Saturday marks the final game of the Finnish Maple League’s regular season with the Seinäjoki Crocodiles hosting the Porvoon Butchers.
This is an interesting game for the Crocodiles as they get set to prepare for the playoffs. The Wolverines win over the Helsinki Roosters Thursday night reduced the importance of this game as the Roosters loss meant that the Crocodiles have qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth ahead of the Roosters by virtue of their win over Helsinki during the regular season.
The visiting Porvoon Butchers go into the game after losing to the Wolverines 41-20 at home, handing them their fourth consecutive loss. A bright spot for the Butchers was their quarterback Jabari Harris who accounted for 168 of the Butchers 248 total offensive yards. Harris had three touchdowns rushing and is currently second in the league in rushing yards. Running back Yusuf Lehtinen also helped the offense running for 59 yards last week. Look for the Butchers to run the ball a lot and shorten the game on Saturday.
Porvoon Butchers @ Seinäjoki Crocodiles, Aug. 29, 16:30 EEST (15:30 CET, 09:30 ET)
Defensively the Butchers run defense is the worst in the league and it doesn’t match up well this week against the Crocodiles potent running attack. Look for the Butchers to pull out all the stops with surprise blitzes and trick plays to play spoiler against a talented Seinäjoki team. Wide receiver Juuso Alakoski had some thoughts on Saturday’s matchup:
“Well we know that there is no chance to get to the playoffs but we just play for the pride of the Butchers. It’s tough but still we have to show what we got. But I’m so glad that we still got a chance to play the game we love so that is great!”
The Seinäjoki Crocodiles are coming off of a massive upset victory beating the Kuopio Steelers 14-7. Crocodiles running back Christian Powell ran for 109 yards against a very athletic Steelers defense. Quarterback Spencer Cutlan showed his strength pushing himself into the end zone for a fourth quarter QB sneak touchdown to give his team the lead. Cutlan also threw a touchdown pass to Nathe Robitaille in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Crocodiles played their best game of the season dominating a Steelers offense that put up 70 points just the week before. Seinäjoki’s run defense played fantastic holding the Steelers and their impressive running game to only 34 total yards. Defensive back Alex Germany and linebacker Saiduo Jallow were able to pick off Kuopio quarterback Seth Peters in the second half to help secure the win. If the Crocodiles defense can take this performance and replicate it in the playoffs they will be a really dangerous team. Linebacker Saidio Jallow who had a interception and three tackles last week shared his thoughts on this weeks game.
“This week we have been practicing hard also to get the W on the Butchers and prove we deserve the playoff spot.”
Saturday’s game will be a great tuneup for the Crocodiles as they get ready for the playoffs. The have played great football on defense against two potent offenses this season in the Roosters and Steelers. Offensively, the Crocodiles have found their identity as a excellent ground and pound team. The Butchers are playing for pride and have a unique chance to pull off the upset and capture their first win of the year. Look for this game to have some trickery and lots of emotion.
Watch the game live here. Porvoon Butchers @ Seinäjoki Crocodiles, Aug. 29, 16:30 EEST (15:30 CET, 09:30 ET)
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Seinäjoki Crocodiles starting lineup and roster
Porvoon Butchers starting lineup and roster
