It was the DMU Falcons on the attack to start as the Leicester faithful’s defence chant began. You could hear the passion immediately, let alone in every tackle, block and interception. The Falcons were shaken as the manager took a timeout within the first 30 seconds, that followed by minimal yardage from the Longhorns, both sides were obviously nervous. The first quarter continued in the same fashion, but it was clear the Longhorns had the edge as they were the first to make any successful throws and runs. This was often curiosity of their quarterback who would always use the two wings of the field to his advantage through curved runs around the Falcon’s defensive line. Although no major yardage was being made, the Longhorn quarterback’s confidence was rising as he brought dummies into his runs and more throws in his tactics.
Halftime quickly closed in with neither side able to break the deadlock.“No one said this was going to be easy boys” shouted a Falcon winger on the sideline after another unsuccessful attack. This was soon followed by a much needed harsh speech from the Falcon manager who wasn’t at all impressed with the transition from training to gameplay in the Falcon’s ability to accurately follow the pre-planned plays and defensive formations. “We make three or four good plays then make a silly one!”. That is what makes American football so challenging, one second too late on a throw and you’re sacked, one second too early with a throw and it’s intercepted by the opposition. But then again, those moments can also become pure magic, which the Longhorn quarterback would soon prove in the third quarter.
The Longhorns were 30 yards from the n-zone and only needed to make a few yards to get another first down so opted for another run from their quarterback. Upon receiving the ball he immediately darted towards the wing, wriggling off a Falcons defender with high steps before sprinting forward, massively helped by his teammates who held off the Falcon defence in fine style giving him an open run straight into the n-zone for what would prove to be the winning touchdown. The Longhorn faithful erupted, sparking the Falcons into an increase in successful attacks, but none were quite enough leaving the scoreline at 6-0 to the Longhorns.
A frustrating afternoon for the Falcons, but one that is sure to push them forward to greater days. Nevertheless, DMU still remained on top overall with a 10-4 lead.
