Ultimus Bowl XXIII
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| Stadium | The Graveyard, Yellowknife, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Offensive MVP | Mathias Hanyadi, Fullback (YKW) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Defensive MVP | Douglas Quaid, Linebacker (YKW) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ultimus Bowl XXIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) for 2038 (S23). The National Simulation Football Conference (NSFC) champion Yellowknife Wraiths defeated the American Simulation Football Conference (ASFC) champion Austin Copperheads, 25-24. The game was played at the The Graveyard in Yellowknife, Canada.
Contents
Background
Teams
The NSFC was represented by the top ranked playoff seed Yellowknife Wraiths, while the ASFC was represented by their third position Wild Card seed Austin Copperheads.
Yellowknife Wraiths
The Yellowknife Wraiths were back in the ISFL Season 23 Season ready to redeem the upset loss they suffered in the Playoffs of Season 22. The clear favorite from the season before was there in full force to begin the redo and were slated as the favorites once again to take over in the NSFC. The comeback season started off hurtful once again as they lost a very close upset to the newly talented Baltimore Hawks in the season opener. However, this seemed to light a fire of redemption for the Wraiths as the proceeded to keep the vision in their sights as the proceeded to win 10 of the next 13 games in the regular season to show that the y still have what it takes to go out and compete with the league. Towards of the end of the season they tapered off against some tough competition in what could have been a solidified number 1 seed, but losing out the last 2 games let it come down to a slim tie breaker lead with the Coloradi Yeti who were looking to repeat their previous season performance. Yellowknife ended the season 10-6 with the Top Offensive production in the NSFC and attributed the 3rd best in the league led by Cooter Bigsby 3900 Yard, 21 Touchdown season as well as a 1300 Yard 13 Touchdown season from Fullback Mathias Hanyadi.
Austin Copperheads
The Copperheads returned as the reigning #2 seed from the season previous, and looked to continue on They started the season off with a 4-2 start and were in good contention to keep going forward as an early favorite. However, the team suffered a mid season collapse that saw them lose 5 of the final 8 games of the season. The Copperheads were clearly struggling , the defense was having issues against the passing game and it showed when they played the teams that had it as a strength. The Copperheads still were able to take advantage of a very weak ASFC division just barely skirting into a wild card spot at 8-8. Ultimus hopes looking slim going into it, but every game is taken as its own once the playoffs begin and we begin to see if the copperheads can pull it together to upset some teams.
Playoffs
The Wraiths started with the top seed against the 4th place Hawks and handily won their playoff opener, while they awaited the winner of the other quarterfinals which would lead to them with a much awaited rematch against the team that eliminated them from the season before, and 2nd place seed Colorado Yeti. In a nailbiter game that was very defensive. The Wraiths were finally able to up end their foe and pull off a competitive 13-10 victory and pave their way to the Season 23 Ultimus. The Copperheads squared off against the #2 seed Secondline after learning the winner would be facing the Orange County Otter on their own redemption trail, The Copperheads edged out the Second line in a 20-15 matchup relying on the defense to hold New Orleans from scoring for the final 10 minutes of the game. In the Semifinal game to decide who would face off against the Wraiths in the Ultimus, the Copperheads came in on all cylinders jumping to a quick 17-6 lead. A small collapse in defense allowed the Otters to begin mounting a comeback and taking a lead of 19-17. Early in the 4th momentum shifted as Honda Edmond got an enormous interception return for a touch down and draining all momentum the Otters had, and showing the light to the Copperheads team as they went on to hold the lead and go into the Ultimus.
Game summary
First Quarter
The game opened up with an early back and forth drives of 4 and outs before Austin got a quick strike on the board and scored a touchdown in 3 plays, to which the Wraiths answered right back with a score of their own lead by Cooter Bigsby who decided to use the knowledge of Austins weak pass defense and lead the team with all out aerial assualt. After showing that they can handle the offense of Austin, the Wraiths beginning to go into game management mode for the remainder of the quarter, and presumably the rest of the game.
Second Quarter
With the wraiths in management mode they began running long drawn out game management drives with multiple consisting of double digit play counts. The game management played out for the first half as in the 2nd quarter they limited Austins possession to only 3 minutes, while using their time to put up 2 scores in the quarter with another air attack from Bigsby early on in the quarter and capped off just before half time with a 34 Yard field goal by Dougie Smalls and going into halftime with a solid 17-7 lead. Before the Wraiths would go back into the 2nd half with possession again.
Third Quarter
The Wraiths came out the half on the same energy they went in with. Time management clearly in their gameplan after scoring 17 unanswered points the Wraiths opened up their half with another 4 minute possesion leading to another touch down from the Wraiths this time on the backs of Full and Half back Skyline and Hanyadi. Down 24-7 The Copperheads needed to get something started and proceeded to open back up on offense but seemed to struggle once returning into the redzone, only being able to cap it off with a Field Goal as the only answer in the 3rd quarter. The Wraiths wasted no, better yet all the time, remaining in the third once again with some great small play management and capping off another touchdown to round out the half. With all hopes dwindling for the Copperheads it was all or nothing for Austin heading into the 4th.
Fourth Quarter
The 4th quarter was much of the same as it was, Wraiths once again limited Austin to only 3 minutes of possession and holding them to only just a field goal until the final 5 minutes of the game, with the wraiths firmly in control of the game with no worries in site. They added insult to injury with one last touchdown for themselves with 5 minutes remaining on an absolute dart from Cooter Bigsby to the Rookie Wide Receiver Mike Lee, with perhaps the biggest play they could make for any rookie in their debut season, the Ultimus clinching Touchdown and the official nail in the coffin. The Copperheads were not able to muster any more offense and the realization came in that the Ultimus hopes were over and the Wraiths had taken the Season 23 Ultimus as Champions.
Game statistics
Statistical comparison
| Statistic | Austin Copperheads | Yellowknife Wraiths |
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| First downs | 14 | 25 |
| Third down efficiency | 4/14 | 12/14 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 1/3 | 0/0 |
| Net yards rushing | 141 | 157 |
| Rushing attempts | 34 | 37 |
| Yards per rush | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Passing – Completions-attempts | 12/19 | 29/45 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 2 |
| Net yards passing | 144 | 293 |
| Total net yards | 285 | 450 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-25 | 1-5 |
| Time of possession | 27:49 | 32:11 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
Box score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copperheads (ASFC) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Wraiths (NSFC) | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at The Graveyard, Yellowknife, Canada
- Date: 06 February, 2039
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
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