Ultimus Bowl XIX
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| Stadium | Burial Grounds, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Offensive MVP | Franklin Armstrong, Quarterback (OCO) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Defensive MVP | Logan Uchiha, Free Safety (YKW) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ultimus Bowl XIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) for 2034 (S19). The American Simulation Football Conference (ASFC) champion Orange County Otters defeated the National Simulation Football Conference (NSFC) champion Yellowknife Wraiths, 30-27, to win their record extending 8th Ultimus Bowl championship. The game was played at Burial Grounds in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. This was the second separate occasion in which the Orange County Otters won three consecutive Ultimus Bowl Championships. It was also the fourth matchup of these two franchises in an Ultimus Bowl, with the Orange County Otters emerging victorious in all four matchups.
Contents
Background
Teams
The NSFC was represented by the Yellowknife Wraiths, and the ASFC was represented by the Orange County Otters.
Yellowknife Wraiths
The Yellowknife Wraiths went into Ultimus Bowl XIX after posting a league best record of 9-4, which was tied with the Otters in the ASFC. The Yellowknife Wraiths were first place in the NSFC for the third consecutive season. Cooter Bigsby led the best offence in the NSFL, which led in points, yards and passing. The Wraiths defence took a step back from last season, as they were middle of the pack within their conference and one of the worst league wide against the pass and in points. Despite this, Danny Grithead had yet another stellar season at free safety, racking ups league leading 15 sacks, and ranking top 5 in tackles. The Wraiths were still named as strong contenders to win their conference and possible the Ultimus going into the playoffs.
Orange County Otters
The Orange County Otters continued their consecutive playoff appearances streak that dated back to 2016 (S1). The Otters headed into the season as the defending champions, winners of Ultimus Bowl XVIII. The Otters started the season at 7-0 before losing to the New Orleans Second Line in week 8. The Otters then lost their last 3 games, their record falling to 9-4, and losing the right to host Ultimus Bowl XIX to the Yellowknife Wraiths. Despite this disappointment, the Otters were still the first seed in the ASFC. Franklin Armstrong had a very strong third season as he led a very potent offence and for most of the season was considered the front runner for the Most Valuable Player and Quarterback of the Year Awards. Lanzer Grievous finished second in the league in sacks, and second in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He led the number one defence in points, yards, and against the pass.
Playoffs
Yellowknife started off with a smothering victory against the Philadelphia Liberty in the Quarterfinals. Adriana Falconi threw 4 interceptions against the Wraiths fantastic defence. Lightsout Lewis was the defensive standout in the game with 11 takes and 2 of the 4 interceptions on the day. The NSFC Championship featured a rematch of the previous two season’s Championship as the Wraiths hosted the Hawks who they had beat last season at the same stage. This time was no different as the the Wraiths dominated the Hawks, with Cooter Bigsby having nearly 400 yards passing a 3 touchdown passes in a turnover free game.
The Otters beat Outlaws in the Quarterfinals and had a big game agains the team who ruined their undefeated season, matching up with the New Orleans Second Line in the Championship for the ASFC. They prevailed for the third straight year, with a hard fought 28-13 home victory to reach their third straight Ultimus Bowl. Franklin Armstrong had a very efficient game with a passer rating north of 130. The 9-4 Wraiths had won the tiebreaker over the 9-4 Otters, thus earning the right to host Ultimus Bowl XIX. It would be a rematch of Ultimus Bowl XVIII which occurred a year ago.
Game summary
First Quarter
The game started off as a defensive battle, similar to Ultimus Bowl XVIII as both teams exchanged punts and sacks. Franklin Armstrong made his first ever crucial interception during the playoffs in the midst of the Otters 2nd drive. This led to a possession for the Yellowknife Wraiths in great field position but all they managed was a field goal by Neo Donaldson.
Second Quarter
The teams exchanged punts and sacks much like the first quarter but the Wraiths managed to break through with Cooter Bigsby throwing a touchdown pass to Sunnycursed. This put the score at 10-0 for the Wraiths. The Otters offence continued to struggle for most of the quarter but managed to pull together a decent drive towards the end of the 2nd to put the game at 10-3. The half ended with Cooter Bigsby fumbling in Otters territory while near field goal range.
Third Quarter
The Wraiths got the ball to start the second half, but were promptly stalled as Lanzer Grievous sacked Bigsby during their first drive. Franklin Armstrong drove down the field for the touchdown, running it in from 13 yards out to tie the game at 10-10. The Wraiths were forced to punt again, as Franklin Armstrong led the Otters down for their second straight touchdown drive, this time with a touchdown pass to Hugh Mongo. The Otters had broken the game open, taking a 17-10 lead as the energy was sucked out of the crowd at the Burial Grounds. The Wraiths then proceeded to have an inexplicable turnover in their own territory which led to a chip in field goal for the Otters as they took a two score lead with no time remaining in the quarter. With a kickoff at 0:00 in the 3rd quarter, the Wraiths had a huge 80 yard return setting them up in the redzone to ignite a rollercoaster fourth quarter for the ages.
Fourth Quarter
The Wraiths started off hot, quickly scoring a touchdown with Mathias Hanyadi making up for his 3rd quarter fumble to make it a one score game with 14 minutes to go in the Ultimus. The Otters managed to take the next drive all the way inside the Wraiths 5 yard line, but couldn't put the game away, having to settle for a field goal to make it 23-17. The Wraiths then took the ball and also stalled within the Otters 20, settling for a field goal to make it 23-20. After forcing the Otters to punt, the Wraiths took the next drive all the way for a crucial touchdown, with Drake running it in. This gave the Wraiths the lead with 4 minutes left in the game. Unfortunately for the Wraiths, Franklin Armstrong made it look easy, needing only 2 minutes to drive down for another Otters touchdown to give the Otters a 30-27 lead. Cooter Bigsby and the Wraiths got the ball back but like last season, couldn't put together the miracle drive. The game ended with the Wraiths still on their end of the field as time expired. The Otters won, 30-27 in a back and forth second half. Franklin Armstrong was named the Ultimus Offensive Player of the Game for the third consecutive season as his second half heroics and three total touchdown performance made him a worthy recipient. Small consolation prize for the Wraiths as defensive stalwart Logan Uchiha was named the Ultimus Bowl Defensive Player of the Game for his 5 tackle, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 passes defenced performance.
Game statistics
Statistical comparison
| Statistic | Orange County Otters | Yellowknife Wraiths |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Third down efficiency | 3/12 | 8/17 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1/1 | 2/2 |
| Net yards rushing | 155 | 76 |
| Rushing attempts | 27 | 21 |
| Yards per rush | 5.7 | 3.6 |
| Passing – Completions-attempts | 15/34 | 26/53 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Net yards passing | 224 | 372 |
| Total net yards | 399 | 448 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-10 | 5-33 |
| Time of possession | 31:20 | 28:40 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Box score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otters (ASFC) | 0 | 3 | 17 | 10 | 30 |
| Wraiths (NSFC) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 27 |
at Burial Grounds, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
- Date: 28 January, 2035
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
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