2006 NFA (3-20) Conference Championship League News Update

It's that time again...

Carson City Comets at Yukon Yeti
14 to 34
Kentucky Stallions at Boston Liberty
12 to 7

The Carson City and Yukon game was a good one to watch despite the score. I did project the Yeti to win and I was right, but the way they went about it surprised me. Yukon's offense was inconsistent, not something I'm used to seeing from them. At the end of the first half the score was Yukon 27, and Carson City 0. As you can tell by the final score, Carson City outscored the Yeti in the second half and eventually Charlie Joyce eclipsed Torry Mathis in terms of passing yards, not something that happens every game. Torry Mathis was 17 for 31 with 305 passing yards and a completion percentage of 54.8%. Mathis threw 3 touchdowns (2 to Mack Pleasant and 1 to Lamaar Craig) and one interception. This certainly wasn't his worst game; I was just surprised at how well Charlie Joyce and his passing offense worked for Carson City. Joyce was 29 for 50 with 315 passing yards and a completion percentage of 58%. However, Joyce's touchdown and interceptions are the inverse of Mathis' with 1 TD pass (to Lance King) and 3 interceptions. Carson City threw the ball awfully well for a team that was ranked 31st in the NFA in passing offense. Both quarterbacks seemed to have favorite targets that got over 100 receiving yards this game. Carson City had Lance King and Yukon had Mack Pleasant. Carson City is usually known for their strong defense and rushing attack, and only one of them worked on the Yeti. The Comet's rushing game was absolutely shut down by the powerful Yeti linebackers who relentlessly filled holes and pursued the ball. Pro Bowl running back Will Reynolds ran for only 27 yards on 16 rushing attempts. That's a rushing average of 1.7 yards per carry, not something you usually see from a Pro Bowl running back. However, Reynolds did rush for one touchdown. On the other side of the ball Yukon's running game worked under Tim Peterson and a few scrambles by Torry Mathis. Peterson was playing at about 90% of his full health and I thought he did alright for facing one of the best rushing defenses in the NFA. He ran for 54 yards on 11 carries with an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Another thing about this game that really jumped out at me was Yukon's powerful defense in the first half. Carson City was held to a 3 and out on their first 2 possessions. The MVP of the game was Yukon's middle linebacker Lionel Nipper with 9 tackles (at least 2 of those were for a loss). Nipper also swatted away 3 passes and intercepted one near the end of the game which he returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. This was certainly an interesting game, but there are still some major concerns for Yukon. First of all, their offensive motor just about stalled in the second half. Not one point from the offense in the entire second half and three turnovers (2 fumbles and an interception). Yukon needs to work on consistency if they want to win the super bowl, especially against a Kentucky Stallions team that's looking very hot this time of year. This brings me to the Kentucky, Boston game this week. This NFC Conference Championship game turned out to be one that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I cannot believe that Boston lost to Kentucky. I was stunned at Kentucky's defensive power that seemingly came out of nowhere. I was expecting this to be a shootout with Boston's defense preventing Kentucky from keeping up with the quick tempo of the Boston offense. Shane Gaines was mostly shut down with only 148 passing yards and a completion percentage of 41% (he was 10 for 24). Gaines also threw the only Liberty touchdown of the game to Leslie Johnson, but he also threw an interception. On the other end was Pro Bowl QB Jon Austin who did around the same as Gaines with 154 passing yards and a completion percentage of 52% (13 for 25). Austin was briefly injured in the 3rd quarter and backup Erik Gore came in and delivered a few solid plays as he went 2 for 3 with 32 passing yards. The rushing game for both teams was shut down and this is probably what hurt the Liberty the most. Liberty Pro Bowler Josh Page only got 21 yards on 10 rushing attempts (average of 2 yards per carry). Kentucky's running game was a bunch of negative numbers except for running back Doug Malone who only gained 10 yards on 18 rushing attempts. However, Kentucky was able to spread the ball through the passing game as they methodically moved down the field. This led to 4 field goals kicked by Bryce Johnson, his longest being from 51 yards out. The MVP was Kentucky Strong Safety Courtney Smith with 6 tackles and the game's only interception. The key to Kentucky's victory was a consistent passing attack that allowed them to get in scoring range. Boston's only score was a 60 yard pass to Leslie Johnson. As you can see, it seemed the Liberty overstretched themselves instead of being consistent and methodical as the Stallions were. This is what may be a key factor in the Super Bowl. As I mentioned when talking about the Carson City, Yukon game, Yukon lacked consistency. If they can't maintain that in the Super Bowl then the Stallions may very well prevail. However, there was a point near the end of the game were Boston had a chance to run a 2 minute drill. They came through on a big 4th and 15 situation deep in their own territory with a minute and 56 seconds left to play, but they failed on a 4th and 10 as they neared the redzone. Boston's only points came in the first quarter where as Kentucky put up 3 in the first quarter, 6 in the second quarter, and 3 again in the third quarter. Again, I point out that the key to Kentucky's victory was consistency. Now that I've taken a look at the Conference Championship games let's take a look at the Super Bowl.

Yukon Yeti vs. Kentucky Stallions

It's not hard for me to think that this is a situation just like last year, but last year the Topeka Oilers never had to face the Liberty. The Stallions have a very underrated defense to compliment their well known powerful passing offense. Kentucky's style isn't too far apart from Yukon's and it should make for an interesting Super Bowl at the very least. As for the score, I'm expecting a shootout that puts the final score in the high 20s to low 30s with Yukon coming out on top at the end. At the very least I'm excited that it's this time of year again. All injuries for both teams are now fully healed; I expect a great game.