In another thrilling championship game among the premier teams in Japan's X-League, the Obic Seagulls defeated IBM Big Blue 29-27. Obic has now won three of the last six Pearl Bowls, the game which culminates the spring season of football in Japan.
The kicking game was a big part of this game's excitement- there were a total of five(!) blocked kicks in the game, and each ran back a kick for a TD, in addition to other long returns that generally gave each team good field position to start their drives.
Both teams were able to keep their opponents running game somewhat in check- IBM could only manage 60 yards on 27 carries. Obic was a little better, with 117 yards on 30 carries, with #43 Asaki Mochizuki accounting for 72 yards on 15 carries himself. #12 Ikaika Woolsey added 24 yards on the ground and 165 yards in the air (12-17) and three TD passes.
Obic was on the board early, with a good return of the opening kickoff leading to a 37-yard field goal. On the ensuing drive, IBM starting QB #2 Yuhki Masamoto was intercepted by Seagulls DB #27 Yudai Tanaka who returned it to the 15, and Woolsey quickly found #84 Aruto Nishimura on a Post-Corner for a TD and it was 9-0. A two point conversion pass attempt was batted down.
Following the kickoff return to their own 42, IBM started their next drive on the ground, and then Masamoto began finding receivers, connecting with #81 Shouta Matunaga, the second time on a 3-yard pass that put the Big Blue on the board. Their extra point attempt was blocked. "Big guys in the middle of the line," said IBM head coach Shinzo Yamada simply, referring to Obic's #11 Kevin Jackson who blocked an extra point and one field goal, and IBM's #34 James Brooks, who manage to block two Obic field goal attempts and an extra point, despite having some trouble with cramping.
But in a pattern that would repeat itself throughout the game, whenever the Big Blue would draw close, the Seagulls would pull away again. #83 Taro Mizuno took the next kickoff, found a hole on the left side, and went 98 yards for a touchdown. This extra point conversion was successful, and Obic led 16-6 with four minutes of play remaining in the first quarter.
IBM responded with a 15 play, 66-yard drive bridging the quarters, which ended when Jackson blocked the 33-yard FG attempt. Obic responded with a a 33-yard FG attempt of their own...which was blocked by Brooks.
Masamoto was somewhat off-target throughout the half, and was intercepted on IBM's next drive. QB #3 Kevin Craft, who started last year but has been sitting out most of spring, came in to direct the Big Blue offense on an eight play, 66-yard drive, culminating in threaded pass to #81 Takashi Kurihara in the back of the end zone to bring the score to 16-13.
But Woolsey responded with a six play, 62 yard drive in the waning moments of the half, hitting Mizuno on a 31 yard post, to make the score 23-13 at halftime.
Midway through the half, Obic moved into IBM territory, but #6 Shun Sugawara, in place of Woolsey,
was intercepted by #20 Takato Yabe. Masamoto was back in at the controls for IBM, and he engineered an eleven play, 79 yard drive, running it in from two yards out, to bring the score to 23-20.
Another 33 yard FG attempt by Obic was blocked along the way, but in the final period, Woolsey directed a ten play, 82 yard drive that resulted in a TD, hitting #85 Ryoma Hagiyama from 12 yards out, to make it 29-20. The extra point was no good.
Kurihara took the kickoff at his own seven, and ran it back 93 yards, and suddenly the score was 29-27 midway through the fourth quarter.
At this point Obic began using their running game to chew up time. IBM did get the ball back with under four minutes left, but were hurt badly on a 3rd down intentional grounding by Masamoto, forcing IBM to kick from their own 3.
Obic was able to keep the ball, throwing on fourth down to maintain possession, and run out the clock.
IBM won the Pearl Bowl last year. Obic also won it in 2014 and 2012, as well as in 2005.
The two teams will face each other once again at the Tokyo Dome on September 5th, in the opening week of the fall season.
