Another 3 games in the books. The season is starting to wind down and the Copperheads are looking to keep up the same level of play that they started the season with! Here we have our fourth installment of the Weekly Game Ball write ups! Thank you to all that worked on this and I hope everyone enjoys the read!
Week 11 Game Ball Awards
A new week and we’re on to week 11 in the ISFL. After an easy 32-13 win in Honolulu it’s back to Austin for possibly the biggest game of the season so far as Arizona comes to town on a eight game winning streak. The last game between the two teams was a 37-30 win for Austin back in week 2 which was the last time Arizona lost a game. It’s also a matchup of the two teams at the top of ASFC so it should be a good one.
The opening kickoff goes to Arizona with Rich Triplet returning it to the 20 yard line. They get one 1st down before a sack by Dax Kennedy forces them back and they aren’t able to get the yards back. A 57 yard punt is returned by Doug Howlett for 10 yards and Austin’s 1st drive of the day begins on their own 24 yard line. Austin is able to gain a few 1st downs to get within the Arizona 30 yard line but a sack on 2nd down by Tayshawn Crunk forces them out of field goal range and the resulting punt by Leo Bloomfield goes out for a touchback. Defense for each team is strong so far. Arizona starts on their own 25 and are able to march all the way down the field, highlighted by a couple chunk plays by Tatsu Nakamura, to get a touchdown from their QB Charlamagne Cortez who punches it in from one yard. The extra point is good and it’s 7-0 to Arizona with 59 seconds left in the 1st quarter. The kickoff goes for a touchback but Austin goes 3 and out. Bloomfield punts the ball 44 yards and Arizona starts at their own 29 yard line with 10 seconds to go in the 1st.
On to the 2nd quarter we go. Arizona made their way up the field with a 24 yard pass to Passman and then they’re able to convert a 4th and 1. Brach Thomaslacher gets a great sack on the next play and a couple plays later Cortez throws a pass to Raimon which is intercepted by Lesean Crooks who returns it to the Austin 36 yard line. Austin’s 1st play of the drive is a great 39 yard pass from Daytona to Howlett who is just caught by Triplet on the Arizona 24 yard line. Austin gets the ball all the way down to the 3 yard line but is not able to get the ball in the end zone and they have to settle for a 20 yard field goal by Bloomfield to get the score to 7-3 with 7 minutes left in the 2nd. The kickoff by Bloomfield is caught by Triplet on the 3 yard line and he takes it all the way to the Austin 44 yard line for a 57 yard return to set Arizona up with great field position. They make their way to the 8 yard line with a few 1st downs and Cortez is able to complete a 8 yard pass to Pama for the score. It pushes Arizona’s lead to 14-3 with just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd. On the kickoff, Zoe Watts takes the ball out of the end zone and returns it to the Austin 34 yard line. Austin gets into Arizona’s side of the field but can’t get close enough to get any points and punt it back to Arizona. The punt is downed at the 3 yard line with just over 2 minutes left in the 2nd. Arizona worked the ball up the field a little but the quarter ended before anything can happen and the score at the half was 14-3 to Arizona.
Austin receives the ball to start the half and Maverick Bowie takes the ball out of the end zone for a 36 yard return. After a methodical 6 and a half minute drive, Zoe Watts runs the ball in from 6 yards. Austin goes for 2 and Jim the Vampire is able to get it in which cuts Arizona’s lead to 3. The score is 14-11 to Arizona with 9:20 left in the 3rd. The kick off goes into the end zone but Triplet decides to kneel for the touchback. Arizona has a couple of 1st downs with passes to Pama but they can’t make it over the halfway line. The punt from Jaymison goes for 30 yards and is returned by Howlett for 20 so technically a 10 yard punt! Austin started their drive in great field position. On their first play, Daytona throws a 16 yard pass to Howlett and there’s also a face mask penalty on Miller which takes Austin to the 14 yard line. After a few plays which takes them to the 1 yard line, Jim the Vampire puts the ball in the end zone and Bloomfield kicks the extra point. After two quick touchdowns Austin has now got themselves into the lead 18-14 with 4:30 left in the 3rd. The kickoff goes for a touchback. Two plays later when they’ve not gotten any yards, Cortez is sacked by Hamish MacAndrew for a loss of 11 yards and the sack causes a fumble but unfortunately it is picked up by Rigby Raccoon. Jaymison has a 61 yard punt which isn’t returned.
Austin started the drive from their own 26 yard line. The next play is a down field dart from Daytona to Videl-San which goes for 43 yards as Scarlett just catches up to Videl-San. A pass to Videl-San then one to Watts gets Austin to the 6 yard line. A couple of plays later, Videl-San does a perfect slant route and Daytona throws a perfect pass which results in a touchdown. Bloomfield kicks the extra point to get the score to 25-14 and Austin’s lead is 11 points with just under 20 seconds left in the 4th. The kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. After a 3 yard rush from Nakamura on 1st down, Taro Raimon is able to get behind the defense and Cortez finds him for a 71 yard touchdown. Arizona goes for 2 points, Cortez finds Nakamura as he comes out of the backfield and the 2 point conversion is good. Austin’s lead is cut to 3 and the score is 25-22 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. Austin gets into Arizona’s half with a drive that lasts just over 4 minutes but on 3rd down, Daytona is sacked by Chuck Roth for a loss of 11 yards. Bloomfield has an excellent 57 yard punt which is downed at the Arizona 2 yard line. Arizona are able to get out and to their own 35 yard line before they have to punt it back to Austin. The punt goes 47 yards to the Austin 19 yard line and isn’t returned. That drive goes for a quick 3 and out. Bloomfield punts it back to Arizona with a 57 yarder that is returned, by Triplet, for 6 yards. Arizona started their drive with 4:37 left in the 4th. They also go for a quick 3 and out as the defenses stand strong at this late point of the game. A 40 yard punt to the Austin 26 yard line by Jaymison isn’t returned. Austin has another quick 3 and out. Bloomfield has another 57 yards that is downed at the Arizona 14 yard line. On 3rd down Cortez is able to find Passman for 16 yards. On the very next play, Cortez finds Pama who weaves his way through some Austin defenders as he makes his way to the end zone for a 65 yard touchdown and Arizona retakes the lead with 1:33 left in the game. The score is at 29-25. Austin is able to get the ball inside the Arizona 10 yard line but just can’t work the ball into the end zone and the game finishes 29-25 to Arizona.
A hard fought game between two of the very best teams in the league unfortunately doesn’t fall Austin’s way. Both defenses played very well but unfortunately Austin couldn’t stop the two long touchdowns that Arizona scored. Austin can hold their heads high after that performance though and they are still in a great position to make the playoffs.
Offensive Breakdown
In a battle for first place against Arizona, the offense struggled to find success in the run game, finding only 55 yards on 19 carries. Looking towards the passing game, Jackie Daytona @Mooty99 carved up the Arizona defense like it was a Thanksgiving turkey, throwing for 340 yards on 29 completions with a touchdown and no interceptions! Doug Howlett @Rufio_NZcaught 7 for 113 yards while Friedrich Vequain @Sutj, Zoe Watts @Kyamprac , Eddie Jeeta @QuirkyTurtle , Jim the Vampire @Kyle , and Ben Alexander-Arnold @Ben all had receptions on the day. However, it was the little big woman herself, Videl-San @ValorX77 , who led the receiving corps with 8 receptions for 108 yards and 1 TD who is our game ball winner this week! Landing just shy of 1000 receiving yards on the season, Videl-San did set a career high in touchdowns with his 6 yard grab with 29 seconds left in the second quarter. The sky's the limit for this woman's future!
Defensive Breakdown
Following a solid win against Honolulu the week prior, Austin was faced with one of its biggest challenges of the season, the Arizona Outlaws. The Austin defense was faced with a very dominant offense, featuring one of the league's top running backs, Tatsu Nakamura, who leads the league in rushing yards with 1066 and is second in touchdowns with 14. Stopping the league's top rushing offense and the league's most efficient passing offense, with a league-high passer rating of 103.4, would be no easy task at all. Their opening drive started off with a sack by Dex Kennedy @Dagumpa for a loss of five after their first down conversion, which was followed by a great stop by Lesesan Crooks @The_Kidd to force the punt. The next drive was a long and difficult one, and the Arizona offense surgically marched down the field led by the elite running back Nakamura, who had four straight rushes combined for 35 yards. Then, an unfortunate penalty got them right up to our goal line, where their first rushing touchdown of the night was scored.
The next drive was even longer, opening right at the start of the second quarter. After a great run stop by Slinky Claxton @Shiznit19and a pass breakup by Tony Yeboah @frazzle14 , a clutch 24 yard pass got them the first down conversion. Then, after a very lucky 4th down conversion, Lesesan Crooks picked off the highly efficient Arizona quarterback at our 25 yard line, returning it for 11 yards. On the next drive, a mishap on the kickoff led to a 57 yard return, putting Arizona in Austin territory from the get-go. From here, the Arizona offense was able to walk down the field with small passes and rushes, scoring their touchdown of the night. At the end of the second half, Arizona had the ball with two minutes left on the clock, eagerly hoping to get further ahead with another score. Unfortunately, they would never even get past their 30 yard line, ending the first half. In their first possession of the second half, they were able to start with a quick first down conversion, but they couldn't get much else going after that. A solid stop by Lesean Crooks at 3rd and 13 forced the punt, setting up an Austin touchdown after starting at the Arizona 49 yard line.
The next drive featured a textbook defensive showing with a pass breakup by Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw and then a third down sack by Hamis MacAndrew @IthicaHawk , even forcing the fumble which was recovered by the offense at their 13 yard line. The next drive wasn't quite as successful, and it was far quicker. After a very small 3 yard rush, Arizona came up with a big 71 yard passing touchdown followed by a two point conversion, with just 17 seconds left in the third quarter. The defense was put in a great spot for their first drive of the fourth quarter thanks to an amazing punt by Leo Bloomfield @BloomeyGB, pinning them at their 1 yard line. Though we gave up a few first downs, we managed to stop them at their 35 yard line after a few solid tackles and pass breakups.
The next drive was clinical once again, with a great tackle by Lesean Crooks to open the drive, and then finishing with a pass breakup by Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 on 3rd and 4 to force a three and out. The final defensive drive however ended on a sour note, ending with a 65 yard touchdown pass on the fourth play of the drive. Overall, the defense had a very solid performance against arguably the league's best offense, which has scored less than 28 points just once this entire season, averaging a whopping 34.5 points a game. This week's game ball goes to Lesean Crooks, who was instrumental in making sure that we kept it close the entire game, especially with his huge interception in the second quarter, picking off the league's most efficient quarterback.
Week 12 Game Ball Awards
Oh boy oh boy, it was a rough one this week. The Austin Copperheads were coming off of a close loss to the Arizona Outlaws and looking for revenge against a New Orleans team who has been struggling this year. Even though Austin was going on the road and that’s always a tough task in the ISFL the experts felt pretty good at choosing Austin +6.5 entering this game. That optimism seemed to be rewarded as Austin drove down the field on their opening possession going a total of 64 yards (from their own 25 to the New Orleans 19 yard line) in just under 2 and a half minutes. The biggest play being a 48 yard catch and run by TE Frederich Vequain, one of the faster TE in the league. Starting just inside the redzone, however, the offense ground to a screeching halt. A once promising drive was thrown off the rails by a false start and back to back incomplete passes. This drive would loom large over the heads of everyone as a giant cloud of foreshadowing for the rest of the game. At least they were able to get some points as they chip in a 30 yard FG and turn the tide over to the defense.
New Orleans countered with a stellar drive of their own, including their own 47 yard catch and run, but they would not be denied after watching their opponents struggle inside the red zone. A couple of quick plays later and New Orleans was on the board, and actually leading, 7-3 against Austin despite the stat sheet looking almost identical at this point. Austin got the ball back, hoping to find that same groove they were in before they stalled out, but just could not get it going. Wadham stepped in front of a pass from Daytona and took it from the Austin 37 yard line all the way down back inside the 10; just a few plays off of the field and the New Orleans’ offense was already knocking on the door to go up double digits. That double digit lead almost didn't happen as McBotterson was able to cover up his own fumble at the bottom of the pile. Preventing Austin’s defense from giving their offense a second chance at life. The very next play for New Orleans went for 6 (plus the extra point) and all of the sudden the scoreboard was leaning heavily towards New Orleans.
At the start of the second quarter we saw New Orleans building another drive deep in Austin territory as they converted a 3rd and 1 to give them 1st and 10 from Austin’s 16 yard line. This felt like a drive where Austin’s defense had to step up and make a play, holding New Orleans to a maximum of 3 points, and if they were able to succeed, holding New Orleans out of the end zone. A crucial 3rd and 2 stop came at the hands of Tyler Montain as he was able to keep it a 2 possession game. Finally, Austin’s offense got another drive going (courtesy of another big play, this time a run) and found themselves inside the red zone again. Hungry for points after the last disappointing red zone trip the Copperheads pounded and pushed their way to just 1 yard short of the goal line. On this crucial 4th down and 1, fans at home were screaming to just pound the ball in the end zone, however, the Copperheads elected to kick another FG and Austin remained down by 2 scores.
A couple of boring drives were broken up by a New Orleans drive inside the 15 that looked like it could be a game clincher, but Troen Egghands decided to take things into his own, eggy hands, as he sacked Ben Slothlisberger, forced a fumble, and recovered it; a full one man wrecking crew. The story of the night, however, was Austin settling for field goals as their 2 minute drive was capped off by a 47 FG, leading to an 8 point deficit at half.
The 2nd half started with New Orleans looking to pin Austin deep, but Lesean Crooks had other thoughts, blocking the punt and returning it 9 yards. The defense and special teams trying to carry an anemic offense. This drive led to, say it with me, ANOTHER FIELD GOAL! If at any point this game the Austin offense had been able to put a drive or 2 in the end zone then this would have been an easy Austin victory, but that just wasn’t in the cards tonight. New Orleans traded a touchdown for a FG to end the 3rd and Austin went into the 4th down 9. I'll save you the hassle of the 4th quarter, it was boring, no one scored and Austin lost a very winnable game.
Offensive Breakdown
The offensive performance for week 12 was undeniably unusual. Five separate times, the Copperheads slithered into the New Orleans 30, with multiple drives getting below the NOLA 10. Paradoxically, however, Austin only scored one touch down--that TD coming from Howlett @Rufio_NZ receiving from Daytona @Mooty99 . Otherwise, those other 4 drives into dangerous territory all resulted in made field goals by Leo Bloomfield @BloomeyGB --shoutout Bloomfield for going 5 for 5 on FG attempts and contributing 13 points to the team despite the loss. The complexing nature of this game was also seen in the total yardage. Austin had more yards, more completions, fumbled the ball 0 times (to New Orleans 5), and took the same quantity of penalties. Other than the lack of finish this was a strong offensive showing from all of the Copperheads.
This brings us to the Game Ball. Friedrich Vequain @Sutj had a monster game that is demanding of paise. The tight-end got the ball in their hands 7 times and they absolutely took advantage of all the opportunities presented. In 7 receptions they accumulated 113 yards (an average carry distance of 16.1 yards) and had a massive run early on for 48 yards gained. In fact, that 48 yard run was the first ball thrown to Vequain, and it took Austin from their own 35 to the opposing 16. This led to FG #1 and first down conversion #1. Their next reception was for 12 yards in the 2nd. Make that first down conversion #2. Following a huge sack for a fumble recovery for the Copperheads, Daytona went right back to Vequain with two drives combining for 15 yards and 1st down conversion #3. Before the end of the 2nd Friedrich took another reception to bring AUS to the NOLA 30, and to set up another FG. Late in the 3rd quarter? A 28 yard reception that led to first down conversion #4. The amount of conversions tells the whole story of Vequain’s offensive performance. They made aggressive plays and were extremely clutch in getting 1st downs for the team.
Defensive Breakdown
Following a heartbreaking loss, Austin was up against the New Orleans Second Line, featuring an offense with one of the league's best quarterbacks, Ben Slothlisberger. Though they had a losing record, you can never underestimate any team in any circumstance. In their opening drive, they started off with two solid rushes for a first down, but then our defense forced them into a tricky 3rd and 10 situation. However, Slothlisberger managed to find his way to a 47 yard pass, flipping the field in seconds. In the red zone, two solid tackles forced them into another third down situation, but at 3rd and 3 Slothlisberger managed again to find his receiver for an 11 yard touchdown. Unfortunately, the next drive wouldn't go much better, and an unfortunate interception and an impressive return put New Orleans right at our 7 yard line. After a fumble by the running back on first down, recovered by the offense, Slothlisberger threw his second touchdown of the night. The next drive proved to be a difficult one. The longest gain of the entire drive was a 15 yard pass, but the New Orleans offense slowly and efficiently made their way down the field, again overcoming our defense in two more third down situations. However, on our 7 yard line at 3rd and 2, Tyler Montain @Amidships made a huge stop, only allowing them to gain one yard, leading to them settling for a 22 yard field goal at 4th and inches.
The next drive opened with two straight incompletions by Slothlisberger, putting them at 3rd and 10. However, this time Slothlisberger wouldn't be able to wriggle his way out of this one, with a great tackle by Dex Kennedy @Dagumpa to force the punt, and the defense's first three and out of the night. On the next drive, the New Orleans running back managed to break away for a huge 43 yard rush before being chased down by Dex Kennedy. In the red zone, the defense was focused on making the stop and trying to make the stop. However, Troen Egghands @Troen had other plans, sacking the quarterback, forcing the fumble, and recovering his own fumble. With the ball in New Orleans' hands with 30 seconds to go in the second quarter, they tried two rushes for a total of five yards, ending the first half. In the opening drive of the second half, after a first down conversion Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 came in with a big 11 yard sack, pushing them out of Austin territory and putting them at 2nd and 21. Good coverage by LeSean Crooks @The_Kidd forced them into a very difficult 3rd and 16 situation, and this time Slothsliberger couldn't connect with his receiver to escape the third down, forcing the punt. However, Lesean Crooks wasn't quite done with the drive yet, giving it his everything and getting the punt block, putting the Austin offense in great position and setting up another Austin score.
On the next drive Ben Slothlisberger showed how much of a threat he is to defenses. From their 37 yard line, Slothlisberger surgically made his way towards our goal line, and at our 8 yard line he threw for his third touchdown of the night. After a great offensive drive by Austin, New Orleans had the ball back for the final nine seconds of the third quarter. Deciding to end the quarter off with a bang, Dex Kennedy got the sack for a loss of 6 yards, forcing the fumble which was unfortunately recovered by the offense. Already in a tough situation, the Austin defense managed to get a holding call on the offense, pushing them back even further. On the next play, Tyler Montain made a great run stop, allowing just three yards on the carry. Then, at 3rd and 21, New Orleans decided to dump it off to their running back to see what he could muster up after the catch, but Lesean Crooks had other plans, stopping him after just six yards, and forcing another fumble, which was again unfortunately recovered by the offense, forcing another punt. The next drive was even shorter than their last drive, and a great first down sack by Tony Yeboah @frazzle14 , forcing yet another fumble, led to another three and out for their offense.
On the next drive, the New Orleans offense tried to extend their lead, passing five straight times. Pass breakups by Lesean Crooks, Tony Yeboah, and Tyler Montain, as well as a great third down tackle by Lesean Crooks forced them to punt on 4th and 1 for their final offensive drive of the game. Though the defense got off to a slow start, allowing two touchdowns in the first quarter, they only allowed 10 points for the rest of the game, including a shutout in the fourth quarter. We weren't able to come up with the win this week, but the defensive performance shown in the last three quarters, in particular, shows that our defense is very much capable of competing with the best, despite an unfortunate first quarter. With five total forced fumbles throughout the game, our defense is a force that ISFL offenses cannot afford to underestimate, as if just one more more of those fumbles were recovered, the entire course of the game would have shifted, and it is just bad luck we couldn't recover those fumbles. The defensive game ball this week goes to Troen Egghands @Troen, THE ELITE EDGEDUSHER , for our lone fumble recovery of the game, as well as making some crucial tackles throughout the game, with the biggest gain allowed on his tackles being a one yard rush.
Week 13 Game Ball Award
With a tough stretch of games finally behind us, we were once again at home to host the San Jose Sabercats for Week 13 in what would prove to be a much closer game than anticipated. With both the Outlaws and Silverbacks losing this week, the playoff implications in this game were turned up to max, as a win here would once again put us in the driver's seat to lead the conference! Unfortunately, the Sabercats weren't going to make it easy for us as they proved to be pretty pesky on both sides of the ball.
In the first quarter, the game started off pretty slow for offenses, with both teams chewing up a lot of clock with an incredibly slow tempo for the first two drives of the game. The first scoring attempt of the day came on a 51-yard field goal by our very own Bloomfield, who was set back due to a sack on the previous play. And with the distance, unfortunately it proved to be too much and the attempt was missed. The Sabercats were put into the same exact situation next, with a sack before a field goal attempt, but they managed to kick it through on a 43 yarder with McDairmid. Immediately after, with 4:20 to go, we got the ball back and managed to move the ball pretty quickly thanks to a 57-yard catch and run by Videl-San. But ultimately, it would be Watts who would punch it in for the TD for the final few points of the quarter.
The score is now 7-3 with Austin leading as we enter the second quarter, and things are feeling quite good despite how the quarter went. The Sabercats opened the quarter with a 45-yard field goal coming from McDairmid once again and would get soon get the ball back with about 10 minutes remaining. In what was an absolutely insane showing of offensive patience, the Sabercats would run the clock down all the way to 2 minutes left before scoring a touchdown off of a pass. With barely any time to answer back, we did what Austin does best and played well under pressure! In just 6 plays, we drove all the way to the SJS 40-yard line and let Bloomfield nail it from 57, with what was an incredible display of leg strength. And thus, the quarter would end.
With the beginning of the second half, the score is now 10-13 with the Sabercats leading, but barely. But "barely" wouldn't last long, as Daytona made another donation to charity early in the second offensive drive of the half, throwing a pick six to Hilliard of the Sabercats. With the score now being 10-20, everyone was feeling anxious, and justifiably so. We were against the gods of chaos, after all. But, we weren't deterred and kept pushing forward. It would take quite a lot of time, but with 1:09 left, Daytona would go on to redeem himself and throw a pass to Watts for an important 13-yard touchdown to score the final points of the quarter.
At the top of the fourth, the score is now 17-20 with time ticking. It wouldn't be long until we erased that lead of theirs though, as with our first offensive possession, Daytona would sling it all over the field all the way to the 1-yard line, where he'd hand it off to Watts to punch it in for the lead! Immediately after, the defense would step up in a big way and pick the ball off, giving it right back to our offense to chew some clock. Though that drive didn't last long, the impact of the pick seemed to linger, as San Jose just couldn't get it together after that. Our defense walled them out and the comeback was finally complete as the clock hit 0 to signal a 24-20 victory for the Austin Copperheads, putting us right back in front as the leader of the ASFC!
Offensive Breakdown
Coming off of back to back losses, it was important for the Copperheads to finally get things going in the right direction again and the best way to do that was to score more points than the Sabercats did this week. Things got going great right at the beginning of the game as Watts punched in a 1 yard touchdown denying our Vampire from scalping another touchdown from her this season. After that point though things stagnated big time for our offense as we were only able to add 3 more points before half time thanks to a 57 yard rocket from the leg of Bloomfield @BloomeyGB who continues to show his accuracy from long range. The Third quarter was not much kinder to us till the end of the quarter where once again Watts punched in another touchdown, this time from 13 yards out on a nice pass from Daytona. This was the moment the momentum shifted in our favor and Watts pierced any remaining hope that the Sabercats had of an upset when she once again told Jim the Vampire @Kyle to go sit on the bench while she bunched in her 3rd touchdown of the game from one yard out, ultimately leading us to victory over San Jose. All in all it was not a dominant offensive performance from us but some big catches by Videl-San @ValorX77 helped move us down the field on a couple different drives which allowed us to put up the points we needed to get that much needed win. Videl-San continued their dominant season leading our WRs with 137 yard on 5 catches, including a 57 yard dime from Daytona @Mooty99, also the old Tijuana double threat made their presence felt as Howlett @Rufio_NZ and Vequain @Sutj both combined for 115 yards on the night to help our young quarterback move the ball down the field. But the star of the show has to be Watts @Kyamprac, as she single-handedly outscored the Sabercats and even though she did not have the biggest night yardage wise, 3 TDs is something to be proud of, and it reminds all of us that this girl still is one of the best in the business.
Defensive Breakdown
After two straight losses, both by one score, the Copperheads defense knew that the game would, once again, come down to their play heading into their Week 13 matchup against the San Jose Sabercats. Austin had the advantage of playing at home. But San Jose is a much better team than their record shows. On the first drive of the game, the Copperheads D was able to force a 3rd and out and a punt. After a huge passing play, the Copperheads offense was in field goal range. But a sack brought them back too far and a field goal just missed the uprights. The San Jose offense responded with a convincing drive down to Austin’s 20. However, a Troen Egghands @Troen sack on third down forced the Sabercats to settle for a field goal. The Austin offense responded on the following drive with a touchdown to take the lead, 7-3.
The following Sabercats drive saw them settle for a field goal after great pass defense to make it 7-6 Austin. Austin had to punt in the following drive which set up San Jose with the ball once again. They were able to push it to Austin’s 17 when Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 came up with a sack on 2nd down. They were able to convert on 3rd, however, and scored a TD several plays later to give them the 13-7 lead. Austin was able to get a field goal to close the gap a bit at 13-10. Halftime.
After an Austin punt to start the half, some more great pass defense forced a San Jose punt. However, Austin’s following drive resulted in a San Jose pick-six to give San Jose a 20-10 lead. Austin was now 2 scores in the hole. It was time for the defense to take over. On the following drive, a close stop on 3rd down by Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw forced a punt. Austin responded with a convincing drive that gave them their 2nd touchdown of the game. The score was then 20-17 San Jose. San Jose was able to get close to midfield on the following drive. But a huge run-stuff by Troen Egghands forced 4th and short and San Jose settled for a punt.
Austin offense responded the following drive with a 7-play touchdown to give them the lead 24-20. San Jose got the ball back. After a 1st down gain, a ball thrown by their QB was sent right into the waiting arms of Lesean Crooks for an interception. Austin was forced to punt, giving San Jose the ball back. San Jose responded with a convincing drive that brought them to Austin’s 25. Not another game given up late, many worried. But a massive sack on 2nd down by Slinky Claxton took San Jose out of field goal range. The Sabercats were forced to go for it on 4th down. A huge stop by Lesean Crooks @The_Kidd forced a turnover on downs. Austin sat on the ball for their 9th win on the season!
Please Divide Up The Pay in The Follow Way - THANKS!
@frazzle14 - Week 11 Intro
@FuzzISFL - Week 11 Offensive
@Sutj - Week 11 and 12 Defensive
@Rockiesfan4ever - Week 12 Intro
@TheRealMazatt - Week 12 Offensive
@GlimsTC - Week 13 Intro
@Tonzy - Week 13 Offensive
@Dagumpa - Week 13 Defensive
@RDBSouthPaw - Opening Statement
Week 11 Game Ball Awards
A new week and we’re on to week 11 in the ISFL. After an easy 32-13 win in Honolulu it’s back to Austin for possibly the biggest game of the season so far as Arizona comes to town on a eight game winning streak. The last game between the two teams was a 37-30 win for Austin back in week 2 which was the last time Arizona lost a game. It’s also a matchup of the two teams at the top of ASFC so it should be a good one.
The opening kickoff goes to Arizona with Rich Triplet returning it to the 20 yard line. They get one 1st down before a sack by Dax Kennedy forces them back and they aren’t able to get the yards back. A 57 yard punt is returned by Doug Howlett for 10 yards and Austin’s 1st drive of the day begins on their own 24 yard line. Austin is able to gain a few 1st downs to get within the Arizona 30 yard line but a sack on 2nd down by Tayshawn Crunk forces them out of field goal range and the resulting punt by Leo Bloomfield goes out for a touchback. Defense for each team is strong so far. Arizona starts on their own 25 and are able to march all the way down the field, highlighted by a couple chunk plays by Tatsu Nakamura, to get a touchdown from their QB Charlamagne Cortez who punches it in from one yard. The extra point is good and it’s 7-0 to Arizona with 59 seconds left in the 1st quarter. The kickoff goes for a touchback but Austin goes 3 and out. Bloomfield punts the ball 44 yards and Arizona starts at their own 29 yard line with 10 seconds to go in the 1st.
On to the 2nd quarter we go. Arizona made their way up the field with a 24 yard pass to Passman and then they’re able to convert a 4th and 1. Brach Thomaslacher gets a great sack on the next play and a couple plays later Cortez throws a pass to Raimon which is intercepted by Lesean Crooks who returns it to the Austin 36 yard line. Austin’s 1st play of the drive is a great 39 yard pass from Daytona to Howlett who is just caught by Triplet on the Arizona 24 yard line. Austin gets the ball all the way down to the 3 yard line but is not able to get the ball in the end zone and they have to settle for a 20 yard field goal by Bloomfield to get the score to 7-3 with 7 minutes left in the 2nd. The kickoff by Bloomfield is caught by Triplet on the 3 yard line and he takes it all the way to the Austin 44 yard line for a 57 yard return to set Arizona up with great field position. They make their way to the 8 yard line with a few 1st downs and Cortez is able to complete a 8 yard pass to Pama for the score. It pushes Arizona’s lead to 14-3 with just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd. On the kickoff, Zoe Watts takes the ball out of the end zone and returns it to the Austin 34 yard line. Austin gets into Arizona’s side of the field but can’t get close enough to get any points and punt it back to Arizona. The punt is downed at the 3 yard line with just over 2 minutes left in the 2nd. Arizona worked the ball up the field a little but the quarter ended before anything can happen and the score at the half was 14-3 to Arizona.
Austin receives the ball to start the half and Maverick Bowie takes the ball out of the end zone for a 36 yard return. After a methodical 6 and a half minute drive, Zoe Watts runs the ball in from 6 yards. Austin goes for 2 and Jim the Vampire is able to get it in which cuts Arizona’s lead to 3. The score is 14-11 to Arizona with 9:20 left in the 3rd. The kick off goes into the end zone but Triplet decides to kneel for the touchback. Arizona has a couple of 1st downs with passes to Pama but they can’t make it over the halfway line. The punt from Jaymison goes for 30 yards and is returned by Howlett for 20 so technically a 10 yard punt! Austin started their drive in great field position. On their first play, Daytona throws a 16 yard pass to Howlett and there’s also a face mask penalty on Miller which takes Austin to the 14 yard line. After a few plays which takes them to the 1 yard line, Jim the Vampire puts the ball in the end zone and Bloomfield kicks the extra point. After two quick touchdowns Austin has now got themselves into the lead 18-14 with 4:30 left in the 3rd. The kickoff goes for a touchback. Two plays later when they’ve not gotten any yards, Cortez is sacked by Hamish MacAndrew for a loss of 11 yards and the sack causes a fumble but unfortunately it is picked up by Rigby Raccoon. Jaymison has a 61 yard punt which isn’t returned.
Austin started the drive from their own 26 yard line. The next play is a down field dart from Daytona to Videl-San which goes for 43 yards as Scarlett just catches up to Videl-San. A pass to Videl-San then one to Watts gets Austin to the 6 yard line. A couple of plays later, Videl-San does a perfect slant route and Daytona throws a perfect pass which results in a touchdown. Bloomfield kicks the extra point to get the score to 25-14 and Austin’s lead is 11 points with just under 20 seconds left in the 4th. The kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. After a 3 yard rush from Nakamura on 1st down, Taro Raimon is able to get behind the defense and Cortez finds him for a 71 yard touchdown. Arizona goes for 2 points, Cortez finds Nakamura as he comes out of the backfield and the 2 point conversion is good. Austin’s lead is cut to 3 and the score is 25-22 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. Austin gets into Arizona’s half with a drive that lasts just over 4 minutes but on 3rd down, Daytona is sacked by Chuck Roth for a loss of 11 yards. Bloomfield has an excellent 57 yard punt which is downed at the Arizona 2 yard line. Arizona are able to get out and to their own 35 yard line before they have to punt it back to Austin. The punt goes 47 yards to the Austin 19 yard line and isn’t returned. That drive goes for a quick 3 and out. Bloomfield punts it back to Arizona with a 57 yarder that is returned, by Triplet, for 6 yards. Arizona started their drive with 4:37 left in the 4th. They also go for a quick 3 and out as the defenses stand strong at this late point of the game. A 40 yard punt to the Austin 26 yard line by Jaymison isn’t returned. Austin has another quick 3 and out. Bloomfield has another 57 yards that is downed at the Arizona 14 yard line. On 3rd down Cortez is able to find Passman for 16 yards. On the very next play, Cortez finds Pama who weaves his way through some Austin defenders as he makes his way to the end zone for a 65 yard touchdown and Arizona retakes the lead with 1:33 left in the game. The score is at 29-25. Austin is able to get the ball inside the Arizona 10 yard line but just can’t work the ball into the end zone and the game finishes 29-25 to Arizona.
A hard fought game between two of the very best teams in the league unfortunately doesn’t fall Austin’s way. Both defenses played very well but unfortunately Austin couldn’t stop the two long touchdowns that Arizona scored. Austin can hold their heads high after that performance though and they are still in a great position to make the playoffs.
Offensive Breakdown
In a battle for first place against Arizona, the offense struggled to find success in the run game, finding only 55 yards on 19 carries. Looking towards the passing game, Jackie Daytona @Mooty99 carved up the Arizona defense like it was a Thanksgiving turkey, throwing for 340 yards on 29 completions with a touchdown and no interceptions! Doug Howlett @Rufio_NZcaught 7 for 113 yards while Friedrich Vequain @Sutj, Zoe Watts @Kyamprac , Eddie Jeeta @QuirkyTurtle , Jim the Vampire @Kyle , and Ben Alexander-Arnold @Ben all had receptions on the day. However, it was the little big woman herself, Videl-San @ValorX77 , who led the receiving corps with 8 receptions for 108 yards and 1 TD who is our game ball winner this week! Landing just shy of 1000 receiving yards on the season, Videl-San did set a career high in touchdowns with his 6 yard grab with 29 seconds left in the second quarter. The sky's the limit for this woman's future!
Defensive Breakdown
Following a solid win against Honolulu the week prior, Austin was faced with one of its biggest challenges of the season, the Arizona Outlaws. The Austin defense was faced with a very dominant offense, featuring one of the league's top running backs, Tatsu Nakamura, who leads the league in rushing yards with 1066 and is second in touchdowns with 14. Stopping the league's top rushing offense and the league's most efficient passing offense, with a league-high passer rating of 103.4, would be no easy task at all. Their opening drive started off with a sack by Dex Kennedy @Dagumpa for a loss of five after their first down conversion, which was followed by a great stop by Lesesan Crooks @The_Kidd to force the punt. The next drive was a long and difficult one, and the Arizona offense surgically marched down the field led by the elite running back Nakamura, who had four straight rushes combined for 35 yards. Then, an unfortunate penalty got them right up to our goal line, where their first rushing touchdown of the night was scored.
The next drive was even longer, opening right at the start of the second quarter. After a great run stop by Slinky Claxton @Shiznit19and a pass breakup by Tony Yeboah @frazzle14 , a clutch 24 yard pass got them the first down conversion. Then, after a very lucky 4th down conversion, Lesesan Crooks picked off the highly efficient Arizona quarterback at our 25 yard line, returning it for 11 yards. On the next drive, a mishap on the kickoff led to a 57 yard return, putting Arizona in Austin territory from the get-go. From here, the Arizona offense was able to walk down the field with small passes and rushes, scoring their touchdown of the night. At the end of the second half, Arizona had the ball with two minutes left on the clock, eagerly hoping to get further ahead with another score. Unfortunately, they would never even get past their 30 yard line, ending the first half. In their first possession of the second half, they were able to start with a quick first down conversion, but they couldn't get much else going after that. A solid stop by Lesean Crooks at 3rd and 13 forced the punt, setting up an Austin touchdown after starting at the Arizona 49 yard line.
The next drive featured a textbook defensive showing with a pass breakup by Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw and then a third down sack by Hamis MacAndrew @IthicaHawk , even forcing the fumble which was recovered by the offense at their 13 yard line. The next drive wasn't quite as successful, and it was far quicker. After a very small 3 yard rush, Arizona came up with a big 71 yard passing touchdown followed by a two point conversion, with just 17 seconds left in the third quarter. The defense was put in a great spot for their first drive of the fourth quarter thanks to an amazing punt by Leo Bloomfield @BloomeyGB, pinning them at their 1 yard line. Though we gave up a few first downs, we managed to stop them at their 35 yard line after a few solid tackles and pass breakups.
The next drive was clinical once again, with a great tackle by Lesean Crooks to open the drive, and then finishing with a pass breakup by Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 on 3rd and 4 to force a three and out. The final defensive drive however ended on a sour note, ending with a 65 yard touchdown pass on the fourth play of the drive. Overall, the defense had a very solid performance against arguably the league's best offense, which has scored less than 28 points just once this entire season, averaging a whopping 34.5 points a game. This week's game ball goes to Lesean Crooks, who was instrumental in making sure that we kept it close the entire game, especially with his huge interception in the second quarter, picking off the league's most efficient quarterback.
Week 12 Game Ball Awards
Oh boy oh boy, it was a rough one this week. The Austin Copperheads were coming off of a close loss to the Arizona Outlaws and looking for revenge against a New Orleans team who has been struggling this year. Even though Austin was going on the road and that’s always a tough task in the ISFL the experts felt pretty good at choosing Austin +6.5 entering this game. That optimism seemed to be rewarded as Austin drove down the field on their opening possession going a total of 64 yards (from their own 25 to the New Orleans 19 yard line) in just under 2 and a half minutes. The biggest play being a 48 yard catch and run by TE Frederich Vequain, one of the faster TE in the league. Starting just inside the redzone, however, the offense ground to a screeching halt. A once promising drive was thrown off the rails by a false start and back to back incomplete passes. This drive would loom large over the heads of everyone as a giant cloud of foreshadowing for the rest of the game. At least they were able to get some points as they chip in a 30 yard FG and turn the tide over to the defense.
New Orleans countered with a stellar drive of their own, including their own 47 yard catch and run, but they would not be denied after watching their opponents struggle inside the red zone. A couple of quick plays later and New Orleans was on the board, and actually leading, 7-3 against Austin despite the stat sheet looking almost identical at this point. Austin got the ball back, hoping to find that same groove they were in before they stalled out, but just could not get it going. Wadham stepped in front of a pass from Daytona and took it from the Austin 37 yard line all the way down back inside the 10; just a few plays off of the field and the New Orleans’ offense was already knocking on the door to go up double digits. That double digit lead almost didn't happen as McBotterson was able to cover up his own fumble at the bottom of the pile. Preventing Austin’s defense from giving their offense a second chance at life. The very next play for New Orleans went for 6 (plus the extra point) and all of the sudden the scoreboard was leaning heavily towards New Orleans.
At the start of the second quarter we saw New Orleans building another drive deep in Austin territory as they converted a 3rd and 1 to give them 1st and 10 from Austin’s 16 yard line. This felt like a drive where Austin’s defense had to step up and make a play, holding New Orleans to a maximum of 3 points, and if they were able to succeed, holding New Orleans out of the end zone. A crucial 3rd and 2 stop came at the hands of Tyler Montain as he was able to keep it a 2 possession game. Finally, Austin’s offense got another drive going (courtesy of another big play, this time a run) and found themselves inside the red zone again. Hungry for points after the last disappointing red zone trip the Copperheads pounded and pushed their way to just 1 yard short of the goal line. On this crucial 4th down and 1, fans at home were screaming to just pound the ball in the end zone, however, the Copperheads elected to kick another FG and Austin remained down by 2 scores.
A couple of boring drives were broken up by a New Orleans drive inside the 15 that looked like it could be a game clincher, but Troen Egghands decided to take things into his own, eggy hands, as he sacked Ben Slothlisberger, forced a fumble, and recovered it; a full one man wrecking crew. The story of the night, however, was Austin settling for field goals as their 2 minute drive was capped off by a 47 FG, leading to an 8 point deficit at half.
The 2nd half started with New Orleans looking to pin Austin deep, but Lesean Crooks had other thoughts, blocking the punt and returning it 9 yards. The defense and special teams trying to carry an anemic offense. This drive led to, say it with me, ANOTHER FIELD GOAL! If at any point this game the Austin offense had been able to put a drive or 2 in the end zone then this would have been an easy Austin victory, but that just wasn’t in the cards tonight. New Orleans traded a touchdown for a FG to end the 3rd and Austin went into the 4th down 9. I'll save you the hassle of the 4th quarter, it was boring, no one scored and Austin lost a very winnable game.
Offensive Breakdown
The offensive performance for week 12 was undeniably unusual. Five separate times, the Copperheads slithered into the New Orleans 30, with multiple drives getting below the NOLA 10. Paradoxically, however, Austin only scored one touch down--that TD coming from Howlett @Rufio_NZ receiving from Daytona @Mooty99 . Otherwise, those other 4 drives into dangerous territory all resulted in made field goals by Leo Bloomfield @BloomeyGB --shoutout Bloomfield for going 5 for 5 on FG attempts and contributing 13 points to the team despite the loss. The complexing nature of this game was also seen in the total yardage. Austin had more yards, more completions, fumbled the ball 0 times (to New Orleans 5), and took the same quantity of penalties. Other than the lack of finish this was a strong offensive showing from all of the Copperheads.
This brings us to the Game Ball. Friedrich Vequain @Sutj had a monster game that is demanding of paise. The tight-end got the ball in their hands 7 times and they absolutely took advantage of all the opportunities presented. In 7 receptions they accumulated 113 yards (an average carry distance of 16.1 yards) and had a massive run early on for 48 yards gained. In fact, that 48 yard run was the first ball thrown to Vequain, and it took Austin from their own 35 to the opposing 16. This led to FG #1 and first down conversion #1. Their next reception was for 12 yards in the 2nd. Make that first down conversion #2. Following a huge sack for a fumble recovery for the Copperheads, Daytona went right back to Vequain with two drives combining for 15 yards and 1st down conversion #3. Before the end of the 2nd Friedrich took another reception to bring AUS to the NOLA 30, and to set up another FG. Late in the 3rd quarter? A 28 yard reception that led to first down conversion #4. The amount of conversions tells the whole story of Vequain’s offensive performance. They made aggressive plays and were extremely clutch in getting 1st downs for the team.
Defensive Breakdown
Following a heartbreaking loss, Austin was up against the New Orleans Second Line, featuring an offense with one of the league's best quarterbacks, Ben Slothlisberger. Though they had a losing record, you can never underestimate any team in any circumstance. In their opening drive, they started off with two solid rushes for a first down, but then our defense forced them into a tricky 3rd and 10 situation. However, Slothlisberger managed to find his way to a 47 yard pass, flipping the field in seconds. In the red zone, two solid tackles forced them into another third down situation, but at 3rd and 3 Slothlisberger managed again to find his receiver for an 11 yard touchdown. Unfortunately, the next drive wouldn't go much better, and an unfortunate interception and an impressive return put New Orleans right at our 7 yard line. After a fumble by the running back on first down, recovered by the offense, Slothlisberger threw his second touchdown of the night. The next drive proved to be a difficult one. The longest gain of the entire drive was a 15 yard pass, but the New Orleans offense slowly and efficiently made their way down the field, again overcoming our defense in two more third down situations. However, on our 7 yard line at 3rd and 2, Tyler Montain @Amidships made a huge stop, only allowing them to gain one yard, leading to them settling for a 22 yard field goal at 4th and inches.
The next drive opened with two straight incompletions by Slothlisberger, putting them at 3rd and 10. However, this time Slothlisberger wouldn't be able to wriggle his way out of this one, with a great tackle by Dex Kennedy @Dagumpa to force the punt, and the defense's first three and out of the night. On the next drive, the New Orleans running back managed to break away for a huge 43 yard rush before being chased down by Dex Kennedy. In the red zone, the defense was focused on making the stop and trying to make the stop. However, Troen Egghands @Troen had other plans, sacking the quarterback, forcing the fumble, and recovering his own fumble. With the ball in New Orleans' hands with 30 seconds to go in the second quarter, they tried two rushes for a total of five yards, ending the first half. In the opening drive of the second half, after a first down conversion Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 came in with a big 11 yard sack, pushing them out of Austin territory and putting them at 2nd and 21. Good coverage by LeSean Crooks @The_Kidd forced them into a very difficult 3rd and 16 situation, and this time Slothsliberger couldn't connect with his receiver to escape the third down, forcing the punt. However, Lesean Crooks wasn't quite done with the drive yet, giving it his everything and getting the punt block, putting the Austin offense in great position and setting up another Austin score.
On the next drive Ben Slothlisberger showed how much of a threat he is to defenses. From their 37 yard line, Slothlisberger surgically made his way towards our goal line, and at our 8 yard line he threw for his third touchdown of the night. After a great offensive drive by Austin, New Orleans had the ball back for the final nine seconds of the third quarter. Deciding to end the quarter off with a bang, Dex Kennedy got the sack for a loss of 6 yards, forcing the fumble which was unfortunately recovered by the offense. Already in a tough situation, the Austin defense managed to get a holding call on the offense, pushing them back even further. On the next play, Tyler Montain made a great run stop, allowing just three yards on the carry. Then, at 3rd and 21, New Orleans decided to dump it off to their running back to see what he could muster up after the catch, but Lesean Crooks had other plans, stopping him after just six yards, and forcing another fumble, which was again unfortunately recovered by the offense, forcing another punt. The next drive was even shorter than their last drive, and a great first down sack by Tony Yeboah @frazzle14 , forcing yet another fumble, led to another three and out for their offense.
On the next drive, the New Orleans offense tried to extend their lead, passing five straight times. Pass breakups by Lesean Crooks, Tony Yeboah, and Tyler Montain, as well as a great third down tackle by Lesean Crooks forced them to punt on 4th and 1 for their final offensive drive of the game. Though the defense got off to a slow start, allowing two touchdowns in the first quarter, they only allowed 10 points for the rest of the game, including a shutout in the fourth quarter. We weren't able to come up with the win this week, but the defensive performance shown in the last three quarters, in particular, shows that our defense is very much capable of competing with the best, despite an unfortunate first quarter. With five total forced fumbles throughout the game, our defense is a force that ISFL offenses cannot afford to underestimate, as if just one more more of those fumbles were recovered, the entire course of the game would have shifted, and it is just bad luck we couldn't recover those fumbles. The defensive game ball this week goes to Troen Egghands @Troen, THE ELITE EDGEDUSHER , for our lone fumble recovery of the game, as well as making some crucial tackles throughout the game, with the biggest gain allowed on his tackles being a one yard rush.
Week 13 Game Ball Award
With a tough stretch of games finally behind us, we were once again at home to host the San Jose Sabercats for Week 13 in what would prove to be a much closer game than anticipated. With both the Outlaws and Silverbacks losing this week, the playoff implications in this game were turned up to max, as a win here would once again put us in the driver's seat to lead the conference! Unfortunately, the Sabercats weren't going to make it easy for us as they proved to be pretty pesky on both sides of the ball.
In the first quarter, the game started off pretty slow for offenses, with both teams chewing up a lot of clock with an incredibly slow tempo for the first two drives of the game. The first scoring attempt of the day came on a 51-yard field goal by our very own Bloomfield, who was set back due to a sack on the previous play. And with the distance, unfortunately it proved to be too much and the attempt was missed. The Sabercats were put into the same exact situation next, with a sack before a field goal attempt, but they managed to kick it through on a 43 yarder with McDairmid. Immediately after, with 4:20 to go, we got the ball back and managed to move the ball pretty quickly thanks to a 57-yard catch and run by Videl-San. But ultimately, it would be Watts who would punch it in for the TD for the final few points of the quarter.
The score is now 7-3 with Austin leading as we enter the second quarter, and things are feeling quite good despite how the quarter went. The Sabercats opened the quarter with a 45-yard field goal coming from McDairmid once again and would get soon get the ball back with about 10 minutes remaining. In what was an absolutely insane showing of offensive patience, the Sabercats would run the clock down all the way to 2 minutes left before scoring a touchdown off of a pass. With barely any time to answer back, we did what Austin does best and played well under pressure! In just 6 plays, we drove all the way to the SJS 40-yard line and let Bloomfield nail it from 57, with what was an incredible display of leg strength. And thus, the quarter would end.
With the beginning of the second half, the score is now 10-13 with the Sabercats leading, but barely. But "barely" wouldn't last long, as Daytona made another donation to charity early in the second offensive drive of the half, throwing a pick six to Hilliard of the Sabercats. With the score now being 10-20, everyone was feeling anxious, and justifiably so. We were against the gods of chaos, after all. But, we weren't deterred and kept pushing forward. It would take quite a lot of time, but with 1:09 left, Daytona would go on to redeem himself and throw a pass to Watts for an important 13-yard touchdown to score the final points of the quarter.
At the top of the fourth, the score is now 17-20 with time ticking. It wouldn't be long until we erased that lead of theirs though, as with our first offensive possession, Daytona would sling it all over the field all the way to the 1-yard line, where he'd hand it off to Watts to punch it in for the lead! Immediately after, the defense would step up in a big way and pick the ball off, giving it right back to our offense to chew some clock. Though that drive didn't last long, the impact of the pick seemed to linger, as San Jose just couldn't get it together after that. Our defense walled them out and the comeback was finally complete as the clock hit 0 to signal a 24-20 victory for the Austin Copperheads, putting us right back in front as the leader of the ASFC!
Offensive Breakdown
Coming off of back to back losses, it was important for the Copperheads to finally get things going in the right direction again and the best way to do that was to score more points than the Sabercats did this week. Things got going great right at the beginning of the game as Watts punched in a 1 yard touchdown denying our Vampire from scalping another touchdown from her this season. After that point though things stagnated big time for our offense as we were only able to add 3 more points before half time thanks to a 57 yard rocket from the leg of Bloomfield @BloomeyGB who continues to show his accuracy from long range. The Third quarter was not much kinder to us till the end of the quarter where once again Watts punched in another touchdown, this time from 13 yards out on a nice pass from Daytona. This was the moment the momentum shifted in our favor and Watts pierced any remaining hope that the Sabercats had of an upset when she once again told Jim the Vampire @Kyle to go sit on the bench while she bunched in her 3rd touchdown of the game from one yard out, ultimately leading us to victory over San Jose. All in all it was not a dominant offensive performance from us but some big catches by Videl-San @ValorX77 helped move us down the field on a couple different drives which allowed us to put up the points we needed to get that much needed win. Videl-San continued their dominant season leading our WRs with 137 yard on 5 catches, including a 57 yard dime from Daytona @Mooty99, also the old Tijuana double threat made their presence felt as Howlett @Rufio_NZ and Vequain @Sutj both combined for 115 yards on the night to help our young quarterback move the ball down the field. But the star of the show has to be Watts @Kyamprac, as she single-handedly outscored the Sabercats and even though she did not have the biggest night yardage wise, 3 TDs is something to be proud of, and it reminds all of us that this girl still is one of the best in the business.
Defensive Breakdown
After two straight losses, both by one score, the Copperheads defense knew that the game would, once again, come down to their play heading into their Week 13 matchup against the San Jose Sabercats. Austin had the advantage of playing at home. But San Jose is a much better team than their record shows. On the first drive of the game, the Copperheads D was able to force a 3rd and out and a punt. After a huge passing play, the Copperheads offense was in field goal range. But a sack brought them back too far and a field goal just missed the uprights. The San Jose offense responded with a convincing drive down to Austin’s 20. However, a Troen Egghands @Troen sack on third down forced the Sabercats to settle for a field goal. The Austin offense responded on the following drive with a touchdown to take the lead, 7-3.
The following Sabercats drive saw them settle for a field goal after great pass defense to make it 7-6 Austin. Austin had to punt in the following drive which set up San Jose with the ball once again. They were able to push it to Austin’s 17 when Tomage McGullager @Philliesphan96 came up with a sack on 2nd down. They were able to convert on 3rd, however, and scored a TD several plays later to give them the 13-7 lead. Austin was able to get a field goal to close the gap a bit at 13-10. Halftime.
After an Austin punt to start the half, some more great pass defense forced a San Jose punt. However, Austin’s following drive resulted in a San Jose pick-six to give San Jose a 20-10 lead. Austin was now 2 scores in the hole. It was time for the defense to take over. On the following drive, a close stop on 3rd down by Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw forced a punt. Austin responded with a convincing drive that gave them their 2nd touchdown of the game. The score was then 20-17 San Jose. San Jose was able to get close to midfield on the following drive. But a huge run-stuff by Troen Egghands forced 4th and short and San Jose settled for a punt.
Austin offense responded the following drive with a 7-play touchdown to give them the lead 24-20. San Jose got the ball back. After a 1st down gain, a ball thrown by their QB was sent right into the waiting arms of Lesean Crooks for an interception. Austin was forced to punt, giving San Jose the ball back. San Jose responded with a convincing drive that brought them to Austin’s 25. Not another game given up late, many worried. But a massive sack on 2nd down by Slinky Claxton took San Jose out of field goal range. The Sabercats were forced to go for it on 4th down. A huge stop by Lesean Crooks @The_Kidd forced a turnover on downs. Austin sat on the ball for their 9th win on the season!
Please Divide Up The Pay in The Follow Way - THANKS!
@frazzle14 - Week 11 Intro
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