Europass: Galaxy won the old-fashioned way
By Mike Carlson
Frankfurt coach Mike Jones cut RB Butchie Wallace in training camp. But Wallace rejoined the team in Week 5 and proved a valuable complement to Roger Robinson. Never more valuable than in World Bowl XIV, where his 143 yards rushing -- 138 in the second half -- brought him the games MVP trophy as he led his team to a 22-7 win over the Amsterdam Admirals.
Break down the top plays from Frankfurt's 22-7 World Bowl win.
Galaxy scored 20 unanswered points in the second half that brought the World Bowl to Frankfurt for a record fourth time. But what was most impressive was the way Jones' team went out and executed its game plan. It's rare to see a team live up to expectations as faithfully and as fully as Frankfurt did. The game was billed as a matchup of Frankfurt's running game against Amsterdam's passing attack. Not only did the Galaxy gain 269 yards on 42 rushes and controlling possession for 35 minutes, but it also held Amsterdam's passing in check by sacking QB Jared Allen six times and turning one key interception by all-league safety Brandon Haw into the game's turning point -- three key second half points. If Wallace had been wearing a leather helmet and running out of the Notre Dame box formation, it could not have been a more old-fashioned domination.
Butchie Wallace proved to be a valuable asset for the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Amsterdam coach Bart Andrus couldn't manage to win a second straight World Bowl with a backup quarterback. At times, Allen's inexperience showed and it was a simple slip that led to the game's first score -- a sack by Jerome Nichols that resulted in a safety after Mike Barr's punt had pinned the Admirals at their own 2-yard line. But for a half, Amsterdam's defense rose to the big occasion. It held Robinson to only 25 yards on 11 carries in the first half. The team came out throwing, but had its greatest success with Larry Croom, who did a fair imitation of Robinson at tailback and added pass catching to his 14 carries for 82 yards. It was Croom's 12-yard run one play after he'd caught a 14-yard pass from Allen that gave the Admirals their 7-2 halftime lead. But the Admirals were never going to win the World Bowl on the ground.
As Robinson promised before the game, the Frankfurt line could not be beaten for four quarters. With fullback J.R. Niklos delivering some devastating lead blocking, the team pounded away at Amsterdam in the second half. Robinson broke away for a 24-yard run on the second play of the half, but it was Wallace who took up the burden of lugging the leather. Robinson, despite an injury, would finish with 19 carries for 96 yards, numbers disappointing only to the league's new single-season rushing record holder. He did fumble on that drive, but Keith Willis recovered to keep the drive alive and Wallace finished it with a 5-yard touchdown that gave Frankfurt a 9-7 lead.
After Haw's interception and Kimball's field goal -- with Robinson hurt -- Wallace carried 10 times for 51 yards on a long Frankfurt drive that ended with a second field goal and a 15-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. And it was Wallace whose 63-yard scamper with 1:46 to play broke the game open. Niklos got the touchdown, running it in from 12 yards out, putting the game out of reach at 22-7.
Frankfurt coach Mike Jones devised the ideal game plan that led to a World Bowl win.
To say that the simplicity of the game plan was impressive makes it sound easy, but it fell into place because of the way the teams matched up. Jones had the confidence to play to his team's strength and attack Amsterdam's. "You saw how we went after their quarterback," said Ed O'Neil, the Galaxy's defensive coordinator. "If we got ahead, we were going to get him." Offensive coordinator Whitey Jordan simply said with a smile, "we're hard to stop, we have such good blockers."
How good? Starting quarterback Jeff Otis and backup Bryson Spinner completed only 7 of 19 passes for 75 yards. "The key was our offensive line taking over the game," said Otis. "They completely dominated the second half." Tony Brown, Amsterdam's defensive tackle and co-defensive MVP for the league's season, agreed. "We just couldn't get them off the field," he said.