.com/communit...oad-glory.html, it will help you a lot with your CL. Apart from that, I really hope your guy gets some playing time, as the other QB's right now are total garbage!

[A_True_Fan]

October 6

Coach called me into his office before practice today. I thought for sure that he was going to tell me that they were going to red-shirt me for the season, seeing as I hadn’t seen the field yet. Our starting quarterback, Kellen Lewis, was just about due back from his turf toe, meaning I’d be getting pushed even further down the bench. With our team playing as bad as they had, I thought that maybe they would want to save another year of my eligibility for the back end of my career. It was a long walk down the hall to Coach’s office, and I tried to mentally prepare myself for the impending disappointment.
“Ben,” coach told me, “The staff and I have really seen your hard work and dedication on the practice field. I know that you have been giving it your all every day. I just want you to know that this decision I’m making right now is one I’ve wrestled back and forth with the past 48 hours, but I’m confident we are doing what is best for the team. I’ve decided to name you the starter for this week’s game against Iowa. Kellen is still probably a week away from being fully healthy, and I just think it’s time to throw you out there and see what you can do. Do you think you are ready?”

I was completely shocked. I tried to look confident, but I was still shaking from the surprise. “Yes…yes, sir, coach. I’m ready. I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

Coach dismissed me from his office and I tried to walk normally back down the hall, but I was just too excited. I gave a big fist pump, and started running as soon as I got outside…

[A_True_Fan]

October 11

The big day. My first start as a college quarterback! Iowa comes into this game 3-2, and we’re…well, let’s just way we haven’t quite hit our stride yet…

Just coming out of the tunnel knowing that I was actually going to play was a totally different feeling. I had butterflies in my stomach for the first time since my freshman year in high school!

It had rained all day, and it was still coming down during the opening kickoff:




Our first possession, we ran the ball twice for little yardage. Third down, and I knew it would be my first time dropping back for a pass:




Ouch! The O-line didn’t block, and I got hammered for a sack. Was that really my first possession? 3 plays, minus 6 yards, and a punt? Much like the offensive line, our defense started out poorly. Iowa marched down the field and scored a TD, and it was 7-0 before I knew it.

I completed a pass on first down of our next possession, and we actually moved the ball a bit.







I could tell the nerves were starting to settle, and we managed to get into field goal range, but our kicker missed. Damn.

Everything started to blur together over our next few possessions. We’d move the ball okay, but couldn’t get it into the endzone. Iowa, on the other hand, kept scoring fairly easily, and I looked up, and all of sudden we were down 17-3. I didn’t think we were doing that bad offensively, but we were still getting blown out…

With just about two minutes go in the first half, Iowa punted and we took over deep in our own territory. We looked to just run the clock out, but our running back broke a good run, and we got a little breathing room. We moved the ball to about midfield with just under 30 seconds left, but were left with a fourth and three. For some reason, Coach decided to roll the dice and go for it, and I connected on this pass to keep the drive alive!



We managed a field goal as the clock expired, and we went to half on a high note, down 17-6.

I had played okay, but nothing great. As the third quarter started, Iowa tacked on another field goal, and we were back down 20-6. Only two scores, though, I thought in my head. I led a real good drive inside the Iowa ten yard line, and I knew that if we could get the ball in the endzone, then maybe our luck would turn around.

I dropped back for a pass on third and goal, but didn’t see anyone open. I sprinted towards the left sideline, and cut up the field. I could see the pylon, and I could hear the crowd starting to cheer:




Until….I got hammered. Two Iowa linebackers converged on me short of the goal line, and I fumbled the ball away. No touchdown, no celebration, nothing but a really, really bad headache.




I sat the rest of the game after that. Not because of poor performance, I think, but because of the possible concussion. I finished the game completing 14 of 20 passes for exactly 100 yards, and had run the ball 5 times for 21 yards, and the fumble, of course. Ben Chappell finished the game, and we ended up losing 30-6.

I had one career start under my belt. Not how I had imagined it, but a start nonetheless. Now, I’m just looking for that first win.

[hockeyplaya2724]

Dude these updates are... AMAZING! Nice first start, to bad you had to leave with a possible concussion, would of been nice if you could have scored that TD.

[nicolas-11]

Just as I said before, the game reports are nice, but you should go a lot more in depth on Benjamin's life. I mean, it is cool to know how he did, but it would be a lot better if we also knew what is going on between games.

[A_True_Fan]

October 12



I woke up with a killer headache. I feel hungover, but like ten times worse. So this is what college football feels like…

Our game with Illinois is six days away. I’m hoping I will be cleared to play, but who knows where I will be on the depth chart? Kellen Lewis will probably be back, meaning he’s most likely the starter. The “other Ben” – Ben Chappell – is the healthiest of the three of us, but he’s had some of his own issues recently – late to practice, tifts with other players, and a generally bad attitude. I think he has lost some favor with some of the coaches.

We’ll see what happens between now and Saturday. Now that I have set foot on the field, the sideline isn’t nearly as interesting…

[A_True_Fan]

October 18

Coach announced that Kellen would definitely be starting, and that I would be the backup for the Illinois. Chappell seemed really upset about this, and I heard him muttering something under his breath at me a couple of times. Whatever. I’m not worried about it. I just want to help this team win some games….

We led 16-14 going into the fourth quarter, and I really thought today would be the day to break the losing streak. Kellen Lewis had played pretty good for most of the game, but he threw a late INT that helped give Illinois a 22-16 lead. A three and out, and another quick score by Illinois, and we ended up losing 30-16. I’m beginning to wonder if we are ever going to win a game!

0-8. We are zero and eight. We still have Northwestern, Central Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Purdue on the schedule. I can’t believe how bad things have gone for us so far….maybe I could transfer back home to MTSU or to a Division II school or something. I hate losing, but I hate standing around and watching the team lose even more…