Ultimini V
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Stadium | The Snake Pit, Portland, Oregon | ||||||||||||||||||
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MVP | Michael Scott, Running Back | ||||||||||||||||||
Ultimini Bowl V was an American football game played to determine the champion of the Development Simulation Football League (DSFL) for 2022 (S7). The [[DSFL North] (NFC) champion Portland Pythons defeated the DSFL South (SFC) champion TIjuana Luchadores, 24-17, to win the inaugural Ultimini. The game was played at The Snake Pit in Portland, Oregon.
Contents
Background
Teams
The NFC was represented by the Portland Pythons, while the SFC was represented by their second seed Tijuana Luchadores. This was the Tijuana Luchadores first Ultimini Appearance in franchise history.
Portland Pythons
The Portland Pythons were one of the strongest franchises in DSFL football, and this season would prove to be no different, finishing with a 12-2 regular season record. Despite having strong regular season performances, the Pythons still had not won the Ultimini. This season fans had high expectations for the Pythons, as they had stars on both sides of the ball, including the season's best QB, Colt McCoy, best WR, Mark Grau, and top 10 defensive player, Mason Brown.
The Pythons were heavily favored to win this game.
Tijuana Luchadores
The Tijuana Luchadores were a franchise plagued by poor regular season and post season performances, having never won a playoff game in franchise history. This season appeared to be no different, with the team barely making the playoffs with a losing regular season record of 6-8. Despite this losing record, the team had one of the best defenses in franchise history, with three future NSFL all-stars: Chad Pennington, Thad Pennington, and Ben Horne. This defensive unit would be critical in the upset victory against the San Antonio Marshals in the SFC Championship game, where the Luchadores would win with a final score of 22 to 10. In addition to this defensive unit, the Luchadores had the season's best running back, S. Spinelli.
Despite coming off of a huge win in the SFC Championship, the Luchadores were underdogs in this game.
Playoffs
Portland defeated the Luchadores 24-17 to win the 5th Ultimini. The Luchadores would play from behind nearly the whole game, only tieing the game half way through the 4th quarter. A 37-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Grau would seal the game late in the 4th quarter.
Pre-game notes
The Pythons and Luchadores met twice in the regular season, with the Luchadores losing both outings by large margins.
Game summary
First Quarter
In the first quarter, the Pythons defense was dominate, sacking Luchadores QB Brad Pennington 5 times and stopping Spinelli's rushing attack throughout the quarter. The Pythons would score 7 points in the quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run from Scott. Overall, both defenses played well, produces 5 punts total in the quarter.
Second Quarter
In the second quarter, both defenses would continue to play well. The Pythons forced 3 punts and an interception for a touchdown, while the Luchadores held the powerful Portland offense to 0 points. The Luchadores would get their first points on the board with 2:29 left in the half, scoring a 16-yard touchdown from Brad Pennington to Viggo Squanch.
Third Quarter
After the half, defensive was still king. The Pythons allowed no points in the 3rd quarter, despite only forcing 1 punt. The Luchadores forced and recovered a fumble on a McCoy sack, but would allow the Pythons to hit a 35-yard field goal late in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter proved to be the most exciting, with the Luchadores scoring on back to back drives to tie the game at 17. The first score came from an early rushing touchdown, while the second score came from a 20-yard field goal. The Luchadores would continue to play solid defense, forcing an interception to set up the 20-yard field goal. This tie would last for the better part of the 4th quarter. With 6:20 left in the game, the Luchadores would decide to go for it on 4th and 6, but were unsuccessful. This turnover on downs would become crucial, as the Pythons would score a touchdown on the very next play to take the lead. This would end up being the final score 24-17.
Game statistics
Statistical comparison
Statistic | Tijuana Luchadores | Portland Pythons |
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First downs | 12 | 15 |
Third down efficiency | 2/13 | 4/14 |
Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 1/1 |
Net yards rushing | 63 | 157 |
Rushing attempts | 26 | 35 |
Yards per rush | 2.4 | 4.5 |
Passing – Completions-attempts | 18/28 | 12/29 |
Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
Net yards passing | 163 | 197 |
Total net yards | 189 | 232 |
Fumbles-lost | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Penalties-yards | 7–75 | 9–102 |
Time of possession | 30:27 | 29:33 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Box score
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Luchadores (SFC) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
Pythons (NFC) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at The Snake Pit, Portland, Oregon
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST
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References
Template:Ultimini Bowl
Template:Tijuana Luchadores
Template:Portland Pythons
Template:DSFL season 7 by team