Title: Road to Glory Mode – Getting a High Legend Score
Game: NCAA Football ’13 (PS3 and Xbox360)
Author: LuckyLindy84 (Kyle Lindemann)
Table of Contents
1. Intro
2. Selecting a Difficulty Setting
3. Character Creation
4. High School
5. Picking a School
A. List of every School's Offensive Philosophy
6. Going to Practice
7. Earning Coach Trust
8. Skill Increases (Career and One-Game Boosts)
9. The Importance of Injury and Stamina
10. The Option of Quitting at Halftime
11. Reaction Time
12. Catching
13. Getting a High Legend Score
A. As a Quarterback
B. As a Running Back
C. As a Wide Receiver
D. As a Defensive Player
14. Save before the Offseason Begins
15. Record Breaking
16. Don’t Cheat
17. Playing for Realism
18. Power-Up Packages
19. The End
1. Intro
Playing NCAA ’13 is something that should be fun and enjoyable. I
have been playing NCAA Football every year since it came out in 1992.
I was eight years old in the beginning and I haven’t stopped playing
since. Although I have many more adult responsibilities now, my love
of football and the game have not diminished one bit. I find myself
putting in the hours every week, though mostly when my girlfriend is
not around. Haha.
Let me introduce myself real quick. My name is Kyle Lindemann. I
am a hardcore jock but I’m also a gaming enthusiast. I’ve been
playing video games ever since I played Super Mario Bros. on regular,
16-bit Nintendo in 1989 and I’ve been hooked on sports video games
ever since Techmo Super Bowl came out… I served in the U.S. Marine
Corps from 2005-10 and I have been finishing up my degree from Kent
State University here in Ohio. I work in sales but I also enjoy
writing, playing sports, and video games in my free time. I am very
passionate about the Cleveland Browns and College Football as well.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to e-mail me at
RedSunIndustries@gmail.com and I will help you in any way I can. You
can also find me online at the PS3 Network under the username:
LuckyLindy84. Challenge me to an online game of NCAA ’13 if you’re
daring enough. And if you feel like any of my guides have helped you,
donate to my PayPal account, “RedSunIndustries@gmail.com.” Even $1
helps. I have spent many hours playing games and writing guides in
order to help others enjoy and get the most out of their gaming
experience (which I am not paid for).
Playing an NCAA “Road to Glory Mode” is the closest that a sports
game can come to acting like an RPG. I have created a simple guide
here for you to get the highest Legend Score possible (50,000 Max).
There is an inherent trait in all of us that simply enjoys logging in
and seeing our name at the top of the leaderboard, no matter what
that leaderboard may be. Everyone likes being #1, even if it’s
beating your best-friend in a game of Horse. If you want bragging
rights amongst your friends or like seeing your name at the top, let
my guide aid you in your efforts. I’ve always abided by the motto:
“Why play if not to win?”
2. Choosing a Difficulty Setting
When you begin your Road to Glory Mode there are 4 difficulty
settings available. They are Freshman, Varsity, All-American, and
Heisman. These are ranked in order of their difficulty. Competing in
the Online Leaderboards is only available in Varsity and Heisman
modes. If you’re a hardcore realist who wants the most intense gaming
experience, Heisman might be the level for you. However, keep in
mind that competing in the Online Leaderboards is only available in
Varsity and Heisman modes.
3. Creating a Character
If you choose to begin a Road to Glory Mode with an already
existing NCAA player, you will not be eligible for the Road to Glory
Online Leaderboards.
When creating your character, it is imperative that he be tall if
he is a QB, WR, or DB. This will stop you from getting as many passes
knocked down at the line of scrimmage if you’re a QB and will help
you jump up and grab balls either as a receiver or a defensive back.
Being a tall player also helps you see your player when he is on the
screen better. If you are 5-9 it is a lot harder to go up over a
defender and snag a ball over the middle.
On the other hand, having a running back who is 5-6 and 165 lbs.
makes running the ball a lot easier. Why? Because you’re smaller and
able to get through holes a lot easier than a 6-3, 250 lb. running
back. Remember Noel Devine from West Virginia or Darren Sproles when
he was at Kansas State? That’s what I’m talking about. How much
strength or trucking ability you have as a 6-3, 250 lb. running back
or as a 5-6, 165 lb. running back has no difference in the game. That
will depend on your character’s individual strength and trucking
ratings, so don’t worry about your 5-6 guy not being able to break
tackles. A break tackle rating of 80 is the same regardless of your
player’s size. Having a running back who is tiny and able to get
through any hole will make running the ball a lot easier. You won’t
have a hard time catching screens, swing passes and out-routes, but
if you’re a RB who likes to go over the middle a lot, having a 5-6
guy won’t work well. However, you will rack up 400 yards a game on
the ground a lot easier. Having a WR who is 6-7 will enable you to
jump up over any DB for a pass and will help you when you go over the
middle. Having a 6-6 QB will help you throw passes better over the
middle and they will very rarely get batted down. This is important.
4. High School
For some this may be boring as you want to start your NCAA
career, for others it may be fun to go back in time and create your
high school playing days. Hopefully the jersey options available will
help you get as close to possible as creating your high school
uniforms and team. It is important to become a 5-star recruit in the
SPARQ ratings. Why? Because if you are a 5-star recruit you are going
to have a lot higher ratings than a 3-star recruit once you get to
your college. This could mean the difference between starting out as
a 79 overall and as a 68 overall. Play all of the games and try to
rack up as many stats as possible. This will give you more available
points for Skill Boosts once your college career begins. Being able
to power-up early on in your career will enable you to perform better
on the field. Believe me, there is a huge difference between a
running back having 90 speed or 99 speed and a quarterback having 92
arm strength or 81 arm strength.
You also want to finish the regular season either 9-1 or 10-0
(depending on how long of a schedule you chose. The longer the
better). This is because you will most likely go to the State
Playoffs, which will give you more games to earn extra attribute
points so you can Power Up big time in your Freshman year at your
school. You should try to advance to the State Championship game as
well because this will give you more games and more attribute points.
However, if you wish to simulate your High School career, don’t
skip the weeks, simply play the game, but once the game starts just
choose the “Skip Ahead to End of Game” option and the entire game
will simulate. You will still receive recruiting bonuses like you
played the game, but if you skip ahead weeks you will not receive any
recruiting bonuses.
5. Picking a School
If you aren’t sure of what school to choose from, my advice is
to choose a school that will place you at #1 or #2 on the depth chart
right away. You only have so many games over a 4 year career and you
don’t want to be spending half of the first season or the whole first
season on the bench where you won’t be able to generate many stats or
points. If you are a loyal band-wagoner of your favorite team, you
may have to ride the pine for some of the first year if you are going
to play with Alabama, but if that’s where you’ll be happiest, do it.
If you aren’t sure of what school to pick, what school suits
your playing style? If you are a Running QB who also likes to run the
Option, you are better suited for playing at Navy, Georgia Tech, Ohio
State, Army or Air Force to name a few. If you prefer a spread
offense that gives you the opportunity to run and pass, schools like
Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, Clemson or Northern Illinois are your
best bet. The in-game play calling is based on what school you are
playing for. If you want to be a Pocket Passer or a Balanced QB
playing in a Pro-Style Offense, you are better suited for a school
like USC, Oklahoma, Cal, Florida, Arkansas or Alabama. Even playing
for June Jones’ Run-And-Shoot style at SMU will be sure to help you
rack-up monster passing stats.
You might also be better choosing a school that plays in a
Conference with a Conference Championship Game. This will give you
the chance to play 4 extra games over the course of your college
career. Take a glance at the Depth Charts or Rosters of the schools
before you begin. If a school has 3 Freshman offensive lineman that
are that are mid-70’s or low 80’s in ratings, this will be a good
school for you to choose. This way they will be there for the 4 years
you are there and by the time they are Seniors they will most likely
be in the 90’s. I cannot stress the importance of how much easier the
game is on offense if you are a QB or a RB and you have a great
offensive line.
If you are a WR, there is nothing worse than catching the ball
from a terrible QB. Does the school you’re thinking of have a
promising Freshman or Sophomore QB who can take over in 2 years? You
don’t want to run the risk of catching passes from a 60 OVR walk-on
your Junior year or being stuck with a 57 OVR walk-on Freshman left
tackle blocking for you. Make sure the school you want to play for is
amongst your Top 3 choices when you begin, otherwise you may not get
an offer from that school.
A. Here is a list of all the schools and the offensive system that
they run:
Air Force: Option Run
Akron: Spread
Alabama: One Back
Arizona: Spread
Arizona State: Spread
Arkansas: Spread
Arkansas State: Spread
Army: Option
Auburn: Multiple
Ball State: Spread
Baylor: Spread
Boise State: Multiple
Boston College: One Back
Bowling Green: Multiple
Buffalo: Spread
BYU: Pro
Cal: Pro
Central Michigan: Multiple
Cincinnati: Spread
Clemson: Spread
Colorado: Pro
Colorado State: One Back
Connecticut: Pro
Duke: Pistol
East Carolina: Air Raid
Eastern Michigan: One Back
Florida: Pro
Florida Atlantic: Spread
FIU: Spread
Florida State: Multiple
Fresno State: Spread
Georgia: Pro
Georgia Tech: Option
Hawaii: Pro
Houston: Air Raid
Idaho: One Back
Illinois: Spread
Indiana: Air Raid
Iowa: Pro
Iowa State: Spread
Kansas: Pro
Kansas State: Multiple
Kent State: One Back
Kentucky: Pro
Louisiana Tech: Air Raid
Louisville: Spread
LSU: Multiple
Marshall: Spread
Maryland: Multiple
Memphis: Spread
Miami: Pro
Miami (OH): Pro
Michigan: Multiple
Michigan State: Pro
Mid Tenn State: Air Raid
Minnesota: Multiple
Mississippi State: Spread
Missouri: Spread
Navy: Option
NC State: Multiple
Nebraska: Spread
Nevada: Pistol
New Mexico: Pistol
New Mexico State: Spread
North Carolina: Spread
North Texas: Spread
Northern Illinois: Pistol
Northwestern: Spread
Notre Dame: Spread
Ohio: Pistol
Ohio State: Spread
Oklahoma: Multiple
Oklahoma State: Air Raid
Ole Miss: Spread
Oregon: Spread
Oregon State: Pro
Penn State: Multiple
Pitt: Pro
Purdue: Spread
Rice: Spread
Rutgers: Pro
San Diego State: Pro
San Jose State: Pistol
SMU: Run and Shoot
South Carolina: Multiple
Southern Miss: Spread
Stanford: Pro
Syracuse: Pro
TCU: Spread
Temple: Multiple
Tennessee: Pro
Texas: Pro
Texas A&M: Air Raid
Texas State: Spread
Texas Tech: Air Raid
Toledo: Spread
Troy: Air Raid
Tulane: One Back
Tulsa: Spread
UAB: Pro
UCF: Multiple
UCLA: Spread
UL Lafayette: Spread
UL Monroe: Spread
UMass: Spread
UNLV: Pistol
USC: Pro
USF: Multiple
Utah: Multiple
Utah State: Spread
UTEP: One Back
UT – San Antonio: Multiple
Vanderbilt: Pro
Virginia: Pro
Virginia Tech: Multiple
Wake Forest: Spread
Washington: Pro
Washington State: Air Raid
West Virginia: Air Raid
Western Kentucky: Pro
Western Michigan: Pro
Wisconsin: Pro
Wyoming: Spread
6. The Importance of Practice
Each week you will have the option to go to practice where you
will be required to partake in 25 practice reps. This is important
because it gives you the opportunity to earn more skill points for
Skill Boosts and also helps you learn the playbook. Sometimes it may
be important to practice that Screen Pass play a couple of times
before you really learn how to master it. The closer you get your
character to 99 in everything, the better. It’s worth taking 5
minutes of your time to go to practice each week and rack up extra
skill points. I’ve even gotten up to 5,000 extra skill points just
from one Practice session. It’s worth it.
7. Coach Trust
You earn the ability to increase your Coach Trust rating with
each good play you make. Earning the Max Coach Trust rating will give
you the option to call up to 20 plays per game on your own as well as
to change the direction of the play. This is very important because
it helps you be able to call plays that you’re good at running, as
well as switch to a running play on 1st and Goal at the 2 so you can
get a rushing touchdown if you’re a RB or call a pass-play on 1st and
Goal at the 2 if you’re a QB wanting a TD pass in your stats.
8. Skill Increases (Career and One-Game Boosts)
There are various skill increases that you will have the option
to pick each week. The ones that are Career Boosts will be outlined
in Green and the ones that are One-Game Boosts will be outlined in
Yellow. One game boosts such as an improvement to your Stamina and
Injury are important, however, don’t waste too much of your hard-
earned skill points on temporary quick-fixes that will only last one
game. Spend your points on a boost that will help you for the rest of
your career. Then once you get to 99 in everything you will no longer
have to practice or worry about skill boosts. But in the meantime
it’s very important to try to get to 99 Catch or 99 Agility if you
are a Wide Receiver.
9. Injury and Stamina
Increasing your Injury and Stamina ratings to 99 is imperative.
As a running back, you will take a lot of hits. There is nothing more
annoying than getting inside the goal line and either being taken out
of the game due to injury (it happens a lot if your injury rating is
low) or being taken out of the game because your character is
fatigued (happens a lot too if Stamina isn’t a 99). You can either
offset this by calling the hurry-up after each play (whether it was a
rush, pass completion or pass incompletion) and the same play will
run again. If you’ve ran the ball 5 times in a row, most likely the
computer will sub you out of the game if your stamina is low. You can
offset this by calling a hurry-up at the conclusion of the play. This
is done on the PS3 by holding “Triangle” as soon as the play is over
and the computer will call the same play again. You can keep doing
this over and over (even on 4th down) until there is a penalty, your
player gets injured, your team scores, or there is a turnover on
downs. Being able to call the hurry-up is important once you get
inside the 20 because scoring TD’s is important to increasing your
Legend Score. Calling the hurry-up can also save Game Time and can
allow your team to have a few more offensive possessions a game,
enabling you to have better stats.
If you are a RB or a WR who also returns kicks and punts, you
can let the kickoff bounce into the end zone on purpose (this will
save clock time and save your character fatigue) and you can run away
from punts and let them bounce. Why? Because there are no Legend
score increases for anything involving kick or punt returns and you
won’t be penalized by your coach for not returning it. Not returning
kicks or punts will also save your character’s stamina. This will
also enable you to rack up better stats because you’ll be starting
every drive about 20 yards further back, giving you the opportunity
to get more yards. When the computer punts a ball that will land
inside of the 10, you can simply run back and fair catch it and your
coach won’t hold it against you. Imagine how many more yards you can
rack-up starting in bad field position compared to good field
position? It could mean the difference of an extra 150-200 yards per
game. Something to think about.
10. The Option of Quitting at Halftime
If the game you are playing in isn’t going according to plan,
just simply quit at halftime. Make sure that AutoSave is set to off
(your Legend Score is automatically updated online each time your
file is saved). You don’t want to have your player get injured and
then hit the “Sim until In Game” button only to realize in horror
that your player is out for the entire game and the rest of the game
simulates. If this happens and you haven’t saved in a while, you will
either have to power off your console or exit the game (which will
automatically save if the game is completed upon exit). I have Auto
Save disabled because if I am having a bad game at Halftime or if my
team is losing badly, I simply quit the game and start a new one.
This gives you the chance to earn better stats the next time around.
Your Legend Score is not affected and the system doesn’t consider it
cheating (because it’s not). So if you have a goal of getting 400
yards rushing, 5 TD’s, and 100 yards receiving, simply quit at
halftime if you only have 8 carries for 32 yards and your team is
losing 28-10. Then you can start over and try to get a higher Legend
Score. Just make sure that AutoSave is off.
11. Reaction Time
The game has a new feature called Reaction Time. This enables
you to have time slow when you are getting a carry and you want to
see how the play develops first. Having a higher rating will help you
make better reads and wait for the open hole. It’s pretty self-
explanatory, but it is very helpful when running counters, half-back
screens, and off-tackle runs that require you to wait for your blocks
to set up. This is also very helpful when running a route and trying
to catch a pass. It slows time down and enables you to get open
quicker. This is especially great for quick slant routes over the
middle.
12. Catching
One of the biggest challenges for some people in this game is
catching the ball or racking up a lot of receiving numbers as a
running back. I have figured out a simple way to take care of all of
that. On PS3, by hitting the “X” button, your player automatically
calls for the ball. If done when you are open or are the primary
receiver for the play, you will get the ball 95% of the time. One way
to rack up a lot of receptions or receiving stats as a Running Back
is to hit the Hurry-Up button (Triangle on the PS3) after a screen
pass play is ran. As a Running Back, you can run this play over and
over and over again (Until you score, you are injured, there is a
penalty, or a turnover on downs). This may enable you to get 12
receptions in a row and dink your way all the way down the field into
the end zone for a touchdown. When you want to catch the ball, simply
hit the Triangle button on PS3 when the ball arrives and your player
will take off with the ball. Practice makes perfect and it’s all
about timing. If you want to rack up monster receiving numbers once a
good passing play is called, simply hit the hurry-up button after the
conclusion of the play and you can keep running it over and over.
Screen passes are the best for this.
13. Getting a High Legend Score
There are many things that affect your Legend Score. There is a
maximum of 50,000 total points. The important things to keep in mind
are the 1,000 point winners. For instance, you will receive 1,000
points if you win the Heisman, but you will have a difficult time
winning the Heisman if your team isn’t in relevant contention for the
National Title. Even if you went 9-3 and rushed for 4,000 yards and
50 TD’s, you will end up as a Heisman finalist, but don’t expect to
win it if your school isn’t even ranked. Your goal throughout the
season is for your team to finish to as close to undefeated as
possible. Now if you are Arkansas State going up against Oregon,
winning the game is going to be very difficult. But you should try to
win as many games as you can. This will help you get into a BCS Bowl
Game (which will give you extra points), help you win the Heisman,
and will assure of better recruits coming to your school for the next
year. Having a good record can also get you into your Conference
Championship game, which will give you 4 extra games over the course
of your career to build up points. If you want to reach the 50,000
Legend Score plateau, you simply need to average a score of 12,500
each year.
A. Here is a list of the bonus points you will receive for being a
Quarterback:
- 1000 points = Win the Heisman Memorial Trophy
- 1000 points = NCAA record 19,127 Passing Yards (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA record 155 Passing TD’s (Career)
- 750 points = NCAA record 2,628 Rushing Yards (Season)
- 750 points = Beat Barry Sanders’s Record of 37 Rushing TD’s
(Season)
- 750 points = 5,833 Passing Yards (Season)
- 750 points = 58 Passing TD’s (Season)
B. Here is a list of the important bonus points you will receive
for being a Running Back:
- 1000 points = Win the Heisman Memorial Trophy
- 1000 points = NCAA record 349 Receptions (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA record 50005 Receiving Yards (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA record 60 Receiving TDs (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA Career Rushing Record (career)
- 750 points = Break the NCAA Single Season Receiving TD’s Record
(27)
- 750 points = Break the NCAA Single-Season Receiving Record
(2060)
- 750 points = Beat Barry Sanders’ Record of 37 Rushing TD’s
(Season)
- 750 points = Break the NCAA Single-Season Rushing Record
- 750 points = Win the National Championship
C. Here is a list of the important bonus points you will receive
for being a Wide Receiver:
- 1000 points = Win the Heisman Memorial Trophy
- 1000 points = NCAA record 60 Receiving TD’s (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA record 5,005 Receiving Yards (Career)
- 1000 points = NCAA record 349 Receptions (Career)
- 750 points = NCAA record 27 Receiving TD’s (Season)
D. Here is a list of the important bonus points you will receive
for being a Defensive Player
- 1000 points = Win the Heisman Memorial Trophy
- 1000 points = 52 Sacks (Career)
- 1000 points = Intercept 29 Passes (Career)
- 750 points = Intercept 20 Passes (Career)
- 750 points = 24 Sacks (Season)
- 750 points = 14 Interceptions (Season)
14. Save before the Offseason
There’s nothing worse than beginning a new season and realizing
that there’s a 62 Overall Quarterback throwing passes to you, or a 57
Overall Left Tackle blocking for you. How do you avoid this? Simply
save before the Offseason begins. Just make sure that “Auto-Save” is
turned off. This way once you begin your new season you can check out
the Depth Chart before you start the first week of your new season
and you can see who is starting. If there are terrible players
starting on your team, simply quit and re-start from your previous
save. Let the offseason simulate again and hopefully your Coach
recruited better players this time around. This will have a larger
affect if your team went 11-2 compared to 5-7. The better your team
record was, usually the better the next wave of recruited players
are. Keep repeating this until hopefully there are at least some
decent players out there blocking for you or catching passes for you.
Another important thing to consider is players leaving early for
the NFL. If you have a 92 Overall Junior Left Tackle, he may not be
at your school for the next season. Keep track of what Juniors and
Redshirt Sophomores are on your team before you begin the offseason
(only 80 and higher). You don’t want your 92 Overall Left Tackle
graduating early and leaving you stuck with a 71 Overall Left Tackle
for the next year. Save before you begin The Offseason and if he
isn’t there on your Depth Chart for the next season because he left
for the NFL early, simply quit and go back to your previous save and
sim the Offseason again. There is a good chance that he will be back
on your team. Keep quitting and going back to your previous save
until all the players that you want are back.
15. Record breaking
You want to have an impressive Freshman campaign, but you don’t
want to set the bar too high. If you’ve magically rushed for 5,000
yards your first year, you won’t get anywhere near as many points
towards your Legend Score in your Sophomore campaign if you aren’t
able to break all of your previous records. The goal is to steadily
increase your stats in each season, ultimately blowing the doors off
in your final Senior Season. There are certain benchmarks you should
want to hit each year, depending on your position.
One important thing to keep in mind is to know what the Single
Game records are for your school. If the single-game rushing record
for your school is 311 yards, don’t go out and rip off 588 yards
against Valdosta State. Why? Because you receive a 175 point bonus
every time you set a new single-game rushing record for your school.
Raising the bar from 311 to 588 yards will stop you from being able
to break the record again (at least for a while). Once you got to 350
yards, don’t accept a handoff unless you’re inside the 5, otherwise
keep calling pass plays and rack-up receiving yards instead. Same
goes for single-game passing records as well. If the single-game
Passing TD record for your school is at 5, don’t go and pass for 8
TD’s the first time you can. Get it to 6 and try to scramble into the
end zone the rest of the game.
Qualifying for the point bonuses in your Legend Score every year
are more important than the yards you average per carry or how many
receiving TD’s you’ve had. If you look at the Online Leaderboards
you’ll notice there are RB’s with 45000 scores with little receiving
yards and QB’s with 48000 scores with little or no rushing yards and
RB’s with a 10.0 avg. ranked below RB’s with an 8.0 avg. It’s all
about earning the right point bonuses in your Legend Score.
16. Don’t Cheat
If you change any of the default settings on your Road to Glory
Mode you’ll automatically be disqualified and your score will drop to
zero, so leave the settings alone. Also, the 5 minute quarters
setting cannot be changed either. If you are playing for realism, 5
minute quarters can be annoying, I know. However, leave the settings
as they are, otherwise you will receive a Legend Score of 0 in the
online leaderboards.
17. Playing for Realism
For those of you who want to play a more realistic Road to Glory
Mode and don’t care about your Legend Score, don’t worry about your
score then. Just have fun. If you are bothered by 700 yard passing
games each week, don’t worry about it. You can play it to as
realistic as you want. If you want to play on All-American as a 3-
star recruit at Ball State and see if you can launch them into
National Title contention, do it. You don’t have to restart any of
the games if you don’t want to. If you happen to go 8 of 17 passing
for 141 yards and 3 INT’s and don’t want to restart, then don’t. This
is your Road to Glory Mode and you should play it however you want
to.
18. Power-Up Packages
There are Power-Ups available once you begin your Road to Glory
Mode. They can be purchased while your player is still in high
school. You can receive an automatic 5-star rating, extra recruiting
points, maximum coach trust, and other perks if you choose. It’s all
up to you as to what you would like to do.
19. The End
I hope this guide helped you throughout your Road to Glory Mode.
Your Road to Glory Mode is however you want it to be. Playing the
game should be fun. If racking up 10,000 yards passing a season isn’t
fun for you, then don’t do it. Play it as you want it, but if you
want a high Legend Score and want to be at the top of the Online
Leaderboards, do us all a favor and throw realism out the window.
Feel free to Email me at: RedSunIndustries@gmail.com if you have any
questions. I hope this guide helped and Go Golden Flashes!