Last Chance U (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Last Chance U - full transcript

[crowd cheering in distance]

[Buddy Stephens] I won't do it.

I swear to God,
I won't coach a team like this,

because all I saw was thug bullshit!

We talked about having more pride,
but you didn't want to.

So I tell you what,
go find another damn school to go to.

And you ain't got nobody to blame
but the guy in the mirror.

'Cause you didn't have to do that!
None of you did!

That's horseshit!
I won't be a damn part of it.

Give me another damn job!

[Drew Jubera] The first time I came here,
when I crossed those railroad tracks,



and you see the old downtown,
and the one thing that's operating

is a Coke machine on the sidewalk.

I mean, it really kind of tells you

everything you need to know
about the place.

You drive a mile on, further into it,

and you come across this school,
which is...

I don't know if you'd call it quaint,
but it's a nice little campus.

And you drive a little further
and you see this football stadium,

this 5,000-seat football stadium,
just sort of come out of the ground.

This is the center, the epicenter,
of Junior College Football.

And you wonder how that could even be.

[Dr. Rick Young] When I came here in '04,
we had the worst facilities in JUCO.

I thought, "By golly, are we gonna
continue to be the doormat of the state,

or are we gonna try to get better?"



[chuckles] I wanna be number one.

And all that started with a good coach.

When Buddy came in, he said,

"If you wanna win, hire me.
It's that simple."

There wasn't a big winning tradition,
and I knew we had a long way to go.

Everybody was really looking
for something to hang their hat on.

[Dr. Young] Buddy and his team
were good recruiters.

[radio host] Buddy Stephens
set a precedent,

being able to get some transfers
that are coming back from Division I.

Guys who had been in trouble,
fails a drug test, flunks out of school,

gets mad at his coach at Clemson
and cusses him out.

[Jubera] Those elite athletes
who disappeared for a couple years

and then suddenly show up again at,
you know, Alabama

or the New England Patriots,
this is where they come from.

[Marcus Wood] Whether they're guys
that are academic problems,

whether they're guys that have had
off-the-field issues,

whether they're guys
that maybe are overlooked.

They get an opportunity to come here,
and it's kind of a proving ground for 'em.

[Jake Feeley] I mean, you go to get out,
that's your purpose.

You don't go to stay, you don't go
to have a good time, you know.

I mean, you go to leave.

[Dr. Young] JUCO Football
is getting to be big business.

And when he started winning,

it just... it got better and better
and stronger and stronger.

[Buddy] We run an offense
that's flashy, fast as lightning.

We're not gonna take the foot
off the gas pedal.

You know, that's just what we do.

[Dr. Young] Those scores were unheard of
prior to the Buddy era.

[chuckles] You get into this
East Miss mercy rule.

[Jubera] The Buddy rule.

I mean, it really was put in
to keep Buddy from running up the score.

Buddy made no friends,
and we didn't make any friends as a team.

He wants to win.
At life, at football, at everything.

That's the way it is.
Some people like you, some people don't.

We're easy not to like, you know.

[Brittany Wagner] Once you win
a National Championship,

I think that's the expectation.

But once you win three?

I think the expectation
is to win a fourth National Championship.

We graduate everybody
that's supposed to graduate,

and everybody goes D-I.

Anything short of that,
everyone will be highly disappointed.

[radio host] All right,
interview with Buddy Stephens.

First interview of the 2015 season,
in three, two, one, cue.

Talking with Head Football Coach
Buddy Stephens of the EMCC Lions,

the back-to-back defending
National Champion Lions,

winning three of the last four.

Coach, it's another season,
high expectations once again.

Well, yeah, you know,
we've always talked all along.

Our goal is to start off the season, uh,

1-and-0 and be 1-and-0 after each game.

And, uh, you know,

when we first started this thing
eight years ago, it was to try to be--

Have a winning record,
that's the number one goal.

Win a North Division Championship,

win a State Championship,

and compete for
a National Championship. So...

We're really, really talented,
but we're really young in some places.

I told them last night
they need to grow up fast.

And if they don't grow up fast, you know,
they may get punched in the mouth.

Everybody's gonna wanna know
what WOS is. [chuckles]

Wofford Oran Stephens Jr.

Which I thought was a great name...

until I started school,
and then everybody would laugh at ya.

"What? Wafford?"

I said, "Okay, I'll go with W.O.," right?

And then you go to class and they go,
"Woo. Woo Stephens?"

"Here."

And then, a guy tells me...

I go to the library,
I get my library card. Right?

First time in college, you know,
and so there's people that are there

that, um, um...

that are smarter than me
and some very smart people,

so I'm looking forward to going in there.

And, uh, I go in there and the guy says,

"Oran... Oh, Oran.

Do you know that's, like, from the Bible?

Do you know Oran, in the Bible,
invented masturbation?"

I didn't need to know that.
You know?

I really didn't need to know that.

[players grunting]

-[Wood] Striding, move your ass.
-[all grunting]

Stride to me now, stride to me,
let's go, let's go.

Pick it up,
you've got to be able to pick up...

I wanna see you practice like
a number one team's supposed to practice.

Do not waste what God gave you.
Do you understand me?

-[all] Yes, sir.
-Am I clear?

-[all] Yes, sir.
-Let's go, line up.

[player] Great day to get better, baby.

[chuckles]

[man] There you go! Good.

There you go. Drive!
Get your head across, there you go.

-[blows whistle]
-Quick, quick. Whoa! Whoa!

Pick your damn feet up, Jordan.

-You understand? Pick your feet up, son.
-[man 2] Don't look at him.

[Wyatt Roberts] Did you know
you were already coming here

or were you just trying
to get out on the market?

See, I did it so late that a lot of
the bigger schools was already filled up.

Like, it was like two weeks
before camp was about to start.

Oh.

I ain't never think I'd end up at a JUCO,
but it's different.

Everybody got a different story.

I came from Florida State.
I know I'm here for six months.

I gotta do what I gotta do to get back
to another big-time Division I program.

I went from playing every snap
in high school to not playing at all,

and, uh, it was tough for me.

It started to make me
not love football anymore.

I couldn't let somebody else
take my happiness, you know.

So, at the end of the day,
yeah, it's all about a team.

But you gotta worry about yourself, too,
uh, to a certain extent, because

I came here for one reason
and one reason only, honestly,

and that's to get me back
to the level I know I'm supposed to be at.

[Wyatt] You're never gonna be
just handed the job, you know.

That's not how it works around here,
you're gonna--

You know, you're gonna be tested.

And so they brought in John, and that just
added another strength to the competition.

So, you know, I've always been a guy
that likes competition.

[stammers] You know,
I want the best guy to play.

Whether it's me, or whether it's John.

You know, whoever puts us in the best
situation to win, that's what I want.

Your arms are loose?
You wanna just throw a little more?

[John] I'm Gucci. I'm good.
Feel me? Let's play.

[Buddy] Keep working!

Keep working, keep working, keep working.
Move your feet!

[players grunting]

[Buddy] Very well done!

[whistle blowing]

What you see with Wyatt
is what you're gonna get.

You know, he's extremely consistent
in getting it where the ball needs to be.

He knows the offense in and out,

but there's no way
he should be in a battle with John.

[Buddy] Good. Run, run, run, run, run!
There you go! There you go.

[whistle blowing]

[Wood] Great job!
Man, we got that setup perfect.

[Buddy] Hell, John.
Hold the ball! John! John!

-Do that shit! That's what you do!
-[John] I gotcha. I gotcha.

[Trickett] John has every tool
in the world.

I mean, physically, a tremendous athlete.

He ran track at Florida State,

which is one of the best track teams
in the country.

He has one of the quicker releases.

He's got an absolute canon for an arm.

Transfers in, and everyone knows
what transfers are in Junior College.

You think that he's gonna start.
And that just upped Wyatt's game

to a new other level, and he just played
lights out since John got here

'cause he's a competitor.

[stammering] You know,
it's a Corvette and a truck.

So, really, it's just...
when you get your chance,

you gotta make the most of it.

Hey, on that, when you start feeling that,

the hell with it, take off and run.

-That's what you do!
-Huh.

That's what you bring to the table.

-Do you understand?
-Gotcha.

[indistinct chatter]

[Buddy] You better get
your ass mentally ready.

Get your ass mentally ready,

'cause this is gonna be
a big-time game for us.

Okay? It's gonna be
a big-time game for them.

You gotta get after it.

Because we ain't got--
You don't get this but one chance.

Now, you only get one chance
in what we're trying to do.

You're not gonna beat great teams
by going out

and just laying an egg
at practice now, okay?

-Bring it. You got me?
-[all] Yes, sir!

All right, Jawon, lead your team.
Let's go. Everybody touch somebody.

Everybody touch somebody!

-All right, let's go.
-[Jawon] Whose Father?

[all] Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses...

[indistinct praying]

[Buddy] All right, let's go,
break it down.

[player] Lions on three, champs on six.

-One two three! Four, five, six!
-[all players] Lions! Champs!

[Buddy] Cold tubs.
Mandatory, everybody!

[indistinct chatter]

-[players exclaiming]
-[player] Oh, my God!

Whoo!

[exclaims]

Shit!

Aah! [laughs]

[player grunts]

Oh, God, you got the water dirty, man.

Whoo!

Whoo! Feels nice, man!

This is the life!

Where I'm from,
I ain't never wanna go to class,

I wasn't never in class.

[stammering] In high school?

Soon as I get in there.
"Hey, can I go to the bathroom?"

-[Marcel laughing] Yeah.
-It is over with. It's over with.

Sometimes, I used to get bad,
where I'd just leave and go home.

Bro, I was in summer school--
Let me tell them...

From seventh grade to the 12th. [laughs]

[all laugh]

Tillman, I was in summer school
all my fuckin' high school, bro.

-Man, come on, bro.
-[Ollie] Hey, man!

-JUCO opened my eyes. Scooba!
-[Marcel] Scooba?

Scooba opened my eyes
this fuckin' wide, bro.

Yeah, learned my lesson,
learned my lesson.

Lesson well learned, too.
Especially here.

They say y'all don't learn in Mississippi.

[Ollie chuckling] They say
we don't do nothin' in Mississippi.

[Marcel] Yeah, they say y'all don't learn.

They say we don't do
nothin' in Mississippi.

[Marcel] All y'all do is eat.

Yo, they say we just fat-ass,
dumb-ass country folk.

That fucked up, ain't it?

-Yeah. Time to roll?
-Yeah. Mississippi.

[Ollie] I'm fittin' to go.
Y'all ready to go?

I'm hungrier than a motherfucker, too.

I'm fittin' to get out of here.

[laughing]

We out!

[Ollie] I was, like, in trouble,
a whole lot, like, at school.

I never got into any trouble
with no polices or nothing like that.

It just... in school, I was terrible.

Just not do my work,
[stutters] lot of absences.

Just used to make big scenes about nothin'
in the middle of the hallway,

in the middle of class, during class.

Just childish stuff.

[chuckles]

[indistinct chanting]

[all cheering]

If y'all put that much energy
in classwork,

we might could get some stuff
done around here.

Okay, let's talk about class attendance.

How many absences before you're dropped?

[all clamoring] One...
two... three... four.

[player] You shouldn't be absent
at all, so it doesn't matter.

-Well, that's a great answer, James.
-[all chuckle]

You're right.
But, just in case... [chuckles]

Just in case, it's four.

You get four unexcused.
On the fifth, you're dropped.

Do not miss class!

You're trying to graduate in December.

You miss the fifth time
because you oversleep, and you're dropped.

And that one oversleeping
causes you to not graduate,

which causes you
to not go play somewhere else.

There's no time off...

with you trying to get out of here
and go D-I. None.

[Wagner] Eligibility specialist
would be what I would call myself.

Not necessarily
preparing them academically

for the rest of their life,

but preparing them...

period, for the rest of their life.

I think they're good kids, who, you know,

have unfortunate circumstances
that have happened to them in their life.

You know, I think everyone deserves
the opportunity to get an education.

I think everyone deserves
the opportunity to have a second chance.

And if we can give it to them,
then why not?

Now, here's the deal, listen.

You make straight C's,
what's your GPA?

-[player] C.
-[all laugh]

[chuckling]

What is the number?
What is the number?

[player] 2,0.

-Are you eligible?
-[all] No.

No!

So for every class
that you're gonna make a C in,

I have to have an A.

So when I tell you this is your A class,
I mean it.

We gotta balance it out,
somehow, some way.

All right, we're ready for tomorrow,
sit on the front row.

I have pencils, I have--

Yes, sit on the front row.

Act like you care.

Okay?

Love you.

[indistinct chatter]

[Wagner] If somebody had said to me,

"You're gonna go to Scooba
and be at East Mississippi,

and you're gonna work there for
seven years," and I would've been like,

"No," [chuckles]
"I won't... No, I'm not."

Um, but I mean, I do.

I think this has been the place where
I've been able to impact the most people

in that amount of time.

I've always had a dream to...
make a difference.

Like, to impact...

people's futures, people's lives.

Put me where I'm most effective,

like, put me at the place
where I can impact people the most.

And I think, right now, you know,
maybe this is just where I need to be.

[Isaiah Jones] Don't mess up your--
[DJ Law] Hey, hey!

[DJ] If I'm gonna lose it,
I'm gone. [laughs]

Told you I've been practicing, though.

You know, this is a normal Sunday.

That's me, picked off.
Aw, man!

-Big Gronk!
-[both laughing]

There ain't nothing to do.
Just football.

-Ain't nothing to do. Football.
-They make you love football.

My mom had called me and said she had
talked to, uh, Coach Buddy Stephens.

So he showed up at the house,
told me I got great talent.

I don't need to waste my talent,
basically.

So I sat in the room one day,
I thought about it.

I was just like,
"I'mma go off and play football."

I really don't, like...

School, I love school.
School is...

Education is everything.

But it's not, um...
not something I'm really good at,

so I go to school just to play football
and do something I love.

[Isaiah] They want a three-peat, you know.

[DJ] Three-peat.
We want another championship.

[Isaiah] We just playing football,
honestly. They won that without us.

When I got here,
they was on a winning streak.

I was just join...
I just joined the club.

[Isaiah laughs]

-[chuckles] I--
-[Isaiah] Trying to keep it going.

I just joined the club.
I got me a ring.

[Jubera] DJ is one of those
exceptional athletes.

I mean, he's one of those that, you know,
coaches sort of instantly recognize.

Last year, the first time I saw him,

he was in the open field and there was
one defensive back, and he leapt over.

[crowd exclaims]

DJ started on the 30,
and he landed on the 25.

You know, I mean,
it's one of those things

that, you know,
not many human beings can do.

[crowd cheering]

Nobody in my family's ever been this far.

Nobody. Ever.

I'm the furthest to make it.
I don't know how I'm making it.

But my talents is Division I talents,
you know,

but I just made some mistakes in the day.

[Jubera] DJ was pretty sought after,

and schools were starting to look at him.

His grades weren't there,
and so ended up coming here.

And, now, this is DJ's make or break year.

[Wagner] I'm walking the halls
'cause it's time for class.

Where's your schedule?

[mumbles] Where's it at?

Dario, like you're going to the cafeteria.
Keep walking. Follow the sidewalk.

[Dario] Never been
to no class over there.

[Wagner] I think it's in room ten,
but I'll text you

when I look at your schedule
in just a minute.

Where was Ollie?
I heard him.

Where's your pencil?

In my pocket.

-Let me see it.
-[whispers] Missing.

Where's your paper?

[whispering] I ain't got no paper.

-Hmm?
-[whispering] I ain't got no paper.

[whispering] Why?

I don't know.

[whispering] You need to come
get a notebook and some paper.

From your room?

-Yes. After this class is over with.
-All right.

-All right.
-Okay.

[chuckling] What?
Where are we going?

Hmm.

Have you got a pencil?

[player] Nope.

[student] Oh!

Ya'll are all four together
in a little clump?

-Yeah, but we're in the front two rows.
-I don't think that's gonna work.

[Wagner] Look, y'all don't, please,
don't all go sit on that side over there.

-We're gonna be good.
-Sit in the front, please.

Today gonna be a good day.

Today gonna be my day, I promise.

[line ringing]

-[Trickett] Hello?
-Hey. Do you have De'Andre?

I do.

Shit, Clint, he's missing class.

-Okay.
-Yeah. Bye.

Okay, bye.

Hmm.

[Wagner] DJ, listen to me.
If you do what you have done...

like this summer when I was texting you
and telling you

you needed to come to tutoring
and you would not come...

that is not gonna be good.

Those days are over.

I'm just telling you.

You have, like...

This semester, you've got to do
more than you've ever done.

You've gotta give me more.

I'll give you more.
I'll give you more.

But you have got to give me more.

I know you don't like it,
I get it. I get it.

But that time of you just doing
what you wanna do is over...

if you wanna get out of here
and be D-I eligible.

It's over. Okay? Deal?

-Deal.
-Deal.

[DJ] I wake up every morning

and I ask myself,
"Is this something that I wanna do?"

'Cause, you know, being at EMCC,
you've got to be, like...

a top student, top athlete,
they gonna work you to death.

And being away from my son...
I'm so far away from my son.

I wanna see my son grow up.

His mother calls me all the time
and tells me stuff that he's doing.

And I sit in the bed and I think, like,

"Okay, I'm playing football for him,
but I'm also missing him growing up."

But if I get to the NFL,

I'll be able to give him whatever...
whatever he wants, whatever he asks for.

[woman] Okay,
so the first one is an ellipsis.

It's not just like hit the period,
boom, boom, boom.

What you do is you space
in front of the period,

then you hit period, then you hit space,
then you hit period.

So it's three spaced periods.

[Wagner] You're back already?

[Ollie] Yeah, I--
[Wagner] What's that?

[Ollie] I don't know.

Wait a minute,
you went in there to buy a book

and you came out with headphones?

Hey, listen, bro, they told me
I could buy anything with--

[groaning] Oh, Ollie!

-You need to buy your books.
-Hey--

-Why didn't you buy a notebook?
-'Cause I got a notebook.

No, you just came in here
asking me for a notebook.

Come on, I got--
Listen...

Yeah, I shoulda bought a notebook.

Yeah, you should've bought a notebook.

Maybe you should
go back in there right now,

while you're right here,
and go buy a notebook.

[chuckles] I know you want to
try my stuff on. After I just bought--

Hmm. Uh, these are not gonna fit you,

'cause they fit me,
and your head's bigger than mine.

[Ollie laughs] You got jokes.

Yes, you do.

[Wagner] Oh, "Wireless..."
Don't mess my hair up!

-[clicks tongue]
-"Wireless stereo headphones.

Pre-charged, use now." Really?

Yep. [chuckles]

Man, Ollie is...
what we would call...

He's a character.

Let me tell you that.
He's a character.

Ollie will go
as far as Ollie let himself go.

And that's what I try
to get him to understand.

That, you know,
you can't play good one play.

You can't play good one quarter, one game.

Every time you step out on this field,
you've gotta bring it.

If you aspire to be in the NFL,
you gotta change the way you play.

[Williams] I'll go ahead
and tell you right now,

I came to prepare the worst day
of your life playin' football.

Ollie, you gotta get both hands
on this guard now.

You let him go. Can't let him go. Why?

I don't understand this.

He hadn't made a play on the zone yet.

Yet!

See, what I'm sayin',
you got to stop this. Crash the pocket.

[Ollie] Yes, sir.

[Williams] I see you doin' this all day,
watchin' this tape. You just...

runnin' round here.

This quarterback still got the ball
and you doin' this.

If I had somebody to put
right there in your spot, I would.

I ain't got no choice
but to keep you there.

So if we lose the ballgame, it's on you.

If we get a guy that rush for
120-something yards on us, it's on you.

Ain't on me.

[Jubera] Ronald Ollie comes from a town
about half the size of Scooba.

Um, and he grew up in a trailer
in the pinewoods of Mississippi there.

It's the Pine Belt.

He's had a really traumatic life.

Um, both of his parents were killed
when he was younger.

Other family kind of raised him.

[Jubera] And the one thing
he was good at was football.

Schools were starting to look at him,

his grades weren't there,
and he came here.

[Buddy] He's so close
to being able to go out there

and grab that SEC attention,

nationwide attention.

He's just as close to grabbing that

as he is to not ever...
I mean, not playing anymore.

So, you know,
we've gotta treat it with kid gloves

and we've also gotta treat it
with some tough love.

How you do that, I don't know.

[Jubera] The hardest trick to me is...

taking a bunch of kids
who have real problems,

or a bunch of kids who've dropped down
from major Division I schools,

and mold them into a team
and convince them

that that will actually
enhance their reputation.

None of these kids want to be here,

but they know they have to be
somewhere like this.

[indistinct chatter]

Man, he ain't asleep!

[chuckling]

[Buddy] Hey! Get in your locker.

Get in your locker.
Get in your locker!

You all give your attention
to Coach Wood real quick, please.

All right, here we go.
Let's start bringing your uniforms in.

This'll be your solid looks.

You got six different ones
he's gonna bring in and show you.

Coach Sallis, bring them on in, let's go!

[catcalling]

[laughing] That is nasty!

Hey, Cory! Hey, Cory!
Do me--

Hey! Hey! Walk...
walk this way real quick.

That'd be nasty!

[all laughing]

[chanting] DJ Law! Law! Law! Law!

There it is!

[all laughing]

[player] Hold up.
Hold up, hold up, hold up...

[DJ] Hey, hey, hey, hey!

I cost a little money, you know?

Cost a little money. My little
East Mississippi cost a little money.

Hey, when you champs you could do stuff
like this, you feel me?

You could throw away...
you could throw away bank like this.

-You know who that was?
-That's DJ Law.

That's DJ Law, right there.

You could throw away bank like this
when you win championships.

[grunts]

[laughs]

[Wood] Uniform guys,
uniform guys, come here.

[Chuck Luke] Getting ready
to play this game tonight,

and, uh, it's a lot of hard work
goes on around here,

getting it all cleaned up and,
uh, ready to play.

I know the guys are ready to play.

They've been practicing mighty hard and,
uh, they gonna have a great team.

I've come out here and watched them
a little while the other night.

Watched, so...

We got a couple quarterbacks
battling for starting position,

but both of them look mighty good, man.

[stutters] I couldn't make that choice.

I'm just gonna have to see
what choice they make,

and I will stand behind them
on either choice they make.

But, uh...

I don't-- I don't think
they even know yet. [chuckles]

[Wood] I like the idea
of some quarterback runs.

[Buddy] I love Wyatt.
John just gives you something that just...

He just has that explosion.

You're right on him,
but, I mean, he's gotta come off.

He runs flat right here,
that guy can't run with him.

Can't run with him.

[Wood] Wyatt's a guy that's been here.

Dedicated kid, hard-working guy,
talented guy.

John is a guy that will run more.

Yeah, I mean, you...
[stammering] We're gonna play 'em both

and keep getting after it,
so we'll see how it goes.

Run that--
Hey, run that last play back, please.

[players panting on TV]

-[crowd cheering]
-[whistle blowing]

Oh, Jesus.

[Wood laughs]

[laughing] Oh, Jesus.

[Wood] It's hard being that
we're a throwing offense.

If we were a running offense,
it would be easy to say,

"You know what, he throws good enough."

The fact that we're a throwing offense
and he's so sporadic,

that's the hard part.

That's the hard part to me.

It's just the misfires.

[radio host] Buddy,
one area that's helped you win

the National Championship the last
two years has been quarterback play.

Who's gonna take that first snap tonight?

Wyatt Roberts
is gonna take the first snap,

and, um, you know he--

We feel like Wyatt has done
an exceptional job, uh, this year,

all the way through the summer.

[stammering] Uh, but you'll see
John Franklin in there a lot as well.

He'll have the opportunity
to try to win that starting job,

but right now Wyatt Roberts has done
everything we've asked him to do.

He's actually picked it up and had
really amazing numbers during fall camp.

[radio host] Well, Buddy, appreciate it.
Good luck to you tonight.

[Buddy] Thanks, man.
I appreciate it. Go, Lions!

[Wagner] Hey, Ollie!

It's game day!

-I know.
-You look cute!

-I look like the team.
-Yeah!

[laughs]

Y'all look cute,
except John's not participating.

We really have a game
in, like, a couple more hours.

[Wagner] I know,
how do you feel about that?

Just another day.

I feel regular. Like, I don't even feel
like I usually feel.

Just another day.

I used to be excited and stuff.
It's just another day now.

-Just another day.
-I don't know why I feel like that now.

Quit trying to be hard, John Franklin.
You're not hard.

I'm not. I told you yesterday,
it's just another day.

[Wagner] So it's just a regular day,
we're not excited?

[Ollie] I'm not excited.

When I get the pads on and stuff,
though, like... [clicks tongue]

-[whooshes] I'm in the zone.
-[Wagner] Then you'll be excited?

No, I ain't gonna be excited,
I'm gonna be in the zone.

[music playing on phone]

[Wagner] Can you even hear me
with that music up so loud?

-Hey!
-[Wagner] What song is that?

The dude right here
will make you go kill somebody, bro.

-[Wagner] I wanna listen to it.
-I'm tellin' you, bro.

This dude right here make you
wanna go kill somebody, bro.

You gotta listen to Chief Keef
before a game.

That's what I'm sayin', when I put
headphones on for the game, like,

-and stuff like that, yeah...
-[laughs]

I'm in straight killer mode then, oh.

[John] Listen to Rich Homie Quan, too.

[Wagner] Huh?
[both] Rich Homie Quan.

Yeah.

[both] Rich... Homie...

Quan.

All right, I've got a whole lotta songs
to listen to today.

-Hey, Ollie, what's "yellow" mean?
-Who?

Like that song said
something about purple and yellow.

She talkin' about "Purple Be Coming In."

-Purple...
-From Future.

-[chuckles]
-"Good and yellow."

What's yellow?
I know what purple is, I learned that.

-What's purple?
-Marijuana.

-[laughs]
-Marijuana. [chuckles]

-It is, isn't it? Isn't it?
-[whistles] Whoo, look at you.

-Look at you. [chuckles]
-She's up to date, yo.

I'm tellin' you. She been on
the Urban Dictionary all morning.

-[Wagner laughs] What's yellow?
-Up to date.

[Daniel Law] I can't put into words
right now, man. I'm ready for the game.

You know it, man... Oh, my God.
I can't explain it, man, you know?

This is Mario.
This is Maurice.

-What's up, man?
-You know what I'm sayin'? This is Levi.

-This-- This is the whole family.
-[DJ] Family.

You know, we here from Florida.

Here to see a good game, you know.
Represent.

-Here, my boy, come on. You know?
-We got ya. [chuckles]

[man] How often do you get
to make it to games?

This is my first one,
you know what I'm sayin'? I ain't--

This is my first one,
but I'm gonna try to make it more often.

You know it's...
Made bad choices in my life, you know.

I ain't scared to say it, but, um,
everybody ain't perfect, you know.

That's why, you know...
It's in God's hands right now.

I thank God every day
for my child, you know,

and the life he's chose,
the decisions he's making, you know.

God is good, you know what I'm sayin'?

Y'all watch out for Lil' Levi.

[all laugh]

-Lil' Levi.
-[Daniel] Lil' Levi.

-Lil' Levi Wood.
-All right.

[DJ] Honestly,
I can say he was in prison.

Basically, he made some terrible...
terrible choices.

Um, took him away from me
for a little bit.

Uh, I had to learn
a lot of stuff on my own,

become a man on my own.

But my tenth grade year,
my sophomore year in high school,

when I really needed him,

I was in between making the wrong choices
or playing football.

At that time,
God allowed him to get out.

He got out of jail and showed me...

Like, he told me what's right from wrong.

Football is the right choice
and if I choose the other way,

I'd be following his path, you know.

He just wants me
to keep my mind on football.

He wants me to do something with my life.

I wanna do something with my life.

[player] What? Uh...

Mmm-hmm, your head is stuck.

[indistinct chatter]

[faintly] Why are these things so tight?

Whew! God damn!

[indistinct chatter]

[fan] It's just a little ol'
family atmosphere.

We probably know 90%
of the people here...

by name.
Kin to half of 'em.

[all chuckle]

Lord bless this food for nourishing
our bodies and our bodies to your service.

[fan] Well, it's hard to believe
we've got a National Championship

right here in the middle of nowhere,
ain't it?

Yeah, we even liked them
when they was bad.

Yeah, we was here when they
wasn't winning nothing.

Yeah.

But ol' Buddy,
he's got it turned around

and we've been whoopin'
the hell outta everybody.

[laughing]

Just to be honest with you,
that's what we do.

[indistinct chatter]

[fan 2] East Mississippi gonna win by 15.

[fan 3] How many points you got?
[fan 2] Forty.

[fan 3] Forty points? How many points
you gonna... think we gonna win by?

-I'd do 21. Yeah.
-Twenty-one?

How many points you got?

I give 'em a good 35.

[fan] You know most the time
they start the clock,

they just let the clock run
continuously after half-time,

so we can't put up any more points.

Yeah, but we gonna turn it loose.

[Buddy] We went 24 in a row,
I know that.

I don't know if we've gotta win
26, 27, 28...

I really try not to think
about it too much

'cause it doesn't matter.

We focus one game at a time.

Don't worry about what's significant
about the game. None of that.

You know, 'cause it really doesn't matter.
'Cause if you fall short, guess what?

Nobody cares.

-It's that time.
-Let's go to work, man.

-[player] You already know.
-Go time!

We already know.

[John] It's go time.
I ain't gotta tell y'all shit.

Ain't gotta tell y'all nothing.
It's over with.

Just run they ass over.
It's over with for they ass. Ran through.

It's over with for they ass.

That's what I'm talkin' about.

Promise you, it's over with.

On everything, bruh.

On everything, it's over with.

Do your thing, man.

It's over, man.

They gonna fear me when it's over with.

They gonna feel that fire.

They gonna feel it.

They gonna feel that fire.
I promise y'all. They gonna feel it.

-[indistinct chatter]
-[music playing over speakers]

Ooh, they gon' feel me.
Boy, I need one.

I need one. I need one.
On everything.

[Buddy] All right, everybody,
listen up. Hey, hey.

You gotta go out
and you gotta earn your respect, okay?

That means you've gotta go out
and you've gotta play like we play.

In other words, do what we do.

And what we do is we beat people to sleep.

-You understand?
-[all] Yes, sir.

Let's get after their ass now.

You go shove a damn football
up their nose, you understand me?

-[all] Yes, sir.
-Everybody touch somebody.

-Our Father.
-[all] Which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth,
as in heaven...

[marching band playing]

[announcer 1]
Southwest Mississippi Community College,

they're gonna give East Mississippi
a pretty good football game.

The league is strong once again,
and the rivalries are very potent...

and I'm telling you, Michael,

it's gonna be heavyweight battles
on Thursday nights, uh,

across the toughest league in America.

[announcer 2] Quarterback
is always an important position,

and Chad Kelly,
back-to-back National Champions,

that definitely is gonna put a lot of
pressure on Wyatt Roberts this season.

[announcer 1] But it's been
a string of really good quarterbacks

that have come through East Mississippi...

[crowd cheering]

[roars]

Right away, South 96. Right away,
South 96. South 96, right away.

[announcer 2] Wyatt Roberts is gonna
come out in the shotgun.

Takes the snap, comes near side,

there's a short pass
caught at the 19.

Good shit, good shit.
Good tempo.

[Wood] Right over, right over,
right over. Here we go.

Hurry up!

[announcer 2] Wyatt Roberts is in
the shotgun. Hand-off to Law.

Law's got plenty of room.
Makes a couple of men miss at the 35.

He's inside the 30...

[announcer 1 speaking indistinctly]

DJ Law, unbelievable.

-[all cheering]
-[announcer 1] Touchdown!

DJ Law.
EMCC leads it six to nothing.

[announcer continues indistinctly]

[announcer 2] What an athletic move

and what speed
as he turned on the afterburners,

and there was nothing
that Southwest secondary could do.

Appreciate it. Appreciate it.
Appreciate it.

Now, where my pops at?

That's how the fuck y'all do, man.

Hell yeah.
Oh, I'm sorry, Coach, my bad.

[announcer 1] EMCC, ranked number one
in the nation, leads it seven to nothing.

So fourth and thirteen for the Bears.
Mancuso will put his foot into it.

Somewhat of a line drive kick...

-[crowd cheering]
-Mishandled at the 30, fumbled.

[whistle blowing]

Oh, man.

-[fan] Jump on it, man!
-Come on, man.

[Buddy] Run your ass off.
Let's go! Shit!

That's ridiculous.

So there ain't no, "Have to give him
a chance to field the ball?"

Oh, my God!

Here's the snap.
Rolls to the near side.

He's gonna tuck it. Keep it himself...

-[continues indistinctly]
-[players yelling]

Fuck me.

Fuck!

[announcer 2] Well, that's the key
to pulling an upset.

You have to have some breaks,

and then you have to
take advantage of 'em.

What was it last year,
it was seven to seven?

I mean, it was seven to seven last year.
Don't worry about it.

One, two, three! All right, let's go.
Hey, B! Hey!

Hustle more than they do!

[screaming] Go, Lions!

[announcer 1]
Here's the snap, they give it to Law,

Law goes behind the guard,
coughs up the football.

It's still loose, and Southwest
and EMCC are scrambling for it.

[player] Fuck, man!

Southwest football. EMCC, so far,

have two turnovers
here in the first quarter.

Law was, uh, hit right on the football.

[DJ] My B, my B, y'all.

[Buddy] Hey, listen to me.
Listen to me, hey.

You gon' have plenty more
big plays to make.

You just gotta wrap up when the ball...

Hey, when you fixin' to get hit.

Damn!

No worries. No worries.
Let's go, let's play.

[Wood] The mistakes
are out of the way. We're good.

-Mistakes are out of the way.
-[Wyatt] Yeah, we good, we good.

Fuck, man.

[announcer 1] Pistol formation,
McLaurin in the shotgun.

Damn!

Here's the snap
and they lead it with Peterson...

-[continues indistinctly]
-[crowd cheering]

Right now, EMCC defensively
looks a little confused.

[Buddy] Motherfucker, guys.
We look like shit.

Hey, let's go. Let's go!

You got this shit, man.
Hey, get in them boys' head, let's go.

Hey, we need one, man, on everything.

[announcer 1] All 14 points
have come off turnovers.

EMCC's gonna have to take care
of the football here on this next series.

Motherfucker, son.
Hey, listen, listen.

If you do that again,
I gotta get you out.

Now, listen to me, listen to me.

Okay, hey, you got a team
that don't give a fuck who you are.

And they're hitting your motherfucking ass
in the mouth, and you ain't tackling.

Okay? We are not setting
the line of scrimmage,

they're trying to tempo us.

We're not looking
at what we're supposed to,

they're hitting you
in the damn mouth, okay?

So now... now, we, all of us,

we have got to find a way to get it back.

[John] First down? We need a touchdown.
Forget everything else.

We need a touchdown right now.

We down to some
sorry ass cats right now, man.

Hey, you good, Wyatt!
You good, Wyatt!

I promise you when I get in,
it's about to get ugly real quick.

Hey, let's go, D.
We good, we good, we good.

Quarterback doggone scramble?
Don't backpedal like you're a damn DB!

-Go rush his ass! Do you understand?
-Yeah.

This ain't no damn chill period, guys.

We've got to get after the quarterback.

[announcer 1] Back to pass is Shell.
Pocket collapses.

Steps back behind the line of scrimmage
and the ball is loose!

[continues indistinctly]

[crowd cheering]

Oh, no. He fumbles at the goal line.

But falls on it in the end zone.
Touchdown, EMCC!

[announcer 2 faintly]
Great concentration by Ollie.

He lost the football at the five,

but he stayed with it
and fell on it in the end zone.

Turn it up, baby!

[player] How you do that shit, boy?
Huh?

I told you I had you.

Didn't I tell you I had you?
Coach Lesley, didn't I tell you I had you?

-[man] Take that, boy!
-I told you I got you!

[panting]

-[man] Take that, boy!
-I told you!

[player] Step the fuck up, boy.
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, man!

-Takin' that bitch home?
-To the crib!

[Marcel] To the fuckin' crib, bro!

Hey, fuckin' right, man.
They can't fuck with us, bro.

Hey, I was tired as a motherfucker.

When I got to the five,
I was like, "Fuck it."

[chuckles]

[panting]

[Wagner] That was awesome.

I didn't know if you were
going to make it! [laughs]

[announcer 2] That's a great confidence
builder for this EMCC defensive unit.

In motion from near side to the far.
Play action.

Firing it over the middle...
and it is caught.

Inside the 30. Inside the 25.
Inside the 20...

And angling for the far sideline,
and scores.

What?

[player] Damn!

[announcer 1]
Southwest is back on the board...

[Buddy] Hey, we should be up
by damn 40 right now.

We're dropping balls, not making plays.

Come off the damn ball.
Quit getting your ass beat.

[Wood] We get this ball back,
we don't have much time to score.

Let's move. Let's move.
46 seconds, okay, here we go.

[coach] Hey, we gotta go fast.

[Wood] Play right away.
South 93.

-Let's go, let's go!
-[Buddy] Hurry up!

[Buddy] Get outta bounds!

-Hurry, hurry, hurry!
-[whistle blowing]

God damn, guys.

Tell somebody
to get off the goddamn field.

[referee] Timeout, East Mississippi.

Their third and final timeout
of the first half.

God damn, guys.

[Buddy] Get your asses out of bounds.

[DJ] Fuckin' up, man.
That was my fuckin' drive, Coach.

[Wood] Listen to me.
I know, listen to me.

-[DJ] Damn, man!
-Look at me. Look at me!

Be smarter, boy. It's nothing new.
Same stuff, same stuff, same stuff.

We're okay. Just play, just play.
You're okay.

[panting]

Fuck, man.

[announcer 2]
Time expires here in the first half.

And it goes back to that discipline.

You're gonna have to stress
to your receivers is get out of bounds.

[sighs]

Everybody sit down.
Get in the locker.

Y'all get outta the way.
Get the fuck out of the way, film crew.

Get in the damn locker.

Now, hey.
Here's the deal.

Your ass is winning, that's great.
But you're playing like fuck.

Some of you play like fuck.

Offensively, we're playing like fuck.

Special teams, we've put 'em
in a damn bad spot twice.

We got a damn kicker that will not hit...

Will not damn... get the ball
outside the damn hash.

Everything counts.

Offense, get in here!

[Wood] Everybody in there, go.

[Buddy] Ain't nobody tell nobody
to go the fuck back there yet.

Get in here.

[indistinct whispering]

[Buddy] You better play
like a damn champion,

or you gonna get your fucking ass beat.

And it may not be tonight,
but it's gonna fuckin' happen.

I promise you next week...

[stammers] You play like this next week,
you will get your ass rolled up.

Now you better come out in the second half
and bring the shit. You understand?

Bring the fucking shit!

Now, hey, somebody at fucking quarterback,
step the fuck up and be the damn man!

Make that shit happen!

Knowing we got 46 seconds left,
we gotta go down the fucking field!

At some point,
you better pick the shit up!

If you don't pick the shit up,
you will get your ass beat!

I'm talkin' about bringin' the shit
the rest of the game.

-You understand me?
-[all] Yes, sir.

Fuck everything else, bring the shit!

Now, offense, get in the damn back room.

[Wood] Let's go, let's go!
[player] Let's go, baby, let's go.

[Wood] It's one guy making a mistake,
it's another guy making a mistake.

The fumbling in the first half,
that happens. Done.

Put it in my rearview mirror
and keep moving forward.

Everything that's in front of me now

is I have 30 minutes left to prove
how good we are. That's what I wanna see.

Anybody got any doubt
where the better team is?

-Huh?
-[all] No.

It's right here in this room.
It's right here in this room.

So let's just pick up where we are,
execute, do what we do.

Give me the receivers over here.
Coach has got quarterbacks. Let's go.

Receivers right here.
Receivers right here.

[announcer 2]
I think you saw jitters by EMCC.

A lot of new starters trying
to prove themselves, and now they're...

They have to get
all these bugs cleaned up.

[announcer 1] East Mississippi
just has to stay in their offense.

Southwest put up a couple
of touchdown drives,

the last one a five-play, 53-yard...

[continues indistinctly]

Kickoff return. Let's go. Let's go.

Kickoff return.

[Isaiah] I ain't gonna sit anymore.

[man] Spurlock! Spurlock!

[coach] Who put you in?

[Isaiah] On the sideline, I was like,
"Stag, let me get this one right here."

And he let me get it.
And Coach was like, "Who put you in?"

I was like, "I put me in, Coach."
So... [chuckles]

Hey, let's go. Take it to the crib.
Let's go.

[DJ] Hey, kill they ass. They ain't
kickin' it to me. Kill they ass.

[Wood] Lookin' inside for anything
leaking through

and eat it up.
Let's go.

[DJ] Kill they ass.
They ain't gonna kick it to me.

I'm his backup, really,
but I just went on and went in.

[Buddy] Who's back at the--
Who's the left guy right here?

Who is the goddamn
left returner right here?

Isaiah Wright.

[announcer 2] So teeing up the football
at the 35-yard line...

It's gonna be taken at the goal line
by EMCC.

Out across the 15, 20.
Showing great speed.

[Isaiah] And they kicked it to me,
I was like,

"Oh, it's over with."
I seen that hole, took off.

[crowd cheering]

[inaudible]

[roars]

[Wood laughing]
I'mma take credit.

Way to run that ball.
That's a great job. Great job.

[announcer 1] Takes the snap.
He's back to pass.

-[continues indistinctly]
-[crowd cheering]

-[Ollie] I got it!
-[overlapping chatter]

[referee] Gray's ball. Gray's ball.

[Ollie yelling]

[announcer 2] That's gonna be Ollie's
second fumble recovery here tonight.

He had a scoop-and-score earlier.

[kid] You're a fireball this game.
[Ollie] Thank you.

[kid 2] You're havin' a game.

[Wood] You wanna go
to John here with his legs?

John, let's go! John, let's go!
You're up, you're up, let's go.

[John] I'm about to warm up.
It's over with.

They done fucked up now, boy.

[announcer 1] John Franklin III,
a 6'2", 185-pound sophomore

from Fort Lauderdale, Florida,

a Florida State transfer,
will now take over.

[players grunting]

In the shotgun is Franklin,
rolling to the right.

Firing deep down the far sideline.
Has a man and it's caught!

-Twenty, ten, five!
-[crowd roaring]

-Touchdown, EMCC!
-[crowd cheering]

[inaudible]

[Wood] Hey, is that his first
touchdown pass?

-Of college?
-Hey, Stag!

Hey, can you get out of my way
while I'm trying to give love?

[DJ] I'm sorry.
I'm trying to give love, too.

[Wood] Hey, is that the first
college touchdown pass?

[John] Say what?
[Wood] Is that the first one?

[John] Yeah, man.
[player] How you feel?

[Wood] First one.
First college touchdown pass right there!

First of many.
First of many.

[cheering] Hold up! Hold up!
Hold up! Hold up!

-[exclaims]
-[both laugh]

[John] They like that shit! Hell yeah!

[overlapping chatter]

I told ya they gonna feel me, man.

I told you they gonna feel me, man!

[Wood softly] Good job, nice play.

[announcer 1]
Franklin III will take this snap.

It's gonna be a quarterback draw
and he's gonna have the first down.

Runs back in...

[continues indistinctly]

[announcer 2] He just fought off tacklers

and pushed a few more
and refused to go down.

You can see why they wanna keep him
on the football field.

Exciting with the football.

Here's the snap.

[announcer 1] Loses the football,
nobody touched him.

It just went up in the air
and there's a scramble for it.

And EMCC says they have it
at the 24. We'll wait for the officials.

-[announcer 2] Touchdown!
-[crowd cheering]

[announcer 2] Wyatt Roberts runs it in
from three yards out, left side.

I tell you what, you can really underrate
the athleticism of Wyatt Roberts.

It looked as if he was gonna be dropped
at about the two-yard line,

but he just put a move on.

Lions start off the 2015 season
in fine fashion. 69-20.

[Buddy] We're gonna be
more dominant next week.

[all] Yes, sir.

You understand? We have to be
more dominant next week.

You gotta keep 'em down. Everybody!

They gotta know when they
walk on the field with us,

there ain't no hope.

Everybody, get in here tight. Let's go.

Hey, enjoy the night, enjoy the win.
It's one of many.

Everybody touch somebody.

Our Father...

[all] Which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come...

[John] I ain't never scored
69 points in a game.

I had all that balled up in me
for two years, man.

It was ready to come out of me.
It was time for it to come out, man.

[reporter] Two great plays
by Ronald Ollie tonight.

[Buddy] You know what...
You're very happy for him

that he gets to make those plays
'cause if everybody knew his story,

it would be a lot of people
fighting for Ollie.

[Daniel] Everything he do, man.

Just say, "God is good," man.

About to bring tears to my eyes, man.

It's just... I'm proud, man.

[DJ] Better not start cryin'...

If you start...

you can take a walk or something.

[all laugh]

[Wagner] I mean, when I'm watching them

run the ball a hundred yards
to score a touchdown, I mean...

I throw up in my mouth a little.
[chuckles]

Like, uh...
you know, it's like, "Oh, crap."

You kinda start to realize,
"Okay, like, these are the guys

that I'm gonna have to get eligible
a year from now."

And that first game,

the names that I heard
over and over and over again,

they have all done
really well on the field

and they're not doing
very well in the classroom,

and it's really gonna be a struggle
to get Division I eligible.