The 'They Had Us In the First Half' meme originates from a 2014 post-game interview with Apollos Young, a high school football player from East High School in Beaumont, Texas. During the interview, Young describes the game's momentum with dramatic flair, starting with a somber tone that suggests a loss before exclaiming, 'They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.' The clip went viral for his charismatic delivery and the sudden emotional shift. Today, the meme is widely used to describe any situation—from YouTube videos to Reddit posts—that starts in one direction only to take a completely unexpected turn at the end, capturing the essence of a successful 'bait-and-switch'.