Shake It Off

Oxford faced one of its toughest opponents yet this week, the 3-0 Maulers. While the defense was up to the challenge, the offense still had some cobwebs to dust off. After falling behind 13-0, Oxford finally got on the board before halftime on a wild play that resulted in a touchdown for Jane. However, turnovers continued to stall promising drives in the second half, and a trick play that got bottled up in the end zone for a safety did not help matters, either. The defense, with big contributions from Jon, Brian, Gonzo, and Shawn, managed to hold off the Maulers at the one yard line three separate times. With the game still in reach, the Commas thought they scored a TD when Dave caught one over the middle; but the refs called it back, claiming that someone had tagged him. On the next play, Oxford's fearless leader channeled Rex Grossman and threw yet another bonehead interception that effectively ended the game. Dave would later score on a fade route in the corner of the end zone, but by then, it was too late. Some bright spots on offense included Max and Ashley, who recorded multiple receptions in traffic. Final score: 26-12. Oxford heads into the bye week at 2-2.

While trying to shake it off, have a look at this week's Inspirational Football Clip of the Week. (Start watching around 2:45 for the good stuff; sorry if I posted this one before, but I love it.)

Commas Roll, 52-14

Oxford faced a rematch with the newly named Girlz II Men, a team they played in the soggy preseason game. Despite being undermanned, G2M kept the game close with two early scores, one of which came on a long touchdown play that caught the Commas' defense off guard. Oxford's offense didn't fare much better, surrendering two turnovers. But later, two methodical drives ended in touchdowns, the second of which included a screen pass to Max followed by Taylor toeing the line for the conversion. Leading 16-14, the Commas went back on defense with less than a minute to go. G2M pushed their luck and sent a deep pass down the sideline that Max intercepted at midfield. On the next play, with the clock running to zero, Max scored again. What followed was a blizzard of points for the Commas. On the first play of the half, Taylor caught a touchdown on yet another amazing play designed by Iain--he tells me that he drew these up during his youth in Scotland, but I think he's lying. Max would go on to score three more times with increasingly acrobatic catches, while Gonzo would add three conversion receptions. Ash, Elyse, and Kari played every snap, each having a multiple-reception performance. By the time the smoke had cleared, the Commas had won 52-14.

In honor of Taylor's punt return, which I believe was the longest in the history of the team, take a look at the Inspirational Football Clip of the Week.

This week, the Commas face a 3-0 team with the alarmingly unironic nickname of the Maulers. Yikes. Stay tuned.

Here are some highlights of the defense, which regrouped after the first half to shut down G2M's attack completely:

Gonzo bats down a pass at the line of scrimmage:



The defense rattles G2M's quarterback so badly that he leaves the pocket too early, drawing a penalty flag.