The week running into the game the Bullets could not have been more focused. With a perfect attendance at training, as well as a lot of extra work put in from the coaching staff, the UWE Bullets turned up to Filton WISE more focused and ready than any other game this season. The lessons learned from the Exeter loss were an important step for everyone involved in the UWE Bullets this year. The Cardiff games over the last few years have been very close and hard hitting games. This game may have been hard hitting, but was not a close one.

The UWE Bullets defense took the field first and stopped the Cobra offense in four plays. After the punt, the UWE offense with a new focus drove the ball the length of the field all on the ground with seven great power runs from team leading rusher Sam Atakorah. However, it was rookie Idrissa Fornah who took the ball across the goal line after amazing blocks from rookie Ryan Morton, and veterans Xavier Anderson and Ben Cooper. The PAT was added and the Bullets were 7-0 up. With both teams running the ball inside the tackles the first quarter flew past with only one more drive from the Cobras failing to gain much momentum.

The second quarter found the UWE Bullets able to drive the ball but not punch it in and the Cobra offense starting to put a few first downs together but every drive seemed to end with a turnover from an on fire Bullet defense. Key forced fumbles from veterans Mark Sanchez and Ex-Cobra, current South Wales Warriors LB John Bateman. The half ended 7-0 with the game still very much on a knife edge.

After a very emotional yet focused half time talk from Head Coach Mat Dyke, reminding the Bullets about the very similar situation against Swansea and Exeter earlier in the season, the Bullets came out in the third quarter and put the game out of reach for the Cobras. The Bullets defense continued to create turnovers, including another forced fumble from Mark Sanchez and one from rookie Jason Brooks. With these extra chances and a great kick return from team captain and President Dayne Robinson, the Bullets offense went to work. Lead by some very good blocking from the offensive line, Sam Atakorah went on to run for over 100 yards – scoring two touchdowns. The PATs were missed, but a field goal was good, making the score line a much more comfortable 22-0 going into the 4^th quarter.

After an amazing third quarter for UWE, the 4^th seemed to fly past. With only 3 drives in total, some good back up reps, and a ton of yellow flags, including two long touchdown runs for the Bullets called back, the 4^th quarter ended with no additional scores. The final score was 22-0 to UWE Bullets and the 4^th conference title in a row was secured in a dominating fashion. The question now is whether the UWE Bullets can continue that focus into the first play-off a game against the Essex Blades at Filton WISE on March 11^th. The game is a 1pm kick off and we hope to see you there!

All pictures are thanks to Jeff Stanford.

The Exeter Demons have had an up and down season. After losing an early game to the Bullets closet rival the Barracuda, they turned the corner winning all other games including play-off contenders Cardiff Cobras. This was until last week when the very confident Demon team went down to Plymouth for the first of a double header, only to be beaten by two scores. This made the Demons very focused for the game, whereas the UWE Bullets unbeaten record had them thinking about the win before they had earned it.

The game could not have started worse for the Bullets when the opening drive for Bullets involved their offense fumbling the ball, and getting a 15 yard penalty. After a short punt the Demons went straight to work. They drove the short field in their single wing offense and punched it in for a 6-0 lead. The UWE Bullets offense continued to struggle and even tried a fake punt on fourth down which failed. This time they pinned the Demons offense inside their own redzone. The distance was too far for the Demons to drive and the Bullets defense held strong after a few first downs. The quarter ended quickly with both teams running the ball mainly with the home team 6-0 up.

The second quarter nearly started badly after another poor drive from the Bullet offense, and another great drive from the Exeter Demons down to the UWE Bullets 3 yard line. However on an inside run Ben Cooper crushed the ball carrier and forced a fumble which was recovered by the Bullets. This turnover seemed to really bring the Bullets offense to life. They drove the whole field with good runs from Sam Atakorah and some very good catches from Dayne Robinson, and ended the drive with a sweeping Idrissa Fornah for the touchdown. Dayne Robinson added the extra point to put the Bullets 7-6 up. The Bullets defense seemed to have started to hold the Demons offense now with a bend don’t break approach. On the Bullets next offensive drive they went from their own 32 yard line down to a first and goal on Demon 7 yard line. The Bullets offense however could not punch the ball in on 7 attempts (after an automatic first down holding penalty from the Demon defense). The UWE Bullets went for the chip shot field goal but again were stopped. Thus ran the clock down and the half ended 7-6 to the UWE Bullets.

The second half started with both defences winning the battle. The quarter flew past with both offenses getting a few first downs on each drive, but never really being able to sustain anything. Before either side knew it we were into the 4th quarter. The UWE Bullets got the ball first and finally found some success through the air with passes to Chris Green and Dayne Robinson from JJ Davies. They got inside the Demons redzone and this time went back to the ground from 20 yards out with 3 runs in a row from Sam Atakorah following the crushing lead blocks of Ben Cooper to score their second touchdown of the day. The extra point was added by Dayne Robinson to make the score 14-6 to the visiting UWE Bullets.

This seemed to be a great blow to the Demons however their great character showed as on the very next drive the Demons offense drove the field and before the Bullets offense had really had time to discuss the last drive the Demons had found the endzone from a great misdirection play. Being 2 points behind the Demons went for a sweeping 2 point conversion. This was stopped short by a great gang tackle on the sideline from the swarming Bullets defense. Leaving the score 14-12 with about 6 minutes left in the game. The UWE Bullets offense decided to try and drain the clock and power them to victory. Again mainly behind the power running of Sam Atakorah, and lead blocking from Ben Copper and Ryan Morton the Bullets offense drove the field chunk by chunk until they were faced with a 3rd and 8. A great play action from JJ Davies and a great jump ball catch from Dayne Robinson kept the drive alive. With the ball inside the Demon redzone the Bullets ran another play action and hit TE Ed Waters for a short gain, but he turned up field and trucked two Demon defenders to land on the 3 yard line. Idrissa Fornah took the ball over the goal line for the second time in the game. The extra point slotted through to make the scoreline 21-12 with 1.30 minutes left in the game.

The UWE Bullets truly felt that the game was put away and with a two score lead clearly took their foot off the pedal too early. The Kick Off was covered perfectly and the Demons started their Hollywood ending on their own 15 yard line. The Demons went straight to work with sweeps, counters, and some very important long passes to drive the field. The clock though was running and the Bullets defense was bending and hoping the clock would run out before they broke. This was not to be the case. With 11 seconds left in the game the Exeter Demons ran an end around counter from about 25 yards out to score. They added the extra point to make the scoreline 21-19 with 4 seconds left.

The following onside kick attempt was to be the end of the game in most cases. However with the Bullets onside kick set up on the 10 and 15 yard line mainly, with a lone returner back. The Demons chipped the ball over into the space. The ball landed on the Bullets 24 yard line and bounced back towards the Exeter players. The front lines for the Bullets never turned around to look for the ball and it hit one of them on the foot. With both of the sidelines going crazy and the clock running when the ball touched the Bullet player, the Demons dived on the ball with 1 second left in the game. With the ball spotted on the Bullets 30 yards line the Bullets defense were not sure what the Demons would decide to do. They lined up for the field goal and the Bullets called a time out to discuss. After the time out the Bullets defense was still not sure if they were actually going to kick the field goal. So they rushed 8 and dropped 3 into deep coverage just in case. However the Demons coaching staff knew their kickers distance to the inch. The kick went up and cleared the upright with a slight clip of the bar for an incredible end to the game and with the Demons beating the unbeaten Bullets 22-21.

The loss means that the Bullets will need to beat the Cardiff Cobras on Sunday 26th February to still win the conference and make the play-offs. However if the Bullets were to lose against Cardiff then not only would they not win the conference but they might also find themselves out of the play-offs if the Exeter Demons can revenge their earlier loss and beat the Plymouth Blitz on the same Sunday.

All pictures are thanks to Annabel Wolf.

The game was held at Clifton College, Beggars Bush Astroturf as a Bristol University home fixture. The game kicked off at 3:00pm to allow for the venue to be set up and for spectators to make their way to the game. The game was organised well. The pitch was marked perfectly. There was a play-by-play commentary and half-time cheerleaders’ shows from the UWE Comets and the Bristol Jets. Hot food and drinks were available through the game while the two University squads were battling for the Steve Jones Varsity Trophy.

The UWE Bullets have never lost to their cross-town rivals and with their unbeaten season on the line they had no intention on this time being the first. The Bristol Barracuda won the toss and took the ball. The opening kick-off was returned 19 yards and the Cuda offense took the field. The UWE Bullets defense have been on a great run coming into this game. They held the ‘Cuda offense to a 3 and out on the opening drive. The punt was returned by team captain Tom Whyld for the Bullets and their offense took the field for the first time. After some key runs from veteran Sam Atakorah the Bullets offense found themselves with a 4^th and long. The Bullets decided to attempt the field goal which went wide left.

The Cuda offense re-took the field only to meet the brick wall that is the run defense for the Bullets. They could only gain 4 yards and had to punt the ball. The Cuda’s punt pinned the Bullets offense on their own 10 yard line. The Bullets offense learned from the first drive and came out firing. They drove the whole length of the field on 10 plays with runs from 5 different backs as well as a long completion from rookie QB JJ Davies to team captain and president Dayne Robinson. The drive ended with an aggressive power run from 5 yards out from Sam Atakorah for the opening score. The extra point was scored by Robinson and the UWE Bullets lead 7-0. The following drive the Cuda decided to take to the air to try and beat the Bullets defense but on this drive they failed to complete a pass and again had to punt having gained no yards. The following punt ended the first quarter with the Bullets offense on their own 33 yard line and a 7 point lead.

The UWE Bullets offense went to work again with a second 10 play drive. However, this drive fell short when the Cuda’s defense stepped up and the Bullets tried their second long field goal attempt of the game. Robinson smashed through the posts from the 38 yard line to make the score 10-0.  The following drive was a nightmare for the Cuda’s offense with the Bullets defense really brining the pressure. The drive ended with them facing a 4^th and 37 from their own 2 yard line. A short punt led to great field position for the Bullets Offense to really turn the screw. The drive lasted only one play with a great individual pick from the Cuda’s defense in the endzone to give their offense the ball on the 20 yard line.

Inspired by the turn-over the Cuda’s offense finally got moving. They drove the ball on a 7 play drive all the way into the Bullets red-zone. However, the ‘bend don’t break’ Bullets defense held strong. Even after the Cuda’s offense decided to go for it on 4^th down and 8, only to have the pass batted down by LB James Oddy. On the very next drive the rookie QB JJ took no time to drive the field on two passing plays that went 63 yards for the score. The first was a long completion to Dayne Robinson for 51 yards, and then the very next play hit rookie Ryan Morton in the back of the endzone for a 12 yard touchdown. The extra point was good, this time by Tom Miles. The score line was 17-0 with not a lot of time left in the half, but long enough for the Cuda to break the 17 quarter shut out from the UWE Bullets defense. With just one play they went 54 yards by Michael McDowell for a touchdown to end the half at 17-6.

The third quarter was all defense with neither team really gaining many yards. The Bullets offense got a few first downs, but also fumbled the ball a few times, whereas the Cuda offense struggled to get any first downs. The quarter flew past and ended with no points scored.

The fourth quarter brought a little more excitement for the 500 pairs of eyes watching the local rivalry. The UWE Bullets very first 4^th quarter drive started at their own 25 yard line. They drove all the way into the endzone on 8 plays all on the ground with rookie running back Jamiel Tinto driving the ball the length of the field and finishing it off with a great inside powerful run from 11 yards out. The extra point was missed and the score line was 23-6.  The defense added 2 more points with a safety from veteran Mark Sanchez to make the score 25-6.

With not much time left on the clock, the UWE Bullets brought on their back-up players. The Cuda took the advantage of this with a great 10 play drive that started on their own 6 yard line to score an 8 yard touchdown pass to the back corner of the endzone by Michael McDowell.

The game ended with the UWE Bullets lineman carry which this year was won by Robert Chase and went for 2 yards. The final whistle blew and the final 2012 Steve Jones Varsity score was UWE 25 : Bristol Barracuda 12. The SAJ Varsity Trophy was awarded to the UWE Bullets president Dayne Robinson, and the game day MVP was awarded to UWE Bullets rookie running back Jamiel Tinto for his 14 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The UWE Bullets would like to thank the Bristol Barracuda for the great event and for a good game. They would also like to thank the UWE Comets for their continued support, and photographers Jeff Stanford, and the Western Eye.

The coach decided MVPs are to follow:

Overall MVP -

Offensive MVP -

Defensive MVP -

Special Teams MVP -

Rookie of the Game -

Coach Dyke took the role happily and was determined to build upon the great foundations that Coach Jones had put down. His aim was to finish the journey that his Coach had started and get the Bullets to the College Bowl. Coach Dyke achieved that in his fourth season as Head Coach. When asked about the National Title Coach Dyke said “This title is for Coach Jones. We all have been holding the rope from the day I met him. He was an amazing coach, and an amazing friend. I knew that he was looking down on us and smiling. He would have been very proud of how hard the Bullets worked to earn this title. It is something that can never be taken away from us. One day I WILL get back to the big show, but this victory is in the name of Coach Jones.”

During Coach Dyke’s eight completed seasons the UWE Bullets have won 5 conference titles, made the play-offs in every year except his first, and one national title. When asked about his time as the UWE Bullets Head Coach he commented “I am very proud to be the UWE Bullets Head Coach. I spent the first four years trying to make Coach proud of me and the team that he helped build. The national title was what Coach Jones dreamed of and we finally got there and won it all. Since then we have won many regular season games. This is due to my incredible coaching staff and focused committees. The coaching staff is one of the biggest and best in the country. Every year they continue to improve and push players to reach their own personal potential. This goes for first year true rookies up to final year veterans. Without their continual commitment and hard work we would not be where we are today. The committee have a very hard job and even though over the years the different players have made mistakes in their roles, they always had the Bullets’ success in their minds. We have had some serious bumps in the road during my time as head coach, but the work ethic and commitment from the coaches, players, committees, alumni, and support staff will mean we have many wins to come!”

The UWE Bullets are currently working their way through their 9th season under Coach Dyke and are sitting unbeaten at 6 & 0. Their next game is the Varsity Match up against Bristol University on February 12th at Beggars Bush, Clifton, with a 3pm kick off. The event is free and will have live commentary, half time entertainment, as well as a licensed bar and hot food for sale.

Sunday 29th Janurary was not much different with heavy rain all week, gameday rain, and a icy side wind, made for a old school, helmet to helmet, fight for the inch match up.

Rookie QB JJ Davies Final Whistle Reaction

The day did not start off great when both teams had no changing rooms, and the ambulance turned up late. After the wait the game finally kicked off with both teams having been in the conditions for nearly three hours. This however did not show during the first quarter which set the tone for the rest of the game. With neither team even attempting a pass, and with 9 in the box, the run games were finding it hard to even cross the line of scrimmage!

Captains Coin Toss

The UWE Bullets, however, were having slightly more success with a few first downs, but no drive was able to be sustained with the continued pressure from the ever improving Titans defense making key tackles for a loss to kill the UWE drives around midfield. Neither team got close to the redzone and the quarter ended 0-0.

Leading Tacklers Bateman and Zoheb

The second quarter started with more of the same. With lots of plays being stuffed in the backfield it was going to take something exceptional to break the deadlock. With nine minutes to go in the half that exceptional play came from UWE’s rookie running back Jamiel Tinto playing in his first BUAFL game. He took the hand off on a run right, cut back left to an opening and outran the Titans defense for a massive 68 yard touchdown. The PAT snap was poor and the UWE Kicker tried to make a play of it but his pass fell incomplete. This however did not change the game and the defenses ended the half setting the tone and the half ended 6-0 to the unbeaten UWE Bullets.

Oline and guests

With a short break due to weather and the late kick off the UWE Bullets got the ball to start the second half. This quarter was played in the middle of the field with a few first downs for both teams however neither team could work their way into the redzone for a scoring chance. The Titans defense was really starting to wear down the UWE running game at this point and the UWE defense was dominating the line of scrimmage. The third quarter ended with the same scoreline of 6-0 to the UWE Bullets.

Rookie Jamiel Tinto Winning TD

The fourth quarter started with UWE driving the ball with the best drive of their day. For the first time in the game the UWE Bullet offense managed to work its way just inside the Titans redzone. However after a 30 yard penalty and a player ejection the UWE Bullets found themself punting the ball back to the Titans offense. At this point UWE rookie RB Jamiel Tinto who seemed to be the only back able to handle the pitch conditions was struggling with the weather. The UWE coaching staff decided for his health to send him inside to warm up. With these loses the UWE Bullets turned to two more rookies Matt James (OLine) and Jack Austin (Running back) to see if they could step up in this knife edge game. After another stop by the shut out Bullets defense, the Bullets offense took the field with four minutes left in the game. Jack Austin had three key rushes including two first down runs to take some needed time off the clock, as well as staying in bounds to make the Titans use some of their time outs. The drive ended with a great defensive stop on a 4th down with the game on the line. The Titans got the ball back for one last chance and 65 yards to go. With not one pass having been thrown up to this point, the Swansea coaching staff called two screen plays where Titans QB Chris Aldred tried with two hands to forward pitch the ball which both fell short. The conditions were getting worse and with a 3rd and 10 the Titans QB dropped back and hit a 10 yard out pattern perfectly for the only completion of the day to keep the chains moving. This was to be the Titans final first down, with the UWE defense holding strong to win the game 6-0.

Rookie DE Jason Brooks

The UWE Bullets would like to give a special thank you to Jeff Stanford for coming all the way to take pictures and to the UWE Comet Cheerleaders who were there all game and were as loud at the end as they were at the start.

UWE Comets

The Bullets defense has now not let in any points for 16 quarters of football and the whole team is looking forward to Bristol American Football Varsity on Feb 12th at Beggars Bush, Clifton.

LB John Bateman Forcing The Fumble

UWE kicked the game off and the Bath Spa Offense went to work on their 30 yard line. They came out trying to pass and Bullet Rookie and Filton Pride graduate Idrissa Fornah started the day as he went on by pressuring the QB on every drop and picking up the first of his three sacks on the Bulldog QB. Facing a 4th and 8 on their own 32 yard line the Bath Spa coaches decided to go for it and not punt. They managed to complete a 7 yard pass but Bullet veteran Zoheb Ismail made a great open field tackle to stop the first down.

UWE Bullet Gameday Captains

This put the Bullet Offense on a short field to start the game. This was an invitation that the Offense was more than willing to take. In only 2 plays the Bullets were on the scoreboard with a wonderfully thrown ball from Rookie QB JJ Davies to Team Captain Dayne Robinson from 27 yards out for 6.

Pre-Game Huddle

The game went from bad to worse for Bath Spa on the following kick off when Rookie Team Captain Cam Parker forced a fumble which was recovered by UWE veteran Daniel Shodipo on the Bath Spa 16 yard line. The UWE Bullet Offense went straight back to the endzone scoring on just 1 play with another great touchdown strike from Davies to Robinson over the middle for their second score. Tom Miles converted the PAT to give the home side a very fast 13-0 lead.

League D MVP candiate Idrissa Fornah with 1 of his 3 sacks on the day

The following drive the Bulldogs decided to test the ground game against the highly focused Bullet Defense. They did not have any success only gaining 5 yards on three attempts. This time the Bath Spa coaching staff decided to punt the ball away. However the Bullets Special Team was ready to get on the scoreboard themselves. Team Captain Tom Whyld blocked the punt, nearly recovering the ball in the endzone in the process. The ball bounced out the back of the endzone for a safety making the scoreline 15-0.

Sam Atakorah Doing What He Does Best

The UWE Bullets Special Teams were not finished scoring for the day. On the following kick return Dayne Robinson showed his amazing ability to make lunging tacklers miss with a mesmerizing kick return for 73 yards for his third touchdown of the game. During the return ten of the Bath Spa defenders had a shot at him, but no-one was able to bring him down. The PAT was missed and the UWE Bullets were 21-0 up.

The first quarter ended with another 3 and out from the Bath Spa Bulldogs and a 8 yard sack from OLB Daniel Shodipo on their own 1 yard line. This time the Bulldogs were able to put up a 30 yard punt with no return. So the second quarter started and again the Bullets Offense took the short field and went to work. It took the Bullets Offense three plays to find the endzone, this time on the ground with a 28 yard run from first year RB Craig McLeod to the 2 yard line, and finished by a 2 yard touchdown run from team veteran Sam Atakorah. The PAT failed after a poor snap making the score 29-0.

Dayne Robinson TD catch 1 of 3 on the day

The Bulldogs Offense was struggling to protect their QB on passing plays and the next drive was very short, with a first down run not crossing the line of scrimmage, and on second down they tried to pass, but again Rookie sensation Idrissa Fornah sacked the QB and also forced a fumble which Anthony Fursman recovered on the Bath Spa 1 yard line. The Bullets Offense scored in 1 play for a 1 yard run from Rookie FB Dave Jegede-Brimson. Tom Miles slotted over the PAT to make the scoreline 36-0.

The Bullets Special Teams were again on top form on the next kick off causing another fumble from a swarming team tackle and then hit from linebackers Matt Putner and South Wales Warriors bowl winner John Bateman. Even on a short field the Bullets tried to go deep one more time, however, the Bath Spa DB was in perfect position and picked off Rookie QB JJ Davies in the corner of the endzone. The Bulldogs had one more chance before the end of the half to try and get a first down however the UWE Bullets Defense was still dominating the line of scrimmage stopping 3 run attempts for -9 yards. The half ended and the home side had a 36-0 lead.

Rookie Jack Austin's first ever TD

The second half started the way the same way as the first half went. A 3 play drive ended with Rookie James Schofield scoring on a 62 yard run. Tom Miles kicked the PAT to make the score 43-0. The following kick off was chipped into a big space and after a good UWE bounce Rookie Cam Parker recovered the ball. However this drive the Bath Spa Defense stepped up and stopped the Bullet Offense from getting a first down. The Bath Spa Offense re-took the field only to continue to struggle. They had two incomplete passes and a short run to have fourth and five. They decided to go for it and completed a screen pass, however second year Bullet DB Ashley Alakija forced the fumble which was recovered by Bath Spa but not for a first down. The Bath Spa Defense continued to hold the Bullets Offense in check for a second 3 and out in a row. This time the Bullet went for a 22 yard field goal which was missed wide left. Unfortunately, the Bath Spa Offense could not take the chance and a fumbled snap was recovered by veteran Mark Hibberd.

Vet C Ben Stanford, Rookie QB Chris Green, and Rookie TB Ryan Morton

This time however the Bullet Offense only took 1 play to find the endzone with a very well blocked sweep to Rookie RB Jack Austin from 28 yards out. The PAT was missed and the score was 49-0. The very next offensive play for the Bulldogs Rookie safety Josh Staples collected his first career interception and returned it 12 yards. The Bullet Offense could not move the ball going 3 and out including a fumbled hand off, and an intentional grounding from back up Rookie QB Chris Green. This is how the 3rd quarter would end.

Forced Fumble by Captain Cam Parker

The 4th quarter carried on with the Bullets Defense dominating the game, holding the Bath Spa Offense to another four and out and turning the ball over on their own 3 yard line. The Bullets Offense tried to run in the first down however a well timed blitz from the Bath Spa Bulldogs caused a fumbled hand off. The ball rolled to the 1 yard line where 2nd year tackle Rob Chase dove on the ball and rolled into the endzone. The ref correctly downed him on the 1 and his dream of scoring was over. The next play Rookie RB Ryan Morton took the 1 yard carry for six more points. Tom Miles made the PAT to make the score 56-0.The next Bath Spa drive, had three tackles for a loss, with two sacks – one from Idrissa Fornah and the other from veteran Ben Cooper – giving the ball back to UWE on the 15 yard line. Back up Rookie QB hit team captain Dayne Robinson for his 4th score of the day. Tom Miles hit the PAT to make the score 63-0.

Rookie RB Craig McLeod

The Bath Spa Offense finally got a drive going against the UWE Bullets back up gaining three first downs on a 54 yard drive. However with only 3 yards to go for a touchdown, veteran Ben Cooper made a great form tackle with his head on the football causing a heart breaking fumble for the Bulldogs which was recovered by James Oddy. The UWE Offense took the field on their own 3 yard line. After an 8 yard run, the Bullets had a blown play which ended with back up QB Chris Green running into his own endzone and throwing the ball away. By rule that was intentional grounding in the endzone which gave the Bath Spa a well earned two points making the score 63-2.

The game was not quite over with the Idrissa Fornah forcing another fumble, recovered by Rookie DE Jamie Bustin. The Offense ran the ball in for the final score of the day by Rookie Ryan Morton from 6 yards out, making the final score 69-2.

Defensive Leaders Mark Sanchez and Idrissa Fornah combine for another Sack

The UWE Bullets finally managed to put all three phases of the game together for a great team victory. The Bullets sit on the top of the SWAC unbeaten at 4&0. The only other team that are unbeaten in the conference are the Cardiff Cobras who the Bullets play on the final game of the regular season. The Bullets now look forward to healing up, getting a little stronger, faster, and seeing what 2012 WILL bring.

UWE BOOM Squad

The UWE Bullets would like to thank Jeff Stanford and Paul Jenkins for their amazing photos of the game which are used on this match report.

Game MVP’s

Overall – Dayne Robinson

Defense – Idrissa Fornah

Offense – David Jegede-Brimson

Special Teams – Tom Miles

Hon Mens – Zoheb Ismail, Josh Staples, Ben Stanford, and Joe Baker.

Head Coach Mat Dyke Talking To The Team

The day started very early with the UWE players meeting at the bus stops at 6.30 in the morning. The last time UWE went to Aberystwyth the coach broke down and team enjoyed a local trampoline while waiting for the replacement coach to arrive. This year was less eventful, but just a draining. The UWE Bullets however were looking to keep their winning streak going.

The rain had finally stopped, but the wind did not. The pitch looked in good condition however with all the rain during the week there was not a lot of solid footing for either team. The UWE Bullets lost the toss and Aberystwyth decided to take the football. The Bullets Defense went to work only allowing one first down on a swing pass before them shutting down. The first punt of the game was taken by Bullet rookie Idrissa Fornah, who made everyone but the Punter miss on a great return.

DC James Anderson & Team Captain Cam Parker

The UWE Bullets Offense took the field and ran the ball at will as they would all day, however the pitch conditions would be the biggest challenge they would face all day. The drive ended with a fumbled snap which was recovered by the Defense. This was to be the case most of the game. The UWE Bullets Defense held the Aberystwyth Offense to only 23 total yards on 41 plays. The UWE Bullets Offense had 10 drives and scored 3 touchdowns. These were short yardage power runs from veteran Sam Atokorah, and Mark Sanchez, and a massive 82 yard run from rookie Craig McLeod for his first career touchdown. Craig ended the day on 8 carries for 122 yards as well as a joint blocked punt with team captain Tom Whyld, which Craig also recovered! Is was not all plain sailing for the UWE Bullets Offense with the Aberystwyth Defense creating 5 turnovers of their own. However with only 9 yards total rushing offense the Aberstwyth Offense could not put a drive together to challenge the score board.

Rookie Starting QB JJ Davies

The game ended very quickly with both teams running the ball a lot due to poor conditions. The UWE Bullets ended the game 18-0 winners, recording their second shut out in as many weeks. This was the 2nd game on a four in a row streak for the UWE Bullets. Next up is the Bath Spa Bulldogs on Sunday 4th December.

Sam Atakorah averaging over 10 yards a carry

Game MVP’s:

Overall – Craig McLeod

Offense – Joe Baker

Defense – John Bateman

Special Teams – Tom Whyld

Hon Mens – Matt Putner, Sam Atakorah, and Mark Sanchez

Xavier Anderson Touchdown Catch

This game was always going to be a close one. The UWE Bullets defense took the field to start the game as they went on with a great opening drive stop and good punt return to give the Offense good field position. The offense went straight to work running the ball with good success. However after three first downs from veteran running back Sam Atokorah, a play action pass lead to a fumble from the Bullets Rookie QB JJ Davies, as Bath’s linebacker blitzed through untouched and hit him during the fake. Bath would recover the fumble and start well inside UWE territory.

The Bullets defense however were relentless and did not allow the Bath Offense to get going at all. This was to be the case for the first quarter, which both teams getting a few first downs but not putting a drive together that ended in any points. The first quarter ended 0-0.

Rookie QB JJ Davies

As the second quarter got going the UWE Bullets defense started; putting more and more pressure on the Bath Offense who started to throw the ball on most downs as they struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage running the ball. The UWE Offense were also struggling to run the ball against a very agressive and good tackling Bath defense. However with about four minutes left in the half UWE broke the deadlock with a great individual play from the offense. At 3rd and long, the UWE O-line protected the Rookie QB JJ Davies long enough for him to throw it deep, with Team Captain Dayne Robinson doing an amazing job to come back to the ball, jump over the DB’s head and pluck the ball out of the air. This was not the end of the play as the veteran then turned, stiff armed the safety, and went in for the opening score of the game for a 39 yard touchdown catch. He added the PAT himself and the UWE Bullets went into the half 7-0 up.

Team Defense Tackle For A Loss

Both teams felt that they were in the game, and gave very passionate half time speeches about taking the game. The second half started off as the game did, with both defenses defending the line of scrimmage very well against the run, and putting both QB’s under a lot of pressure when passing. The game was played pretty much in the middle of the field at all times with niether team getting any redzone chances. The 3rd Quarter had a few turn overs including an interception from Bath inside the UWE half. UWE even got a pick of their own from veteran linebacker Zoheb Ismail. With all the great defense the 3rd quarter ended 7-0.

Into the 4th quarter and the UWE Bullets Offense was starting to churn out more first downs than Bath and after another turnover from gameday captain Mark Sanchez on an interception. This was a turning point in the game as the UWE Offense put a string of first downs together, then pinned the Bath Offense inside its own ten yard line with a key punt from vertern Mark Hibberd. A great three and out stand from the D and finally a great punt return from rookie DE Idrissa Fornah, put the UWE Offense in the redzone with about four minutes left in the game. This time the UWE Offense put together a good set of plays which ended in a nine yard pass from JJ Davies to Tight End Xavier Anderson to put the game out of reach for Bath and taking the score to 13-0 as the PAT was unsuccessful.

Team Captain Dayne Robinson Stiff Arming Into The Endzone

The Bath offense tried to pull it back but the UWE Defense held strong. The last drive of the game saw some of the UWE back ups that had supported so well all day have a chance inside the Bath redzone after Bath had gone for a 4th down, however the Bath defense as they had done most of the day held the UWE backfield to a three and out and ended the game.

The UWE Bullets defense held the Bath Killer Bees to -1 yards rushing on 18 attempts! As well as causing two key turnovers. The Bullets Offense only managed a total of 175 yards against a very good Bath defensive performance, but with two touchdown passes from Rookie QB JJ Davies, who is starting his Bullets career very well.

The UWE Bullets next game is the re-arranged away fixture against Aberystwyth Tarannau on Sunday 27th November, before being back on the Filton WISE 3g on Dec 4th to take on Bath Spa Bulldogs.

Gameday Captain Mark Sanchez With Rookie DE Idrissa Fornah

The UWE Bullets would like to thank Annabel Wolf for again travelling down and taking the pictures of the game that are used in this article.

Game MVPs:

Overall – Idrissa Fornah

Offense – JJ Davies

Defense -Mark Sanchez

Special Teams – Mark Hibberd

Hon Mens – Dayne Robinson and Jamie Bustin.

Bullets Defense Taking A Knee

The game was moved to the grass pitch due to a double booking on the home team’s normal 3G surface. The condition of the pitch was perfect considering the rain during the week. There were a few conference teams at the game for scouting the 3 time reigning conference champions UWE Bullets, as well as the Plymouth Blitz lead by new Head Coach Lydon Ward-Best, who also played the game at Center.

Special Teams Return

The day was a well organised affair, with the UWE Bullets committee sorting out every aspect of the day from rosters, uniforms, ambulance, post game food, to name a few and the coaching staff was very impressed with their ability to cope with the increased squad number on game day.

Power Inside Running

The UWE Bullets would also like to thank the Filton Pride players for their support on the sideline as well the players that performed the chain crew and ball boy duties. Filton Pride HC Ben Herod was also at the game to taking pictures on behalf of the Bristol American Football Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bristol-American-Football-Fan-Page/167154030036020) and all the pictures in this article are thanks to him.

The game was supported by quite a few family and friends of the UWE Bullets as well as an impressive turn out from the UWE Comets cheerleading squad. The girls were loud and proud all game and really helped to create a great sideline atmosphere. The UWE Bullets are hoping that this just the beginning and look forward to seeing the squad at the next home game when Bath Killer Bees travel to Filton WISE on 20th November.

Rookie QB JJ Davies and Veteran Guard Fred Campbell

The game itself was a very messy one as most opening day games are for BUAFL. Head Coach Mat Dyke commented “A win is a win, and it is said that good teams find a way to win ugly games; and this was an ugly game. We dug holes all over the place today and at times I was honestly not sure we would be able to get out of them. However, I was very impressed with the character of the team to come back from behind twice to win the game. We have a long way to go to have a chance to be where we want to be but at this point we are were we need to be, 1 & 0.”

Captain Dayne Robinson commented, ”Plymouth has historically been a tough opening game for us and today was no different. They have improved a lot on previous years and they will be in the mix when the playoff picture becomes clearer alter in the year. It looks like the SWAC will be toughest conference to win once again.”

Rookie Chris Green and UWE Comets

For now the UWE Bullets will enjoy the 21-16 victory for a few days before getting back to work on Wednesday to get ready for a tough away trip to Aberystwyth.

Game MVPs:

Overall – Idrissa Fornah

Offense – Robert Chase

Defense – Cam Parker

Special Teams – Mark Hibberd

Hon Mens – JJ Davies, Chris Green, James Schofield

Team Captain Cam Parker

Head Coach Mat Dyke commented “Opening game against Plymouth for the 3rd year in a row is never an easy thing. We have had some very close games against Plymouth and we have always found a way to win in them. However this year we get the fixture at home which will be nice as means we get Refs for the game. I personally am looking forward to seeing what my players have learnt from the last two weeks scrimmages, as well to see what Lydon Ward-Best has managed to achieve as the new Head Coach for the Blitz.”

The UWE Bullets would like to invite all of the Bristol American Football Family to come support them on the day and would also like to thank in advance the Filton Pride players who are coming to help with chain crew and ball boy.

At the game will be Bristol Aztec and NFLUK Stats man Mike Harrison, Bristol Aztec Camera Man Chris Griffin, Photographer Jeff Stanford, and even rumors of Annabel Wolf travelling down to take pictures of the game.

If you want more details you will find a facebook event for the day at:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253293674717652