Week 15 had a couple of surprises again, and one game to screw with the standings. Only one week remains in the regular season, and barring any major upsets, the postseason looks pretty set.
Czechoslavakia Mates vs Mombasa Wombats, 9-30: Let's start with the game that threw it all out of whack. What an impressive performance by the Wombats' defense in this game, with 15 sacks and 24 hurries. Before I started watching the replay, my thought was that the Mates decided to try something new out and run with the QB. It became obvious very quickly that this wasn't the case, as QB Cooper Jameson simply had someone in his grill every time he dropped back to pass. So then I thought, maybe they started their backup O-line to get them some XP, but a look at the depth chart proved that to be wrong as well. The Mates just didn't have an answer for Mombasa's defensive ends, who were able to bring an amazing amount of pressure against what is normally a very good offensive line. I assume that bonus tokens were a factor in this game, as well as excellent defensive game planning. This performance has to put a bit of fear into anyone who has to face the Wombats in the playoffs.
Hill Valley Deloreans vs Macedonian Lions, 23-35: In another case of "Wow, what the hell happened there?", the Lions ran all over the stout Delorean defense, passing the ball only when absolutely necessary. The Lions have been a consistently strong running team all season, and used it to max effect this game. Hill Valley ran into bad luck early, throwing an interception on their third play of the game which led to seven Lion points, then missing a very long field goal to give Macedonian the ball in excellent position for another scoring drive. The Lions took control of the pace of the game after that, eating massive amounts of time off the clock, and finishing their drives with scores. With the game quickly getting out of hand, Hill Valley had to go with a pass-happy offense designed to produce quick scores, but despite some limited success and a pair of fumble recoveries, they were unable to put many points on the board. The first of those fumbles proved mostly meaningless when QB Z McQuarrie threw his second pick two plays later to give the ball back at almost exactly the same position as when the Lions lost it in the first place, while the second led to seven Hill Valley points that were too little, too late. The Macedonian running game had done the job too well for Hill Valley.
Jefferson City Bucks vs WhatsaMatta U Fighting Elk, 41-20: The Bucks scored early and often against the Elk in a game that held few surprises. Turnovers played a big role in this one, but could have been even more of a factor. Despite forcing four fumbles, the Bucks were only able to come away with one of them, as well as a key pick late in the first quarter and deep in Elk territory. The Elk put up a fight in the second half, with two touchdowns in their first two third quarter possessions, but there was little they could do to stop the bruising Jefferson City running game.
Maribor Triforce vs Prague Beersteins, 34-27: This game was a nail-biter for both teams, but the Triforce held on to get the win despite a strong fourth quarter showing from the Beersteins. In the end, the early lead taken by Maribor would just be too much for Prague to overcome. Prague did a nice job of holding down the Maribor running game, but several big gains on third down and the Beersteins' inability to capitalize on turnovers made this one a done deal for the Triforce.
The rest of the games this week for Zeta Conference played out pretty much as expected, with the Butchers handing South City another big loss, 51-20, Berlin shutting out the Wolfpack 114-0, Kazakhstan trouncing the Freedom 160-13, and Secretville finally getting to have a little fun at the Beavers' expense 315-0.
The regular season comes to a close Friday, and from the looks of things only one game is likely to have any real implications, the battle for the eighth spot between the Dragons and the Elk. I will be back tomorrow with the final preview of the regular season. Thanks again for the positive comments and feedback from everyone this season, it has been a great one.
Czechoslavakia Mates vs Mombasa Wombats, 9-30: Let's start with the game that threw it all out of whack. What an impressive performance by the Wombats' defense in this game, with 15 sacks and 24 hurries. Before I started watching the replay, my thought was that the Mates decided to try something new out and run with the QB. It became obvious very quickly that this wasn't the case, as QB Cooper Jameson simply had someone in his grill every time he dropped back to pass. So then I thought, maybe they started their backup O-line to get them some XP, but a look at the depth chart proved that to be wrong as well. The Mates just didn't have an answer for Mombasa's defensive ends, who were able to bring an amazing amount of pressure against what is normally a very good offensive line. I assume that bonus tokens were a factor in this game, as well as excellent defensive game planning. This performance has to put a bit of fear into anyone who has to face the Wombats in the playoffs.
Hill Valley Deloreans vs Macedonian Lions, 23-35: In another case of "Wow, what the hell happened there?", the Lions ran all over the stout Delorean defense, passing the ball only when absolutely necessary. The Lions have been a consistently strong running team all season, and used it to max effect this game. Hill Valley ran into bad luck early, throwing an interception on their third play of the game which led to seven Lion points, then missing a very long field goal to give Macedonian the ball in excellent position for another scoring drive. The Lions took control of the pace of the game after that, eating massive amounts of time off the clock, and finishing their drives with scores. With the game quickly getting out of hand, Hill Valley had to go with a pass-happy offense designed to produce quick scores, but despite some limited success and a pair of fumble recoveries, they were unable to put many points on the board. The first of those fumbles proved mostly meaningless when QB Z McQuarrie threw his second pick two plays later to give the ball back at almost exactly the same position as when the Lions lost it in the first place, while the second led to seven Hill Valley points that were too little, too late. The Macedonian running game had done the job too well for Hill Valley.
Jefferson City Bucks vs WhatsaMatta U Fighting Elk, 41-20: The Bucks scored early and often against the Elk in a game that held few surprises. Turnovers played a big role in this one, but could have been even more of a factor. Despite forcing four fumbles, the Bucks were only able to come away with one of them, as well as a key pick late in the first quarter and deep in Elk territory. The Elk put up a fight in the second half, with two touchdowns in their first two third quarter possessions, but there was little they could do to stop the bruising Jefferson City running game.
Maribor Triforce vs Prague Beersteins, 34-27: This game was a nail-biter for both teams, but the Triforce held on to get the win despite a strong fourth quarter showing from the Beersteins. In the end, the early lead taken by Maribor would just be too much for Prague to overcome. Prague did a nice job of holding down the Maribor running game, but several big gains on third down and the Beersteins' inability to capitalize on turnovers made this one a done deal for the Triforce.
The rest of the games this week for Zeta Conference played out pretty much as expected, with the Butchers handing South City another big loss, 51-20, Berlin shutting out the Wolfpack 114-0, Kazakhstan trouncing the Freedom 160-13, and Secretville finally getting to have a little fun at the Beavers' expense 315-0.
The regular season comes to a close Friday, and from the looks of things only one game is likely to have any real implications, the battle for the eighth spot between the Dragons and the Elk. I will be back tomorrow with the final preview of the regular season. Thanks again for the positive comments and feedback from everyone this season, it has been a great one.
Last edited Mar 25, 2009 22:34:55
