RB Andreas Hofbauer had 159 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns (Photo: Schellhorn)
The SWARCO Raiders, sister-team of The Oakland Raiders, lost Austrian Bowl XXIX. It was the Tyroleans second finals loss of the season. And just like in the Eurobowl they fell to the Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna, this time 48-31 (7-0; 14-14; 14-3; 13-14).
The Vikings meanwhile finished their season with a perfect 15-0 mark. They've beaten the SWARCO Raiders four times this season.
"Despite the loss I'm very proud of my team and how we played today", said SWARCO Raiders head coach Shuan Fatah. "The first half was a real close battle. Unfortunately we made some mistakes in the third quarter. The Vikings ran away and we were not able to come back".
RB Andreas Hofbauer gained 159 yards on 16 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. QB Kyle Callahan completed 11 of 21 passes for 135 yards with a touchdown and an interception. WR Talib Wise caught 6 balls for 50 yards.
Vienna won the coin toss and elected to receive. Starting at their own 25 a 17-yard pass from QB Christoph Gross to WR Michael Zweifel gave them a new set of downs. Later RB Jesse Lewis ran for 19 yards. The drive ended with Gross' 6-yard touchdown pass to WR Manuel Thaller. K Sebastian Daum added the PAT to give Vienna a 7-0 lead with 5:55 minutes left in the first.
The SWARCO Raiders had to punt on their first two possessions and when the Vikings got the ball for the third time, they were able to score again. Starting at their 38 Gross found Lews for 26 yards. A few plays later WR Daniel Stanzel caught a 6-yard touchdown pass. Daum's PAT gave the Vikings a 14-0 lead with 11:10 minutes left in the second.
After the kickoff and a touchback the Tyroleans started at their 25. On the drive's third play Hofbauer found a crease and was off and running. 68 yards later he scored the SWARCO Raiders first touchdown of the game. WR/K Clemens Erlsbacher added the extra point to cut Vienna's lead to 14-7. 9:51 minutes were left to play in the second.
The Vikings started their next possession at their own 12. A long pass from Gross to WR Laurinho Walch brought a first down near midfield. Three plays later Vienna was forced to punt, though. But they opted for a trick play instead. But the SWARCO Raiders special teams were not fooled and took over at their 39. On the very first play Erlsbacher ran to the Vikings 35. Later Wise caught a pass at the 15. And two plays later Wise scored on a 10-yard touchdown run. Erlsbacher added the PAT. With 4:26 minutes left in the second the game was tied at 14-14.
The following kickoff resulted in a touchback. Starting at their 25 a pass to and a run by Lewis moved the chains to the Tyrolean 21. Later Stanzel caught a pass at the 5. And with 7 seconds left in the second quarter Gross threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Thaller. Daum added the PAT to give the Vikings a 21-14 halftime lead.
The SWARCO Raiders started the third quarter at their own 25, but on the second play from scrimmage a fumble on a handoff gave the Vikings the ball at the opposing 18. Moments later Lewis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Daum added the PAT to give Vienna a 28-14 lead with 10:24 minutes left in the third.
The Tyroleans punted on their next drive and Vienna took over at their own 33. Not even a sack by DL Korbinian Hoffmann and DL Berhard Wohlfahrt could stop the Vikings, who got a first down on a long pass from Gross to WR Stefan Holzinger. A few plays later Holzinger caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Gross. The PAT extended Vienna's lead to 35-14 with 4:27 minutes left in the third.
Wise returned the ensuing kickoff to the 28. Hofbauer started the drive with a 7-yard run. Then Wise caught a 10-yard pass from Callahan. On the next play Erlsbacher caught a 15-yarder. A few plays later Erlsbacher kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut Vienna's lead to 35-17 with 7 seconds left in the third.
Vienna started at their own 25, but a sack by LB Peter Rutzinger forced them to punt. The Tyroleans regained possession at their own 26. Callahan threw a 35-yard pass to WR Christian Willi. Later he found Erlsbacher for a long gain. A penalty was added, giving the SWARCO Raiders a first down at the Vikings 8. From there Hofbauer ran the ball into the endzone. Erlsbacher added the PAT. With 7:38 minutes left in the fourth the SWARCO Raiders cut the lead to 35-24.
After the kickoff and a touchback Vienna began at its 25. A run by Lewis gave the Vikings a new first down. Then Holzinger caught a pass at the Tyroleans 40. A couple of plays later Lewis scored on a 31-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked, but Vienna pulled away 41-24 with 2:21 minutes left in the fourth.
The SWARCO Raiders comeback attempt on the ensuing drive fell short when Callahan's pass on the first play from scrimmage was picked off by DB Peter Tutsch. Taking over at the opposing 32 Vienna still threw the ball downfield. And with 65 seconds remaining Gross found WR Vincent Vertneg for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Daum's PAT gave the Vikings a 48-24 lead.
But the Tyroleans never backed down. Starting at their 25 Callahan found Erlsbacher for 19 yards. Later Hofbauer rushed for 34 yards. And on the game's last play Callahan threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to WR Julian Ebner. Erlsbacher kicked the PAT to give the game its final score: Vikings 48 – SWARCO Raiders 31.
