Dubai Barracudas dismantled the Abu Dhabi Wildcats with an impressive display of offence and defence in a 40-0 victory at The Sevens on Friday.
The two teams had already faced-off against each other this season, with the Barracudas outlasting their opponents on opening day in a bruising 15-0 defence-dominated game.
There would be no doubt about the victors in this encounter however, as the home team laid down a marker to the rest of the Emirates American Football League.
Dubai’s offensive game plan was executed to near perfection, as time and again they sliced through the Wildcats’ hard-hitting defence.
At times the Barracudas moved the ball at will, and whether it was on the ground or through the air, the visitors didn’t have an answer.
“Tonight we passed the ball effectively, ran the ball well and were aggressive on defence,” Barracudas head coach Kyle Jordan said.
“This is without question the most consistent and balanced four quarters of play in my four years as head coach of this team. It also gave us an opportunity to give some of the less experienced guys some game time.”
Abu Dhabi’s offence never got going, as Dubai forced two turnovers, three sacks and several negative-yardage plays on defence.
The visitors failed to get in a rhythm as their running attack was thwarted by a commanding Barracudas front seven.
Once again the Wildcats were without talismanic running back Vivaldi Tulysse, who was expected to play.
“Our game plan on offence all week involved Tulysse,” said head coach Tony Robinson.
“Ultimately it was a situation where you’re hoping for the best but preparing yourself for the worst – and unfortunately the worst happened.”
There was a welcome return to action for Barracudas quarterback Zavier Cobb. He threw a pair of touchdowns, the first a five-yard strike to wide receiver Suliman Gaouda to open the scoring and then a 25-yarder to Daniel Viranyi in the fourth quarter. Cobb also managed to get into the end zone himself – his first score in two seasons.
On the ground, running back Luke Norrey notched the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, taking advantage of the huge holes created by an offensive line that had its best outing of the season.
His 64-yard dash in the third quarter knocked the wind out of the Wildcat sails, as he left linebackers and defensive backs in his wake.
Not be outdone, teammates Quentin Collins and Lamar Elisson also bulldozed their way into the end zone as six different players got their names on the scoreboard.
