The two top teams in France’s Conference B square off Sunday, May 8 with the unbeaten Marseille Blue Stars (7-0) heading out on the road to take on the Catalans Grizzlys (5-2) in the biggest matchup in the D1 Elite Championship.
This is the second meeting this year between these two teams. The Blue Stars came away with an exciting 35-28 victory over Catalans back on March 27, at home in Marseille. Grizzlys’ quarterback Jacob Purichia put on a show in that game, shredding a great defense for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a losing cause.
The Grizzlys sit behind Marseille in Conference B with a record of 5-2. After dropping their first game to the Argonautes by a score of 49-35, they strung together three straight victories before losing to Marseille. They then went on to beat the Grenoble Centaures 36-7 and Montpellier Hurricanes 48-0.
Marseille has definitely been the powerhouse of the conference scoring 308 points in seven games while allowing a mere 50, over half of those coming in the win over the Grizzlys.
The Grizzlys have been led by a lethal passing attack. Quarterback Jacob Purichia leads the league in passing yards with 1,786 in six games for an average of 297 yards per game. He also boasts an impressive ratio of 21 touchdowns to five interceptions. Additionally, the top two receivers in the league play for Catalans. Idriss Ramky is having an incredible season so far, with 47 catches for 760 yards and sox touchdowns to this point. In second place in receiving yards in the league is Ramky’s teammate Sean Boswell, who has 555 yards. He has been Catalan’s main red zone threat, as he leads the league in touchdown receptions with 11. The Grizzlys’ leading rusher is Onzo Adramann, who has 334 yards and six touchdowns in six games. Zaire Ugapo has been a standout on defense, as he is third in the league with six sacks.
Marseille’s quarterback, Kaleb Scott, has had a solid start to the year, with 1,259 yards passing and 16 touchdowns in six games. His favorite target has been Vincent Monteiro, who has 18 catches for 441 yards and six touchdowns. The Blue Stars rely on their ground game more than the Grizzlys do. Florian Angelini, the lead running back, is fourth in the league in rushing yards with 428, while his teammate Luka Yellow ranks sixth in the league with 338 yards. Defensively, Eddy Abdullah has been their leader, topping the league in tackles with 49.5 while ranking second in sacks with six. In other words, the Grizzlys need to get Abdullah under control. In fact, the Blue Stars’ strength as a team is their defensive front, as three of the top six sack leaders play for Marseille (Fayade Said (8), Noahs Bagreaux (4) and Abdullah).
This game will come down to the Blue Stars ability to control the Catalans passing game and the Grizzlys front seven’s ability to neutralize the Marseille running game.
Marseille Blue Stars @ Catalans Grizzlys, May 8, 13:00 CET (1 pm, 07:00 am ET)
