The İstek Spor Yeditepe Eagles, 2017 Turkish semifinalists defeated the back-to-back league champions, the Koç Rams 20-19.
The score stunned the rest of the Turkish American Football League. It was the first time since 2011 that the Rams have lost a game during the regular season.
And yet it should not come as a huge shock. The Yeditepe Eagles came very close to pulling off the upset in last year’s semifinal losing 17-16 to a Rams team following a controversial finish. The referees in that game inexplicably allowed the final 26 seconds to run off the clock with the Eagles poised to score.
This time Yeditepe made no mistake, relinquishing the lead only once and after regaining it in the second quarter, hanging on the rest of the way.
Parris Lee was active on both sides of the ball, here seen making a tackle
Running back Parris Lee scored two touchdowns for the Eagles while safety Mike James grabbed three interceptions and had two 75 yard kickoff returns. Oluwafemi Bamiro added a third touchdown for Yeditepe.
For the Rams, quarterback David Whipple threw one touchdown pass, to Kaan Özer, and ran one in himself, but was also intercepted three times. Genco Kaan Güler kicked two field goals and an extra point.
The Eagles took an early lead in the first quarter as Lee hauled in a swing pass and raced 73 yards for a touchdown. Whipple responded in the second quarter, marching his team down to the one yard line and then carrying the ball in himself. With the extra point, the Rams took the lead 7-6.
Yeditepe responded with a field-long drive of their own in the second quarter and Lee finished it off with a three yard run and the Eagles regained the lead, 13-7.
The Rams drew closer in the third quarter as Güler kicked a field goal but Bamiro capped another Eagles drive with a touchdown and the Eagles increased their lead to 20-10. Güler kicked another Rams field goal and then Whipple found Özer from nine yards out to pull within one, 20-19 with plenty of time left.
However, Mike James sealed the win for the Eagles, picking off Whipple for a third time in the game with less than a minute to go.
The Eagles defense held strong the rest of the way and the Yeditepe began celebrating a historic victory.