This game was rather pedestrian in the first half, with both teams sticking to a run-first offense in the adverse playing conditions. With Nottingham Trent’s offense struggling to stay on the field for much of the first half, UoN looked like the more likely team to break the deadlock. However, despite having one touchdown taken off the board in the 2nd quarter – due to a controversial offensive pass interference call – the Green and Gold failed to execute, going into halftime at 0-0.
This was frustrating for a University of Nottingham outfit so used to leading teams by sizable margins. In spite of a near perfect defensive performance, and the more impressive offensive of the two teams, UoN had nothing to show for it. The conditions did not help either, with the rain pouring down on Lady Bay pitch in the second half.
“UoN decided on a specially designed play on first and goal”
The second half was a rather different story, as UoN came bursting out of the gate with a couple of promising drives. Finally, in the third quarter, UoN decided on a specially designed play on first and goal. The ball was directly snapped to safety by Dre Long, who leaped in for the game’s first and only touchdown. At last, the Green and Gold were able to breathe a sigh of relief as the stalemate was finally broken.
Nottingham Trent had no answer for the touchdown, and lacked any real sense of urgency to get back into the game. Their over-reliance on the run game proved costly, unable to establish any significant yardage whilst running large chunks of time off of the clock. Trent simply didn’t do enough to win the game.
After their exit from the national cup to Hertfordshire in the quarter finals, UoN sought some consolation from beating city rivals – Nottingham Trent – once again. After a perfect 8-0 record during the regular season, UoN were hopeful of securing the national championship. But the surprising 28-27 loss to eventual finalists Hertfordshire ended any hopes of a BUCS title this season.
“UoN will now look to build on another outstanding year”
Nonetheless, the Green and Gold were able to close out another great season with a varsity win, as a promising season reaches its conclusion. UoN will now look to build on another outstanding year, as one of the best teams in the country will undoubtedly be ready to compete for the national title next year.
Rory Jones
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Featured image courtesy of The University of Nottingham, via Flickr.
