The Uppsala 86ers will play host to the Örebro Black Knights in the 10th edition of Friday Night Lights in Sweden tonight.
The 86ers are coming off a disappointing 43-0 loss last week to the Carlstad Crusaders while Örebro lost to the Crusaders the week before 34-0. Uppsala is fourth in the standings with a 3-4 record while the Black Knights are second at 6-1 with three games remaining in the regular season.
In the first game between these two this year, Örebro prevailed at home, 36-0.
Neither team is in real danger of missing the playoffs so this game is for playoff positioning. Uppsala needs the win to hope to avoid meeting Carlstad in the first round of the playoffs while the Black Knights need the momentum going into the playoffs. A loss in this game would not bode well if they had to face the 86ers again in the semifinals.
Örebro enters the game as the leading offense in the league averaging 46.5 points per game. Meanwhile, Uppsala’s offense has struggled with injuries to quarterback Kieran McDonagh. However, he has returned and is healthy. The Black Knights offense relies heavily on the run game and they lead Sweden in rushing averaging 150 yards a game led by running backs Kasper Wedberg and Marcus Hudritsch who are the second and third leading rushers in the league.
However, Uppsala’s Victor St. Pierre La Violette is the top rusher in the league with an average of 73 yards per game. His elusive style can play havoc with linebackers once he gets into the second level.
Black Knights quarterback Corbin Lawler returned to form last week against the Tyreso Royal Crowns and has now thrown for 872 yards and 11 touchdowns good for third in the Superserien. McDonagh has missed a number of game but he is the leading rusher among all quarterbacks and gives Uppsala another dimension. He averages over 10 yards a carry.
Still, the Black Knights boast the second leading rushing defense in Sweden allowing only 25 yards rushing per game. They rely on a team defense with not one Örebro player in the top 10 in tackles. However the play of safety Danny Wynne is a key along with linebackers Eric and Josh Murphy as well as Filip Jönsson gives them a swarming defense that is tough to penetrate.
Uppsala’s defense is anchored by Sweden’s leading tackler, Joshua Akena, who has 36.5 total tackles. He, along with linebacker Robin Prevolnik (fifth leading tackler) and defensive back Amat Jobe can give the 86ers an advantage on their home field.
With the playoffs only three weeks away, this game is crucial to both teams.
Kickoff is 6:30 pm (12:30 EDT) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.
Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here. Click on the button that says “Prova 2 veckor gratis – Try it for 2 weeks for free” . Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You have two weeks free viewing. After that, if you don’t cancel it costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 per month.