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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.