Victory in Wildflower Bowl Gives Kelly Webb a "Hollywood" Ending
No one thought it possible. Even after quarterback Kelly Webb had lead the Jackrabbits through a miracle season and a ten-game winning streak, all looked lost heading into halftime. Kelly's breakup with wide receiver Josh Miller, which happened just days earlier, was having a disastrous effect on both players' concentration. Only running back Rooster Henderson was providing any offense for UWT. The score was 26-12 at the half and a fight broke out in the Jackrabbits' locker room.
"Josh was mad at me. Rooster had betrayed me. The coach wasn't supporting me. It felt like the whole team, the whole crowd, and the whole world was against me," Kelly said after the game. "Rooster said I thought I was better than everyone else. And that's when I realized that he was right and...it's still hard for me to say this...and I was wrong.
"I thought football players were dumb, but they learned my complicated plays every week. All the math and science and history -- they mastered it. And I thought football players were selfish, but they never complained when I got all the glory. And I thought football players were mean, but they took me to their parties and me popular...for the first time in my life.
"I realized that football isn't mindless. It's elegant and even beautiful. And football players are some of the best people I'd ever met."
Kelly, Rooster, Josh, the coach, and the rest of the players reconciled, but Kelly was out of trick plays. That's when all the lessons she had taught her teammates finally kicked in. Rooster designed one play that netted the Jackrabbits a touchdown. With the clock ticking down and UWT down by four, linebacker Augie Howard used another trick play to force a fumble and gave the Jackrabbits one last shot at victory.
Kelly said, "I called a trick play that utilized the sun's rays, since the sun was setting into the Rattlesnakes' eyes. But the problem was that it blinded Josh and all the other receivers, and by the time they were open, the sun was down and all the defenders were heading straight for me."
Kelly took the ball herself and raced to the two yard-line, only to be stopped by the Rattlesnakes' Butkus Award-winning linebacker, Brandon Carver. He even had her by the ponytail -- legally a part of Kelly's uniform, according to NCAA rules. But Kelly fought against the immense pain, stretched out her arm, and put the ball over the goal line. The Jackrabbits had won.
"And she made sure to give credit where it's due," said a swaggering Rooster after the game. "She told all the TV cameras what a great player I am." In fact, Rooster is likely to be the Denver Broncos' first pick in the draft.
"And I told the world that Kelly and I are now back together," said Josh. He proved it by kissing her in front of a screaming crowd on national television.
So what about next year? "Coach Walker likes my plays, but I think I've eaten enough turf -- even for a vegetarian," Kelly joked. "I'll probably be on the sidelines next season as a student coach."
A fitting end to a crazy, memorable year.
In fact, the whole season seems almost like a movie.
The UWT Jackrabbits is the fictional team depicted in the comedy screenplay PONYTAIL by Jason Ginsburg. Get more information here.