The Koc Rams, defending Turkish champions head into Moscow, Russia Saturday, May 12 to face the defending Russian champions, the Moscow Patriots, in a do or die matchup in the Central European Football League, CEFL.
The Rams and Patriots play in the CEFL East division along with the reigning Serbian champions, the Kragujevac Wild Boars. The Rams defeated Kragujevac a month ago in a shootout, 47-41. Meanwhile, Moscow lost a 34-20 decision to the Wild Boars two weeks ago in Serbia.
So the stakes are high in this game. The winner of the East division will advance to a European Superfinal against the Swarco Raiders from Austria, winners of the CEFL West.
The Rams simply need to win the game. Moscow needs to win but by more than 22 points.
To stop the Rams, Moscow needs to stop quarterback David Whipple who threw for three touchdowns in the win over Kragujevac while rushing for another. Running back Taha Çokadar rushed for two more touchdowns.
The Patriots rely heavily on quarterback Igor Chernolutskiy who scored two touchdowns in the loss to Kragujevac. He is also the Russian national team quarterback and helped lead Russia to the IFAF Europe qualifying playoffs in 2016. Add import receiver/defensive back EJ Woods to the mix, and Moscow also has a dangerous offense.
Watch the game live here. CEFL East – Koc Rams (Turkey) @Moscow Patriots (Russia), May 12, 5p (4p CET, 10a EST)
