(S3) - Ultimus Week

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Bottom Tier

Call it bad luck or call it inconsistency, the Wraiths had a season far worse than what many had expected, including themselves. Many cite the wraiths point differential as an indicator that they were much better than their record showed. But, all this really showed is that they took advantage of easy matchups but choked in a big spot. This team has playmakers on both sides of the ball, they just couldn't put it together this season. But, they should still be a strong competitor next season and may even find themselves in the playoffs yet again if they can fill some of the gaps on their roster.

The Yeti are a much easier case to look at and understand why they fell short. The NSFC has been competitive but the Yeti just couldn't keep up with the pack. The loss of Noble was extremely devastating for this team as they were forced to rely on the rookie Pierno who has a bright future but just wasn't ready for the spotlight. Noble was clearly the one carrying this team. Combine that with some questionable drafting as well as some trades that set the Yeti up for a rebuild and it was no surprise that the Yeti were in the basement and could stay there for some time.

Playoff Series MVP

The MVP of the Ultimus Game has to be CA Chess. It's been hard to determine an MVP in these Championship games because the domination by the Outlaws defense has always been such a team effort. But this year, the Outlaws finally brought some offensive firepower to match their defense and Chess was a huge part of it. He scored a remarkable 3 touchdowns in the championship game, propelling the Outlaws to yet another Ultimus victory. While the Outlaws defense is certainly the best in the league, the Hawks defense is nothing to scoff at, especially in terms of their secondary. That's what makes this performance by Chess even more impressive. In the regular season, Chess put up some pretty good numbers but there were a lot of players that had much better seasons than he did and with some other good weapons around him on offense, it's easy to see why he may have gotten overshadowed some in the regular season. But in a time when his team needed a great performance the most, he stepped up and delivered in a big spot. Chess is quickly establishing himself as one of the biggest receiving threats in the league. We'll see if he can carry some momentum from a performance like this into next season and take the next step as a receiver.



Offensive Comaprison:

In the NSFC Championship game, the Hawks and Liberty will each feature one of the premier pass catching talents in the game today. For the Liberty, it’s star WR Fox North who had another fantastic season, finishing with over 1200 receiving yards to go along with a career high 8 touchdowns. On the Hawks side, it’s a player in Trey Willie that has had a remarkably similar breakout rookie campaign to the one North had last year. For two teams that tend to rely on solid defensive performances to propel them to victory, having explosive players on offense like North and Willie can turn the tables in a tight game in a hurry. Looking at how these players did statistically on the season, it’s clear that both of them were a big part of the overall offensive production for their teams. However, North had more than double the receiving touchdowns that Willie had on the season. This was an area that North had trouble getting involved in on offense last season, but his growing rapport with Rove, as well as the expanding roles of both Kroetch and DiMirio may have opened more opportunities for North with less defensive coverage. That’s no to say that Willie’s impact for the Hawks should be downplayed as the Hawks tend to lean more on the running game. Willie’s 18.2 YPC was third best in the league showing that every catch he made was a chance for big yardage. And, if North’s second year performance is any indication of how Willie could develop, he will likely see the endzone quite a few more times next season. Both of these players have a chance to make a crucial play if they get some room in what should be a very close matchup. We’ll likely see both defenses try to clamp down on both of these players and force Kyubee and Rove to lean on their secondary options to make plays.

Playoff Predictions:

ASFC Title Game: The Outlaws start their S3 playoff run as yet again the heavy favorite to take the Ultimus. The Otters have looked extremely strong this season, especially with the best offwense the league has ever seen led by superstar QB Mike Boss. But, if any defense can shut it down in the league, it's the Outlaws. The deciding match up in this game is going to be between the Otters defense and the Outlaws offense which features a surprisingly strong stable of weapons for the much improved King Bronko. Outlaws don't lose at home when they don't want to and they're going to be too strong again for the Otters. Outlaws 24 – Otters 10

NSFC Title Game: If you want an edge of your seat defensive matchup, then this game is for you. Both these teams are built in a very similar manner, relying on strong defenses. What will really be the deciding factor in this game is which offense is able to get something going. The Hawks beat the Liberty in a close game early in the season in Baltimore, and looked strong to start the season. However, they faltered many times late in the year, including getting smacked around by the Liberty in the final game of the season. On the other side of the ball, the Liberty have absolutely dominated in the second half of the season en route to their first playoff appearance. Rookie QB Clifford Rove has shown a lot of improvement and the team as a lot of momentum going forward. These are two teams trending in opposite directions right now and while the game should be close, I think the Liberty have more going for them right now. Liberty 14 – Hawks 10

Ultimus Title Game: In a game featuring two great defenses, this game may be much lower scoring than expected. In Week 2, the Liberty actually had a pretty good showing against the Outlaws and almost stole a victory. However, in Arizona and fired up from another victory against the rival Otters, I think the Outlaws will just be too much for the Liberty to handle and will be Ultimus Champions for a third straight season. Outlaws 24 – Liberty 17


Matchup Nightmare:

It should come as no surprise that the one man the Hawks should be most afraid of on the Outlaws defense is reigning MVP Jayce Tuck. The Hawks offensive line, anchored by standout left tackle Avon Blocksdale, had another great season en route to a second straight Ultimus Game appearance. But, Tuck somehow improved massively on his previous MVP campaign, breaking his own sack record along the way. No matter how you prepare for him, Tuck always seems to find a way to get to the quarterback. He can line up all along the defensive line and if he finds a weak spot he can exploit, he'll make you pay for it. It's hard to say exactly which offensive lineman he'll face the most in the championship game, but even if it's Blocksdale, I think this whole offensive line has to be wary of the damage that Tuck can do. If the Hawks can somehow shut him down, they may stand a chance to pull off an upset in this game. Kyubee and Willie absolutely picked apart the Liberty defense in the NSFC Title Game, but if Kyubee doesn't have time to set and throw this offense won't get going. It's hard to imagine the Hawks will be able to slow Tuck down as nobody has been able to figure out how to do it yet. I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing Tuck on one of his signature rampages yet again in the Ultimus game.