Japan: Panasonic Impulse stay unbeaten with lopsided win over Fujifilm
The Panasonic Impulse scored early and often this past weekend in handing Fujifilm Ebina Minerva AFC a humiliating 55-0 beatdown in the fourth week of play in Japan’s XLeague.
With the win, the Impulse improve to 4-0 and clinch a berth in the playoffs with two games left in the regular season.
Panasonic opened the scoring as kicker Shintaro Saeki booted a 52 yard field goal four minutes into the game.
That seemed to open the flood gates.
On the next offensive possession, quarterback Yuya Araki hit wide receiver Risuke Kuwata for a 77 touchdown strike to boost the lead to 10-0.
Panasonic DL Tomoya Shimizu #49 returned a botched punt attempt for a TD Photo: @xleague
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Impulse struck again following an interception. On a second and goal from the one yard line, running back Takuya Fujimoto took the handoff and then flipped a two handed pass to Caleb Phillips in the end zone to extend the lead to 17-0
With just under five minutes left in the first half, Araki connected with Phillips on a nine yard touchdown pass deep in the right corner of the end zone. Then, just over two minutes later, Fujifilm punter Ikuya Ohno botched a punt from his own 20 yard line, letting the ball slip off the toe of his foot. Impulse defensive lineman Tomoya Shimizu scooped up the ball and jogged into the end zone to give his team a 31-0 lead heading into the break.
FUJIFILM Ebina Minerva AFC Starting QB Takashi Suzuki Photo: ©xleague
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter but Panasonic added another field goal as Masahiro Kobayashi kicked a 26 yarder to boost the lead to 34-0.
The Impulse did not find the end zone again until the six minute mark of the fourth quarter as backup quarterback Hiromitsu Kobayashi hit a streaking Kuwata for a 36 yard touchdown. Three minutes later, Kobayashi struck again, this time finding Mitsuki Narita from 21 yards out to make it 48-0.
To make a tough day even worse for the Fujifilm offense, with a minute to go and on a fourth and six from his own 10 yard line, quarterback Takashi Suzuki tossed the ball right into the hands of Impulse defensive lineman Taisei Komuratani who lumbered into the end zone to finalize the score at 55-0.
