Ultimus Bowl XVII
| File:Ultimus Bowl VII logo.svg | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | The Aviary, Baltimore, Maryland | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive MVP | Franklin Armstrong, Quarterback (OCO) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Defensive MVP | Lanzer Grievous, Linebacker (OCO) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ultimus Bowl XVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) for 2032 (S17). The American Simulation Football Conference (ASFC) champion Orange County Otters defeated the National Simulation Football Conference (NSFC) champion Baltimore Hawks, 28-17, to win their record extending 6th Ultimus Bowl championship. The game was played at The Aviary in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the second time in which the Orange County Otters matched up with the Baltimore Hawks in an Ultimus Bowl. The Otters won the previous matchup back in 2027 during Ultimus Bowl XII. Both meetings ended with the Orange County Otters bringing home the Ultimus Trophy.
Contents
Background
Teams
The NSFC was represented by the Baltimore Hawks, and the ASFC was represented by the Orange County Otters.
Baltimore Hawks
The Baltimore Hawks saw themselves with an 8-5 record which put them in a three way tie with the Wraiths and Butchers in the NSFC. The Wraiths were placed as first seed due to tiebreakers, with the Hawks placed second. The Hawks had a well balanced team, with a very proficient pass game, featuring NSFL MVP and Quarterback of the Year Corvo Havran, as well as standout wide receiver Errol Maddox. The defence was among the best in the league, ranking 1st in both total yards and passing yards allowed and second in rushing.
Orange County Otters
The Orange County Otters managed to continue their consecutive playoff appearances streak that dated back to 2016 (S1). The Otters headed into the season with a new rookie Quarterback Franklin Armstrong taking over for Gus Showbiz, long time Otters starter. Not much was expected for a team led by a rookie QB with a very young receiving core. There was a danger for the Otters playoff streak to end and it nearly did. The Otters finished with a 7-6 record, 2 games behind ASFC leading and defending champions Arizona Outlaws. Franklin Armstrong had a very strong rookie season as he led a middling offence headlined by players like Johnny Blaze and fellow rookie Hugh Mongo. The run game was where this team shined with Apollo Reed being the number one offensive weapon, with 13 total touchdowns and finishing second with 1246 rushing yards.
Playoffs
Baltimore started off with a fairly no nonsense victory against the 8-5 Chicago Butchers in the Quarterfinals, winning by a score of 40-6. Vander Jones was the primary offensive standout 100 yard rushing game with 3 rushing touchdowns. The NSFC Championship featured a matchup of the two top teams in the NSFC, with the Hawks visiting the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Hawks jumped out to a quick 21-3 lead, and managed to hold off a Yellowknife comeback for a 27-24 victory. Havran had a stellar game, finishing with just over 300 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns, leading the Hawks to their 8th Ultimus Bowl appearance.
The Otters beat the Sabercats in the Quarterfinals in a closely contested game and then had their 2nd straight matchup with the Arizona Outlaws in the Championship for the ASFC. They managed to get revenge for the previous year's devastating loss, with a hard fought 37-20 road victory to reach their 6th Ultimus Bowl all time. Armstrong had an efficient two touchdown game, while Reese misfired quite a bit due to a stingy Otters secondary with a 19/45 completion/attempt ratio.
Game summary
First Quarter
The game started off with a bang for the Otters, as Franklin Armstrong led the team down the field for an opening touchdown drive ending with a 1 yard rushing touchdown for Armstrong. The Hawks struck right back with a very quick touchdown drive, with veteran receiver Sunnycursed with a 19 yard touchdown reception. Armstrong fumbled on the subsequent drive but the Hawks weren't able to capitalize on the games only turnover. The game was 7-7 at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
The Hawks had the ball at the second quarter and managed to get into field goal range. Lanzer Grievous managed to sack Corvo Havran on 3rd and long. This led to a longer field goal attempt for Brand, and he ended up missing the 44 yard field goal. The Otters got the ball in great field position and Armstrong led them on another long touchdown drive, giving the Otters a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
The Hawks got the ball to start the second half, and took the opening drive all the way down the field for a touchdown from Havran to Ahri Espeeyeeseetee. The Otters answered with an impressive touchdown drive of their own with Armstrong connecting with Hugh Mongo for his 3rd touchdown pass, making the score 21-14. The Hawks yet again managed to hang in there for a solid field goal drive, making it a closely contested 21-17 game going into the fourth quarter of Ultimus Bowl XVII.
Fourth Quarter
The Hawks stalled on their next drive giving the ball back to a hot Armstrong and Otters offence. The Otters went on a long 85 yard drive, ending with Armstrong's 3rd touchdown pass of the day to Johnny Blaze, making it a 28-17 game for the visitors. The team exchanged tense defensive stands, but eventually the Hawks made some headway. They drove down to the the Otters 9 yard line and yet again stalled in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs to effectively end the game.
Franklin Armstrong wrapped up an improbable playoff run with a a final stat line of 17/27, 287 yards, 3 touchdown passes, 135.9 passer rating and another touchdown on the ground. This was enough to earn him his first Ultimus Offensive Player of the Game Award. On defence, Lanzer Grievous had 8 tackles, 1 sack and 4 passes defenced. He took home the Ultimus Defensive Player of the Game Award. This marked the Otters 5th Championship, a championship that came a little early for the Orange County Otters young generation of new players.
Game statistics
Statistical comparison
| Statistic | Orange County Otters | Baltimore Hawks |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 16 | 15 |
| Third down efficiency | 3/10 | 6/16 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1/1 | 1/2 |
| Net yards rushing | 122 | 66 |
| Rushing attempts | 33 | 11 |
| Yards per rush | 3.7 | 6.0 |
| Passing – Completions-attempts | 17/27 | 25/52 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Net yards passing | 287 | 376 |
| Total net yards | 409 | 442 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-30 | 0-00 |
| Time of possession | 34:34 | 25:26 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
Box score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otters (ASFC) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Hawks (NSFC) | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at The Aviary, Baltimore, Maryland
- Date: 23 January, 2033
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
