They may be no Annie Oakley and Frank Butler, but on Saturday Mike Williams and Magnus Urth performed a rendition of ‘Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)’ which would have merited a standing ovation on Broadway.
The pair didn’t compete to see who could sing higher or sweeter and nobody shot a partridge with a single cartridge, but the pair of receivers had an evening of one-upmanship never before seen in Denmark. Urth dazzled with 16 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns for the AaB 89ers, but it was Williams who had the last word, recording 10 catches for 241 yards and a score as the Copenhagen Towers earned a decisive 46-26 victory on the road.
Much like the musically inclined sharpshooters behind the iconic song, both teams were quick on the draw to start the contest. Towers quarterback Randall Schroeder drew first, finding Williams in behind coverage for a 63-yard gain. Michel Konate punched it in the remaining four yards for six, but Copenhagen’s two-point attempt came up short and the 89ers answered right back. After failing to connect on his first deep shot, pivot Shelton Eppler delivered his next past to Urth in stride on a post route and the receiver proved he could be a racer, turning upfield for a 75-yard touchdown romp and a one-point lead.
AaB attempted a squib onside kick but Copenhagen recovered after some chaotic scrambling, only to have to punt the ball right back to their opponent. Eppler led his team down the field and after the Towers gave the drive new life by roughing the punter, finished in the redzone with an eight-yard touchdown toss t0 Jens Norgaard to extend the lead.
Behind early, Copenhagen turned to their workhorse back to right the ship. Anton Witmeur busted loose for 29 yards on his third carry of the drive and set his team up inside the ten, with Schroeder connecting with Marcus Boesen for a four-yard score soon after. Konate tied the game up at 14 with a two-point convert.
The second quarter began with an Eivind Rolles interception for Copenhagen, but both teams came up empty until late in the frame. Back in his usual spot on defense, Boesen punished an 89er fourth-down gamble with a sack-fumble recovered by Mads Nielsen. Aided by a pass interference penalty, Schroeder soon had the Towers in prime field position and threw it up for Williams on a fade. The receiver hauled in an easy 18-yard touchdown and Jacob Green added the two-point convert ahead of halftime.
The Towers kept the momentum going after the break. Schroeder found Williams for 33 yards down the left sideline to set up first and goal, then after an unnecessary roughness penalty pushed them back Green ran a crosser to the pylon for a 17-yard score. Witmeur added another two-point try and Copenhagen had a commanding 30-14 lead as both teams fell back into a rut.
That ended early in the fourth quarter. Despite being backed up at his own one-yard line by a perfect Towers‘ punt, Eppler drove the 89ers down the field and Urth continued to be his outlet. He caught long passes of 27 and 33 yards on the drive to get his team to the goal line despite a dropped touchdown from Lucas Bach and Eppler powered in a short run to cut the lead to 10 after a failed two-point attempt.
After another chaotic squib kick, Copenhagen had had enough. Schroeder found Williams for a massive 47-yard gain down the seam, then the receiver took a short dump off 17 yards to set up first and goal. Konate scampered in from three yards out and Witmeur added the two-point , but the 89ers lost their cool on the score and convert, allowing the Towers to kick off from plus territory thanks to the penalty yardage. They opted for the onside kick and Eivind Rolles recovered, but it continued to be the wild west on the field as he drew another major penalty from the home side. Copenhagen took over inside the Aalborg ten-yard line and Witmeur carried in another touchdown, with Williams adding the plus two.
While the undisciplined play put the game out of reach, the 89ers weren’t quite ready to roll over. Eppler found Urth for a big 41-yard gain down the right sideline, then went back to him for a 24-yard touchdown to one-up his receiving rival. The two-point attempt was no good and Copenhagen easily reeled in the final squib kick, icing a 46-26 victory.
While Williams and Urth went shot for shot, like dancing Broadway sharpshooters, they got excellent performances from their gunslingers as well. Shelton Eppler went 31-of-47 for 383 yards, three touchdowns, an interception, and added a rushing score for the 89ers, but Randall Schroeder notched the victory for the Towers after going 16-of-32 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Copenhagen’s stronger ensemble proved the difference, as Jacob Green caught four passes for 60 yards and a score, Anton Witmeur carried 13 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, and Michel Konate got into the endzone twice while recording 48 yards on 12 carries.
When it came to the fantastic displays from two of Denmark’s best receivers on Saturday, it’s useless to debate who is superior and who is inferior. In the end though, the Copenhagen Towers were the big attraction and that’s not all. Now sitting at 4-1 on the season, the Towers have a chance to seize sole control of first place in the Nationalligaen with a win over the Søllerød Gold Diggers next week.
Mike Williams get your gun, it’s almost time for the encore.