Road to German Bowl XLI: Quarterfinal QB Head to Head – Frankfurt Universe v. Hildesheim Invaders

AFI | American Football | 09/20/2019

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

The German Football League quarterfinals kick off this weekend with the top eight teams in the GFL squaring off as the Road to German Bowl XLI begins.

The GFL South#2 ranked Frankfurt Universe will face the GFL North #3 Hildeheim Invaders in one matchup, on Saturday, September 21.

The Universe finished the regular season with an 11-3 record scoring 478 points,. Hildesheim stumbled, losing three of their last four, dropping into third with a 10-4 record.

The two quarterbacks took two very different routes to get here. Universe starting quarterback Steve Cluley is in his second year with the team but the first time as a full time starter all year after suffering a season ending injury early in 2018. Meanwhile, Casey Therriault is a returning veteran with a sparkling record including four German titles under his belt with the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions who had spent a year away from the game before returning this season with the Invaders.

Cluley finished second in the GFL in overall yardage with 3,563 and fourth in average per game, (254.5), right behind Therriault who averaged 261.4. Their numbers are similar with almost the same average yards per completion, with 13.7 for Cluley and 14.3 for Therriault. They threw for almost the same number of touchdowns. Cluley had 35 touchdown passes in 14 games while Therriault tossed 34 in 12. Their NCAA QB ratings were also almost identical with Cluley’s 165.4 fourth best behind the third best (172) of Therriault.

The only major category that separated them was rushing. Therriault was far more effective using his legs, rushing 87 times for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Cluley rushed 73 times for only 86 yards.

And that could be the difference in this game. If Therriault is completely healthy. He had foot problems which kept him out of a couple of games late in the year, one of them a loss. He also re-injured the foot once in a loss to Dresden. His backup, Chris Andrews, proved in the final game for the Invaders, a solid 24-7 victory over the Potsdam Royals, that he is more than capable of stepping in. The starter for this game will likely be a game time decision for head coach Gerritt Meister depending on Therriault’s health..