New head coach Eric Taylor finds his every move scrutinized as he takes over leadership of Texas's No. 1 high school football team.

With Jason seriously injured, Matt must step up and become the team's first-string quarterback.

The Panthers suffer a humiliating loss. Lyla tries to help Jason believe that he will walk again.

Coach Taylor deals with outside influences on who to start at quarterback, with the biggest game of the year coming up against their rivals, who have taken it upon themselves to raise the bar by trashing the Panthers' locker room. His wife has no picnic, either, as she is given two days to plan a team tradition barbecue and the visiting list keeps getting bigger. Jason is moved to a rehab unit, still not accepting his situation, as his replacement and Matt, deals with competition when a new quarterback is brought in from Louisiana as a refugee from Hurricane Katrina.

While only two days away from their next game, Coach Taylor still doesn't know who to start at quarterback, and Jason still doesn't know that his best friend is spending a lot of time with his girlfriend.

Coach Taylor questions his principles regarding Voodoo's eligibility and is confronted with another problem when his #1 defensive player is arrested for assaulting a fellow student. Tim and Lila break Jason out of the hospital for the afternoon.

Coach Taylor asks Jason to attend the upcoming Homecoming game, who begins to suspect there's something going on between Tim and Lila. Smash feels the pressure of college scouts, even though he's still a junior. Tyra and Billy plan the ultimate party for after the game.

Jason confronts Lyla about her and Tim. Matt asks Coach Taylor's daughter is she would like to go out sometime leading Taylor and his wife to worry about her.

With a very intimidating opponent on the horizon, Coach Taylor deals with his former starting quarterback and his unfaithful girlfriend and his new starting quarterback dating his own daughter. Lyla and Tim face repercussions of their own actions, and Smash deals with having to go back to his old hometown for the big game and dealing with old feelings regarding his father, all the while facing the issues surrounding his secret steroid use, especially when his sister begins to notice the changes in him.

While everyone is focused on the cheerleaders, who have an upcoming competition, they focus on giving Lyla a hard time. Smash begins to show signs of steroid abuse, and Coach Taylor finds another way to occupy his starting quarterback in an effort to squash Matt's efforts with the coach's daughter.

The Panthers are preparing yet again for another game they can't afford to lose. Jason (Scott Porter) still finds it difficult to adjust to life at home, and the feelings he still has for Lyla (Minka Kelly) don't make it any easier. Meanwhile, at what couldn't seem like a better time, Matt's (Zach Gilford) 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 continues 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.

Matt's dad decides to stay home instead of returning to Iraq, while Jason's parents level a lawsuit against the coach for negligence. Smash tries to get closer to a girl, but he keeps getting in the way, himself. The whole town awaits another game involving two other schools, with the results determining the Panthers' post-season hopes.

When Smash's mother finds his needle, she puts the coach in an uncomfortable position and Tammy gets a new job offer, which makes the coach even more uncomfortable. Matts father gets recalled to duty and Jason ponders his decision about his relationship with Lila and Tyra tries to help her mom get over her last woman-beating boyfriend.

Coach Taylor continues to ride Smash while the team gets ready for their upcoming playoff game. Tim goes in search of his father and Jason stands up to Buddy Garrity, which sets him apart from Lyla.

When an assistant coach is quoted in the media with racial intentions, he draws a line between the team, right at playoff time. Julie and Tyra are forced to join the powderpuff game as a result for skipping class, and Julie's dad is a bit elated when she's picked for quarterback by Matt. Tyra, meanwhile, has a hard time dealing with her mother's growing relationship with Buddy Garrity, and starts taking it out on his daughter, Lila. Jason gets an invite to join the local rugby team.

Julie is confronted by her parents regarding her growing relationship with Tyra. Matt tries his hardest to get back in Julie's good graces. Meanwhile, the post-season is in jeopardy as Coach Taylor remains divided over firing his offensive coordinator or standing by his friend, which is the key to one quarter of the team taking a stand by sitting out of the next game.

Mrs. Taylor confronts Julie after seeing Matt buying condoms; Coach Taylor accuses Tim's father of stealing a camera from his office; Buddy Garrity fires Tyra's mother from the dealership.

When his wife throws him out of the house, Buddy Garrity turns to Coach Taylor and Lyla turns to Jason. Julie turns to her mother when an accident happens involving Tyra's mother, even though she knows she's not supposed to be hanging out with Tyra. And Waverly's father turns to Smash when he fears that she has taken a personal change without consulting her father.

With TMU trying to recruit Coach Taylor, Julie insists that she will not be moved away from Matt and Dillon. The quad rugby recruiters in Austin deliver some bad news to Jason. Riggins becomes friends with a single mother and her son.

A chemical spill forces Coach Taylor and the Panthers to seek another facility in which to play the crucial State semifinal game.

Coach Taylor makes a final decision about whether to take the job at Texas Methodist University, while Tyra's secret is revealed.

The Panthers gear up for the state championship, as the rumor about Coach Taylor spreads. Meanwhile, Tami receives some news.

As a new school season gears up the Dillon Panthers find themselves without Coach Taylor, who is also missed by expectant mom Tami and adrift daughter Julie.

Eric and Tammi's separation takes its toll; Landry and Tyra become closer while Matt and Julie drift apart meanwhile the Panthers gear up for a new season.

Matt takes it upon himself to try to curb Smash's enthusiasm for the upcoming season. Tim turns to Lila when he spots his brother leaving his neighbor's house. Jason turns his attention on Mexico in an effort to walk again. Buddy turns to Coach Taylor to convince him to return as coach of the Panthers.

Eric quits his college coaching job to return home to his family and the Panthers, but the latter doesn't look very promising when the old coach fights his termination after only two games. Tim accompanies Jason to Mexico where a questionable medical procedure gives Jason hopes of walking again. After making an appearance in the Lord's name in a boys' home, Lila takes it upon herself to show a recently-release inmate the light. Landry's father is called into work after the body that he and Tyra disposed of is discovered.

Upon returning to the Panthers, Coach Taylor finds himself trying to mend broken fences between his quarterback and his halfback and attempts to find a little intimate time with his wife. Tim recruits Lila in trying to talk Jason out of the risky surgery he has scheduled in Mexico, while Landry's father tries to put up a fence between his son and Tyra.

Upon returning to Dillon, Tim finds his team locker empty, while Coach Taylor deals with Jason and offering him a coaching job, while, at the same time, dealing with his own job not paying as nearly much as what he was getting the previous year. Lila's friend from the boys' school shows up with her father in hopes of a tryout with the Panthers and Landry's father nears the truth about his role in a death.

The coach's wife enlists the aid of Tyra and Lila to secure entertainment for the annual Pantherama event, while the coach enlists the aid of Buddy, who found a hot new football player for him, but the new prospective star has a family that's run out on him, and Tami won't let him play football until that scenario is amended. Julie enlists the aid of journalism in an effort to help her get over the loss of Matt. Smash doesn't want help from anybody, while he turns his back on the possibility of a great education, opting out, instead for a chance at more recognition from the pro ranks while playing for a more-notable school.

Tami manages to alienate her husband and her daughter. Smash manages to alienate a prospective teammate while on a college visit. Matt manages to alienate the young lady who cares for his grandmother and the girl from school who was sweet on him. After alienating the team, Tim still finds himself trying to get back on the team, which, embarrassingly, lost their last game. Landry agrees to meet the brother of the man he killed for Tyra, who originally agreed to meet the man who wanted to make amends for his brother

Landry gives into his better judgment and confesses about what he did while trying to save Tyra. Santiago feels the pressure about the upcoming football game, while pressure mounts between Julie and her mother surrounding the christening of the new baby in the family. Tim feels the pressure of his new roommate, while Jason does his best in getting back into the dating world.

After a tornado rips through the surrounding country side, bombs begin to fly: Coach Taylor drops a bomb on his team by being host to a rival team when their school and field is damaged, Lila drops a bomb on her father about her mother's impending nuptials, and Tyra drops a bomb on Landry about attending Dillon High School's formal dance. Meanwhile, tensions grow around the Taylor household surrounding Tim living in the house.

The coach's need for his own space in his own house doesn't just stop at throwing out Tim, even though his wife has her own needs when it comes to caring for her family and Smash's need for choosing a college is taking its toll on his family, especially his mother.

Matt doesn't want to break his bond with his grandmother's nurse, who's moving back to her native country. Smash and Noelle are pressured by their parents to break the bond they have between them. Tami doesn't want to break the bond with her infant daughter by leaving her at daycare. And as Santiago's former friends show up at his house to retrieve their bond, Buddy feels the bond with his material possessions, while his daughter, Lyla, takes a job at a Christian radio station.

As the athletic director, it falls to Coach Taylor to find a new girls' volleyball coach, and he stops at his own wife, who searches for her newest player. Jason takes a new job working for Buddy Garrity and Smash has some fallout of his own after getting arrested. Tim's given a few days to give back the money he stole while he still makes a play for Lyla.

The hardships in Saracen's life begin to get to him, and he and Riggins, who is still pining away for Lyla, commiserate; Julie feels left out when it seems like her mom is more focused on the volleyball team than on her; Smash's suspension hurts the rest of the team's morale, and it has an unexpected consequence for him; Tyra becomes jealous of Landry's new girlfriend.

Brian "Smash" Williams is determined to get a football scholarship to college despite the recent events that have transpired. However, Brian is very shocked when the most unlikely place offers him what may be the opportunity of his life. Tami Taylor runs into her ex-boyfriend from high school, a big real estate mogul, and he decides to stay in Dillon for a few days. A few days proves to be too long as Coach Taylor begins to feel a bit jealous. Elsewhere, Jason Street hears the biggest news of his life since his accident and must decide if he is willing to change his life completely. Meanwhile, Tim Riggins continues his pursuit of Lyla by getting his own radio show at the Christian radio station. Lyla seems to be enjoying her current relationship with her Christian boyfriend as she goes with him to meet his family.

The press grills Coach Taylor about the upcoming season while the teachers grill his wife, the new principal, about the budget and the necessary cutbacks, while Buddy and the football team have the best of everything. A new quarterback enters the picture and Matt feels threatened and Riggins is still up to his old game plan about not feeling anything. Tyra's new guidance counselor lays some rather bleak news on her, causing her to walk out of school, only to find some personal resolve within herself to attempt to rectify her situation.

When Coach Taylor realizes that it's not Smash's knee that's holding him back, he comes up with a rather unique way of laying it all on the line. The doctor lays it all on the line for Matt, who, legally, can't take care of grandmother, anymore, while Buddy goes out of his way, laying it on the line for Tami over the jumbo tron issue, and laying it on the line with Tim, who's now dating his daughter. Meanwhile, Tyra realizes that it's easier to lay it all on the line by taking shortcuts in winning the student body presidency.

Coach Taylor feels pressured when the boosters corner him at the annual barbecue. Tim gets pressured from his brother about helping him score some extra cash to pay for his impending wedding, while getting pressured at the same time, from Lyla, to try and turn his life around...and her father isn't any help, either. Julie and Matt continue to bond, while Smash's future gets offered an option.

Coach Taylor asks himself whether he should shake things up when it comes to his quarterback controversy, while his wife asks whether she is able to shake things up because Buddy is schmoozing up to the school district's superintendent, Matt gets shaken when his mother shows up in town and Tyra shakes things up with Landry when an old friend of Billy's shows up in town and begins paying her attention and, finally, Smash feels a bit shaken up as his tryout date comes closer.

Jason and Tim come up with an idea that will, hopefully, get them out of their financial woes, but Buddy stands in the way. Tyra's budding romance continues to bloom, while Julie shows 'signs' of rebellion. Coach Taylor's new idea to his quarterback situation only ends up in disarray and pressure from his coaching staff.

After witnessing a hazing incident involving his new starting quarterback, Coach Taylor sets a task before his team captain, Tim Riggins, the job of making J. D. McCoy feel more comfortable with the team. Matt's comfort level with his new position on the bench is felt by everyone close to him, including Julie as they continue to grow closer together. Tyra sings a different tune after her new boyfriend's family shows up on her doorstep.

Coach Taylor has difficulties in the relationship between his new starting quarterback and the kid's father, while his starting fullback presents difficulties for Tami. Buddy's two younger children are nothing but difficult on a planned visit and Jason stands pat on his price for Buddy's house that he and his pals are trying to flip.

Tami considers new living surroundings, while Eric considers a temporary replacement for Mac, who collapses on the field during practice. Tyra considers her options between following her dream and following her boyfriend, while Jason considers investing his share of the profits from flipping Buddy Garrity's house in his future by taking a trip to the East Coast.

Lila is put off when Tim puts off a college recruiter; Tim is put off when his brother's impending marriage is over and takes it out on Tim's truck; Tyra is put off by Cash's actions when they go out on the road together, and Coach Taylor is all but put off by being selected as the game of the week for television during an important playoff game.

Buddy loses his cool over a deal gone sour and wrecks the local strip joint, which causes Lyla to lose her cool and walk out on him after he gets out of jail, while Julie's parents try to not lose their cool over catching her in bed with Matt, Landry loses his cool over Tyra's using him, and Coach Taylor loses his cool when the refs turn a blind eye to his playoff game.

Buddy tries to use Tim to get to Lyla, who's still mad about losing her college fund to a business deal and it gets worse when she finds she's been accepted by the college she's always dreamed of. Buddy also enlists the power of the Dillon Panthers boosters in order to re-draft the line proposed by the school district when a new East Dillon High School is proposed. Landry and Tyra bond over Tyra's sister's wedding, while J.D. and his father don't exactly see eye to eye over the girl in J.D.'s life

The Taylors are faced with a decision that could end what is already a fragile friendship with the McCoys. Lyla informs her father of her alternate decision after her chances of attending her dream college have fallen through, Landry tries to help Tyra with her college essay, and Matt has dreams of attaining some kind of post-high school education.

Skipping ahead five months in time, Dillon High School finds its graduating class with: Lyla, who's father has come up with a plan for her to still possibly attend Vanderbilt; Matt, who plans to attend a school in Chicago away from Julie; Tim, whose brother tries to get a mechanic's garage going while planning to attend college himself; and Tyra, who's application is still up in the air in wanting to attend TU. Meanwhile, the issue over splitting Dillon High School seems small, compared to the fact that outside influences such as money and a control for power continue to affect Coach Taylor, even while his contract comes up for negotiations.

Coach Taylor is faced with building a football program from the ground up after the redistricting splits Dillon into two high-school districts. East Dillon is without funds, without a qualified coaching staff and without talent after the gerrymandering that was done by the Dillon Panther Boosters. Meanwhile Tim Riggins gives up on college and returns to Dillon only to find that you can't always go home again. Matt Saracen & Julie struggle with their roles in football crazed Dillon, now that Matt is no longer on the team.

Following an opening night forfeit, Coach Taylor struggles to regain the support of his new team. Coach & Mrs Taylor weather a maelstrom when the star running back of the Dillon Panthers is outed as an East Dillon resident. Tim Riggins struggles to find a new living arrangement. Matt struggles with an internship with an abrasive local artist. Landry runs into an interesting girl at his new school.

Coach Taylor & the team struggle to come up with funds for new uniforms & Coach makes a commitment that may get him in trouble with Mrs. Taylor. Riggins bonds with Becky, his new landlady's daughter. Matt's artist mentor influences both Matt and Julie. Landry's interest in Jess increases and he discovers that she knows football when she tutors him on kicking.

Coach Taylor tries to foster community interest in the East Dillon Lions by staging a pep-rally while dealing with the increasing friction between Vince and Luke, his two star players. Tammy is still suffering the repercussions of making Luke Cafferty attend East Dillon. Riggins finds himself pageant dress shopping with his landlady's daughter and hunting with a trigger happy Matt Saracen. Meanwhile Julie accompanies Devin to a gay bar and runs into someone unexpected.

Just as the East Dillon Lions start to perform as a team, the town of Dillon is rocked with the news of the death of Matt's dad. Coach & Mrs Taylor and Julie all do their part to help Matt weather the storm. Landry & Riggins & the rest all rally to help as well but ultimately Matt must make peace with his dad on his own. Meanwhile Becky connects with Luke after he's been paint-balled by some of his former friends and the two finally...

Craziness comes to East Dillon when their scheduled football game against the undefeated McNulty team means that the game will be televised. Meanwhile Lyla remains in Dillon after the funeral and she and Tim reconnect. Julie goes AWOL to a music festival in Austin in hopes of cheering Matt up. Following their first kiss, Landry confesses to Jess that he may still not be completely over Tyra.

Julie mourns the end of her relationship with Matt. Luke's family commitments interfere with his football. Becky's dad returns from a road-trip with a secret. The police stop by the school in response to an anonymous tip to search Vince's locker for a gun. Mindy's maternity gets more expensive than Billy was prepared for and the Landing Strip girls throw a fund-raiser. Tammy's staff celebrates an academic award with a karaoke night and Glenn goes a bit too far.

When East Dillon and the only other winless team in the district face off, locals term it the "Toilet Bowl." This conflicts with Coach's and Buddy's attempts to get play-by-play coverage from a local radio station. Meanwhile, Julie & Mrs. Taylor visit her old alma mater. Landry tries to convince Jess that he's completely over Tryra and that they should date. Vince's mom invites Jess to dinner with her and her son. Tim Riggins helps Luke get pain meds following an injury on the ranch without letting Coach Taylor know. Riggins also discovers that his brother Billy has been running a chop shop operation on the side to make extra money and when Tim's more legitimate attempts at landing a job fall through he considers joining him.

When a 12 year-old is shot in an East Dillon park, Coach Taylor takes action. Julie takes a step in recovering from her break-up with Matt thanks to a cute supervisor at a Habitat for Humanity build. Vince gets a job at Ray's BBQ and he & Landry face off over their mutual attraction to Jess Merriweather. Meanwhile Becky Sproles finds out that she's pregnant and informs both Luke and Riggins.

Riggins takes Becky to Mrs. Taylor for advice about her unwanted pregnancy. Vince must get his mom into rehab after she OD's. Julie invites Habitat Ryan over for dinner with her folks. Tim pressures Billy to get out of the chop shop business. Luke tells his parents that he's gotten Becky pregnant. Jess confronts her dad about his supporting her and her brothers in football related activities.

Luke Cafferty's mom raises a ruckus and wants Mrs. Taylor fired for her role in the aborting of her grandson. Landry and his folks invite Jess over for a rather awkward dinner. Julie reacts badly when Matt finally calls her to say he misses her. Luke becomes more and more dependent on pain pills and continues to hide his injury from everyone until it results in a crisis. Vince gets in deeper with the neighborhood thugs after borrowing money from them to get his mom into rehab. Mrs. Sproles comes onto Tim after a celebratory dinner then reacts badly when she finds him in a questionable situation with her daughter.

The final game of the regular season has the East Dillon Lions slated to host the Dillon Panthers in what is sure to be the mother of all cross town rivalries. When the Panther boosters question the fitness of the East Dillon field it quickly escalates from toothpick pranks to torn up turf. Meanwhile the pro-life witch-hunt to get Tammy terminated for counseling the pregnant Becky escalates. Adding to the chaos, Mindy goes into labor, Billy goes on a caffeine bender, and soon after the boy is born, Uncle Tim gets arrested when the cops bust the chop shop. Meanwhile Vince is reeling from the shooting death of his childhood friend and the gang that he's been running with want him in on getting vengeance.

Jess confides to Landry that she has feelings for Vince. Thanksgiving arrives, the day before the big game finds the Taylors playing host to an extended family dinner. The Riggins are there including the newest Riggins. Matt's back from Chicago. Buddy is bringing his own turkey to deep fry. Then on Friday, The lions meet the Panthers on the Panther's home field but they're a tougher team than anticipated. It all comes down to Landry can he make a 45 yard field goal and win the game?

Julie Taylor prepares to go away to college. Mrs. Taylor digs into her new job as the guidance counselor at East Dillon and Coach Taylor poaches a basketball player for his team as the East Dillon Lions prepare for a pre-season game against the Croft Cowboys, last year's Texas State champs.

Julie starts her college classes and meets an interesting teaching assistant. Tammy Taylor has trouble fitting in with the East Dillon teaching staff. Luke Cafferty's tackle from the last game is questioned. Coach Taylor finds that he's now on the outside and set a new goal. Jess and Vince hit a bump in their relationship.

Vince's dad gets out on parole. A video of Maura drunk at the party with several Lions team members gets posted on the Internet. Mrs Taylor tries to take corrective action during school hours and Coach Taylor tries to get the team members back on track. Meanwhile Julie's flirtation with her history TA gets more serious.

Becky's dad returns to town, Buddy Jr. comes to stay with his dad, and Vince confronts his father about the drugs in his past. Meanwhile, Jess and Vince squabble about her being the team's equipment manager. Luke gets an invite to visit TMU and bring a few friends.

The East Dillon Lions face the South Kingdom Rangers, the team to whom they forfeited at the beginning of last season. Coach tries to steer the team away from talk of revenge but when the game gets rough and the officiating lopsided, coach reconsiders. Meanwhile Tami bonds with one of the East Dillon teachers in a girl's night in and Julie's relationship with her TA hits a snag. Following the game, Hasting finds an outlaw white-lightning party in the otherwise dry town and bolstered by hooch, talk of college recruitment, and brotherhood the Lions go a bit overboard with the male bonding.

Rather than return to college where she's been humiliated, Julie wrecks her car. As the truth comes out, Coach Taylor is thrown, so much so that he leaves a practice early. Meanwhile Vince's past friend is pressuring him to repay the money that he borrowed. Luke reacts badly to the information that TMU recruiters were using him to get to Vince. Billy Riggins gets to step up for a locker-room speech when Coach is late. Vinces dad steps in to help out his son and Mindy tells Becky that she needs to get laid to get her mind off Tim Riggins and even suggests the farm-boy to do it with.

It's cross-town rivalry week again in Dillon and things get heated when an anti-Lion website appears highlighting the boys' juvenile records. Coach Taylor is concerned when Vince's dad gets more involved in his college recruitment prospects. Billy Riggins works privately with Luke and gets him pumped up for the game but gives him one or two pieces of bad advice. Meanwhile Julie is still hiding out at home and Tami goes up to her school to collect her schoolwork.

Between a potential head coaching position at a Florida College, Julie's continuing stay at home, the team's growing disharmony over Vince's show-boat behavior and the interference of Vince's Dad, Coach Taylor has a rough week. Becky enters a pageant with the support of the Landing Strip girls and begins to question her decisions. Julie's T.A. Derek shows up in Dillon. Tami Taylor learns that not everything Epyck tells her is reliable.

Following a contentious loss, Coach Taylor decides to bench Vince for a game and start Luke at QB. Becky and Luke try to start their relationship over but the Seniors recognition night scheduled for Friday's game makes that difficult. Julie continues her hiatus from school and visits Matt in Chicago. Epyck crosses a line during a tutoring session with Mrs. Taylor.

Coach's offer from a Florida college becomes public knowledge. Tim Riggins parole hearing date approaches and Billy asks Coach Taylor to be a character witness. Luke considers what comes after high school if he gets no scholarship offers. Vince tries to get back in coach's good graces after last week's benching but his dad makes it difficult.

The East Dillon Lion's march toward State continues amid Coach Taylor & Principal Burnwell's concerns about impending budget cuts. Tami gets an opportunity to interview with the admissions department of a prestigious Pennsylvania university. Tim Riggins finds acclimating to the busy Riggins' household difficult following his release on parole. Vince and his mom are worried as Vince's dad seems to be returning to his old ways.

The school board considers eliminating a football program to meet budget cuts, making Dillon a one team town again. Meanwhile Tami considers a job offer that Coach Taylor is eager to dismiss. Tyra returns to town and questions Tim about his plan to leave Texas. The Panthers boosters approach Buddy. Luke confronts Tim about his relationship with Becky. Following an abortive open school-board hearing, Vince and Jess try to plead the Lions' case directly with the chairman of the school-board.

With the decision to close the East Dillon Football program speculation runs wild on two fronts. Will the Lions be able to win State and go out in a blaze of glory; and will Coach Taylor agree to return to coach the Dillion Panthers and a super team with the best of both schools? Tami's PA job offer adds conflict in the Taylor home as does a new development with Matt & Julie. Meanwhile Tim Riggins and Tyra talk seriously about their futures and Luke & Becky clear the air.

Coach Taylor is faced with building a football program from the ground up after the redistricting splits Dillon into two high-school districts. East Dillon is without funds, without a qualified coaching staff and without talent after the gerrymandering that was done by the Dillon Panther Boosters. Meanwhile Tim Riggins gives up on college and returns to Dillon only to find that you can't always go home again. Matt Saracen & Julie struggle with their roles in football crazed Dillon, now that Matt is no longer on the team.

With the decision to close the East Dillon Football program speculation runs wild on two fronts. Will the Lions be able to win State and go out in a blaze of glory; and will Coach Taylor agree to return to coach the Dillion Panthers and a super team with the best of both schools? Tami's PA job offer adds conflict in the Taylor home as does a new development with Matt & Julie. Meanwhile Tim Riggins and Tyra talk seriously about their futures and Luke & Becky clear the air.

When a 12 year-old is shot in an East Dillon park, Coach Taylor takes action. Julie takes a step in recovering from her break-up with Matt thanks to a cute supervisor at a Habitat for Humanity build. Vince gets a job at Ray's BBQ and he & Landry face off over their mutual attraction to Jess Merriweather. Meanwhile Becky Sproles finds out that she's pregnant and informs both Luke and Riggins.

The East Dillon Lions face the South Kingdom Rangers, the team to whom they forfeited at the beginning of last season. Coach tries to steer the team away from talk of revenge but when the game gets rough and the officiating lopsided, coach reconsiders. Meanwhile Tami bonds with one of the East Dillon teachers in a girl's night in and Julie's relationship with her TA hits a snag. Following the game, Hasting finds an outlaw white-lightning party in the otherwise dry town and bolstered by hooch, talk of college recruitment, and brotherhood the Lions go a bit overboard with the male bonding.

Buddy loses his cool over a deal gone sour and wrecks the local strip joint, which causes Lyla to lose her cool and walk out on him after he gets out of jail, while Julie's parents try to not lose their cool over catching her in bed with Matt, Landry loses his cool over Tyra's using him, and Coach Taylor loses his cool when the refs turn a blind eye to his playoff game.

The press grills Coach Taylor about the upcoming season while the teachers grill his wife, the new principal, about the budget and the necessary cutbacks, while Buddy and the football team have the best of everything. A new quarterback enters the picture and Matt feels threatened and Riggins is still up to his old game plan about not feeling anything. Tyra's new guidance counselor lays some rather bleak news on her, causing her to walk out of school, only to find some personal resolve within herself to attempt to rectify her situation.

Julie starts her college classes and meets an interesting teaching assistant. Tammy Taylor has trouble fitting in with the East Dillon teaching staff. Luke Cafferty's tackle from the last game is questioned. Coach Taylor finds that he's now on the outside and set a new goal. Jess and Vince hit a bump in their relationship.

The East Dillon Lion's march toward State continues amid Coach Taylor & Principal Burnwell's concerns about impending budget cuts. Tami gets an opportunity to interview with the admissions department of a prestigious Pennsylvania university. Tim Riggins finds acclimating to the busy Riggins' household difficult following his release on parole. Vince and his mom are worried as Vince's dad seems to be returning to his old ways.

New head coach Eric Taylor finds his every move scrutinized as he takes over leadership of Texas's No. 1 high school football team.

A chemical spill forces Coach Taylor and the Panthers to seek another facility in which to play the crucial State semifinal game.