Impulse vs Fighters

(December 17, 2007) - Matsushita Denko Impulse will battle the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters for the japanese championship in the Rice Bowl on January 3. The Impulse won its fifth X League championship beating the Fujitsu Frontiers in the Japan X Bowl in Tokyo 33-13. The Fighters, champions of the Kansai League, advanced to the national championship game with a 41-38 victory against Kanto League champion Nihon University Phoenix in the Koshien Bowl, the college championship game.
Matsushita took advantage of a fumble to build a 14-0 lead with less than ten minutes into the game and was never really challenged by the Frontiers. After the Frontiers missed a field goal attempt at the end of their first possession Matsushita marched 80 yards in nine plays and finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from QB Tetsuo Takata to WR Shinji Shimokawa. On the ensuing kickoff return Fujitsu's Koji Yoneyama lost the ball. Five plays later RB Masahiro Ishino scored on a 1-yard run to increase Matsushita's lead to 14-0. The only highlight of the first half for the Frontiers was a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Yoneyama following a field goal by the Impulse. But on the ensuing possession the Impulse drove 81 yards for its third touchdown, a 30-yard pass from Takata to WR Shoei Hasegawa.

(Text: Dieter Hoch)

Scores and Standings

Impulse and Frontiers advance

(December 3, 2007) - Matsushita Denko Impulse and the Fujitsu Frontiers advanced to the Japan X Bowl, the championship game of the X League, on December 17 in Tokyo. In the semifinals west division champion Impulse, the only undefeated team in the regular season, beat the Obic Seagulls in Osaka 29-26 in overtime. With a strong ball control offense Impulse took a 23-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Seagulls forced overtime with two touchdowns and two successfull two point conversion tries in the final 6 minutes and 38 seconds in regulation. In the second overtime period Impulse took a 29-26 lead with a 34-yard field goal by K Masahiro Ota before CB Masahiro Nomura sealed the victory with an interception.
In Yokohama the Frontiers eliminated defending X League and japanese champion Onward Skylarks from the tournament with a convincing 31-21 win. The Frontiers put pressure on Onward's defense all day using the passing skills of rookie QB Akihiro Izuhara and the running ability of QB Motoki Yoshida. The Skylarks had a chance to reduce the 24-7 deficit after three quarters but Fujitsu's defense stopped them on back-to-back drives on fourth downs just short of the goal line early in the fourth quarter. Onward later scored two meaningless touchdowns in the final two and a half minutes, the second one with 21 seconds remaining.
The winner of the Japan X Bowl will play for the japanese championship against the college champion in the Rice Bowl on January 3 at the Tokyo Dome. In the college football championship Game, the Koshien Bowl, Kanto League champion Nihon University Phoenix will face Kansai League champion Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters on December 16. Nihon University advanced to the Koshien Bowl with a 38-34 win over defending college champion Hosei University Tomahawks in the Clash Bowl, the championship game of the Kanto League. The Fighters took the title in the Kansai League by beating the Ritsumeikan University Panthers 31-28 in the final game of the regular season.

(Text: Dieter Hoch)

Scores and Standings

Close call

(November 5, 2007) - In two of the three division of the X League the tie breaker had to decide who goes to the playoffs. In the East Division a 55-6 rout of the Asahi Beer Silver Star helped the Obic Seagulls clinch second place behind the Fujitsu Frontiers (21-7 winner against the Seagulls in week 2) and a place in the Final 6 tournament. The Seagulls took advantage of four turnovers and took an 21-0 lead early in the second quarter with three big plays. The first touchdown was scored with a 12-yard pass to DE Kevin Jackson who lined up as a receiver. The second touchdown was the result of a 49-yard pass play and the third touchdown, the first of three by RB Takuya Furutani, was scored following a blocked Silver Star punt.
In the Central Division defending X League champion Onward Skylarks reached the Final 6 with a 10-9 win against the Kajima Deers. The Deers still endep up in first place. The real loser of this game was IBM BigBlue, a 36-34 winner against the Skylarks in week 2. Because BigBlue later lost by seven points to the Deers they only finished third in the tie breaker. In a defensive battle the Skylarks took a 3-0 lead against the Deers following an interception. The only long drive (9 plays, 80 Yards) of the game gave the Skylarks a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter. The Deers answered on their next drive with a field goal and with just under three minutes left in the game got the ball back on the 4-yard line of the Skylarks after a blocked punt. Following a 7-yard touchdown pass from QB Yusuke Ozaki to Norichika Tohata the Deers tried to win the game with a two point conversion. The try failed. A tie would have given the Deers a first round bye. Instead a draw was held between the Deers and the Frontiers with the Frontiers winning. The Deers now face the Obic Seagulls in the first playoff round and in case of a win would have to play against the undefeated West Division champion Matsushita Denko Impulse.

(Text: Dieter Hoch)

Scores and Standings

BigBlue upsets Skylarks

(September 25, 2007) - Week 2 of the 2007 X League season saw a couple of upsets. In the central division IBM BigBlue celebrated the biggest victory in team history beating defending X League and Japanese champion Onward Skylarks 36-34 when K Takayuki Ida, who earlier missed three PAT attempts, kicked a 34-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the game. BigBlue ran up 524 total yards including 351 yards passing by QB Kotaro Okumura who also threw two touchdown passes without an interception.
In the east division the Fujitsu Frontiers surprised the Obic Seagulls 21-7. Obic's only score came on the opening kickoff when Ken Shimizu returned the ball 87 yards for a touchdown. Fujitsu's defense held Obic's offense to 195 total yards while the offense scored three times in the first half including a 60-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 7 and a 18-yard touchdown run by RB Hiroyuki Morimoto that gave the Frontiers a 14 point lead at halftime.

Scores and Standings