FIRST AND TEN AT GETTYSBURG By James F. Epperson

I picked this up on my cable system the other night, after a bad storm. It seems that the History Channel and ESPN sort of merged a bit and this is what popped out . . .

Keith Jackson: OK, folks, this is a crucial possession for the South team, trying to hold on to their surprising lead here in the Civil War Bowl. They line up first and 10 just inside Yankee territory at the 45 yard line. All they need is just a few first downs and they will be in easy field goal range.

Bob Griese: Yes, Keith, and the way Bobby Lee has been playing quarterback today it ought to be easy to get those first downs.

KJ: OK, here we go . . . Lee steps up over center . . . the Yankee defense appears to be in some kind of new set and it is confusing Lee --

BG: He's changing the play, Keith . . .

KJ: Right you are, Bob, Lee takes the snap and hands off to Harry Heth on a sweep left, but Heth cuts up inside and -- Whoa Nellie!! -- John Reynolds and John Buford smacked Heth right onto his back -- loose ball, it's a-rolling around, Dick Ewell picks it up and takes off, Heth throws him a block to get free of Howard and Ewell is out of bounds with about a 5 yard gain. Wow!!

BG: Heth should never have gone inside, Keith.

KJ: The play was set up as a sweep, but Heth's a combative fellow and he must have seen what he thought was an opening.

BG: He saw Buford filling the middle but I don't think he recognized him, and thought he could run right over him. Buford held him up and Reynolds knocked the ball loose.

KJ: Lucky for the Rebels that Ewell picked up the loose ball and ran to where the Yankees weren't.

BG: Yeah, but he might have been able to take it all the way if he had cut back inside instead of going out of bounds. You know, Ewell is subbing for Jackson who has been lost for the rest of the year, and I'll bet you Jackson would have cut that back and made another 20 yards.

KJ: I don't know, Bob, on the replay it looks like Slocum was in position there to head him off. But in any event it is now second down and five to go for the South. Lee comes back over center and hands off to Longstreet, and the big fellow takes the ball around right end and plows ahead for a couple of yards.

BG: That was a slow-developing play. Sykes came up from the secondary and made a good hit, Keith.

KJ: Which he wouldn't have had to do if Dan Sickles had stayed home, but Sickles shifted out of position and no one covered for him. Ewell missed his block on the back-side, too.

BG: Sickles is hurt, too, Keith.

KJ: Right, he's leaving the game, being replaced by Birney. So now it's third and three for the Rebels, and a big play is coming up.

BG: Why haven't they gone to the air? The Yankee defense is playing a scheme that is vulnerable on the left side, he ought to be able to get someone open over there for a big gain.

KJ: Well, we'll see what they try here. A fresh back is in the game, little George Pickett, maybe they are going to try and use some fresh legs.

BG: You know, Lee is very good at attacking the outside with some play action and a roll-out, so the Yankees have got to be looking that way, this might be a good time to try and punch a big one up the middle.

KJ: Yeah, but someone is going to have to take care of old John Gibbon and Win Hancock patrolling the middle of the Yankee line.

BG: Maybe some draw action to freeze the linbackers, or a counter-trey.

KJ: We'll see what they try here as Lee brings the Rebels up to the line . . . they go into a tight formation with three tight ends --

BG: It's got to be a feint, Keith . . .

KJ: Lee takes the snap, hands the ball to Pickett who drives right up the middle and gets nailed for a three yard loss by John Gibbon and Winfield Hancock of Pennsylvania! What were they thinking on that play?

BG: I don't know, Keith, there was no subtlety at all to that play, just straight-ahead power football, right at the strength of the Yankee line.

KJ: You know, the Yankees had been slanting to the left a lot, and maybe they thought they would catch them leaning that way.

BG: Maybe so, Keith, but you'd think they would put some kind of motion or spread formation on to give the defense more to think about.

KJ: Good point, well, it's history now, the Rebels are going to have to punt the ball back to the Yankees and the Confederate fans are going to be talking about this series of downs for a long time. We'll be back for the punt, right after this message from your ABC stations!

Copyright ©1998 by James F. Epperson. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.

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