German Bowl XLI is a dream matchup as the defending champion and unbeaten Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns take on the undefeated Braunschweig New Yorker Lions, Saturday, October 12 at Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.
The last time these two met was German Bowl XXXIX when the Unicorns blocked a last second field goal attempt to defeat Braunschweig 14-13.
Both teams marched through the regular season without a defeat finishing as the number one and two teams in terms of both offense and defense. Schwäbisch Hall boasted the most prolific offense while the Lions had the stingiest defense.
In the playoffs, the Unicorns first beat the Berlin Rebels 45-24 and then took care of the Dresden Monarchs 30-13. Braunschweig rolled over the Stuttgart Scorpions 70-3 in their quarterfinal matchup and then doubled up on the Frankfurt Universe 36-18.
The comparisons are a contrast in styles.
Unicorns quarterback Jadrian Clark was among the top passers in the league. Over the 16 games he has played this season, including both playoff wins, Clark has thrown for 3,904 yards and 50 TDs against only 9 interceptions. In the playoff victory over the Rebels he threw for 375 yards and 5 TDs and against Dresden, 257 yards and 3 TDs. But the kicker is his QB rating which topped the league at 199.4.
Braunschweig QB Brandon Connette has led his team to another undefeated season but not by putting up spectacular passing numbers. His efficiency rating was superb as Connette may have only thrown for 2,320 yards during the 14 game regular season and two playoff victories, but he achieved a rating of 182.5 and also rushed for 791 yards and 17 TDs.
There is definitely a contrast i offenses between the New Yorker Lions and Schwabisch Hall Unicorns
The key to the Lions offense is the running game with both Connette and powerful running back Chris McClendon among the top rushers. McClendon led the league in rushing with 1,801 yards and 23 TDs while Connette was the best rushing quarterback in the league with 791 yards and 17 TDs. While the team had the top two rushing offenses in the league, Braunschweig was the toughest team in the GFL to run against.
The Unicorns receivers featured two of the top six in the GFL with Nate Robitaille and Tyler Rutenbeck coming in at #3 and #6. Meanwhile, Braunschweig’s receivers, while not as prolific, were all Connette needed as both Christian Bollmann and Nicolai Schumann were extremely reliable.
The Lions allowed the fewest points in the league giving up 12.5 points a game while Schwäbisch Hall surrendered 13.6, good for second. Braunschweig also led the league in fewest yards allowed with 228.6. The Unicorns were third in the GFL surrendering 260.8.
No team defended against the run better than the Lions who gave up just 52.4 yards a game. Schwäbisch Hall were fourth best in Germany at 71.4 yards allowed per game.The Unicorns defense got to the quarterback 36 times for the second best sack record in the league while Braunschweig recorded 19. The Unicorns led the GFL in interceptions as their ball hawking secondary picked off opposition quarterbacks 25 times compared to Braunschweig’s 19.
Both coaches, Jordan Neuman of the Unicorns and Braunschweig head coach Troy Tomlin, are veterans of championship games.
Like the last meeting between the two in 2017, this one promises to be a thriller.
