[tps_title]Russia Superleague[/tps_title]
The Russian Superleague saw 12 teams in action this past weekend and there were plenty of rivalries in the four divisions.
Simferopol Taurus (13) – Sevastopol Titans (22)
Regardless of the political situation surrounding the peninsula, American football is alive and well in Crimea, as the Taurus hosted the Titans in a rematch of long and storied rivalry.
Having lost the first game of the season quite decisively, the Simferopol squad looked to correct the mistakes at home and still make a run for the Black Sea Division, but they ultimately fell just short. Losing the battle in the trenches, they never managed to establish any kind of offensive momentum. And while their defense held on for most of the game, the considerable time of possession advantage that the Titans had eventually wore them out, as they conceded three scores in a tough loss at home.
With the win, Sevastopol takes the Black Sea Divison title and becomes the first team to advance to the playoffs in Russia.
Urals Lightnings (21) – Team Samara (6)
For the second home game in row, the Lightnings greet their guests with a true rainstorm in their mountainous city of Ekaterinburg, but just like in week one when they hosted the Chelyabinsk Tanks, it seemed like the weather actually played into visitors favor by preventing a much bigger Lightnings victory.
The Urals squad once again relied on aggressive play by their front seven to disrupt the opposing offense, while overpowering them on the other side of the ball to establish a comfortable lead before the rain took the game over.
Samara has greatly improved their game coming from an opening loss to Chelyabinsk, but the newly arranged team seems to lack the experience of playing together, opening holes for both running and passing game. But they might not have enough time to find the answers this season, as the second loss in a row makes them all but eliminated from the playoff contention.
Podolsk Knights (44) – Nizhny Novgorod Raiders 52 (7)
Having to travel to Podolsk with injured Kirill Zavyalov (their head coach and starting quarterback), Raiders 52 were not able to rally on either side of the ball and put much of a resistance against the dominant Podolsk. In addition to that, they were also missing some key pieces in their secondary, which (together with stellar play in pass protection) allowed the hosts to open up their playbook and attack them through the air.
The surprising Knights, who have previously relied on their heavy run game behind a dominant offensive line, were able to explore a different side of their playbook, which they will definitely need against the tougher teams in the playoffs – where they’ve already clinched a spot with a game to spare.
[tps_title]Russia Superleague[/tps_title]
Moscow Black Storm (6) – Moscow Spartans (33)
The 2013 Russian champions Black Storm continue to survive in a life support mode, as the organizational struggles they’re faced with at the moment gave a start to the rumors that they might have to forfeit the game. Nevertheless, they managed to field a team that was once again dominant with in some areas of the game, only to have some new and inexperienced parts let them down.
Boasting one of the nation’s best and toughest defensive lines, they were able to get a lot of penetration in the trenches and stuff plenty of runs – only to have the linebackers concede big plays whenever Spartan running back Denis Pronkin managed to get to the second level. Similarly, they brought in a lot of pressure on their quarterback Ivan Goloveshkin, who was nevertheless ready for it and managed to scramble for two rushing touchdowns.
With the victory, the Spartans look to take the second playoff spot in the Volga Division behind the Knights, which they will be able to clinch in their last game against Raiders 52.
Moscow Patriots (31) – Moscow United (8)
After the disappointing loss to the Griffins at the start of their 2015 campaign, the reigning champions are getting closer and closer to the shape that allowed them to win the title 10 times to date. The game against their Superleague rival from Moscow was not an exception, as they seem to establish more and more of an offensive rhythm that allowed them to take control of the game as early as in the second quarter.
Quarterback Igor Chernolutsky was able to distribute the ball between the long and short distance throws pretty equally, which stretched the United defense enough for them to consistently find vertical openings, a tendency that their younger opponents never managed to counter.
As for the United, they came into this game with a gung-ho attitude, perhaps realizing that being aggressive was their only shot at beating their more experienced rivals. The strategy worked for a part of the game, as their blitzers were getting after Chernolutsky time and time again, but ultimately his receivers were able to produce big plays by outplaying the United defense in man-to-man coverage on a regular basis.
St. Petersburg Griffins (23) – St. Petersburg North Legion (13)
The last rivalry of the weekend was another Superleague battle for St. Petersburg. The Griffins were viewed as heavy favorites and proved it immediately, by scoring on their opening possession. However, the Legion also came into the game well-prepared, as their game plan was designed around rolling out the quarterback to negate the Griffins dominant defensive line play; this worked well at the start of the game, as they were able to get into the end zone with several mid-range passes on the very next drive.
Nevertheless, the Griffins class showed, as it only took them three more plays to cover 70 yards and regain the lead. That appeared to be way too easy for them, as the team has visibly relaxed and eased its grip, and would only go on to score 10 more point by the end of regulation – which could’ve come back to bite them, as the Legion was able to connect several long passes in the fourth quarter and get into pay dirt again.
