Sega NCAA Football 2K3 User manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Intro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Control Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Menu Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
General Gameplay Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Calling Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
On Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Before the Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Running the Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Passing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Quarterback Scramble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pass Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Catching a Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
On Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Before the Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
After the Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
SpecialTeams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Kicking the Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Receiving Punts and Kickoffs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Replay Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Game Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Exhibition Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Choosing Teams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Controller Assignment Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Coin Toss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Selecting Your Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Season Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Legacy Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Customize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
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2

INTRO
On a crisp autumn day, the crowd comes alive as the first
notes of the school fight song blast out from the marching
band on the field. The season is about to begin and the hopes
and dreams of the student body and the alumni are running
high. This is your year. The conference championship is there
for the taking… a top national ranking is within your grasp.
Do you have what it takes to lead your team all the way? Do
you have what it takes to go to the Fiesta Bowl and win it all?
With NCAA 2K3 you can find out. Select your Alma Matter and
lead them into contention for the top spot. You can even win
one of your players the Heisman Trophy, but it will take a solid
offensive output week in and week out to get there.
NCAA 2K3 is packed with all kinds of great features like an
ESPN broadcast presentation, all new player models, all 117
Division 1-A schools, mascots, cheerleaders and rabid student
sections to recreate the electricity of a college football game.
In Season and Legacy Modes you will get to guide your team
through a regular season and see how you stack up in the
Writers Poll, Coaches Poll and Sega Championship standings.
If you do well enough your school will get invited to one of the
25-post season bowl games. And if you are good enough to
wind up in one of the top two spots of the Sega Championship
poll at the end of the year, you will compete for the National
Championship at the Fiesta Bowl.
But once you've reached the top of the college game,
can you stay there? See if you can in Legacy Mode. Build
your program with strong recruiting classes. The better you
do, the easier it will be to bring in the top talent. You'll also
be able to go through Spring Training workouts to improve
the skill level of your players. Compete in different regi-
mens of offensive and defensive drills to get your team
ready for next year.
CONTROL SUMMARY
NCAA 2K3 is designed with analog functionality in mind.
The DUALSHOCK 2 analog controller provides a fuller
range of motion and adds to the overall depth of the
game. However, if you're more partial to using the direc-
tional buttons, the default control scheme allows you to
use this method to control player movement. Either way
is acceptable, it's a matter of personal preference.
MENU CONTROLS
Button Action
left analog stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Move cursor
✖button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select Menu Item /
Scroll forward through
the highlighted
selections
●button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scroll backward
through the highlighted
selections
■button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Command Help Menu
▲button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cancel selection /
return to previous
screen
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Coach's Corner: Help
On most menu screens you can get help by pressing
the ■button.
Coach's Corner: Virtual Control
Are you more than ready to take it to the opposition,
but tired of trying to remember all of those buttons?
Well, for those of you who just want to get down to
the business of playing football, allow Sega Sports to
introduce you to your new best friend - Virtual Control.
Virtual Control is an analog-focused control system that
will allow you to perform any of the game's moves
without ever moving your hands from a natural position
on the analog sticks. You will be closer to the field than
ever before! Getting the most out of this advanced
control mode will take some practice, so be sure to look
at how the system works by examining Virtual Control
commands, found in parentheses () alongside their
standard companions throughout this manual.
GENERAL GAMEPLAY CONTROLS
START button (during gameplay). Pause Menu
left analog stick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlight
formations
or play sets
● button (at line of scrimmage). . Change control
of your player
CALLING PLAYS
R1/L1 button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toggle through
formations
✖button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select formation
or play
▲ button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View previous
formations or play sets
●button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip play or formation
■button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View plays by package
Coach's Corner: Bluff Mode
When you are playing against another human opponent,
the last thing you want them to know is what play you
are calling. To keep the defense guessing, press the ✖
button and keep it held down. You can then scroll
through other pages of plays or formations to hide your
play. When you release the ✖button, it will call the play
you originally selected.
When you are playing a game with more than one
person per team (e.g. two-on-two), either player on the
team can select a play. If you are on offense, the first
person to enter a play will be the quarterback. Be
careful though, both players will be able to select the
play at the same time, so you will want to designate
who the playcaller will be.
Coach's Corner: AI Play Calling
Need a hand? Then ask NCAA 2K3 for assistance.
During play calling, press the ✖button once and either
the offensive or defensive coordinator for your team
will suggest a play. Press the ✖button again to accept
the selection.

BEFORETHE SNAP
✖button (R3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hurry players to the
line of scrimmage /
snap ball
▲button
(right analog stick Up) . . . . . . Call up the Audible Menu,
press ✖, ●, or ■ to
select an alternate play.
Press ▲to cancel.
■button
(left analog stick Left). . . . . . . Lower crowd noise
(quarterback)
●button
(right analog stick Right) . . . . Fake snap signal
R2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hot Routes
NO HUDDLE OFFENSE
The absolute best way to keep the defense on its heels is
to go with a no huddle offense. The defense never gets
a breather and you will be able to dictate the pace of the
game. The no huddle offense is also a great way to
score quickly as less time will run off the clock. Press
the ▲button (right analog stick Up) immediately after
the completion of the play to quickly run the same play
again. From there you can call an audible or create
your own variation by sending your receivers out
on Hot Routes.
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RUNNINGTHE BALL
Keep the ball on the ground and pound it out. You will
control the clock and your running back will be racking
up the yards in his pursuit of the Heisman Trophy. Here
are the controls for running with the ball.
✖button (L3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speed Burst / Power Move
L1 or R1 button
(right analog stick) . . . . . . . . . Stiff Arm Left / Right
L2 or R2 button. . . . . . . . . . . . Juke Move
■button (R3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dive
▲button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hurdle / High Step
●button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spin Move
Coach's Corner: Instant Energy
Press and hold the ✖button (L3) while running to fill the
player arrow completely. You're all charged up now!
Press any special move button and you will be able to
put a little bit more umph into it. Your stiff arm will be
more devastating, your spin move more elusive, and
your juke move more slippery.

RUNTYPES
There are several ways to move the ball on the ground.
Here are some key terms to help you keep the offense
moving forward.
Draw . . . . . . . . A delayed run up the middle. Draw
plays work well against a blitzing
defense.
Dive . . . . . . . . . This is the forte of the power back. The
ball carrier takes the ball and plows right
up the gut. Get to the hole quickly; if you
can make it through the line you will be
running free through the secondary.
Counter . . . . . . Works great against a defense that suffers
from over pursuit. The defense thinks the
play is going one way, but the ball carrier
goes the other way. This only works if
your offense can really sell the fake.
Trap . . . . . . . . . The trap play is designed to suck the
linebackers into the wrong hole. Get the
linebacker where you want him and the
trap play will work well.
Pitch / Toss. . . . If you've got a speedy running back, get
him to the corner in a hurry with the
pitch or toss play.
10 11
Coach's Corner: Spin City
NCAA 2K3's spin move feature might be a bit
different than you are used to. When you press the ●
button, you won't make the spin move right away - it
only preps your runner for contact. As soon as a
defender makes contact with the ball carrier, you'll
execute the spin move - hopefully leaving your
defender clutching nothing but air.

12 13
Coach's Corner: Running the option
An offense you see a lot of in college football is the
option. The quarterback can hand it off to a running
back diving up the middle by pressing the ✖button. If
the QB decides to keep it, he'll start running to the out-
side (like on a pitch or toss play) and then it's decision
time once again. The quarterback needs to read the
linebacker
and either keep the ball, or pitch it to the running back
by pressing the R2 button. Option plays are colored
yellow in your playbook.
PASSING
Running the ball will get you yards by the handful, but
it is the passing game that will get you yards by the
bunches. Be careful though, if you throw the ball up
for grabs the momentum of the game can turn in a
heartbeat. One of the most deflating things for a team
is seeing a cornerback intercept a pass and streak down
the sidelines for a touchdown.
Any button . . . . . . . . . . .Pass to that receiver
(double tap to fake)
L2 button . . . . . . . . . . . .Pump fake
R2 button . . . . . . . . . . . .Throw the ball away
Coach's Corner: Set your feet!!!
Having problems completing passes? You probably
aren't giving your players the best chance. Most real
players can't wing the ball downfield while on the run;
they need to plant their feet before they throw. So make
sure you do the same when you are playing the game.
Stop moving for just a moment and your completion
percentage will go up.

QUARTERBACK SCRAMBLE
Even the best offensive line in college football will let a
defender through from time to time. So when you see
the defense coming through, you need to make a quick
decision - throw the ball away or take off running. Hold
down the R1 button and your QB will become a runner
so that you can scramble out of the way. Once you've
passed the line of scrimmage, you can let go of the R1
button as you can't pass the ball anymore.
R1+L2 / R2 button. . . . . . . . . . Juke Move
(right analog stick Down
left or right analog
stick Down Right)
R1+ ✖button (L3). . . . . . . . . . Speed Burst / Power Move
R1+ ●button . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stutter Step / Spin Move
(right analog stick Right)
R1+ ■button (R3) . . . . . . . . . Slide
R1+▲button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hurdle
(right analog stick Up)
R1+(right analog stick Left) . . Dive
PASSTYPES
There are numerous pass plays that you can call, but
they break down to three basic categories.
Normal Pass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drop back, find the open
man, and let the ball fly.
Play Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The QB fakes a handoff
and then drops back to
pass. Play Action passes
work best when you've
been pounding the ball on
the ground for a long time.
Bootleg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On the bootleg play, the
QB will fake a toss to one
side of the offensive line
and roll out in the other
direction.
14 15

ON DEFENSE
The offense gets all of the attention, but real football
fans know that it is defense that wins championships.
Stuff the run, shut down the passing game, and force
the turnovers that will lead your team to glory.
BEFORETHE SNAP
●(right analog stick) . . . . . . . . . Select a defender
●+ directional button . . . . . . . . Directional swapping
(left analog stick)
directional button . . . . . . . . . . . . Reposition defender
(left analog stick)
L2 or R2 button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View players
(with defensive
back selected)
L1 or R1 button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shift defensive
line of scrimmage
(with defensive line-
man selected)
✖button (R3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hurry players to the
line of scrimmage
■button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pump up crowd
(right analog stick Left)
▲(right analog stick Up). . . . . . . Call audible
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Coach's Corner: Maximum Passing
If you want total control over your passing game, turn
on Maximum Passing from the Controller Assignment
Screen. With Maximum Passing activated, you can lead
your receivers to thread the ball in front of, behind, over,
and around the defenders. To use Maximum Passing,
press the left analog stick in the direction in which you
want to adjust the throw. Press the stick a little bit for a
fine adjustment, press harder for a bigger adjustment.
With Maximum Passing turned on, you also get total
control over getting the ball into the receiver's hands.
Tap the pass button to lob the ball, which works great
for getting ball over the defender that is between you
and your receiver. Press the pass button normally to
deliver a normal throw (make sure you let go of the but-
ton before it leaves the quarterback's hands). Hold onto
the pass button for a bullet pass. Bullet passes work
great when the receiver is only open for a short time and
when the defender is playing deeper than the receiver is.
CATCHING A PASS
Now that the ball is in the air your receiver has to make
the catch. The best receivers run precise routes, have
unshakable concentration, and have a knack for being in
the right place at the right time. You'll notice that once
the ball is in the air, three icons will appear on screen.
The red marker is the shortest place where you can catch
the ball, you'll probably have to jump - ▲button (right
analog stick Up) - to do it. The yellow icon is the perfect
spot to catch the ball. The red icon is the deepest mark
on the field, you'll probably have to dive - ■button (R3) -
to make this catch as it will be coming in low at this
point. Press the ●button (right analog stick Right) to
select the receiver nearest the ball. You don't have to
take control of your receiver to complete the pass, but
doing so and pressing the right button (jump or dive)
can help make a catch you might otherwise miss.