As most of you know, I missed the entirety of last season. Since I’d gained some functionality back in my hand, I wanted to see just how far I could push things before it began to give me issues. I figured to do that, I needed to come up with a decent media series where I could really pump out some words. Then I’d push it until my hand wouldn’t let me go anymore and then call it done. I had the perfect idea in mind. In an effort to catch up and refamiliarize myself with the league and our lovely players, I decided to take a dive into some of the games I missed last season. I wanted to see who had the best performances and really had breakout games. Figured I’d list two offensive performances and two defensive performances for each, but there is no guarantee that one team won’t own both slots in a game! Unfortunately I only made it to the end of week five, but still let’s dive in!
Week 3
Second Line 23 over Liberty 13
Offense
New Orleans: Marcella T?riki - RB - When you have a two headed monster in the backfield like New Orleans does, it seems they can often take turns playing the game of who gets to carry the day. This week, it was T?riki. She got it done on the ground and through the air as she racked up 101 yards on the ground and 23 through the air. What makes it most impressive is that she did it on just 17 carries and four catches, giving her contributions an average of 5.9 yards every time she touched the ball. She converted six total first downs and constantly picked up small chunks of yards to set up the Second Line in second and short and third and short situations. She was what allowed them to set the pace of this game and control the clock from the opening kickoff. The reality is, she seemed poised for a big play every single touch and it is a shame she didn’t get more opportunities in this one because the Liberty certainly seemed to struggle when attempting to bring her to the ground.
New Orleans: Brave Ulysses - OL - Not only does New Orleans have two incredible running backs, they also have two monsters at offensive line. The Second Line play best when they are running successfully. Last week it was set up by Rubbe, this time it was set up by his partner on the other side. Ulysses had a lights out performance with a massive eight pancakes. It seemed like every time the Second Line decided to run behind this man, he completely laid out his opposition. No one was safe as this monster tore open gaps in the Philadelphia defensive front that you could have driven trains through. T?riki had an incredible average when handling the ball in this game and being able to get behind Ulysses was why. This team is set up to explode on the ground in any given week and it all starts up front with guys like this.
Defense
Philadelphia: ILove Gimmy - DE - This was a rough day up front for Philadelphia, but Gimmy here showed why he is a leader on this team. While everyone else was getting run over by Ulysses and T?riki, Gimmy kept his head down and went to work. He had four tackles on the day and three of those were behind the line of scrimmage. His fourth was just barely past it. For the most part, Philadelphia was annihilated at the point of attack, but Gimmy showed that just because everyone else is floundering, it doesn’t mean you have to give up. You show up and do your best no matter what. He shut down three separate drives for New Orleans in this game and seemed to be one of the few players on the team with any real fight in this one. Obviously that determination is why he’s named after the most infamous quarterback in NSFL history.
New Orleans: Bjørn Ironside - DT - It seems to be a constant feast or famine for the Second Line. If one side of the ball is dominating the line of scrimmage, the other side seems to step up and do the same. If one side falters, so does the other side. There never seems to be a good balance. This week was no different as this defense really seemed to have their way with Philadelphia’s offensive line. To this point, Ironside had been quietly having a steady season. In this game he finally stood out. He brought in six tackles, one of which was a sack. His efforts allowed a total positive yardage of three yards when he was tested, his sack accounting for negative six. It was an impressive showing for the big man in the center and one of the better games of his career.
Yeti 26 over Hawks 10
Offense
Colorado: Jordan Jackson - K/P - In a rare turn of events we had a game in which both teams really seemed to struggle producing individual offensive stars. In fact, the only truly stand out player on the offensive side of the ball for the Yeti in this game was Jordan Jackson himself. He actually put on quite the show in the game and can be credited with this win almost by himself. He scored the first 12 points of the game for Colorado and ultimately scored 14 total, scoring more than either offense without Jackson. His field goals were from 20, 30, 36, and a massive 55 yarder. He was consistently money from distance as he nailed in kick after kick without hesitation. Then you look at his punting and realize that he repeatedly pinned the Hawks deep and forced them to drive the length of the field. Five punts for an average of 49.2 yards. Three were beyond 50 yards and his shortest was a 38 yarder that pinned Baltimore at their own 11 yard line. It was an impressive display of kicking across the board and was a show of how a good kicker can control a game.
Baltimore: Errol Maddox - WR - This game didn’t see much in the way of offensive standouts as a kicker performed better than most skill positions. That said, Maddox showed some fight and was the only player who broke 80 yards for either team. His five catches for 92 yards was a solid performance in an otherwise underwhelming game and quite frankly, he was the best skill position player in the game on this day. None of his five receptions went for less than 10 yards which means every reception at least moved the sticks for Baltimore. Unfortunately his efforts were sabotaged by his own quarterback who seemed to throw an interception every time Maddox came up with a big play. 36 yards followed by an interception the following play, 20 yards followed by an interception two plays later. He left it all out on the field, he just couldn’t get any help.
Defense
Colorado: Axel Hornbacher - CB - This one should be obvious. Havran struggled all day long and really never found any traction against this Yeti defense. The front seven kept the pressure on Havran and forced him to make some risky throws. Hornbacher made the most of his opportunities. He had three pass defenses in this game and he came up with two of them in his hands and heading the other way. One of his interceptions was late in the second when Baltimore was set up at the Colorado 8 yard line. They’d steadily driven down on the Yeti and were showing some offensive life. They looked primed to score their first points of the game to bring them within two points of Colorado. Hornbacher put himself in position to put an end to that, stepping in front of a ball intended for Maddox. His second sealed the game as he picked off Havran late in the fourth and returned it for 31 yards. It was converted into a touchdown a couple plays later, putting this game out of any reasonable reach for the Hawks.
Colorado: Mo Berry - LB - While Hornbacher played out of his mind and was clearly the most dominant force on this defense for the game, it was his defensive front that set him up for success. They were all over Havran the entire game and they brought him to the ground five times, killing drive after drive for Baltimore. On a day where the Colorado offense was struggling to find the end zone, they needed for their defense to stifle Havran and the Hawks. They did just that. They were led by the efforts of Mo Berry with his six tackles and two sacks. His first sack happened at Colorado’s five yard line, pushing back the Hawks six yards and forcing them to settle for a field goal after a long drive. The second came in the fourth quarter following a sack from fellow player Taffy. This set up a 4th and 27 at Baltimore’s 9 yard line. The ensuing short punt led to a field position battle that took three drives for Baltimore to recover from. This front seven did their jobs and Berry paved the way.
Wraiths 29 over Butchers 26
Offense
Chicago: Ahri Espeeyeeseetee - WR - The wide receivers in this game showed up to play and put on a clinic. Big play after big play as multiple guys showed off their explosive abilities. It seemed like almost every pass was going deep in this one, but no one really had more impact than Ahri. His seven catches for 114 yards would be impressive enough. The fact he converted six first downs in this game and had three receptions beyond 20 yards including an incredible 38 yarder would be impressive enough. But it wasn’t just what he was able to do through the air that emphasizes his abilities. It's also what he did on returns that really set him apart. Three returns for 130 yards and a touchdown. One of these was a field stretching 108 yard foot race that gave Chicago their first touchdown of the game. You can’t ask for much more than that from your star player. It was an inspired effort that fell just short of a Butchers victory.
Yellowknife: Nate Swift - WR - This was actually a hard one to narrow down. There were a lot of receivers that did some magical things in this game. Swift’s six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown somehow seemed average in this shootout. What ultimately made Swift stand out was the impact of his catches. He caught a 16 yard pass to convert a third and four that resulted in the first points of the game for the Wraiths early in the first. A few plays later he hauled in a massive 56 yarder that got the Wraiths off of their own eight yard line. This resulted in a field that gave the Wraiths a lead they wouldn’t let go of for the rest of the game.. Then late in the second he caught a 15 yard touchdown, making him mostly responsible for 17 of Yellowknife’s 23 first half points. Finally he started off the second half with more of the same as he converted a second and five with a 12 yard grab that led to another field goal. Mix all of these plays with a massive 46 yard kick return that left Yellowknife with a field position advantage for the last half of the game and you have a player that had massive impact on the outcome of this game.
Defense
Chicago: Jack Rambo - S - With such an incredible shootout happening offensively, you wouldn’t believe that much was going on with the other side of the ball. That said, Jack Rambo somehow never once got beaten in coverage. All four balls thrown his way were swatted down and he killed two Yellowknife drives in this fashion. Nothing got past him. Seven of his eight tackles came in run support, five of which were within four yards of the line of scrimmage. His final tackle was a clutch sack in the fourth quarter that stopped a Yellowknife drive and gave Chicago the ball back with three minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately for him, Chicago wasn’t able to do much with it and they ultimately missed a 41 yard field goal that would have tied the game. He had even recovered a fumble in the third quarter that just resulted in a punt. He showed some heart and pulled off some heroics, Chicago just wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunities he provided.
Yellowknife: Danny Grithead - S - Grithead has been a mainstay in our league for a long, long time. Season 20 marks a full decade since he entered the league and he’s been nothing but an electrifying force of nature since. He’s up in age and he is slowing down, but he can still have a standout game from time to time. This was one of those games. He had six tackles, one that was for a loss and another that was a sack. The four others combined for five yards of gains, bringing him to a net negative yards forced when he took six from Jenkins with his sack. Grithead still has flashes where he can cover the entire field. That was shown in a single sequence in the first quarter when he got his sack and immediately followed it up by knocking a pass out of the air intended for Utler. He shut down the drive by himself and reminded the league he isn’t quite retired yet.
Outlaws 23 over Otters 13
Offense
Arizona: Ruff Ruff - RB - The most goodest of boys finds himself mentioned here for the first time. Ruff has always been capable of big games. He doesn’t always find his footing, but he always manages to have a hand full of games every season where he really shows out. This was one such game. The Outlaws leaned on him heavily, allowing him 30 carries and even targeting him four times in the air. Almost 50 percent of their plays were fed into him and it was clear that their game plan was to let him control the pace and bring them to a win. Their 36 minute time of possession meant that strategy was an absolute success. He bounced his way to 138 total yards on the day and a score, but it was his efficiency that was key. His longest play was 10 yards. His average was four yards per carry. Looking at the play by play, he managed between three and five yards on nearly 87 percent of his plays. This meant that all Arizona had to do was hand the ball to Ruff enough and he would convert. That’s exactly what they did. He picked up 10 first downs in this one including five third down conversions and a single fourth down push. Reliability was all they needed.
Arizona: Jammerson Irving - TE - Sometimes you blink and things change. That is what has happened here. The league blinked and suddenly Irving is the best tight end in the league. He has spent a large part of his career being Mr. Reliable in Arizona, bailing out Andrew Reese time and time again. With Cue taking over, it was clear that his role had changed. He went from safety net to bonafied weapon almost overnight. It was on full display here. He hauled in six passed for 121 yards in this one and almost none of them were short. Three of these passes went for more than 20 yards and another two were over 10. He found holes in the Orange County secondary big enough for someone even Irving’s size to fit in and made himself a huge target for Cue. He was targeted seven times on the day and pulled in six of them. The only other one was deflected in tight coverage. For perhaps the first time in my personal memory, Irving was able to show the NSFL that he was more than just a checkdown guy.
Defense
Orange County: Thorian Skarsgard - DT - It was a long day at the office for Orange County, but at least someone decided to show up to work. Skarsgard is a long time titan in this league and he has anchored the line in Orange County since I first came in contact with the NSFL. He is a staple of this team and it is days like this that show why he is so valuable. He did his best to set the tone early, picking up a sack and shutting down Arizona on their very first drive. He then followed that up by meeting Ruff near the line of scrimmage on four different occasions. On a day where it seemed like Ruff Ruff was having his way and gaining decent yardage every single time he touched the ball, it was Skarsgard who was the anomaly as he never once let Ruff further than two yards when they chose to try to go through him. He did the same thing he has for his whole career. He buckled down and barely gave anything. At the end of the day though, it seemed like he was the only one.
Arizona: Shane Masters - DT - A lot of Orange County’s offensive success relies on Armstrong and his ability to be a multifaceted threat. He can run, he can throw, and he’s at his best when he’s able to do both. Unfortunately, he didn’t really get to run in this game and that was in large part due to Masters. I can guarantee you that by the end of this game, Armstrong woke up in a cold sweat still seeing Masters’ face the next morning. He put up seven tackles in this game total. One was for a two yard loss against a scrambling Armstrong. Another was a nine yard sack on Armstrong. Four of his five remaining tackles were within two yards of the line of scrimmage on none other than Armstrong. Armstrong hit the ground eight times in this game and six of those times he got to look up at a grinning Shane Masters. The only success he had at all were the two times where he ran well out of Masters’ reach. It really limited Orange County’s biggest playmaker and it was likely the reason their offense struggled so.
Copperheads 39 over SaberCats 3
Offense
Austin: Easton Cole - QB - Another day, another top notch game for Easton Cole. We’re seeing him really develop into a true star in this league before our very eyes. It isn’t easy to pass for 400 yards in this league. In fact for most players it only happens a couple times a season. It also isn’t easy to throw three touchdown passes. Again, it isn’t something quarterbacks just do every game. To do both in one game while completing 66 percent of your passes? That is just impressive. Austin allowed Cole to drop back and pass on 54 plays in this game. Despite being dropped for a sack on seven of them, he never seemed to let the pressure phase him as he continued to toss the ball around like he wasn’t getting rag dolled every few plays. This was a pleasant change from what we’d seen the week before. Cole put together a masterful performance that resulted in Austin out gaining San Jose 522 yards to 206. His 114.1 quarterback rating tells you all you need to know about his efficiency in doing so.
Austin: Maco Mendonca - RB - Mendonca has been a big name playmaker for Austin for a long time now. Even during the days when he was sharing the workload with Ashley Owens, he always seemed primed for a big game every single week. Since he’s become a solo act, that has become more and more of an expectation. He rarely disappoints. He averaged 4.6 yards on the ground as he bulldozed his way to 115 yards and a touchdown in just 25 carries. He then simply heaped on an additional 33 yards in the air on four catches. He had 10 plays go for first downs and he converted for this Austin team time and time again. They’ve always been able to lean on Mendonca once he gets going and this game was no different. This is really just what we’ve come to expect now of one of the league’s premier dynamic runners.
Defense
San Jose: Freezer Riposte - DT - You want to talk about anomalies in the NSFL? Look no further than Riposte’s performance in this game. Six tackles, four of which were sacks. This man completely imposed his dominance on the offensive line of the Copperheads in an attempt to make Cole his own. Luckily for Austin, Cole seemed to shake it off but it wasn’t from a lack of Riposte trying to give him nightmares. Four sacks in a single game is an insanely rare feat in this league. In fact through four seasons, I believe I’ve only seen it done twice. Riposte has been one of the best defensive players in the league since I joined it, but he will likely remember this game as one of his best individual performances even if the loss stung at the time. His four sacks resulted in a loss of 29 yards. His other two tackles were at the line of scrimmage, allowing less than a yard between the two. This monster at the center of the San Jose defensive line managed to cause more negative yardage by himself than most teams manage combined in a game.
Austin: Hal Fassingit - DE - On the other side of this tilt, you have an Austin player who did something almost as impressive as Riposte’s feat. That said, three tackles for a loss is far more common than four sacks. What sets him truly apart as that he also added a sack to his numbers, giving him four total plays in San Jose’s backfield. Most of the time I consider two negative plays a pretty decent game for a defensive lineman. To rack up four? Well that’s just delightful. To make things more fun, all four plays that Fassingit made in the backfield all resulted in Wright on the ground. His three tackles for a loss were all on Wright trying to scramble. The poor guy never had a chance with Fassingit sealing the edge and not letting a soul pass him.
Week 3
Second Line 23 over Liberty 13
Offense
New Orleans: Marcella T?riki - RB - When you have a two headed monster in the backfield like New Orleans does, it seems they can often take turns playing the game of who gets to carry the day. This week, it was T?riki. She got it done on the ground and through the air as she racked up 101 yards on the ground and 23 through the air. What makes it most impressive is that she did it on just 17 carries and four catches, giving her contributions an average of 5.9 yards every time she touched the ball. She converted six total first downs and constantly picked up small chunks of yards to set up the Second Line in second and short and third and short situations. She was what allowed them to set the pace of this game and control the clock from the opening kickoff. The reality is, she seemed poised for a big play every single touch and it is a shame she didn’t get more opportunities in this one because the Liberty certainly seemed to struggle when attempting to bring her to the ground.
New Orleans: Brave Ulysses - OL - Not only does New Orleans have two incredible running backs, they also have two monsters at offensive line. The Second Line play best when they are running successfully. Last week it was set up by Rubbe, this time it was set up by his partner on the other side. Ulysses had a lights out performance with a massive eight pancakes. It seemed like every time the Second Line decided to run behind this man, he completely laid out his opposition. No one was safe as this monster tore open gaps in the Philadelphia defensive front that you could have driven trains through. T?riki had an incredible average when handling the ball in this game and being able to get behind Ulysses was why. This team is set up to explode on the ground in any given week and it all starts up front with guys like this.
Defense
Philadelphia: ILove Gimmy - DE - This was a rough day up front for Philadelphia, but Gimmy here showed why he is a leader on this team. While everyone else was getting run over by Ulysses and T?riki, Gimmy kept his head down and went to work. He had four tackles on the day and three of those were behind the line of scrimmage. His fourth was just barely past it. For the most part, Philadelphia was annihilated at the point of attack, but Gimmy showed that just because everyone else is floundering, it doesn’t mean you have to give up. You show up and do your best no matter what. He shut down three separate drives for New Orleans in this game and seemed to be one of the few players on the team with any real fight in this one. Obviously that determination is why he’s named after the most infamous quarterback in NSFL history.
New Orleans: Bjørn Ironside - DT - It seems to be a constant feast or famine for the Second Line. If one side of the ball is dominating the line of scrimmage, the other side seems to step up and do the same. If one side falters, so does the other side. There never seems to be a good balance. This week was no different as this defense really seemed to have their way with Philadelphia’s offensive line. To this point, Ironside had been quietly having a steady season. In this game he finally stood out. He brought in six tackles, one of which was a sack. His efforts allowed a total positive yardage of three yards when he was tested, his sack accounting for negative six. It was an impressive showing for the big man in the center and one of the better games of his career.
Yeti 26 over Hawks 10
Offense
Colorado: Jordan Jackson - K/P - In a rare turn of events we had a game in which both teams really seemed to struggle producing individual offensive stars. In fact, the only truly stand out player on the offensive side of the ball for the Yeti in this game was Jordan Jackson himself. He actually put on quite the show in the game and can be credited with this win almost by himself. He scored the first 12 points of the game for Colorado and ultimately scored 14 total, scoring more than either offense without Jackson. His field goals were from 20, 30, 36, and a massive 55 yarder. He was consistently money from distance as he nailed in kick after kick without hesitation. Then you look at his punting and realize that he repeatedly pinned the Hawks deep and forced them to drive the length of the field. Five punts for an average of 49.2 yards. Three were beyond 50 yards and his shortest was a 38 yarder that pinned Baltimore at their own 11 yard line. It was an impressive display of kicking across the board and was a show of how a good kicker can control a game.
Baltimore: Errol Maddox - WR - This game didn’t see much in the way of offensive standouts as a kicker performed better than most skill positions. That said, Maddox showed some fight and was the only player who broke 80 yards for either team. His five catches for 92 yards was a solid performance in an otherwise underwhelming game and quite frankly, he was the best skill position player in the game on this day. None of his five receptions went for less than 10 yards which means every reception at least moved the sticks for Baltimore. Unfortunately his efforts were sabotaged by his own quarterback who seemed to throw an interception every time Maddox came up with a big play. 36 yards followed by an interception the following play, 20 yards followed by an interception two plays later. He left it all out on the field, he just couldn’t get any help.
Defense
Colorado: Axel Hornbacher - CB - This one should be obvious. Havran struggled all day long and really never found any traction against this Yeti defense. The front seven kept the pressure on Havran and forced him to make some risky throws. Hornbacher made the most of his opportunities. He had three pass defenses in this game and he came up with two of them in his hands and heading the other way. One of his interceptions was late in the second when Baltimore was set up at the Colorado 8 yard line. They’d steadily driven down on the Yeti and were showing some offensive life. They looked primed to score their first points of the game to bring them within two points of Colorado. Hornbacher put himself in position to put an end to that, stepping in front of a ball intended for Maddox. His second sealed the game as he picked off Havran late in the fourth and returned it for 31 yards. It was converted into a touchdown a couple plays later, putting this game out of any reasonable reach for the Hawks.
Colorado: Mo Berry - LB - While Hornbacher played out of his mind and was clearly the most dominant force on this defense for the game, it was his defensive front that set him up for success. They were all over Havran the entire game and they brought him to the ground five times, killing drive after drive for Baltimore. On a day where the Colorado offense was struggling to find the end zone, they needed for their defense to stifle Havran and the Hawks. They did just that. They were led by the efforts of Mo Berry with his six tackles and two sacks. His first sack happened at Colorado’s five yard line, pushing back the Hawks six yards and forcing them to settle for a field goal after a long drive. The second came in the fourth quarter following a sack from fellow player Taffy. This set up a 4th and 27 at Baltimore’s 9 yard line. The ensuing short punt led to a field position battle that took three drives for Baltimore to recover from. This front seven did their jobs and Berry paved the way.
Wraiths 29 over Butchers 26
Offense
Chicago: Ahri Espeeyeeseetee - WR - The wide receivers in this game showed up to play and put on a clinic. Big play after big play as multiple guys showed off their explosive abilities. It seemed like almost every pass was going deep in this one, but no one really had more impact than Ahri. His seven catches for 114 yards would be impressive enough. The fact he converted six first downs in this game and had three receptions beyond 20 yards including an incredible 38 yarder would be impressive enough. But it wasn’t just what he was able to do through the air that emphasizes his abilities. It's also what he did on returns that really set him apart. Three returns for 130 yards and a touchdown. One of these was a field stretching 108 yard foot race that gave Chicago their first touchdown of the game. You can’t ask for much more than that from your star player. It was an inspired effort that fell just short of a Butchers victory.
Yellowknife: Nate Swift - WR - This was actually a hard one to narrow down. There were a lot of receivers that did some magical things in this game. Swift’s six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown somehow seemed average in this shootout. What ultimately made Swift stand out was the impact of his catches. He caught a 16 yard pass to convert a third and four that resulted in the first points of the game for the Wraiths early in the first. A few plays later he hauled in a massive 56 yarder that got the Wraiths off of their own eight yard line. This resulted in a field that gave the Wraiths a lead they wouldn’t let go of for the rest of the game.. Then late in the second he caught a 15 yard touchdown, making him mostly responsible for 17 of Yellowknife’s 23 first half points. Finally he started off the second half with more of the same as he converted a second and five with a 12 yard grab that led to another field goal. Mix all of these plays with a massive 46 yard kick return that left Yellowknife with a field position advantage for the last half of the game and you have a player that had massive impact on the outcome of this game.
Defense
Chicago: Jack Rambo - S - With such an incredible shootout happening offensively, you wouldn’t believe that much was going on with the other side of the ball. That said, Jack Rambo somehow never once got beaten in coverage. All four balls thrown his way were swatted down and he killed two Yellowknife drives in this fashion. Nothing got past him. Seven of his eight tackles came in run support, five of which were within four yards of the line of scrimmage. His final tackle was a clutch sack in the fourth quarter that stopped a Yellowknife drive and gave Chicago the ball back with three minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately for him, Chicago wasn’t able to do much with it and they ultimately missed a 41 yard field goal that would have tied the game. He had even recovered a fumble in the third quarter that just resulted in a punt. He showed some heart and pulled off some heroics, Chicago just wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunities he provided.
Yellowknife: Danny Grithead - S - Grithead has been a mainstay in our league for a long, long time. Season 20 marks a full decade since he entered the league and he’s been nothing but an electrifying force of nature since. He’s up in age and he is slowing down, but he can still have a standout game from time to time. This was one of those games. He had six tackles, one that was for a loss and another that was a sack. The four others combined for five yards of gains, bringing him to a net negative yards forced when he took six from Jenkins with his sack. Grithead still has flashes where he can cover the entire field. That was shown in a single sequence in the first quarter when he got his sack and immediately followed it up by knocking a pass out of the air intended for Utler. He shut down the drive by himself and reminded the league he isn’t quite retired yet.
Outlaws 23 over Otters 13
Offense
Arizona: Ruff Ruff - RB - The most goodest of boys finds himself mentioned here for the first time. Ruff has always been capable of big games. He doesn’t always find his footing, but he always manages to have a hand full of games every season where he really shows out. This was one such game. The Outlaws leaned on him heavily, allowing him 30 carries and even targeting him four times in the air. Almost 50 percent of their plays were fed into him and it was clear that their game plan was to let him control the pace and bring them to a win. Their 36 minute time of possession meant that strategy was an absolute success. He bounced his way to 138 total yards on the day and a score, but it was his efficiency that was key. His longest play was 10 yards. His average was four yards per carry. Looking at the play by play, he managed between three and five yards on nearly 87 percent of his plays. This meant that all Arizona had to do was hand the ball to Ruff enough and he would convert. That’s exactly what they did. He picked up 10 first downs in this one including five third down conversions and a single fourth down push. Reliability was all they needed.
Arizona: Jammerson Irving - TE - Sometimes you blink and things change. That is what has happened here. The league blinked and suddenly Irving is the best tight end in the league. He has spent a large part of his career being Mr. Reliable in Arizona, bailing out Andrew Reese time and time again. With Cue taking over, it was clear that his role had changed. He went from safety net to bonafied weapon almost overnight. It was on full display here. He hauled in six passed for 121 yards in this one and almost none of them were short. Three of these passes went for more than 20 yards and another two were over 10. He found holes in the Orange County secondary big enough for someone even Irving’s size to fit in and made himself a huge target for Cue. He was targeted seven times on the day and pulled in six of them. The only other one was deflected in tight coverage. For perhaps the first time in my personal memory, Irving was able to show the NSFL that he was more than just a checkdown guy.
Defense
Orange County: Thorian Skarsgard - DT - It was a long day at the office for Orange County, but at least someone decided to show up to work. Skarsgard is a long time titan in this league and he has anchored the line in Orange County since I first came in contact with the NSFL. He is a staple of this team and it is days like this that show why he is so valuable. He did his best to set the tone early, picking up a sack and shutting down Arizona on their very first drive. He then followed that up by meeting Ruff near the line of scrimmage on four different occasions. On a day where it seemed like Ruff Ruff was having his way and gaining decent yardage every single time he touched the ball, it was Skarsgard who was the anomaly as he never once let Ruff further than two yards when they chose to try to go through him. He did the same thing he has for his whole career. He buckled down and barely gave anything. At the end of the day though, it seemed like he was the only one.
Arizona: Shane Masters - DT - A lot of Orange County’s offensive success relies on Armstrong and his ability to be a multifaceted threat. He can run, he can throw, and he’s at his best when he’s able to do both. Unfortunately, he didn’t really get to run in this game and that was in large part due to Masters. I can guarantee you that by the end of this game, Armstrong woke up in a cold sweat still seeing Masters’ face the next morning. He put up seven tackles in this game total. One was for a two yard loss against a scrambling Armstrong. Another was a nine yard sack on Armstrong. Four of his five remaining tackles were within two yards of the line of scrimmage on none other than Armstrong. Armstrong hit the ground eight times in this game and six of those times he got to look up at a grinning Shane Masters. The only success he had at all were the two times where he ran well out of Masters’ reach. It really limited Orange County’s biggest playmaker and it was likely the reason their offense struggled so.
Copperheads 39 over SaberCats 3
Offense
Austin: Easton Cole - QB - Another day, another top notch game for Easton Cole. We’re seeing him really develop into a true star in this league before our very eyes. It isn’t easy to pass for 400 yards in this league. In fact for most players it only happens a couple times a season. It also isn’t easy to throw three touchdown passes. Again, it isn’t something quarterbacks just do every game. To do both in one game while completing 66 percent of your passes? That is just impressive. Austin allowed Cole to drop back and pass on 54 plays in this game. Despite being dropped for a sack on seven of them, he never seemed to let the pressure phase him as he continued to toss the ball around like he wasn’t getting rag dolled every few plays. This was a pleasant change from what we’d seen the week before. Cole put together a masterful performance that resulted in Austin out gaining San Jose 522 yards to 206. His 114.1 quarterback rating tells you all you need to know about his efficiency in doing so.
Austin: Maco Mendonca - RB - Mendonca has been a big name playmaker for Austin for a long time now. Even during the days when he was sharing the workload with Ashley Owens, he always seemed primed for a big game every single week. Since he’s become a solo act, that has become more and more of an expectation. He rarely disappoints. He averaged 4.6 yards on the ground as he bulldozed his way to 115 yards and a touchdown in just 25 carries. He then simply heaped on an additional 33 yards in the air on four catches. He had 10 plays go for first downs and he converted for this Austin team time and time again. They’ve always been able to lean on Mendonca once he gets going and this game was no different. This is really just what we’ve come to expect now of one of the league’s premier dynamic runners.
Defense
San Jose: Freezer Riposte - DT - You want to talk about anomalies in the NSFL? Look no further than Riposte’s performance in this game. Six tackles, four of which were sacks. This man completely imposed his dominance on the offensive line of the Copperheads in an attempt to make Cole his own. Luckily for Austin, Cole seemed to shake it off but it wasn’t from a lack of Riposte trying to give him nightmares. Four sacks in a single game is an insanely rare feat in this league. In fact through four seasons, I believe I’ve only seen it done twice. Riposte has been one of the best defensive players in the league since I joined it, but he will likely remember this game as one of his best individual performances even if the loss stung at the time. His four sacks resulted in a loss of 29 yards. His other two tackles were at the line of scrimmage, allowing less than a yard between the two. This monster at the center of the San Jose defensive line managed to cause more negative yardage by himself than most teams manage combined in a game.
Austin: Hal Fassingit - DE - On the other side of this tilt, you have an Austin player who did something almost as impressive as Riposte’s feat. That said, three tackles for a loss is far more common than four sacks. What sets him truly apart as that he also added a sack to his numbers, giving him four total plays in San Jose’s backfield. Most of the time I consider two negative plays a pretty decent game for a defensive lineman. To rack up four? Well that’s just delightful. To make things more fun, all four plays that Fassingit made in the backfield all resulted in Wright on the ground. His three tackles for a loss were all on Wright trying to scramble. The poor guy never had a chance with Fassingit sealing the edge and not letting a soul pass him.
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