Emancipation—Smash (Gaius Charles) struggles with his confidence on the field as Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) preps him for college tryouts. Meanwhile, Tami (Connie Britton) makes changes to the school budget and finds that the community cares more about a Jumbotron than education. Elsewhere, Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is faced with the decision to emancipate himself so he can legally take care of his ailing grandmother—with his father in Iraq, his only hope of saving his grandmother is seeking the help of his estranged mother. Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons and Aimee Teegarden also star.