The Stuttgart Scorpions, Europe #11, (5-2) will travel to Marburg. Germany to take on the Marburg Mercenaries (3-3) Sunday, June 29, in German Football League midseason action.
Stuttgart won the first game between these two teams, beating the Mercenaries 30-21 in Stuttgart.
The Mercenaries are on a roll after winning three straight as they have unleashed their passing game. They defeated the Munich Cowboys two weeks ago 41-29 and before that downed the Ingolstadt Dukes 43-14 after notching their first win of the season the week before. It was a big one as they outdueled the Kirchdorf Wildcats 55-49. They had dropped their first three games of the year in 2019, losing 52-9 to the defending champion Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, then 30-21 to the Stuttgart Scorpions and finally 20-14 to the Frankfurt Universe.
Marburg quarterback Jakeb Sullivan has been outstanding having thrown for 1,790 yards in six games, third best in the GFL averaging 298.3 yards a game. Hendrik Schwarz is his leading receiver with 546 yards receiving on 27 receptions. Marvin Rutsch has caught 35 passes for 246 yards while teammate Triston McCathem has 433 yards rushing (4th in average with 72.2/game) for the year but he also has 278 yards receiving.
Stuttgart is coming off a narrow 21-19 win over the Munich Cowboys last week after losing badly to the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns 63-21 the week before. The Scorpions had celebrated their fourth win of the year the week before that defeating the Kirchdorf Wildcats 31-29. The season had opened with promise with the Scorpions getting a 30-21 win over the Marburg Mercenaries, followed by a 34-7 victory over Kirchdorf and then a 37-30 win over Ingolstadt.
Stuttgart QB Michael Eubank has thrown for 1,731 yards in seven games with an average of 247.3 yards a game, good for sixth in the league. Running back Giacomo De Pauli has rushed for 477 yards and also caught 24 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Super speedy wide receive Tyler Cooperwood has 33 receptions for 530 yards and eight touchdowns while Luca Faschian caught 27 for 468 yards and five touchdowns.
Last week, the Scorpions relied on big plays to get by Munich. Will that be enough against a surging Marburg team playing at home?
