LIVESTREAM: Germany – Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns @Stuttgart Scorpions, June 24, 3p (9a EST)
The winless Stuttgart Scorpions (0-7) face a daunting task Sunday, June 24 when the play host to the number one team in Europe, the defending German champions, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (7-0) at GAZi Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany.
This is the second game between these two teams this season. The Unicorns had no trouble handling Stuttgart in the first meeting in early May, beating them 49-19.
The Scorpions offense which had been anemic, has improved slightly under new quarterback Michael Eubank, their third quarterback of the season. Stuttgart started the year with Frank Brock and after his departure Rick Webster stepped in. Eubank took over three games ago and has thrown for 597 yards and four touchdowns, averaging almost 200 yards passing a game. In last week’s close 30-27 loss to Marburg, he completed 17 of 24 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. His leading receiver is Richard Samuel while running back Giacomo De Pauli, who is also a German national team running back, has rushed for 393 yards, or 56 yards a game.
Meanwhile, Unicorns quarterback Marco Ehrenfried is third overall in passing yardage with 1,690 yards and 15 TDs. Unicorns WR Tyler Rutenbeck is 6th and has 463 yards.
Defensively, Schwabisch Hall is allowing 9.7 points a game and has by far the toughest defense against the run giving up just four yards per game.
While on paper, this game would seem to be a foregone conclusion, Stuttgart has a couple of things to their advantage, They are playing at home and Eubank is getting more and more comfortable with the offense.