As you all know by now, the NSFL regular season is fully under way. Fans all over the country have been waiting for this day since the Ultimus trophy was claimed last year and the season was officially over. The fans have been non stop showing their pride and support for their teams as you might expect, one team's fans are particularly enthusiastic about this new season. Some of the most voracious fans in the league call Arizona their home, and these fans were ready to go on game day. The Outlaws just brought home the first ever ultimus trophy last year and the hype surrounding their opening game for the second season was at an all time high. The Outlaws did go through some changes over the off season with the addition of new faces through the draft and already some free agent pick-ups. They also lost some of their better players through the expansion draft and the S2 draft saw some of their free agent pickups last year find new homes in the league. Regardless of any changes, the fans in Arizona came out to see the new roster play their first game together. What better matchup could the fans have asked for than their most hated and bitter rivals, the Orange County Otters. With all the anticipation for the first game of the regular season it is no surprise that Outlaws fans were lined up outside the stadium in 110+ degree weather just trying to get a look at the new Outlaws roster performing for the first time. Just looking around the Outlaws stadium it was clear to see how much the fans were looking forward to this opening day.
Now the game itself was a rather interesting one.... The fans were extremely loud to begin the first quarter and it was evident as the Outlaws defense seemed to feed off of the energy from the stands. A first down sack had the fans roaring in their seats in the very first drive of the game. The staunch Outlaws defense held strong and forced an Otters punt. The Outlaws mew offense was able to take the ball down the field and give their rookie kicker Ronaldo a chance to secure them 3 points to put them in the lead. On the following Otters drive, yet again another sack on first down had the crowds heads exploding as they knew that the infamous Outlaws defense was back. Mike Boss (or as he is known in AZ "Mike Loss") was back at the helm and despite being deafened by the fanatical Arizona crowd he was able to help drive down the field into Outlaw territory. A couple of good tackles and forced pressure was able to bring a halt to the drive and force a game tying field goal. The Outlaws then got the ball back and they looked as if there were going to drive all the way down the field again, but signs of the old Outlaws offense began to show as the drive petered out into a punt. The Otters got a shot at the ball once again, but on just the second play of the drive Ryan Flock jumped in front of Mike Boss's throw and strolled leisurely into the endzone. The pick six put the Outlaws up 10-3.
The Otters started the second quarter quite well, slowly working their way down field despite the problems they had with penalties. They made their way into Outlaw territory before once again getting stuffed by the vaunted Outlaws defense. Except this time, their kicker may have let the crowd noise get into his head or maybe he was thinking about one of his ex-girlfriends as he kicked the ball it sailed wide of the post. Now with the ball in the hands of the Outlaws QB King Bronco was sacked on second down, next the two teams traded penalties. After the penalty the Outlaws committed another penalty that helped to make sure the offense stagnated well beyond field goal range. Forced to punt, the Outlaws sent their shutdown defense onto the field again as they were greeted by the still obnoxiously loud Arizona fans. Harrif Ernston was the Outlaws that was able to slice through the porous Otters offemsive line, as Boss ate turf for the third time that evening. The Otters were still able to get enough yards to attempt another field goal so they took a shot and Langdon split the uprights leading to a 10-6 game. Now it was finally time for the Outlaws offense to do something... Wrong. The freight train that is Reg Mackworthy did his best to keep the offense out there, but Bronko and his supporting cast soon saw themselves back on the sideline waiting for the defense to bail them out again. After a booming punt by Ronaldo, the Otters came out chucking the ball. With time winding down, Boss managed to put together a decent drive, and the Otters soon found themselves in Outlaws territory once again. However, with time running out the Otters had to abandon hope for a TD and instead attempt another field goal. The kicking unit once again disappointed and Langdon was unable to bring the Otters within 1. With the kissed kick the two teams went into the locker room for halftime.
After the fans had their shot to go refresh on beer and nachos during the break, Arizona received the ball to kick off the second half. Once again their offense was lackluster and they were barely on the field for three downs before the punting unit marched out onto the field yet again. The Otters saw their opportunity to take the lead once again and after a couple successful first downs Boss found himself face down in the mud for the fourth time. Luke Leuchly punched through the turnstiles that the Otters call Offensive linemen and helped Boss find out where the ground was. The crowd erupted in cheers and the stadium was reinvigorated as they turned up the noise once again. The Otters faltered due to all the noise and were unable to recover from the sack, leading to a punt once again. Just as spectacular as the Outlaws defense was playing they were relying on a nice long offensive drive this time around and instead they went three and out. Once again Orange County had a shot to take the lead and they came out firing. They put together a long sustained drive despite the pressure of the crowd and the defense, but Luke Leuchly burst through the Otters O-line like the kool-aid man breaks through a brick wall and he made Boss taste turf yet again (I think Boss likes it down there) and the drive faltered after the sack took all their momentum away. Otters punted back to the Outlaws and just as you might expect at this point, the Outlaws offense couldn't even gather a first down and ended as a three and out. Even despite the amazing job the defense was able to do carrying the game eventually they would tire out if the offense couldn't stay out on the field for more than 3 snaps. The Otters had yet another chance to make the game changing play as they drove down the field as the referees blew their whistle to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opened up with an Otter field goal attempt and this time Langdon did not fail to disappoint his team as he nailed the 47 yarder, bringing the game within 1 point 10-9. The Outlaws were relieved that once again the defense was able to stop the Otters and maintain their slim lead. Just as quickly as the offense had the ball, they were back on the bench watching Ronaldo boot the ball into Otters territory due to an extremely disappointing three and out. The following drive for the Otters saw them run Leroy Jenkins out of the backfield repeatedly. Eventually after a penalty and a couple of short yardage plays the drive amounted to nothing and the Otters had to punt. They must not have been too worried at that point though as the Outlaws offense had yet to do anything in the game and once again they were held to a three and out. The unflinching Outlaws defense would have to make the play to seal the game as the offense certainly wasn't able to get anything going. After some decent first downs from the Otters the defense finally broke through and made the difference making play. It was Luke Leuchly himself that came through with the strip sack on Mike Boss. After the ball tumbled out of the hands of Boss Arbin Asipi scooped it up on the Otters 33 yard line. If the Outlaws offense just had to take advantage of the great field position gifted to them by the defense. King took the field and actually made some great plays to keep the offense on the field. Three straight completed passes for Bronco resulted in a touchdown to Mayran Jackson, giving the Outlaws a 17-9 lead and forcing the Otter to face a tall task just to tie the game up. Now facing their largest deficit of the game the Otters badly needed to put points on the board. A combination of the pass game and rush game helped keep the ball moving down the field, but great defense by the secondary and the thundering roar of the crowd saw Boss throw 2 incomplete passes and left them in a rough 3rd down and 10. A third pass, complete to Phelps, fell just short of the first down marker and they were forced to punt. Perhaps this was the chance for the Outlaws offense to make the game closing drive and score to make it a two possession game? Nah Bronco and his offense took the field and ran the ball three times only to get stuffed by the Otters and lead to another three and out. The game would have to be sealed by the defense for the Outlaws as the Otters got the ball back. However with only 3 minutes left in the game, the Otters would have to move quickly. On their first set of downs they were forced into a 4th down and short that they had to go for, so the Otters went for it and a short run was able to get the first down. As they continued to drive down the field rather slowly, the clock kept ticking. Orange County used all of their timeouts as they crossed the midfield. Then what happened next is a mystery to me. The Otters with no timeouts began running the ball for short gains and then spiking the ball to stop the clock and then running it again wasting the time left on the clock. They could have been taking shots at throwing the ball into the end zone but instead they just let the clock run out without despite the fact that it was a one possession game. When the clock hit zero the fans erupted in drunken roars and the two teams shook hands as they retreated back to their locker rooms.
The stadium was electric with energy as the fans filed out of the stadium and headed home. All evening the Arizona fans were deafening and their noise and enthusiasm definitely transferred to the Outlaws defense as they seemed to make big plays whenever the crowd was cheering them on. With that said, the Outlaws were able to net their first win of the season much to the pleasure of their fans and the NSFL season was officially underway much to the pleasure of fans everywhere. What a way to kick off the season this game was, it looked as if the Outlaws pisspoor offense was going to result in the defense tiring out and the Otters taking advantage. Instead though, the defense was able to secure the game changing turnovers and pave the way to an Outlaws victory. It was a good showing from both teams and a great way to kick off the new season.
Now the game itself was a rather interesting one.... The fans were extremely loud to begin the first quarter and it was evident as the Outlaws defense seemed to feed off of the energy from the stands. A first down sack had the fans roaring in their seats in the very first drive of the game. The staunch Outlaws defense held strong and forced an Otters punt. The Outlaws mew offense was able to take the ball down the field and give their rookie kicker Ronaldo a chance to secure them 3 points to put them in the lead. On the following Otters drive, yet again another sack on first down had the crowds heads exploding as they knew that the infamous Outlaws defense was back. Mike Boss (or as he is known in AZ "Mike Loss") was back at the helm and despite being deafened by the fanatical Arizona crowd he was able to help drive down the field into Outlaw territory. A couple of good tackles and forced pressure was able to bring a halt to the drive and force a game tying field goal. The Outlaws then got the ball back and they looked as if there were going to drive all the way down the field again, but signs of the old Outlaws offense began to show as the drive petered out into a punt. The Otters got a shot at the ball once again, but on just the second play of the drive Ryan Flock jumped in front of Mike Boss's throw and strolled leisurely into the endzone. The pick six put the Outlaws up 10-3.
The Otters started the second quarter quite well, slowly working their way down field despite the problems they had with penalties. They made their way into Outlaw territory before once again getting stuffed by the vaunted Outlaws defense. Except this time, their kicker may have let the crowd noise get into his head or maybe he was thinking about one of his ex-girlfriends as he kicked the ball it sailed wide of the post. Now with the ball in the hands of the Outlaws QB King Bronco was sacked on second down, next the two teams traded penalties. After the penalty the Outlaws committed another penalty that helped to make sure the offense stagnated well beyond field goal range. Forced to punt, the Outlaws sent their shutdown defense onto the field again as they were greeted by the still obnoxiously loud Arizona fans. Harrif Ernston was the Outlaws that was able to slice through the porous Otters offemsive line, as Boss ate turf for the third time that evening. The Otters were still able to get enough yards to attempt another field goal so they took a shot and Langdon split the uprights leading to a 10-6 game. Now it was finally time for the Outlaws offense to do something... Wrong. The freight train that is Reg Mackworthy did his best to keep the offense out there, but Bronko and his supporting cast soon saw themselves back on the sideline waiting for the defense to bail them out again. After a booming punt by Ronaldo, the Otters came out chucking the ball. With time winding down, Boss managed to put together a decent drive, and the Otters soon found themselves in Outlaws territory once again. However, with time running out the Otters had to abandon hope for a TD and instead attempt another field goal. The kicking unit once again disappointed and Langdon was unable to bring the Otters within 1. With the kissed kick the two teams went into the locker room for halftime.
After the fans had their shot to go refresh on beer and nachos during the break, Arizona received the ball to kick off the second half. Once again their offense was lackluster and they were barely on the field for three downs before the punting unit marched out onto the field yet again. The Otters saw their opportunity to take the lead once again and after a couple successful first downs Boss found himself face down in the mud for the fourth time. Luke Leuchly punched through the turnstiles that the Otters call Offensive linemen and helped Boss find out where the ground was. The crowd erupted in cheers and the stadium was reinvigorated as they turned up the noise once again. The Otters faltered due to all the noise and were unable to recover from the sack, leading to a punt once again. Just as spectacular as the Outlaws defense was playing they were relying on a nice long offensive drive this time around and instead they went three and out. Once again Orange County had a shot to take the lead and they came out firing. They put together a long sustained drive despite the pressure of the crowd and the defense, but Luke Leuchly burst through the Otters O-line like the kool-aid man breaks through a brick wall and he made Boss taste turf yet again (I think Boss likes it down there) and the drive faltered after the sack took all their momentum away. Otters punted back to the Outlaws and just as you might expect at this point, the Outlaws offense couldn't even gather a first down and ended as a three and out. Even despite the amazing job the defense was able to do carrying the game eventually they would tire out if the offense couldn't stay out on the field for more than 3 snaps. The Otters had yet another chance to make the game changing play as they drove down the field as the referees blew their whistle to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opened up with an Otter field goal attempt and this time Langdon did not fail to disappoint his team as he nailed the 47 yarder, bringing the game within 1 point 10-9. The Outlaws were relieved that once again the defense was able to stop the Otters and maintain their slim lead. Just as quickly as the offense had the ball, they were back on the bench watching Ronaldo boot the ball into Otters territory due to an extremely disappointing three and out. The following drive for the Otters saw them run Leroy Jenkins out of the backfield repeatedly. Eventually after a penalty and a couple of short yardage plays the drive amounted to nothing and the Otters had to punt. They must not have been too worried at that point though as the Outlaws offense had yet to do anything in the game and once again they were held to a three and out. The unflinching Outlaws defense would have to make the play to seal the game as the offense certainly wasn't able to get anything going. After some decent first downs from the Otters the defense finally broke through and made the difference making play. It was Luke Leuchly himself that came through with the strip sack on Mike Boss. After the ball tumbled out of the hands of Boss Arbin Asipi scooped it up on the Otters 33 yard line. If the Outlaws offense just had to take advantage of the great field position gifted to them by the defense. King took the field and actually made some great plays to keep the offense on the field. Three straight completed passes for Bronco resulted in a touchdown to Mayran Jackson, giving the Outlaws a 17-9 lead and forcing the Otter to face a tall task just to tie the game up. Now facing their largest deficit of the game the Otters badly needed to put points on the board. A combination of the pass game and rush game helped keep the ball moving down the field, but great defense by the secondary and the thundering roar of the crowd saw Boss throw 2 incomplete passes and left them in a rough 3rd down and 10. A third pass, complete to Phelps, fell just short of the first down marker and they were forced to punt. Perhaps this was the chance for the Outlaws offense to make the game closing drive and score to make it a two possession game? Nah Bronco and his offense took the field and ran the ball three times only to get stuffed by the Otters and lead to another three and out. The game would have to be sealed by the defense for the Outlaws as the Otters got the ball back. However with only 3 minutes left in the game, the Otters would have to move quickly. On their first set of downs they were forced into a 4th down and short that they had to go for, so the Otters went for it and a short run was able to get the first down. As they continued to drive down the field rather slowly, the clock kept ticking. Orange County used all of their timeouts as they crossed the midfield. Then what happened next is a mystery to me. The Otters with no timeouts began running the ball for short gains and then spiking the ball to stop the clock and then running it again wasting the time left on the clock. They could have been taking shots at throwing the ball into the end zone but instead they just let the clock run out without despite the fact that it was a one possession game. When the clock hit zero the fans erupted in drunken roars and the two teams shook hands as they retreated back to their locker rooms.
The stadium was electric with energy as the fans filed out of the stadium and headed home. All evening the Arizona fans were deafening and their noise and enthusiasm definitely transferred to the Outlaws defense as they seemed to make big plays whenever the crowd was cheering them on. With that said, the Outlaws were able to net their first win of the season much to the pleasure of their fans and the NSFL season was officially underway much to the pleasure of fans everywhere. What a way to kick off the season this game was, it looked as if the Outlaws pisspoor offense was going to result in the defense tiring out and the Otters taking advantage. Instead though, the defense was able to secure the game changing turnovers and pave the way to an Outlaws victory. It was a good showing from both teams and a great way to kick off the new season.
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2,031 words ready for grading
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