Timothy F. Crowley

The attention is focused off the football team for once and onto their biggest supporters -- the cheerleaders. As the cheer team prepares for the Championship Classic, word of Lyla (Minka Kelly) and Riggins' (Taylor Kitsch) affair causes Lyla to become the victim of brutal high school harassment. Matt (Zach Gilford) and Julie (Aimee Teegarden) also have problems of their own as Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) tries to keep the two of them apart in order to "protect" his daughter. Meanwhile, Jason (Scott Porter) adjusts to life back home after being released from rehab and Smash (Gaius Charles) falls for the preacher's daughter.

The Panthers are preparing yet again for another game they can't afford to lose. Jason still finds it difficult to adjust to life at home, and the feelings he still has for Lyla don't make it any easier. Meanwhile, at what couldn't seem like a better time, Matt's dad comes home from Iraq, but the homecoming is not what Matt expected. To make situations even more complicated, UT has taken an interest in Coach Taylor, whose popularity has continued to grow, and Smash becomes more and more dependent on unnatural substances to keep up with the competition. With all the drama off the field mounting, the players work even harder to get a victory.

With summer coming to an end, the defending state champion Dillon Panthers look to continue its success despite a lot of changes taking place. Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) begins his career as head coach at TMU and immediately discovers the hardship of being separated from his family as Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) heads into labor with their second child. Meanwhile, Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) is revisited from someone in her past that will alter her life forever. Best friends Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) and Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) battle with new lifestyles that neither of them seem ready for. Also starring Taylor Kitsch, Aimee Teegarden, Minka Kelly, Scott Porter, and Gaius Charles.

With Smash (Gaius Charles) spearheading the protest, the team is in for an upset for their next playoff game. While Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) deliberates between firing one of his best coaches and succumbing to his players' demands, Julie's (Aimee Teegarden) friendship with Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) becomes more and more destructive. Meanwhile, Jason (Scott Porter) makes a life-changing decision and Matt (Zach Gilford) does whatever he can to win Julie back. With some of their best players protesting, will Dillon be able to come out with a victory come Friday?

Plans change, people change -- After being pressured by Texas Methodist University (TMU), Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) makes a rash decision that disrupts his future at Dillon and upsets the women in his life. While Coach Taylor deals with changes in his career, Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) deals with his new inappropriate relationship with the single mother next door. Jason (Scott Porter) moves into a new apartment and Landry (Jesse Plemons) finally reveals Tyra's (Adrianne Palicki) horrible secret. The tense drama unfolds around the women of Dillon and football takes a backseat.