Ultimus Week - S10

[GoonerBear]

SHL PT credit for one task

Playoff Series MVP

Turk Turkleton, veteran kicker of 10 seasons for the Baltimore Hawks, accounted for 17 points in the Hawks' 29-23 Ultimus victory, converting all 5 field goal attempts and two extra points. In a game where there were several drives nearly complete, though not quite punched in, Turkleton shone to keep the points rolling in against the New Orleans Second Line offense. In a game that ended with a 6-point victory for Baltimore, Turkleton's consistency from when he was called on helped keep the Hawks at ease and kept the pressure up on New Orleans. Having built up that lead, the final few minutes were made moot once Baltimore gained possession before the two-minute mark.

The Hawks' methodical offense that worked so well all season long kept on rolling in the yards and spread them around, with a 100-yard rusher and two 100-yard receivers for the game. Finishing was an issue as they were well-met with the Second Line defense containing yardage and preventing the score from getting out of hand, though they couldn't prevent the Hawks from getting close. Turkleton proved a key difference, finishing with 3 points on kicks from 29, 20, 28, 40 and 33. A reliable kicker made all the difference in a thriller.

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Championship Game Recap

This season's Ultimus was worth the price of admission and the sequel proved better than the original. The New Orleans Second Line came out to a quick start in the Season 9 Ultimus rematch, going up 10-0 in the first 10 minutes of the contest, including an early 33-yard field goal from Peg Leg and Borkus Maximus III hooking up with Charlie Law with goal-to-go. The Baltimore Hawks, resolved to avenge last season's championship defeat, turned around their first touchdown of the game less than 3 minutes later, with Avon Blocksdale hitting Carter Bush and letting him gobble up yards after catch for a 33-yard score.

The Second Line pulled back up by 10 with Maximus to Carlito Crush. The veteran kicker Turk Turkleton kept Baltimore's hopes afloat in turbulent waters heading into halftime with three short-range field goals to make the scoreline 17-16 NOLA at the break.

Baltimore came out swinging from halftime, though once again had to fall back on Turkleton as he was spot-on from 40 for the Hawks to gain their first lead of the game. The lead was short-lived with NOLA going back up 5:01 later from Maximus to Alexandre LeClair. The score remained 23-19 as Peg Leg missed on the extra point. Baltimore quickly answered around two minutes later, going up 26-23 with Blocksdale hitting veteran WR Trey Willie to pull ahead a second time.

The Hawks' defense ground the game to a halt, just as they needed in the 4th, as a field goal early in the quarter put them up 29-23. This factored in well late, as the teams traded drives without yielding any score until NOLA were stopped cold with under two and a half minutes left and in need of a touchdown. Baltimore ran out the clock and exorcised the specters of the season prior as NSFL champions.

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That Magic Moment

In the first quarter of the Ultimus, with the Baltimore Hawks down 10-0 early and needing a score fast to keep the game from tail-spinning into Season 9 Ultimus Part Deux, QB Avon Blocksdale was back to pass and under a bit of heat. Then, seeing prime real estate to chew up and a receiver to hop to it, Blocksdale lofted a mid-range pass to wideout Charlie Law, then watched as Law took off down the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The extra point follow up made it 10-7 New Orleans, though the Hawks were aboard and sparked their offense to fight on and fight deep into NOLA territory that half, even if they didn't score another touchdown until late in the 3rd quarter.

That play was amazing to see Blocksdale able to trust his receivers to pick up yards after the catch and for Law to deliver on a prime opportunity. This play also helped them clear the first major hurdle in the Ultimus - get a touchdown. The offense picked up from there, despite usually stopping short of paydirt, though not so far short, Turk Turkleton couldn't kick them home. This also helped motivate the defense after they went down 17-7 to hold off the vaunted NOLA offense until Baltimore could catch up on the scoreboard. Though they faltered once, they did their job in starting the comeback once the offense ditched the feeling they couldn't score.

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