The second place 6-1 Frankfurt Universe are home Sunday, July 28, facing the 2-6-1 Kirchdorf Wildcats who sit fifth in the German Football League South.
Kirchdorf has won two of the last four games after going without a win for the first five. They lost a tough one to Marburg last week 41-28 after a four week break. The Universe have looked impressive apart from a surprising 31-0 shutout loss to the Unicorns.
Just before the four week break, Frankfurt whipped the Allgäu Comets 34-7 and the Ingolstadt 63-13, rebounding from an embarrassing 31-0 defeat at the hands of arch rivals and defending German champions, the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns in mid June. Frankfurt had opened the 2019 season with four wins, beating Ingolstadt 37-13, after getting by the Munich Cowboys the week before 24-17. They had downed the Comets 20-0 in their opening game and then defeated the Marburg Mercenaries 20-14.
For Frankfurt, Steve Cluley has thrown for 1,438 yards and 14 touchdowns with Antony Brooks (449 yds), Sebastian Sagne (339 yds, 8 TDs) and George Robinson (295 yds), as his leading targets. Sagne is out and the club has signed former Purdue Boilermaker/Philadelphia Eagle Anthony Mahoungou from France. He could really be a difference maker. Running back Justin Rodney had a monster game against Ingolstadt rushing for 188 yards and 2 TDs boosting his totals to a team-best 332 yards. Oscar Nevermann from Sweden has a total of 245 yards rushing in the seven games.
Kirchdorf is coming off the loss to Marburg but had celebrated their second win of the season after they edged the Munich Cowboys 19-18 just before the break in the GFL schedule. They had been pounded 56-0 by the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns the week before after having notched their first win of the season in beating the Allgau Comets 27-25. They had suffered through four straight losses and a tie leading up to that game. Before dropping a 31-29 decision to the Stuttgart Scorpions five weeks ago, the Wildcats had played the Munich Cowboys to a 27-27 tie, dropped a 34-7 decision to Stuttgart and then were walloped 52-14 by the Unicorns. A month ago, they lost to Marburg in a shootout, 55-49.
Wildcats HC Christoph Riener has made a couple of key roster changes replacing QB Ian Kolste, who had struggled badly, with Rex Dausin (Colorado State) who comes to the team straight from leading the Bialystok Lowlanders to the Polish title game. He looked sharp in the loss to Marburg throwing for 229 yards and four touchdowns. With top receiver Robert Ruiz out for the year with an injury, Riener brought in a familiar face, Madison Mangum. Mangum had an outstanding opening game last week catching 11 passes for 115 yards and all four touchdowns. He had been a key factor in the Wildcats promotion to the GFL in 2017. He caught 78 passes for 1,143 yards and 19 TDs that season.
The Wildcats running game has improved and is now 11th in the GFL averaging 96.4 yards led by running back Alex Braunsperger who has rushed for 450 yards and 7 TDs, good for 10th among all rushers.
With Dausin in a quarterback and Mangum looking impressive, Kirchdorf could surprise. But the Universe are playing at home and will not be complacent.
