Davion Miller ran rampant as the Dubai Stallions ended the Abu Dhabi Wildcats’ reign at the top with a 21-12 win at Zayed Sports City last night.
The two-time defending champions couldn’t slow down Miller as the running back scored all three of the Stallions’ touchdowns to set up an all-Dubai showdown in the Desert Bowl.
“It was basically revenge,” Miller said. “These guys beat us going on three seasons and we just wanted to come out here and give them payback.”
Quarterback Chris Wentzel was intercepted by the Wildcats’ Bobby Admire on the very first play from scrimmage, followed by a muffed punt, a fumble on a bad handoff exchange and a second Wentzel interception by Nader Al Mahri.
“We didn’t start off good,” said Stallions coach Anthony Daniels, who celebrated his 50th birthday.
“I have to give props to my defence because our offence had four turnovers early and we held [Abu Dhabi] to one touchdown.”
The @DubaiStallions defeat the @AUHwildcats 21-12 and advance to the Desert Bowl where they’ll face cross-town rivals @DubaiBarracudas
— EAFL (@EAFL_UAE) February 27, 2015
Miller gave his team the lead in the second quarter with a 5-yard score to pull ahead 7-6, then again pushed Stallions ahead 14-12 in the third quarter with a 14-yard run.
Miller saved his best for his last, taking a handoff and juking defenders for a 54-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 21-12.
Daniels said of his star performer: “I think that Davion is one of the best running backs in the league. He’s our workhorse and we’re going to work him.”
For the Wildcats, a switch was made at quarterback as wide receiver Corey Williams shifted under centre to run an option-based offence with running back Vivaldi Tulysse.
The change came after Perry Blackburn had played quarterback all season.
Williams added a speed element that at times gave the Stallions trouble, but Dubai’s defence for the most part did well to contain him and Tulysse, forcing several fumbles.
Great game, so proud of my team, Stallions rose to the moment and won the second half and the game. Great effort by the wildcats. Coach D
— Dubai Stallions (@DubaiStallions) February 27, 2015
“We just needed a change of pace,” said Abu Dhabi coach Charles Gillespie.
“We thought it was the best option for us, so we pulled the trigger on it trying to get it sorted.
“[Williams] ran a great offence for us, we just came a play or two short.”
The Wildcats’ first touchdown came when Haidar Ali snagged Williams’ fumble out of the air in the end zone to put Abu Dhabi up 6-0.
Their only other score came on an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Saber Belghith just before halftime.
With the two-time champions eliminated, the third Desert Bowl will see a new team claim the title when the Dubai Stallions and the Dubai Barracudas play on March 13.
Barracudas make short work of Desert Foxes
Dubai Barracudas made light work of Al Ain Desert Foxes, earning a 20-6 victory at Zayed Sports City yesterday to punch their ticket to the Desert Bowl.
Entering as heavy favourites against the winless Desert Foxes, the Barracudas stuck to the script, using the combination of an overpowering running game and stingy defence.
Despite a comfortable win, Dubai coach Kyle Jordan wasn’t pleased with how his team played in what turned out to be a dress rehearsal for the title game.
“I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but the penalties, the extended drives when we were on defence, the plays we left on the field offensively, the scores taken away because of penalties, that sort of stuff can’t happen in the next game we’re going to play,” Jordan said.
“I’m happy we got the win and are advancing, but not happy with the way we played.”
The Desert Foxes were without their explosive running back Ghazi Abdul Hakim, who was absent after heading home for a family emergency, according to coach Darrell Magee.
Dubai running back Jacob Dhaher was the drive-finisher on the day, punching in a pair of short, 2-yard touchdowns in the second quarter.
The power back’s second score was set up by defensive back Mahmoud Malik’s interception of Al Ain quarterback Mutaz Abuhammour near midfield.
After taking a 14-0 lead into halftime, the Barracudas received the ball to start the third quarter and nearly struck immediately.
Running back Lamar Ellison took a handoff and broke several tackles on the outside to sprint 60 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty negated the score and the possession ended in a punt.
Ellison would get his chance later in the fourth quarter when he found the end zone with an 8-yard run to put Dubai ahead 20-0.
The Foxes fought off the shutout in the final seconds with a desperation throw by Abuhammour into the end zone, which was tipped into Dequan Smith’s hands for a 25-yard touchdown to get Al Ain on the board.
