Week 13 Thursday 20:30 ET
We have a treat this Thursday night as 1 and 2 in the NRC West face off for the first time this season. Sacramento and their laser show led by quarterback Chase McCoy will be trying to light up the nighttime sky in San Diego. And they will need to be at their best as they take on a Crusaders side led by Ben Wakefield who is having a stellar year. Arguably he’s been playing at an MVP level this season minus 2 games weeks 5 and 6 where he cost the team 2 of their losses this season.
As we approach the latter stages of the season the hardest thing for this Crusaders offense is the fact that everything on tape points to how one dimensional they are. 2nd in the conference in passing but 28th in rushing is a clear indication. However stopping receiver Elijah Bentley is much easier said than done. Already on 1132 yards and 9 touchdowns he just continues to produce. And tonight should be more of the same as the Condors’ corners are not great. Their best defensive back this season is safety Andre Evans, perhaps they can try and double Bentley or do something to try and shut him down.
On the other side the Condors are much more of a balanced offense. At 9-2 they have had a lot of success finding the weak spots of any defense they face. Today will be a tough task for them though as they come against a San Diego defense that are great all around. Only allowing 216 passing yards and 85 rushing per game. If they are able to slow down the run then I think the key will be if pass rushers Wilcox and Bacon can sandwich Chase McCoy.
Thanks to Cameron Reed for the head to head records:
Condors 24, Crusaders 26 (S2 W17)
Crusaders 13, Condors 34 (S3 W5)
Condors 20, Crusaders 55 (S4 W1)
Crusaders 27, Condors 23 (S5 W6)
Condors 34, Crusaders 17 (S5 W8)
Crusaders 30, Condors 23 (S6 W8)
Condors 13, Crusaders 19 (S6 W12)
Crusaders lead series 5-2
The Verdict:
I think this is a good matchup for the Crusaders because the great rushing defense of the Condors led by this weeks leading podcast segment Jacob Reid will not be called upon much. Condors will be hoping we can see a photo of Reid after this week however. The result of this game will be in Ben Wakefields hands. If he plays up to the high level he’s shown multiple times this season then we could have a blockbuster game come the 4th. But as I’ve said before this is where Chase McCoy thrives and he’s built to win these types of games.
Condors 31 vs 30 Crusaders