Friday Night Football is back in the Swedish Superserien! The Carlstad Crusaders will be hosting the Uppsala 86ers. These two teams faced each other last week in Uppsala with the Crusaders winning 20-0. Look for the 86ers to make some adjustments to try and get the win against a familiar foe.
The 86ers missed a chance to get a win in front of their home crowd last week in a game that was a lot closer than the 20-0 score indicates. The 86ers have really been struggling on offense this year. This was the second week in a row they were shut out. Not to overstate the obvious but Uppsala needs to score some points this week. Look for them to include some trick plays and try out players in different positions in order to inject their offense with some energy. A bright spot for Uppsala was defender Henry Hornell who finished the day with 7 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Overall, the 86ers defense played a solid game forcing two turnovers and holding their opponent to only 20 points. Keep in mind the defense spent a lot of time on the field as Uppsala’s offense struggled mightily gaining only 85 total yards and 7 total first downs. Linebacker and running back Josh Akena had some thoughts on this weeks rematch:
“Playing the same team back to back is tough. We know what they look like and vice versa. We will probably brush up on what we need to improve and can expect the Crusaders to do the same. But I doubt the games will look the same. Comes down to who prepares better.”
Uppsala 86ers @ Carlstad Crusaders, Sept. 11, 19:00 CET (13:00 ET)
Carlstad’s defense has been playing great so far this season and it showed against the 86ers holding them to only 85 yards and forcing a interception. Offensively, they are still looking for the groove as they have faced some adversity with injuries at key positions. Offensively, the Crusaders were led by the running back duo of the Emils. Emil Ostlund and Emil Knutsson combined for an impressive 151 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Danny Farley threw for 119 yards and a touchdown, but the story of the game was linebacker Christian Kuylenstierna who flew all over the field collecting eight total tackles and four tackles for a loss. As a unit, the Crusaders defensive line dominated pressuring Uppsala quarterback Gustav Bowall constantly and recording four sacks on the day. Look for the Crusaders to run the ball often again this week and dominate the time of possession. Defensive back Darius Lewis on the rematch:
“I am excited for the opportunity. The scouting report won’t change much, but our execution can. Practice is good for tightening up details, but this will be an opportunity to practice execution.”
Last week was a tough defensive matchup for both teams. Look for the some more points to be scored the in rematch as coaches will have plenty of experience against a familiar defense. Uppsala is hungry for a win and the Crusaders are out to prove they are contenders. It will be very interesting to see how coaches adjust in the back-to-back games!
Watch the game live here. Uppsala 86ers @ Carlstad Crusaders, Sept. 11, 19:00 CET (19:00 ET) (Note that the game is geoblocked to viewers within Sweden. It is available by clicking here.)
Carlstad Crusaders roster
Uppsala 86ers roster
