The Obic Seagulls will return to the Tokyo Dome once again to defend their X-Bowl title against the Fujtsu Frontiers, as they manhandled the Kajima Deers 45-20 in semi-final action on Sunday, while Fujitsu blasted the Nojima Rise 38-3.
The Seagull lines were dominant on both sides of the ball. OT Frank Fernandez said they took much of their game plan from watching Nojima in their victory a couple of weeks ago on the same field. "They like to stunt and blitz a lot, so we were able to run Power and get the running game rolling."
Obic scored on their opening drive, and went up 17-3 on a 42 yard pass from Sugawara to Furatani to on the final play of the first quarter. Sugawara was 16-26-1 for 203 yards; meanwhile Katoh and Ozaki went 16-39 and 4 interceptions, including three in the final quarter, dooming any real chance Kajima might have had at staging a comeback.
Vice-captain Kevin Jackson said, "We were disguising our coverages a bit and I think that confised them", said Jackson.
At one point, Kajima threatened to get back in the game. A 2nd quarter TD and a 3-and-out defensive stop, the Deers took over trailing 17-10. Jackson tipped a pass, and Mitsunori Kihara intercepted the ball at the Kajima 20. Two plays later, Sugawara scored on a 15-yard run, and Obic never needed look over its shoulder again.
The Seagulls outgained the Deers 193 to 156 yards on the ground. Furutani picked up 110 on 18 carries.
The second half didn't go much better for the Deers- they were able to manage one touchdown, Satoh going over from the 1 late in the 3rd quarter. But in the final period, they were stopped on downs once, and their final three drives ended with interceptions.
"Our defense is well-suited to what they do. early in the year we faced a lot of running teams, but today we were able to use our pass rush well", said Jackson.
In the second game, the Fujitsu Frontiers turned in a dominating performance to return to the X-Bowl for the second time in three years, defeating the Nojima Rise 38-3.
Despite a noticable size advantage, it was the Fujitsu Frontiers that outgained Nojima Rise 257 to 123 on the ground, and added 158 yards in the air.
Nojima actually struck first, taking the opening kickoff and marching down to the Fujitsu on 12 plays, setting for a 42-yard Idezawa field goal, what turned out to be the only points of the day for the Rise.
But Fujitu responded with a 65-yard drive in 7 plays, as Motoki Yoshida hit Brad Brennan in the corner of the end zone on a 22 yard scoring strike to make it 7-3. Nojima fumbled three plays later, Kosuke Kamiyama took it in from 7 yards out, and it remained 14-3 at halftime.
On the opening drive of the 2nd half, Fujitsu followed up a good return with a drive, Kon scored from a yard out on 4th and goal to make it 21-3. Kamiyama scored again on their next drive, as they went 79 yards in 5 plays, and the rout was on. Kamiyama finished with 117 and 2 TDs on 22 carries.
The Frontiers only need to throw 15 times in the game, completing 10 of them, as snaps were shared by Yoshida (4-6), Izuhara (5-8), and Hiramoto. Nojima's Kinoshita finished only 10-22 with 1 interception.
Brennan said, "alot of the credit goes to the defense- they've been playing really well".
Fujitsu has made it to the X-Bowl twice, in 2007 aND 2009 and lost both times. e Frontiers faced the Seagulls in the X-League championship game in 2002, a game won by the Seagulls 14-7.
