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+---- Thread: *NSFL Flashback - S13 SJS, Team of (Ill) Destiny (/showthread.php?tid=23412)
*NSFL Flashback - S13 SJS, Team of (Ill) Destiny - GoonerBear - 07-07-2020
Read Part 1 here
Week 8 - Yellowknife @ San Jose
Yellowknife gameplanned better this time around, having learned from their humiliation at home three weeks earlier. It didn't feel that way when they were hit with a three-and-out to open play and San Jose answered with a four-play touchdown drive, complete with a pass from Christ to Flash for 35 yards. They were right back in the groove, however, on the next drive. Applehort made up a large chunk of the distance to travel when he hit Josh Parker for 39 yards. Wizardry would cap the tying drive from 10 yards out on the ground. After the two sides traded fruitless three-and-out possessions, San Jose pulled back out in front in seven plays. The final play was a bomb from Christ to Oles for 38 yards, and the Cats took a 14-7 advantage.
Across the end of the first and start of the second, there were four straight three-and-out possessions before the Wraiths broke the monotony with the ball. They also had a distinct chance to return level with San Jose, as the Cats had stalled inside their own 10 and the punt didn't even cross the 50. With only 42 yards to go, the Wraiths picked up one first, though a clipping penalty cripped their efforts right after. Hope was restored on a 23-yard pass to Parker. Two plays later, Tommy Helanen held hope in his hands on a 10-yard pass. A clear first down...until Xandra Troyski took that hope and the ball away by forcing and recovering a fumble.
The next drive went nowhere fast for the Cats. Dick Wizardry made an electric 50-yard punt return to the SJS 17 to conjure up life again into the Wraiths...only for their ghostly bones to move three yards forward and settle for a field goal. 14-10, advantage still with San Jose. Their defense was still holding the Cats strong, with another three-and-out earning a chance to take the lead. They would reach as far as the SJS 45 before being sacked back to midfield and, with no need to let the Cats get too far away, punted and ended the half.
San Jose opened the second half with the ball, and marched right on down in eight plays, taking almost four minutes. Oles once again scored after nabbing a pass from Christ in stride and sprinting for a 37-yard touchdown. Yellowknife answered back in a more methodical, six-minute drive to remain within one score and keep the game from flying out of control. Brad Pennington caught a 10-yard pass from Applehort to get on the board.
Oles' return in combination with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Wraiths quickly gave the Cats a short field...which they proceeded to only gain 7 yards in. Donaldson nailed his season long from 53, however, so all was not lost from squandering the chance as they were now up 24-17, a full possession. The following drive from Yellowknife had the makings of a proper response. One first down, then another. On 4th and 4, on their own 47 and figuring now was the time to take a chance, the Wraiths went for it.
They might have had less of a disaster if they elected to punt.
A checkdown to Wizardry was dispelled by Jorel Tuck. With a head of steam going the other way, Tuck would run it back 53 yards. Once again, a major return and reversal of fortune was stopped a yard short of immediate devastation. Two plays later, Orosz would finish the trek and bring the edge up to 31-17.
Their next drive advanced further and had similar prospects of an answer to stay in reasonable distance. At the SJS 32, they advanced no further on three straight incompletions, and Forfeit was brought on to settle. 31-20 Cats with over 13 to go.
Two three-and-outs followed, and San Jose was in prime position to take it easy, run clock, chip away at the field little by little...while this time, it didn't end in a touchdown, a field goal sufficed after eating up almost six minutes of 11 remaining. Yellowknife had to move fast to stand a chance. While they moved a bit fast at first, the Cats stonewalled them, and on 4th and 2, Danny Methane plugged the hole meant for Thomas Carrasco. Carrasco went nowhere. While SJS would again go three-and-out and Yellowknife given another chance, it was too little, too late by this stage. Down two possessions in a two-minute drill scenario would need a series of very low-percentage miracle plays just to tie. Just for one more show for the home crowd, the defense stood the Wraiths up in four plays once more, with Poopsie halting a pass one yard short of a first down on 4th and 8.
Christ, Canton, Flash, and Oles had season-making games on the day. Jorel Tuck added to his tally and was this close to a career-making play. The gears were still smooth in the machine, and at 7-1 with a season sweep on Yellowknife down, they still had the league on notice they were the team to beat. It felt like unfamiliar air, though while the ride lasted, they would savor it and keep driving.
Week 9 - San Jose @ Colorado
In short, the machine ran as smooth as one could expect it to. Colorado’s defense was served a 50-burger, Christ turned in a performance where he went 19/27 for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Canton featured big on the night, getting 28 touches for 125 yards and 4 touchdowns. Orosz picked up 89, Flash caught for 100, but Oles got the two touchdown passes. The defense gave McCormick hell once more, picking him off twice – once by Deringer and once by Jorel Tuck.
The game stayed close for most of the first half, though for the latter 35 minutes of the game, the Yeti would never again come within 10 of San Jose. They held the lead once following a field goal. About 5 minutes later, never again. Canton punched in twice on two drives. They still tried to make it a game. Blackford Oakes ran a punt back 70 yards for a touchdown to end the first quarter. The second quarter strictly belonged to the Cats. Two field goals, and between them, Oles’ first touchdown catch off Christ. At a 27-10 halftime lead and the last three scores, San Jose was charged up.
Colorado finally picked up a touchdown on offense in the early third quarter. James Bishop hauled in a pass from 6 yards out. They just couldn’t stop the Cats before they could get closer. Oles nabbed his second on the night midway through. No one could be too certain, though, as immediately after, Bishop went coast-to-coast on the kickoff, officially going down for a 101-yard return touchdown. 34-24. 21 minutes of football to go. The home team was still alive in this game.
Except…they wouldn’t be for long. The Cats ran off two drives in the fourth that ended with Canton punching in for his hat trick and golden sombrero touchdowns. Donaldson would pick up another field goal to finish 3/3 on the day, all from the 40s. This offense served a 50-burger to a top-half defense. One they might have been primed to face off against in the Ultimus, considering the NSFC’s…state...in which there were clear haves and have-nots. Though, the rest of the regular-season race would shape up similarly in the ASFC.
Week 10 - San Jose @ Baltimore
The second verse was better than the first for the Cats in this contest. It was still a plodding, slow, grinding affair, though this time, their defense was holding up much more often, and the offensive breakthroughs were a little more frequent. Just enough to keep a tight hold on this game throughout the second half.
The first quarter was the most action anyone would see on the scoreboard for well past 20 game minutes. Even then, San Jose’s opening drive lasted a few ticks past 6 minutes. They would take their sweet time to run 12 plays and finish with Orosz diving in from a yard out. The two sides would punt…and punt…and punt again…each time with no return or a touchback. It felt set to enter another jog through molasses like the first one.
This time, something broke up that monotony. After two penalties, the rookie Spencer Castle broke in, jarred the ball loose from Orosz’s hands, and fell on it, giving the Hawks a 25-yard field to score. They would do so in 6 plays, tying the game after Gambino hit Valentine from 9 yards on third and 6.
And…that would be it. The second quarter would have some sacks…Jorel Tuck snagged a pick…Castle recovered another Orosz fumble that Austin Roenick set in motion. Baltimore had a prime chance when they got the ball to start the second half in a 7-7 tie. They would take 6 plays, and a devastating chop block penalty would kill their budding drive. San Jose would turn that right around. First, with a 22-yard pass to Flash. Then, Christ hit Oles in stride for 45 yards. In the red zone, they took only three plays to finish the operation. Oles capped it off from 11 yards away, and the Cats took a 14-7 lead.
They would almost immediately get the ball back following a three-and-out, a tough ask in most cases against Childish Gambino. They would grind another 10-play drive for another touchdown, highlighted by a 14-yard clutch from Christ to Oles on third and 7, another pass to Williams for 12 on third and 6, and a 19-yard floater to Flash that put them in goal-to-go range. Christ to Justice from 8 secured a 20-7 lead after the extra point was no good.
The Hawks were halted again after five plays. They got another chance after a SaberCats three-and-out. Freezer Riposte cut that chance short on the first play when he jarred the ball loose and covered it like a live grenade. The Cats would only get a field goal out of it, though a 16-point lead was still plenty on a day when points were hard to come by. Two touchdowns and conversions would be a massive ask. The Hawks drove, but they stalled at the 25. They would have to settle and make the next two potential scores easier.
Frost missed from 30 yards.
That would be the last chance they would have to win the game. San Jose ran enough clock out that, by the time they scored that touchdown they needed, they failed the conversion, and there were only 5 seconds left.
The game reaffirmed the Cats could handle a game where they had to rely on their defense in a grind. They could win any kind of game, whether or not their offense was clicking.
Week 11 - Arizona @ San Jose
This felt like the kind of game Arizona could have quickly spun out of control. Out of the gate, the Outlaws picked up a 10-0 lead. Dean Jackson opened with a field goal, then they scored a touchdown after a Cats three-and-out. Slim Shady and Kevin Fitzpatrick sustained a long 12-play drive and capped it off with a 10-yard pass to Viggo Squanch. San Jose wouldn’t even pick up a first down through the first quarter. All three possessions ended in three-play punts. It took a special teams play to get the Cats on the board when Oles shed the only tackler who touched him and took off for an 87-yard punt return touchdown.
With the defense finally holding up, the Cats backfield could get to work on their own methodical drive down the field. They wouldn’t quite get a touchdown at the end, though a field goal from Donaldson at 28 yards tied the contest. Right after the two-minute warning, the Outlaws took the lead back on first and goal from the 3. Slim Shady dove in and brought Arizona a 17-10 lead they would carry into halftime.
The SaberCats received to open the second half, and they would hang around by tying the game on a 24-yard pass from Christ to Oles, who now had an offensive touchdown on top of his punt return. At 17 all, things were setting up to engage the sides in a tight contest.
Kolby Deringer would change that course in a hurry. On the first play from scrimmage, Fitzpatrick checked down to Balthazar Crindy. Deringer jumped the route, robbed Crindy, and returned it back to the Arizona 21. Oles would be hooked up for his second receiving touchdown and third overall on the second play of the drive from 15 yards away. In a matter of 75 seconds, the score had flipped from a 7-point deficit to a 7-point advantage.
The collapse wasn’t over for the Outlaws. Three plays into a new drive and their chance to even the score, Slim Shady clutched a catch on third and 6. Took it another 10 beyond what they needed. Then…Thad Pennington and Trey Staley tag-teamed him. Pennington crunched the ball loose, and Staley fell on it. For the second straight possession, Arizona turned the ball over on their side of the 50.
And once again, San Jose would jump on the opportunity. 7 plays to march 46 yards, ending with a short pass to Flash. There would be a mishap that could have easily let the Outlaws back into the game, as Christ threw a pick to Arbin Asipi III before he was immediately downed. But once again, the Cats’ defense held, and Arizona had to settle for a field goal to pull to a point where two touchdowns would win.
The Cats would punt. Then get it back. Then punt. And get it back again. Aside from a first down each, Arizona on a pass to Squanch and San Jose on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, no one advanced. With 10:23 to go, the Cats again held fate in their hands. This time, they found their way to at least eat away at the remaining time. Nabbing first downs here and there on two plays or three. No play got much more than they needed to move the sticks. And just to finish plunging the dagger, Christ once again passed for a touchdown, getting Canton involved on a two-yarder.
The last drive was a long shot anyway, though it would end in a turnover on downs. San Jose could find their stride midgame. Or at least, they could force big plays early and let their offense capitalize.
Week 12 - San Jose @ New Orleans
The defense put on another masterclass for the NSFL to witness as they ventured to the Bayou. The first three drives were nonstarters going each way. The Second Line had some hope instilled as they picked up a huge 25-yard QB scramble from Borkus Maximus III. And…that was it. They lined up to settle for three. Don’t look now, Bears fans. They couldn’t even do that as the 43-yarder missed.
With the ball at the spot, after two plays that went nowhere, the Cats reeled off three plays of 10 or more yards. Oles caught a long pass for 39 yards, then Canton rushed for two first downs on 14- and 10-yard runs. Three plays later, Justice would get a checkdown to score first. The remainder of the first quarter would pass with three-and-out drives. The Cats would take the last drive into the second quarter, Flash would rack up 36 yards on two catches, and Canton would get his first touchdown on a goal-line push. Even on a year where they wouldn’t reach .500, this was still New Orleans. They wouldn’t take this beating lying down. Vladimir Fyodorovich would receive for all 63 yards they needed to go in two passes to score a touchdown and get the Second Line on the board.
On the follow-up drive, the Cats would get as far as the NOLA 24 despite three penalties setting them back…unfortunately, this would result in no points as it was Donaldson’s turn to miss. Now, the Second Line could turn this around, use the spark to tie the game on the ensuing drive, and throw an interception to Xandra Troyski that was almost carried all the way back – wait, what?
Yeah, it was kind of San Jose’s thing by now to create an offensive catastrophe and compound it by getting great field position. Oles would get a hook-up from 7 yards to bring the score to 21-7. NOLA followed up by…going nowhere in 5 plays, handing it back, and letting San Jose have enough time to kick a field goal and make it a three-possession game at halftime, 24-7.
The Second Line marched nowhere fast to end the first half…and open the second. Six plays to not leave their half of the field. In fact…all of the third quarter went scoreless. San Jose would cross the 50 once and that would be it. NOLA crossed the 50 early in the fourth…but they would punt on fourth and 1. San Jose had the setup to bury the home side and go into a big rivalry showdown 11-1 and lock up the number one seed for the first time ever. They just needed to throw a pick-six on third and eight on their own 22…wait, no…they didn’t need to be returning the favor now. 24-13 SJS after Julian O’Sullivan snagged a pass at the 28 and took it back to the house. It was happening again. Their dumb luck against the Second Line was coming back again. Or balancing out New Orleans’ dumb luck from earlier.
It was little comfort that Meoff missed the extra point. It would only take another stop and score and this game would be out of their grasp again. A three-and-out would get the nerves going again. The Second Line had the ball and a two-possession game with enough time. Even deep in their own half, if they could just get rolling, they could –
Troyski picked Borkus off again. He was aiming for Thjalfi Halvorsen. Troyski was finally wrangled down after taking it back 13 yards to the NOLA 11.
The offense didn’t punch it in, though a field goal made it two full possessions at 27-13. 9:31 was enough time to come back, though the Cats cut the margin of error thin for NOLA. The Cats were content for time to waste away on the Second Line stalling after five plays, then they would chip away despite a short drive. The Second Line started finally getting somewhere but were shut down on the SJS 10. On fourth and 10 from the 19, Paul DiMirio hauled in a pass and engaged in a battle of wills against Deringer. The linebacker won out, earning a turnover on downs and securing the win.
For the first time in franchise history, the SaberCats guaranteed they would host a conference championship game. Getting back at New Orleans from their Week 2 loss to get there made it all the sweeter.
Week 13 - San Jose @ Orange County
The chance for the season sweep was nice. With how results stacked up in Week 12, this was a game more to feel the other side out for the inevitable clash back up north for the one that counted most. This would be a scouting run first and foremost, though there was still enough incentive to win. These were the Otters. There was never a such thing as a bad win over Orange County, even if the playoff picture was set on their half of the bracket.
San Jose went to their slow, methodical play to open the game. See how things would go against the faster, high-flying offense. Donaldson came on at the end as the Cats had to settle for three to start the game after the first possession almost took half the quarter. The Otters were in no mood to mess around. They converted first downs twice in their first two plays, pulled through on a big third down, then another to score their first points of the game within two and a half minutes after Carlito Crush hauled a touchdown in on a 23-yard catch. Three times the speed and better results to go up 7-3.
When the Cats gave up a quick punt after, the Otters figured they had a chance to take it slower and establish themselves. While they marched up the field, they were ultimately parked at the SJS 17 and settled for making it a 10-3 game. Slow and methodical was the Cats’ thing, however. This time, they would get it right. After five minutes and change, the SaberCats would pull even 10-10 on a 12-play drive ending with Christ hitting Oles on third and goal from the 7 to convert and score. They would trade punts, and Orange County would miss a field goal that could have notched a halftime lead.
Three straight punts opened the second half. On the fourth drive, Orosz lost the ball to Danny Grithead at the OCO 30. That would be the last the Cats would see of the ball for the next five minutes of game time, as the Otters played their rivals’ game and took their sweet time. They would regain the lead 17-10 on a 13-play drive ending with a goal-line dive from Seer Zephyrous. Hope faded fast as another three-and-out was turned around into a drive that picked up yards several at a time. Passes of 14, 4, 20, 15, and finally, 17 yards to secure a two-possession lead when Sunnycursed caught the last pass to score. The extra point attempt missed, though San Jose was on a timer.
They didn’t play in too big a hurry, though they had to make sure they scored a touchdown. They would get back to within 6 in four and a half minutes. Canton cut the deficit on a four-yard rush. Just get a stop on defense and they would have a chance, like they always had.
And they would accomplish the stop in 9 plays and under three and a half minutes. Sure, they were deep on their own side. 5:32 was enough time. Just enough time, if they hurried, relatively speaking.
On third and 14, Christ had to go for a risky pass. The line to gain was secured too well. He’d have to go down to Orosz and let the back use his legs the rest of the way.
Marc Spector jumped the route and brought the interception back to the SJS 5.
Hope immediately plummeted. Even if they stopped the Otters, a field goal was enough to make it a two-possession game. Almost unattainable from this point.
A touchdown would serve to sink the knife a little further in.
The Cats marched, hoping for the desperate touchdown-onside-touchdown combo that was their last chance to win.
Jaylon Broxton ripped the knife out and let the SaberCats bleed. He stole a pass meant for Flash and prevented the embarrassment of a season sweep. Perhaps, more important for later, this gave both sides valuable information, though San Jose was now on notice. Orange County was still for real, even if their record would never suggest that if they were almost any other squad.
(As a brief aside that I won't include in the word count...this is the first time I've brought up Marc Spector in this flashback. It was only when his name came back up on the play-by-play during the writing of this account...it stung again. How he's gone. Even if I didn't know him all that well, and not nearly as well as someone like speculadora who could write up this sort of eulogy, there's something among competitors that still binds us together. We still miss you, Red.)
Week 14 - Philadelphia @ San Jose
With the playoff final four set, this was an important game for Philadelphia to try to win and for San Jose to tune up for the third and final showdown against the Otters. The Liberty needed a win to secure home field for their conference championship. San Jose needed a confidence lift.
The contest started off well in San Jose’s hands. Xandra Troyski cut the opening drive short with an interception after the Liberty invaded the SaberCats’ half of the field. Despite a couple of sacks, Christ pressed on and passed San Jose’s way down the field and into the end zone, dishing Justice the first score of the game. Philadelphia would follow with a drive that marched slow, but no further after a penalty pushed them back behind the 50. For almost a quarter of the game to follow, the sides engaged in a defensive battle. San Jose went nowhere fast, Philadelphia went somewhere slowly, but not far enough. They apparently needed closer than SJS’s 18 as Fulture missed from 35 yards.
Receiving a punt with a bit more than 8 minutes until intermission, the Cats flew down the field in a matter of four plays. Oles covered 49 yards in one play and was rewarded with the final 12 for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. When Philly stalled in three plays, San Jose drove fast to open their final drive of the first half, though had to settle for a field goal on fourth and 1 with little time left and little reason to not take a three-score lead while they could. They carried a confident 17-0 lead into the break.
They would extend this lead to 20-0 after getting the opening kick to start the second half. They would advance fast, highlighted first by a 15-yard pass to Brannigan, then a 14-yarder to Flash, though at the Philly 18, it was thus far and no further. Donaldson pocketed from 35. It was hard not to feel good in the moment. To feel like they could still conquer playoff contenders. To feel like they had gotten hot and in full swing right before the biggest game in franchise history.
That was about to come apart.
It started when the Liberty ate up about 5 minutes on the ensuing drive. Most of it came from Jordan von Matt catching a midrange pass and taking off for 56 yards. Marquise Brown softened the defense and von Matt finished it with an 11-yard pass. 20-7, the Liberty had finally rung up the scoreboard.
No sweat, though. Even after one three-and-out to follow, the defense held firm and was content to engage in a scoring drought as long as Philadelphia remained parched as well. Five possessions immediately after would end in punts. A two-score lead heading into the fourth, even with the Liberty holding the ball, felt alright with the fireworks fizzling out.
The drive Philly carried into the fourth quarter would end in a field goal. Not an ideal result, though a full two scores would win now. Another quick turnaround in three plays, and the Liberty would get to work. They ground out 11 plays in about five and a half minutes. Lamarcus Strike fulfilled the first part of the endgame sequence they needed with a two-yard dive. Stage two was to hold and get the ball back.
Philly’s defense would do one much better.
Lucari Felix contested a pass meant for Justice and did him injustice by snagging it and dropping to down it before he had a chance to lose this precious gift he stole. A 35-yard field to take the lead with four minutes and change to burn. The win and the conference championship at home were about a third of the field away. The San Jose collapse was almost complete. Meltdowns of this proportion tended to finish. The SaberCats faithful were losing it. Going into the postseason on back-to-back losses would not bode well for the team that was supposed to be the best they had ever been.
An 11-yard rush from Brown pressed their backs further against the wall. This was it. 20-0 was happening. An 11-3 finish atop the conference would almost feel like it meant nothing with impending doom just one week away while riding in cold. This was a home game! If Philly could do this to them here, the Otters next week would have had this clamped down a long time ago!
The commentary was salivating. Ruthless naysayers with microphones and keyboards at the ready.
Falconi threw a midrange pass to Roger Batoff. She expected it to land right in his hold eight yards down. Maybe he’d make a play for the first down and whittle San Jose’s hopes a little further away.
Thad Pennington stepped up, metaphorically and literally, to make yet another big bacon-saver. He picked off Falconi right at the point where they could almost see the headlines the next day. To further drive home that it would not slip now, he had an open field with all of Philly’s receivers going the wrong way and much closer to San Jose’s goal line. He turned on the jets and hit full stride while the offense was just at that point putting it in reverse.
He would beat them all in an 84-yard footrace for the game-sealing touchdown. Philly had surged back from a 20-0 deficit to the precipice of the lead. Thad Pennington turned on the surge protector and killed that hope, moving the score to 27-17.
The Liberty would try to hurry back downfield for the onside combo. They ran out of time before the first touchdown. The SaberCats got away after nearly choking away a dominant lead. Due to suffering two losses at their hands, the Liberty would have to hit the road to play the Colorado Yeti for a ticket to the Ultimus.
With that spectacular and thrilling finale that didn’t need to be, the San Jose SaberCats finished with their best regular-season mark, even to the day of this writing. A 12-2 record, three games ahead of the 9-5 Orange County Otters. It felt like they had solved the last piece of the puzzle, filled out the last uncertainty they had in their minds – what to do in case of a panic. They had survived a panic. They could take on the world now. They had won in all circumstances they could expect to face.
To conquer the world, however, they had to take down the tyrants who ruled it. Now with home-field advantage, the Cats were ready to host the hated Otters, defending champions of the league.
Stay tuned for Part 3.
(5,020 words, not including the aside about RedCydranth)