IBM Big Blue (4-3) found a new weapon in Austrian tight end Bernhard Seikovits, who caught two touchdowns as IBM rolled past the OrientalBio Silver Star (0-7) 44-20 in Round 8 of Japan’s X League Premier at Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki.
Less than a month after arriving in Japan, Seikovits made himself right at home, catching six passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns to earn game MVP honors.
Seikovits sparks first-half explosion
Hayato Fukuoka opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal before quarterback Yuki Masamoto took control in the second quarter.
Masamoto found Seikovits for touchdowns of 11 and eight yards, adding a 39-yard scoring strike to Takaki Suzuki as IBM built a commanding 27-0 halftime advantage.
Masamoto finished 17 of 27 for 168 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
Fukuoka was perfect on three field-goal attempts, connecting from 38, 41 and 34 yards.
OrientalBio Silver Star WR Kasey Hawthorne hauls in nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown against IBM Big Blue. Photo: ©X LEAGUE
Defense creates opportunities
The Big Blue defense helped turn a competitive opening into a rout, intercepting three passes, including two late in the first half that set up touchdowns.
IBM finished with 470 total yards, including 311 passing and 159 rushing, while converting seven of 12 third downs.
Matoya Hiramatsu led the ground attack with 63 yards on five carries.
Silver Star rally falls short
The Silver Star finally found their offense after halftime.
Quarterback Conor Regan completed 21 of 39 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions proved costly.
Kasey Hawthorne caught nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown as OrientalBio scored three second-half touchdowns.
However, IBM continued answering, with Yoshihito Yagi connecting with Katsuhito Omi for a 19-yard touchdown before Minje Akimoto added a three-yard scoring run.
The victory gave IBM its fourth win of the season and another encouraging performance from an offense that suddenly has an intriguing new target.
For Seikovits, the transition to Japanese football is already paying dividends.