On Sunday 24th April the Oxford Saints claimed their 2nd win of the 2016 season, with a
comprehensive victory over division favourites, the Bristol Apache.
Following two thrilling fixtures between Oxford and Bristol
in the 2015 season, the re-match last weekend on Bristol's home turf was no
different.
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| Photo courtesy of Chris Janes |
The Saints returned from a 0-13 deficit at half time to
claim a 26-15 win, with an exceptional performance from both the offense and
the defense, which the Apache were unable to match.
Bristol began with the ball and on the first play,
quarterback Simon Marris completed a
deep pass over the middle for a 19 yard gain, with the receiver being brought
down by free safety Bilal Redd.
Linebacker Spencer
Duffy asserted his position on the field and made back to back tackles for
a loss of yards to end Bristol’s opening drive, including a sack on quarterback
Harris.
With Oxford beginning their first drive under the leadership
of new quarterback Destin Maulding,
the Saints struggled to make progress against the Apache defense, with running
back Kev Brooks being stopped for
minimal gains. A fumbled ball (recovered by Oxford) set the Saints back 16
yards and forced them to punt the ball away.
With Bristol back in possession, Oxford made another strong
stand with middle linebacker Sam
Stancombe leading the defense. The Apache put the ball in the capable hands
of running back Jon Walters. Despite
picking up yards on the ground, a penalty against Bristol set them back and
tight coverage from defender Misha
Brooks prevented Harris from connecting with his targeted receiver.
With both teams probing for weaknesses, The Saints began to
move the ball in the form of running back Rob
Johnson, who picked up 18 yards and a first down on the drive. Coming up
short on 4th down, Destin Maulding attempted to convert for another first down
himself but was tackled for a 2 yard loss.
Harris went to the air and found progress against the Saints
defense. Further strong running from Jon
Walters saw him charging into the end zone for a 14 yard gain to open the
scoring for the day. Christopher Jones kicked the extra point and the host team
took a 7-0 lead.
Throughout the 2nd quarter, both teams attempted to find the
end zone but defiant defenses by Oxford and Bristol dominated the proceedings.
Combinations of runs from Rob Johnson
and Antonios Athanasiou picked up
yards on the ground but the Apache defense prevented any meaningful gains.
Oxford's defense remained strong across the board with more
tackles Spencer Duffy and Dean Bryan.
With the Saints offense knocking on the door, Maulding and
his crew were in scoring distance and only needed a few more yards to cross
into the end zone and find the equalizing score. Disaster struck and the ball
was stripped away from the offense by Bristol defender Dariusz Wiercioch who then raced the length of the field and across
the Oxford goal-line. The extra point
kick was no good and the Apache took a 13-0 lead.
Late in the 2nd quarter, the Oxford offense found its usual
fire when James Walter was switched from tight end to running back before being
unleashed on the Bristol defense.
Walter picked up 6 yards on his first carry before breaking
out for a 30 yard gain the play after. Further running from Walter was
accompanied by a 24 yard gain from team-mate Grant Tebb, he eluded several defenders as he charged up the field.
With the end zone in sight again, a pass from Maulding was
intercepted by an Apache defender and Bristol once again stopped the Saints
from getting onto the scoreboard.
With Bristol looking to add another score before half time,
they were moving the ball on the ground well with more tough running from Jon
Walters who was supported by an offensive line clearing a path for him.
Although With tackles being made by Bilal
Redd, Eric Mendoza and Duffy, Bristol continued to pick up yards with each
play.
Duffy fired up the Saints sideline when he landed a big hit
on quarterback Simon Harris for a 10 yard sack, which also forced the ball to
come loose. Defensive end Adam Baker
reacted immediately and dived on the loose ball to to claim possession for
Oxford. Despite an 18 yard carry by Walter, the Saints ran out of time in the
first half to add points onto the board.
At the half time interval, Head Coach Andrew Day and Defensive Coordinator Nick Wykes addressed the team and made several adjustments.
Coming into the 2nd half ready to go, Oxford began with
possession and it was all James Walter as he charged across the field, picking
up 47 yards on 5 carries before crossing the goal-line from 3 yards out to
score a touchdown.
Kicker Sam Fielden
attempted the extra point kick but it was no good, but the Saints made it a
one-score game narrowed the deficit to just 13-6 in favour of Bristol.
With quarterback Mike
Hindmarsh taking over duties for the Apache in the 2nd half, Oxford strong
safety Chris Fox dealt a blow early on with a 7 yard sack on Hindmarsh as he
attempted to scramble and find space.
Hindmarsh and the Bristol offense were able to keep the
drive alive and continued to progress up field until Bilal Redd claimed his first interception with the Oxford Saints,
leaping high in the air to snatch the pass from Hindmarsh.
Walter continued to have a break out game as he continued to
wreak havoc against the tiring Apache defense, running for 49 yards in a single
play before being brought down.
In Bristol territory, Maulding completed a deep 21 yard
throw to Grant Tebb in the corner of the end zone, who managed to reel in the
touchdown pass despite close coverage by Apache defenders.
Head Coach Andrew Day made the decision to take the lead and
instead of kicking the extra point, he kept Maulding on the field. The
quarterback rolled out and threw a pass to tight end Richard Bloomer who was uncovered in the corner of the end zone,
giving the Saints an additional 2 points. 14-13 Oxford.
Oxford's defense closed the 3rd quarter on a high note with
a further sack on the Bristol quarterback, this time forcing a 7 yard loss at
the hands of linebackers Graeme Taylor
and Dean Bryan. The defense
continued to put pressure on the Apache with further tackles from Baker, Bryan,
Mendoza and Stancombe.
The relentless James
Walter continued to be an unstoppable force and was on track for a record
breaking performance, with a run for 26 yards and then a touchdown run for 49
yards into the end zone. The kick was no good but the Saints moved to a more
comfortable 20-13 lead.
Oxford's brutal defense continued to over power the Apache
and the next drive saw defensive end Conor
Whitehouse land a 7 yard sack on Hindmarsh, followed by a 9 yard sack from
Stancombe on the next play, forcing Bristol to punt.
The Saints marched down the field again with running from
Walter and Athanasiou, before Maulding handed the ball to full back Luke Fry who charged untouched into the
end zone for a 28 yard score, marking his first career touchdown with Oxford.
Fielden attempted the extra point kick but it was deflected
and a Bristol defender scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Oxford end
zone, awarding them 2 points. 26-15 Oxford.
As the final whistle was blown, the Saints celebrated their
victory over the division favourites in what Oxford considered a must-win
game.
Walter ended the game with a remarkable achievement and
personal record of 270 rushing yards, the majority of which were earned in just
the 2nd half of the game. An average of 10.8 yards per carry. He also
contributed two touchdowns and was named Team MVP (most valued player) for his
standout performance.
These kind of stats and his ability to create momentum for his
team reaffirms the logic behind Walter being called up to the GB Squad, with
his first game against an international team coming up in September against
Russia.
The game was also the first for new player David Anthony who filled in
occasionally at nose tackle. It was noted by the defensive coaches that he had
a very strong first game and his stand out performance was driving the Bristol
centre deep into the backfield and taking him to the ground.
James Walter added: “I’m extremely proud of the team this
weekend; for not getting disheartened despite being down by two scores at half
time.
The decision of the HC to move myself to running back at the start of
the second half proved crucial as we managed to drive the majority of the field
and score, thus providing the spark to turn the game around.
Inspiring players all over the field such as Rich Christian’s sterling
performance as part of a revitalised offensive line against a heavy blitzing
Bristol defense; combined with some outstanding plays from all over our own
defense.
It's always amazing to hit new records, 270 personal rushing yards
almost exclusively in the second half is phenomenal. Our offense is going from
strength to strength with playmakers all over and I don't see why both the team
and I cannot go on to set more records this season."
Head Coach Andrew Day commented after the game: “The
heart and desire shown by the lads was something else. Not only coming from a 2
score deficit at the half, but to totally dominate the second half scoring 26
points to Bristol's 2 and in the end running out as comfortable winners.
I'm really pleased with this win but we won’t rest. We know that only
continued hard work on the practice ground will keep us going in the direction
we want."
Defensive Coordinator Nick Wykes added his thoughts on the
defensive performance: “We had playmakers right across the unit and
Sunday was a disciplined, focused and very promising performance. A lot of
things we need to go away and tidy up, but today the Defense showed real
character and played their part in a very imposing team performance."
