NEW DEVIL FOR SURGE ON ROAD TO PLAYOFFS

The Stuttgart Surge took another step towards cementing a European League of Football playoff spot in Paris last weekend, but face something unknown in a familiar foe this Sunday.

The Surge welcome Hamburg to the GAZI-Stadion auf der Waldau in a rematch of the reverse fixture that fell decisively in Stuttgart’s favour with a 53-14 victory in Week 3, knowing that the Sea Devils side is much changed, not least with another new face under center.

The first time the teams met, the game was surrounded by the hype brought by Hamburg’s signing of Taulia Tagovailoa as replacement for the injured Micah Leon — only for the Hawai’ian-born QB to disappoint the Bremen crowd by throwing a pick six to Raheem Simiram-Wilson on his very first play in the ELF, setting the tone for a scoreline that saw two further interceptions returned for touchdowns in what became a demolition orchestrated by the outstanding Stuttgart defense.

This time around, with the Tagovailoa experiment flaming out after only a couple of weeks, it still isn’t Leon who the Surge will face, the American having been injured in the first half against Rhein Fire last weekend. Instead, with the signing deadline having expired, it is ‘emergency quarterback’ Jaylen Tregle who will be calling play, the experienced American having played in Europe for the

Elmshorn Fighting Pirates, Kuopio Flash and Catalans Dragons amongst others. Renowned as a dual-threat quarterback, Tregle should be capable of making an impact both passing and his experience of playing at various levels of the U.S. college system makes him an interesting, potentially invigorating, addition to the Hamburg offense.

With just two wins and seven losses on the season, the Sea Devils currently sit last in the North Division still in search of consistency on both sides of the ball. This, however, makes Sunday’s fixture a potential ‘trap game’ for the playoff-focused Surge, who are intent on gaining home-field advantage in the wildcard round. In contrast to their opponent, Stuttgart has proven to be a model of consistency throughout the season but, despite their clear position as favourite, the coaching staff is urging vigilance.

“We approach every game with a fresh mindset,” head coach Jordan Neuman stresses. “Hamburg has a new quarterback and will play with a whole new energy. Our goal is to perform at our best every week, no matter who we’re up against, but Hamburg have improved since we last played them and I don’t expect it to be easy.”

That goal was very much in evidence against the Paris Musketeers at the GAZI Stadion-auf-der-Waldau, where more than 3,740 fans enjoyed a high-calibre game that resulted in Stuttgart avenging the low-scoring loss in the rain of the French capital. The 26-8 victory reasserted Stuttgart’s role as favourite in the West Division, but was closer than the final score suggests, with both teams thwarting the other’s offense early on. The first points were eventually scored towards the end of the first quarter, as Moritz Schreiber’s excellent blocking paved the way for QB Reilly Hennessey to go over for six points. A Timo Bronn field goal followed to extend the Surge lead to 10-0 and, while the Paris offense was being wrapped up by some strong Stuttgart defense — Sasan Jelvani (eight total tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup), Nikolas Knoblauch (nine total tackles and one pass breakup) and Ben Wenzler (seven total tackles and one pass breakup) giving the Musketeers no room — Neuman called a trick play that had only been added to the playbook that week. Instead of looking downfield, Hennessey passed right to wide receiver Mike Harley Jr, who showed off his own throwing skills by releasing a 39-yard pass to Louis Geyer. who caught the ball just before the end zone before crossing the plane.

With a 17-point lead, the fans in the stadium were deafeningly loud, leading to a mix of misunderstandings and flags for the Parisian visitors. Although Musketeers QB Jaylon Henderson attempted to turn the game around with a combination of running and passing plays, he was often stopped early, but the Stuttgart offense, while prolific in terms of first downs, was held to a couple of Bronn field goals.

The Surge defense did everything it could to end the game with a ‘zero’ score, with Alexander Kreß, Luca Siebert and Marko Vidackovic prominent, but Henderson thwarted their ambition by connecting with Anthony Mahoungou on a final quarter fourth down play. The two-point conversion was successful thanks to Liam Ward’s catch, but there was only enough time for a fourth Surge field goal before time ran out on the visitors.

“It’s always a big challenge to play against a well-prepared team,” Neuman said after the game. “Coach Jack Del Rio prepared his team well, so it was difficult to face the Parisian offense, defense and special teams. But we succeeded, and I’m proud of how well we played, physically and tactically.”