The Uppsala 86ers (1-1) travel to Limhamn in the south of Sweden to face the Limhamn Griffins (0-2) for the third Friday Night Football game of the season broadcast on Sweden’s TV4 and Cmore.
The last time these two teams met in 2016, Uppsala won 53-23 after being upset by the Griffins earlier in the 2016 season 8-7.
The 86ers, 2016 Swedish finalists, enter the game following a pair of heavy losses to reigning Swedish champions, the Carlstad Crusaders and Finland’s Helsinki Roosters (NEFL game).
The loss to Helsinki was not without additional consequences as quarterback Kiernan McDonagh suffered a shoulder injury and was replaced by Fabian Söderberg who will likely start against Limhamn. Although running back Victor St. Pierre Laviolette had a tough day against Carlstad, he rebounded against Helsinki and was a bright spot. In the two games again Helsinki he rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns.
Uppsala head coach Moe Kadkhodai:
“It was strange last spring with the coach change and we were not syncing yet. This year we have played four matches and know where we have our strengths and weaknesses. But that does not mean that we underestimate Limhamn. On the contrary, they seem to have a better team than last season.”
Limhamn have also struggled early in the season. They suffered a lopsided loss to Carlstad but looked better in losing 17-6 to the Tyreso Royal Crowns. Still they have only managed to score 17 points in two games and will need their offense to step up.
The biggest signing of 2017 for the Griffins was former Purdue Boilermaker, Swedish offensive/defensive lineman David Hedelin who was in the Dallas Cowboys 2016 training camp. He is accompanied on the defensive line by good friend and former Purdue teammate Jalani Phillips. Once these two get in sync, they could be a formidable run stopping duo. New quarterback Chris Holt will line up behind center for the Griffins for his third start of the year.
Limhamn head coach Greg Gibson:
“I am expecting both David and Jalani to have huge days. Jalani is back in football shape now, which makes him scary good. He may see some snaps on offense, while David is a starter on defense. We are very excited about the challenge.”
This is a pivotal game for both teams. A loss by the Griffins will make it tough to have a chance for the playoffs. If Uppsala loses they will put themselves in a precarious position and in a battle just for a playoff berth.
Kickoff is 6:30 pm (12:30 EDT) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.
Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here. Click on the button that says “Prova 2 veckor gratis – Try it for 2 weeks for free” . Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You have two weeks free viewing. After that, if you don’t cancel it costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 per month.