By Zach Garrett (@zthaguru on Twitter)
The game rewind is BACK, and this week, we’ll be taking a look at the Week 2 matchup between the Zappers and Glacier Boyz. As you may remember, the game was a little bit of a blowout, BUT there is still plenty of classic moments and even a couple of interesting nuggets of FCF history throughout. Let’s get into it.
Both squads entered the week hungry to snag their first win of the season. As we know, the Zappers had a lot of roster turnover during the season, and this week 2 team is almost unrecognizable to the team we saw take the title in the People’s Championship. Johnny Manziel started in his first game of the year with Brian Allen and Chris Barrett also getting reps at QB. Hall of Fame wideout Terrell Owens was still with the squad along with Antonio Turner and James Harden at wide receiver. Josh Robinson was the only RB getting reps in the rushing category, but Manziel would finish the game as the leading rusher (if that gives any indication of how this game went). No Kelly Bryant. No Shuncee Thomas. No Terrence Williams.
As for the Glacier Boyz, Devlin Isadore was the starting QB with Dentarrius Yon getting reps as well. Franchise player Andrew Jamiel was high on the MVP frontrunners list after his stellar Week 1 performance and lining up next to him was Vance Leonard and Harrison Dreher. This RB group lead the one-two punch with both Brycen Alleyne AND Malcolm Ballard carrying the ball on the night. As you can probably tell, one side had some certified DOGS and the other, well, let’s just say it wasn’t going to be their night.
Before the game, the building was BUZZING to see the first ever game with Heisman winner Johnny Manziel take the field with the man, the myth, the literal legend, Terrell Owens. Never in any football fan’s wildest imagination could you picture these two taking the field together, but Fan Controlled Football made it happen.
The Zappers took the opening RPS and the game was underway. Well kind of. The Zappers went with QB Brian Allen to start the game, and on the opening play of the game, the ball was on the turf and Glacier Boyz DB Dashawn Benton scooped it up and set the tone for the defense. The Glacier Boyz had an extra short field to work with and there aren’t many words to describe the mood of a team that starts off with an opening fumble deep in your own territory.
Zappers’ defense, Shut Down Squad, did a good job holding off the Boyz for a little bit, but it was only a matter of time before Andrew Jamiel made his magic happen. With just over 5 minutes passed in the game, QB Izzy threw an absolutely beautiful ball to a diving Jamiel to give the Glacier Boyz their first points. After going back and watching this catch, it might be one of the most underrated throws and catches of Season v2.0. Izzy couldn’t have placed the ball any better for his wideout, and Jamiel, using his size and athleticism, separated from his defender and laid out to ensure he got his team the points they needed. The Boyz converted the 2 point and just like that, it was 8-0.
Lightning never strikes in the same place twice right? Wrong. On the Zappers possession following the Glacier Boyz score, QB Allen did the unthinkable, fumbled again. Luckily, the O-line jumped on the ball avoiding back to back lost fumbles, but the signs were not pointing to anything good for the offense. The Glacier Boyz defense, The Hitmen, were dominating the line of scrimmage, and it looked like Allen was seeing ghosts out there. Zappers went 4 and out and it looked like the Glacier Boyz had a chance to take a commanding lead.
QB Izzy took the field again, and with the help of RB’s Ballard and Alleyne, led a long, methodical drive down the field to get time off the clock. With just 5:00 left in the 1st half, Isadore threw receiver Vance Leonard a majestic back shoulder fade and the defender didn’t have a chance to stop it. It was very apparent that Isadore and the rest of the Glacier Boyz offense came to play and boy were they firing on all cylinders. They converted the 2 point to take a 16-0 lead, and the Zappers needed to figure something out, fast.
Would they figure something out? Sort of! Johnny Manziel finally took the field, and we all got what we had been waiting weeks to see – the Johnny to TO connection. Johnny performed his classic scramble that made him famous in his college days and threw a great ball to Prototype81 for a 40 yard completion juuuuuuust short of a touchdown. A TD there breaks the internet, but unfortunately, the Zappers still had a bit of work. A couple plays later, Manziel ran a great read option and trotted into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season. Zappers were on the board: 6-16.
2:04 remained in the 1st half, and QB Izzy and Co. knew exactly what to do. The Glacier Boyz fans played their two-minute drive to perfection that ended with yet ANOTHER back shoulder fade to WR Vance Leonard. His 2nd TD of the night gave the Boyz a commanding 24-6 lead over the Zappers going into the half.
The Glacier Boyz started the 2nd half with the ball, and if they could just keep doing what they had done in the 1st half, this game could get away from the Zappers. But someone must have given quite the inspirational halftime pep talk to the defense, because the Shut Down Squad came out ready. QB Dentarrious Yon subbed in for Isadore, and it turned out to be costly. Yon tried to throw his receiver open, but DB Marquis Cain came over the top to snag the first takeaway of the game for the Zappers. Now was the time to turn the game around, but would Johnny lead his team to a comeback?
After regaining possession, Johnny and the rest of the offense went to work. I’m not sure what was holding this team back, but in this particular game in Week 2, the offense could not get it going. A lot of it had to do with The Hitmen locking up the Zappers’ WR and getting pressure on the QBs, but after taking almost 12 minutes to try and get in the endzone, the Glacier Boyz stopped the Zappers on a Progressive Fifth Down and took possession. It was do or die for the Zaps on that drive, and they simply could not get it done.
Izzy and the Boyz took the field with a little under 6 minutes left to play, and the fans, yet again, knew exactly what to do. They chewed the clock, used their big boy RB’s to get chunk yards after chunk yards, and with 1:40 left in the game, RB Brycen Alleyne rounded the edge of his o-line for a diving score to put them up 30-6. Some might call that a nail in the coffin, others might call it a dagger, but I’ll call it putting the game on POLAR ICE (see what I did there).
Now you may be sitting there thinking, why is this the game rewind for Week 2? Well, trust me, the final 1 minute and 18 seconds of this game (although one-sided) may be the most impressive defensive display of Season v2.0 and maybe any professional football game I’ve witnessed. Let’s break down what happened:
- The VERY next play the Zappers take after the Alleyne score, DB Styvis Latham picks it off for, as FCF announcer Greg Moore put it, “the most casual pick six of all-time,” to make it 36-6
- The VERY NEXT PLAY after Latham’s pick-six, DB Dashawn Benton picks off eventual Glacier Boyz QB Chris Barrett and returns it into Zappers’ territory
- Malcolm Ballard cleans it up to extend the Boyz lead yet again to make it 42-6 with 25 seconds left.
- The last play of the game, #57 Maurice Greene strip sacks QB Barrett to end the game on a safety for a final score of 44-6.
If that isn’t impressive, then I don’t know what is. A mind-boggling 1:18 to end the game, and the Hitmen, after this game, became the most sought after defensive squads in the FCF.
The Glacier Boyz walked away with their first victory of Season v2.0 and boosted everyone’s confidence from QB Izzy and WR Vance Leonard to the incredible play of their defensive squad. The Zappers on the other hand had a lot of things to figure out after suffering what would end up being one of the biggest blowouts of Season v2.0. If only this team and their fans could peek into the future of what’s to come.
Want to watch for yourself? Catch the condensed game below that includes all the best highlights from the game!