2) This week will see the S25 Ultimus and Ultimini races begin in earnest. In 800 words or more, recount any of the previous playoff cycles of either league. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse or Cinderella teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? How did the title game play out, and which players made their mark on the field? Tell the story of those playoffs as completely as you can. Do not simply recount your own experience in those playoffs or that of a singular team.
For my UW task, I will be focusing on the season 24 playoffs, and how they unfolded.
In the NSFC, there were two teams that qualified for the playoffs, who were far and away the best teams in the league. The 12-4 Sarasota Sailfish, who qualified for the playoffs with a 12-4 record and boasted the leagues best offense in yards per game, led by their star quarterback Dexter Banks II, who led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, aswell as interceptions. Sitting atop the division were the probable favourites for the championship, the 14-2 Colorado Yeti, who had the leagues best offense in points per game, and 2nd best defense in points allowed per game. The rest of the division was fairly lacklustre and it was the Chicago Butchers who took the 3rd playoff spot of the division, despite having the 2nd worst offense in PPG and 3rd worst defense in PAPG, in the whole league. It was the Yellowknife Wraiths who rounded out the divisions playoff spots despite winning just 6 of their 16 games that season.
On the other hand, the ASFC was much more exciting, with just 2 games between the divisional leaders and last place in the division. The top 4 ASFC teams all had 9-7 records. In 3rd place the Outlaws managed to scrape into a playoff spot thanks to a final week win over the Orange County Otters, which, had they lost would have knocked them out of contention. Those same Otters finished 2nd in the division thanks to one of the backs in the league, Tatsu Nakamura, leading the teams offense. Sitting pretty atop the division were the San Jose Sabercats, who had won their final game of the season over the NOLA Second Line by one to take the divisional title away from New Orleans, who finished fourth in the division.
The first of the two NSFC quarterfinal matchups saw the Wraiths go to Colorado in a match that finished much, much closer than anyone would have envisioned. The 6-10 Wraiths were actually leading going into the fourth quarter but Yeti kicker levelled it up with 10 minutes to go in the fourth and sent the game to OT. In OT the Wraiths were just starting their drive when a huge sack from Immanuel Blackstone set them back 11 yards for a 3rd and 21 which they failed to convert and punted away. From there it was relatively easy for the Yeti who drove downfield and managed to kick a game winning field goal.
In the second of the two NSFC matchups the Butchers went to Sarasota to play the Sailfish, another game which finished closer than expected. Both quarterbacks had a great game, with O’ Donnell throwing for 253 yards and 2 TDs, however it was Banks who came up in the clutch after having a great game. He threw for 234 yards and 2 TDs, and with just 3 minutes left in the fourth and the scores being all tied up, rushed in a 1 yard touchdown which would eventually be the game winner.
Onto the first ASFC quarterfinal, the Outlaws went to play the Sabercats in San Jose. Arizona put up a very underwhelming performance, especially on the offensive side of the ball, combing for just 228 total offensive yards, with Jay Cue throwing for 101 yards and an interception on 16 completions. San Jose went about their regular business, playing efficiently and picking up a nice simple win to advance to the next round 20-10.
In the second ASFC matchup the New Orleans Second Line went to Orange County to take on the Otters. Orange County took the lead early on in the first quarter thanks to a 3 yard touchdown run by Keynel McZeal and never relinquished it, winning the game 31-21. Orange County legend Franklin Armstrong showed just why he was so good in this game, throwing for 264 yards and 2 Touchdowns giving him a 104.2 QB rating on the day.
In the NSFC conference championship the Sailfish travelled to Colorado to challenge the Yeti. In what was a closely fought contest the whole way through, the Yeti managed to take home a victory by a scoreline of 24-20. Banks will have been disappointed with himself as he managed to throw for 355 yards but couldn’t find the endzone, whilst for Colorado, McDummy would have been relieved after having a pretty poor performance, throwing 2 interceptions, however recording a touchdown on the ground.
The ASFC conference game was a relatively boring one, finishing up 17-3 in favour of the Sabercats, the lowest scoring game in all the playoffs. It was partly thanks to their sheer discipline that San Jose managed to take this one, as they didn’t commit a single penalty all game.
After all those games, that meant the stage was set for the big match, the Ultimus, where the San Jose Sabercats would travel to take on the Colorado Yeti. At the end of the first half it looked like despair for McDummy and the Yeti, who were 17-3 down courtesy of a 62 yard pick six by Matt Krause and a 1 yard passing touchdown from Monterey Jack to Rando Cardrissian. However, the Yeti began to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter thanks to a Wolfie McDummy touchdown pass to Earl Sauce and then a tackle for a safety by De Pengu. However it simply was not enough, and the San Jose Sabercats took home the S24 Ultimus, victorious over the Yeti by a scorline of 17-12
928 words by my count
For my UW task, I will be focusing on the season 24 playoffs, and how they unfolded.
In the NSFC, there were two teams that qualified for the playoffs, who were far and away the best teams in the league. The 12-4 Sarasota Sailfish, who qualified for the playoffs with a 12-4 record and boasted the leagues best offense in yards per game, led by their star quarterback Dexter Banks II, who led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, aswell as interceptions. Sitting atop the division were the probable favourites for the championship, the 14-2 Colorado Yeti, who had the leagues best offense in points per game, and 2nd best defense in points allowed per game. The rest of the division was fairly lacklustre and it was the Chicago Butchers who took the 3rd playoff spot of the division, despite having the 2nd worst offense in PPG and 3rd worst defense in PAPG, in the whole league. It was the Yellowknife Wraiths who rounded out the divisions playoff spots despite winning just 6 of their 16 games that season.
On the other hand, the ASFC was much more exciting, with just 2 games between the divisional leaders and last place in the division. The top 4 ASFC teams all had 9-7 records. In 3rd place the Outlaws managed to scrape into a playoff spot thanks to a final week win over the Orange County Otters, which, had they lost would have knocked them out of contention. Those same Otters finished 2nd in the division thanks to one of the backs in the league, Tatsu Nakamura, leading the teams offense. Sitting pretty atop the division were the San Jose Sabercats, who had won their final game of the season over the NOLA Second Line by one to take the divisional title away from New Orleans, who finished fourth in the division.
The first of the two NSFC quarterfinal matchups saw the Wraiths go to Colorado in a match that finished much, much closer than anyone would have envisioned. The 6-10 Wraiths were actually leading going into the fourth quarter but Yeti kicker levelled it up with 10 minutes to go in the fourth and sent the game to OT. In OT the Wraiths were just starting their drive when a huge sack from Immanuel Blackstone set them back 11 yards for a 3rd and 21 which they failed to convert and punted away. From there it was relatively easy for the Yeti who drove downfield and managed to kick a game winning field goal.
In the second of the two NSFC matchups the Butchers went to Sarasota to play the Sailfish, another game which finished closer than expected. Both quarterbacks had a great game, with O’ Donnell throwing for 253 yards and 2 TDs, however it was Banks who came up in the clutch after having a great game. He threw for 234 yards and 2 TDs, and with just 3 minutes left in the fourth and the scores being all tied up, rushed in a 1 yard touchdown which would eventually be the game winner.
Onto the first ASFC quarterfinal, the Outlaws went to play the Sabercats in San Jose. Arizona put up a very underwhelming performance, especially on the offensive side of the ball, combing for just 228 total offensive yards, with Jay Cue throwing for 101 yards and an interception on 16 completions. San Jose went about their regular business, playing efficiently and picking up a nice simple win to advance to the next round 20-10.
In the second ASFC matchup the New Orleans Second Line went to Orange County to take on the Otters. Orange County took the lead early on in the first quarter thanks to a 3 yard touchdown run by Keynel McZeal and never relinquished it, winning the game 31-21. Orange County legend Franklin Armstrong showed just why he was so good in this game, throwing for 264 yards and 2 Touchdowns giving him a 104.2 QB rating on the day.
In the NSFC conference championship the Sailfish travelled to Colorado to challenge the Yeti. In what was a closely fought contest the whole way through, the Yeti managed to take home a victory by a scoreline of 24-20. Banks will have been disappointed with himself as he managed to throw for 355 yards but couldn’t find the endzone, whilst for Colorado, McDummy would have been relieved after having a pretty poor performance, throwing 2 interceptions, however recording a touchdown on the ground.
The ASFC conference game was a relatively boring one, finishing up 17-3 in favour of the Sabercats, the lowest scoring game in all the playoffs. It was partly thanks to their sheer discipline that San Jose managed to take this one, as they didn’t commit a single penalty all game.
After all those games, that meant the stage was set for the big match, the Ultimus, where the San Jose Sabercats would travel to take on the Colorado Yeti. At the end of the first half it looked like despair for McDummy and the Yeti, who were 17-3 down courtesy of a 62 yard pick six by Matt Krause and a 1 yard passing touchdown from Monterey Jack to Rando Cardrissian. However, the Yeti began to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter thanks to a Wolfie McDummy touchdown pass to Earl Sauce and then a tackle for a safety by De Pengu. However it simply was not enough, and the San Jose Sabercats took home the S24 Ultimus, victorious over the Yeti by a scorline of 17-12
928 words by my count
