One day after having their way against Jeddah, the Emirates American Football League (EAFL) Falcons were made to work for a 21-12 win over familiar foes the Almaty Titans.
Unlike the blowout victory less than 24 hours earlier, the Falcons were challenged by a team they previously edged 15-13 last June, but the hosts had enough firewpower to top the Kazakhs once again to sweep the weekend’s international slate at Zayed Sports City on Saturday night.
Running back Luke Norrey provided two of the Falcons’ three touchdowns in the game, first finding the end zone from 7 yards out on the ground in the opening quarter before adding insurance in the third period with a 15-yard run.
Norrey, who also had a 10-yard rushing score versus Jeddah on Friday, has enjoyed running behind the All-Star offensive ine of the Falcons.
I caught up with @EAFL_UAE Falcons running back Luke Norrey, who had two rushing touchdowns in the 21-12 win over Almaty Titans @Sport360 pic.twitter.com/iSTKSQIYCS
— Jay Asser (@Jay_Asser) April 8, 2017
“A lot of space,” Norrey answered when asked what he saw on his two trips to paydirt against Almaty. “That’s the joy of playing with the Falcons, these guys who we play against the whole season we’re playing with. It’s making the most of everyone we’ve got. The offensive line blowing people up makes it, I don’t want to say easy, but easier.”
The third touchdown came on the legs of Jay Hall, who converted a 10-yard run in the second quarter to extend the Falcons’ lead to 14-0.
Jay Hall takes the handoff and finds end zone from 9 yards out to extend the @EAFL_UAE Falcons' lead over Almaty Titans to 14-0 @Sport360 pic.twitter.com/cg751rgjqs
— Jay Asser (@Jay_Asser) April 8, 2017
Almaty, however, fought back in the second half with their own running back, Ulan Stybayev, finding the end zone twice on a 2-yard plunge in the third quarter and a 4-yard scamper in the fourth to narrow the gap to 21-12.
On the strength of Daniel Viranyi’s flawless kicking game – he converted all three extra points against Almaty and all nine for the weekend overall – and stops on both Titans’ two-point conversion attempts, the Falcons were able to keep the visitors at arm’s length.
“We knew Kazakhstan were going to be tough. We know they play hard and play with heart,” Norrey said. “They’re a lot more organised and can go for a while, but at the end of the day we got it done.”
The Falcons’ next opponent and destination is yet to be determined, but after starting their season with two impressive victories, the EAFL’s best are gaining confidence.
Said Norrey: “A couple more practice sessions and a couple more games, I think we could go anywhere and win.”
ROBINSON STRAPS ON THE PADS
The EAFL Falcons are not only comprised of the best players across the league, but all four men’s head coaches. Abu Dhabi Wildcats coach Tony Robinson, however, felt he could contribute more than by just standing on the sideline and actually put on a uniform to play in the win over the Almaty Titans.
That beast right there (58), yeah that's Abu Dhabi Wildcats coach Tony Robinson in full uniform ready to jump into the game @Sport360 pic.twitter.com/3SJLdk7Gzz
— Jay Asser (@Jay_Asser) April 8, 2017
Robinson was planning on playing from the opening whistle, but his pads didn’t arrive until halftime. At the intermission, he suited up and put on Samer Omar’s jersey before getting on the field in the third quarter.
While it was amusing for his players and fellow coaches, there’s no doubting Robinson’s playing experience, which includes NCAA Division I football with Georgia Tech and a brief stint with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive lineman.
Those days appear mostly behind him though, as Robinson asked out of the game to catch his breath following his fourth play as Almaty, whether to test the coach’s endurance or not, went into hurry-up mode. Robinson didn’t leave, however, without recording a tackle for a loss and later came in as an offensive lineman.
“I think the adrenaline kicked in and I was on such a high on the first part of that series. I got very winded very quickly,” Robinson said. “As the game went on, I started to get my bearings a little bit and I got used to having a mouthpiece in and a facemask on and all that good stuff.”
Robinson loved being back on the field for the first time since his Kansas City days so much that he’s even considering making it a regular occurrence.
He said: “It felt amazing and it’s really kind of making me think about playing this season.”
