RB Andreas Hofbauer scored two long touchdowns(Photo: Schellhorn)
The streak is finally over. The SWARCO Raiders, sister-team of The Oakland Raiders, handed the Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna their first loss in almost two years. The Tyroleans beat Vienna 22-20 (7-0; 8-0; 7-14; 0-6). It was the Vikings first loss since the Eurobowl final in 2012.
"This victory was special. I'm very proud of my team", said SWARCO Raiders head coach Shuan Fatah. "They have proven that we can win close games for the second straight week. That is very important for our mindset".
RB Andreas Hofbauer had 12 rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown. He caught 2 passes for 71 yards and a score. Hofbauer had touchdowns of 74 and 63 yards. WR/K Clemens Erlsbacher had 5 catches for 55 yards, scored two field goals and two extra points and had 85 kickoff return yards. He also deflected two passes on defense.
QB John van den Raadt completed 13 of 28 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown. DB Simon Muigg intercepted a pass for the Tyrolean defense, which scored a safety for the second week in a row.
The SWARCO Raiders won the coin toss and elected to receive. Erlsbacher returned the opening kickoff to the 26. And on the very first play from scrimmage the Tyroleans scored. Van den Raadt threw a screen pass to Hofbauer, who ran 74 yards for the touchdown. Erlsbacher added the PAT to give the Tyroleans a 7-0 lead with 11:41 minutes left in the first quarter.
Vienna's first drive also started at its 26. A tackle for loss by LB Fabian Seeber got the defense started and Vienna had to punt after three plays. After a short Erlsbacher return the Tyrolean offense began at its 27. Van den Raadt found Erlsbacher for 8 yards. Later WR Julian Ebner caught a 9-yard pass. Then Hofbauer ran to midfield. A penalty gave the Tyroleans 15 extra yards, but after a sack the team had to punt. Starting at their 6-yard line the Vikings went three-and-out again.
Erlsbacher returned the punt 18 yards to the Vienna 37. Van den Raadt opened the drive with a 7-yard run. Hofbauer's 4-yard run gave the Tyroleans a fresh set of downs. Then van den Raadt ran for 13 yards. Later he found Ebner for 10 yards. The drive ended with Erlsbacher's 25-yard field goal. With 11:14 minutes left in the second quarter the Tyroleans were up 10-0.
The Vikings started their next drive at the 22. QB Alexander Thury started with a 7-yard completion to WR Peter Ptacek. But two plays later Muigg picked off Thury's pass and returned the ball 16 yards to the Vikings 29. The Tyroleans could not cash in on the turnover though, as Erlsbacher's 41-yard field goal try went wide right.
Vienna took over at its 24, but once again could not get a first down. The teams then traded punts. Vienna regained possession at its 20. A 17-yard run by RB Emmanuel Moody finally gave the Vikings their first first down of the game. Later Thury found WR Manuel Thaller for 21 yards. But on fourth and 12 the defense stopped the Vikings to take over at the Tyrolean 30. The offense moved to midfield before Erlsbacher had to punt. His booming kick was downed at the 1-yard line. On the drive's first play from scrimmage Thury was trying to throw away the ball while being sacked. That penalty resulted in a safety, giving the SWARCO Raiders a 12-0 lead with 52 seconds left before halftime.
Erlsbacher returned the ensuing free kick to the Vikings 40. Van den Raadt started the series with a short run, before finding Erlsbacher for 9 yards. Then Hofbauer ran to the 15. From there Erlsbacher kicked a 32-yard field goal to extend the Tyroleans lead to 15-0 with 9 seconds left in the second quarter.
Vienna started the third quarter with a kickoff return to the 27. Moody ran 11 yards to open the drive. Then Thury scrambled for 14 yards. Later a run by Moody gave the Vikings a first down at the Tyrolean 28. Next up was an 8-yard completion from Thury to Thaller. Thury finished the drive with a 17-yard touchdown-pass to Ptacek. K Christopher Kappel added the PAT to cut the SWARCO Raiders lead to 15-7 with 7:45 minutes left in the third.
The Tyroleans began their first series of the third quarter at their own 19. Hofbauer ran for 6 yards on first down. A penalty gave the home-site a fresh set of downs at the 37. On the very next play Hofbauer gashed through the defense for a 63-yard touchdown run. Erlsbacher's extra point gave the SWARCO Raiders a 22-7 lead with 5:51 minutes left in the third.
A strong kickoff return had Vienna start at its 40. A pass from Thury to Thaller moved the ball into enemy territory. But later Moody got stopped for a 10-yard loss. Vienna wasn't shocked though and a pass from Thury to WR Dominik Bubik gave the Vikings a first down at the opposing 25. Moments later Thury threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Thaller. The PAT cut the lead to 22-14. 2:20 minutes were left in the third.
Erlsbacher returned the ensuing kickoff to the Tyrolean 27. On third down and 11 van den Raadt found Erlsbacher for 20 yards. Later Erlsbacher caught a 12-yarder. Then van den Raadt ran to the Vienna 35. But the drive stalled there and van den Raadt punted. The ball was downed at the 2. On third down from the shadows of their own goal line Thury found WR Stefan Postel for a first down at the 19. Then RB Islaam Amadu ran 14 yards. A penalty moved the ball to the Vikings 46. A few plays later Moody was awarded a first down on a fourth and 1 play. A pass to Thaller and a penalty gave Vienna a first down at the opposing 6. The drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Thury. But his pass on the two-point conversion was no good, leaving the SWARCO Raiders in front 22-20. Only 5:36 minutes were left in regulation.
After another Erlsbacher return the Tyroleans started at their 26. They had to punt after only three plays though, giving Vienna one more chance to turn around the game. But facing fourth down Thury's pass fell incomplete. The SWARCO Raiders took over at the opposing 43. On second down van den Raadt ran 29 yards to ice the game.
Next weekend the SWARCO Raiders go on the road to play the Danube Dragons. Kickoff is on Sunday, May 11 at 6:00 a.m. PT (3:00 p.m. CET).
Watch the SWARCO Raiders 2014 season live and as-live for free onwww.raidersTV.at.
