Touchback Page #3

---

let up any minute.

- Okay.

- Hey, you guys get going to the game.

- Get in the car with Sasha.

- Sasha:
Come on, guys, let's go.

- Don't forget your football.

- Are you coming with us?

No, I'm gonna meet you guys

at the diner after the game.

- Youngest daughter: Okay.

- Both girls:
Bye, Daddy.

- You're gonna come when you're done?

- Yeah. You guys go on.

- I'll meet you at Pal's afterwards.

- Okay.

Macy:

Okay, you guys, come on.

(all chattering)

Commentator:

Coldwater is struggling here

on a rainy homecoming

Saturday afternoon,

down by 14 already

in the first quarter,

Coach Hand probably wishing

some of these players here today

were from the 1991

state championship team.

Commentator:
And everyone

is hoping the rain lets up

in time for

the halftime ceremony

to recognize

the '91 state champions

who won big here

on this field 20 years ago.

That team was led

by Scott Murphy...

"Mr. Football."

Chris Hall is here

signing autographs...

(radio off)

Dwight:
Don't sweat it, Murphy.

You'll find a way to win.

You always did.

Dwight:

We're worth a lot dead, Murphy.

(door opens)

(door closes)

(engine starts, roars)

(coughing)

(birds chirping)

(knocking on window)

Man:

Scotty.

What are you doing, man?

Murphy:
Thank God.

I'm such an idiot.

Why is it all foggy?

Are you making out

with yourself in there?

(chuckles)

What the...?

What the hell?

Come on.

We're gonna be late.

Late for what?

(school bell ringing)

(voices chattering)

Hey, Murphy,

good game last week, man.

Hi, Scotty.

Scott Murphy,

where have you been?

If you guys are gonna skip

sixth period, at least tell me.

I was waiting around for you

like an idiot.

Ugh, I'm so mad at you,

I could just...

I could just...

Why can't I stay mad at you?

Oh, you guys make me sick.

Hall:

Hustle up, lover boy.

Murphy:
What's going on?

Am I dead?

Hall:
We're both dead

unless you hurry up.

Yo, Murph,

hey, check out my new game face.

I call it "Fourth Down."

Ready?

(grunts, yells)

Huh?

Tough.

Pearson,

you look so skinny.

Hey, I've been working out, man.

I got balls.

Hey, come on, D,

he's just hating you, bro.

Oh, I get it. You're just trying my

confidence before the big game, right?

These guns go bang, baby.

Murphy, get in here.

Close the door.

All right, what happened

to you today?

Mrs. Bird said

you weren't in Lit class... again.

No, Coach.

(chuckles)

I wasn't anywhere near

Lit class today.

Well, you missing class

isn't funny to me, Scott.

I don't know why

it's funny to you.

Sit down.

All right, look,

I know you've already got

one foot out of this town.

And a lot of people

around here think

that whatever you do on Friday night

is all that matters.

Well, I'm not one of them.

I want you to be a man

who's good for more than

one night a week.

If you skip class one more time,

Scott, I'm gonna bench you.

I don't care if I gotta play

a freshman quarterback

in the state finals.

I'll do it.

Coach...

you mean we'll play Cuyahoga

this week?

Is that supposed to be

funny too?

You know, the Red Raiders

got seven all-Americans

and one linebacker who thinks you

cheated him out of being "Mr. Football."

He'd like nothing better

than to clean your clock.

Get dressed.

All right then, suicides

if everybody is not on the field

in two minutes.

Let's go. Let's go.

(blows whistle)

Let's go, guys.

Let's go. Let's pick it up.

This is crazy.

(whistle tweets)

Well, ladies and gentlemen,

our quarterback

has decided to join us.

- You can thank him personally later.

- Man:
What happened, Murph?

- (men grumbling)

- What's the matter with you, Murph?

Sorry, guys.

All right, offense, defense,

line it up.

- Red 24... let's run it.

- Man:
Let's go, D. Come on now.

- You want me to quarterback?

- Scott, knock it off.

Get in there

and play some football.

Hall, what's Red?

Is that with you in the slot or...?

- That's not funny, man.

- Man:
Let's go Red.

Man:
Come on, D, let's do it.

Come through, come through.

Men:
Come on, man.

Okay, Red 24.

Red 24.

- Get off my butt, Murph.

- The center's over here, Murph.

- Oh.

- (men chuckle)

Man:

Get him this time.

(squeals)

Down.

Set.

Hut. Hike.

I got him. I got him.

There we go.

That's twice this year.

- Whoo!

- (Murphy coughing)

Who's skinny now, huh?

Whoo!

Dwight:
Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no.

(groaning, hacking)

Are you all right?

- Man:
He was too big, huh?

- Man #2:
What were you thinking?

Nice job, Pearson,

you dummy.

Hey, are you okay?

That one felt real, Coach.

Damn right it's real.

Keep moving like a pregnant goat,

you won't last three downs

on Friday night.

Cuyahoga hits 10 times harder

than Pearson.

- Hey.

- They want nothing better

than to get you

out of the game.

You're a running quarterback

on that play.

The pocket breaks down,

what do you do?

- You...

- Move.

Move!

Come on, let's go.

All right, play football.

Let's go, boys.

(men cheering)

That one felt really real.

Come on, D. Come on, man.

- (men yelling)

- Murphy:
Okay.

Down!

Set!

Black EG! Black EG!

Hike!

Whoo, baby!

- Whoo!

- Dwight:
Bite me.

- How about that, huh?

- Shut up.

That's what I'm talking about.

Let's play some football.

I woke up this morning

And the sun was gone

Turned on some music

To start my day

I lost myself

In the familiar song

I closed my eyes

And I slipped away...

Set. Go.

Whoo!

Good to see you, guys.

Hey, Hall.

It's more than a feeling...

Murphy:
Yeah, baby.

More than a feeling...

- Whoo!

- When I hear that old song

- They used to play

- More than a feeling

- I begin dreaming

- More than a feeling...

(whistle blows)

Very nice work, ladies.

Take it in.

Good stuff.

Oh, come on, Coach, one more.

I'm just getting started.

Hey, Hall, give me the ball.

Where's Gig?

Gig, let's run a post, all right?

You haven't had one yet.

- No, come on, come on.

- That's not funny, Murphy.

What's Hall doing?

Hey, let's go, baby.

- Oh, man.

- What?

- Snap the ball.

- Knock it off, will you?

- What?

- What's wrong with you?

Guys...?

Hey, Coach,

can I ask you something?

No, I don't know if this game's

gonna be on TV.

The minute I do,

I'll let you know. Here.

No, it's not that.

Have you ever had a dream

that you're young again?

Sure.

Almost every night.

Yeah, but what if it wasn't a dream?

What if it was real?

Well, that'd be something.

No, no, no, Coach,

I'm serious.

This isn't some kind of

life-after-death thing.

We're standing here.

I'm real...

you're real.

Son, don't make me start

testing for drugs,

not before the biggest game

this town's ever played.

(girl chuckles)

Okay.

Bye.

See you tomorrow.

Hey, Sasha, wait up.

Oh, hey...

oh my gosh.

- Oh, I'm so sorry.

- Sasha:
It's okay.

- I'm sorry.

- What? What? Stop looking.

I'm sorry for everything. I...

Oh. I'm sorry.

Macy!

- Sasha:
I hate that one.

- (Macy giggles)

Hey, let's get inside

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes