Undefeated Carlstad Crusaders take on Winless Oslo Vikings in Sweden’s Super Serien
The Carlstad Crusaders (2-0) will face the Oslo Vikings (0-2) this weekend, in a pivotal Super Serien week 4 matchup. The Crusaders will try to remain undefeated against the Vikings who are looking to get their first win in the Super Serien.
BACKGROUND
The Carlstad Crusaders have won in two distinct styles so far this season. In their season opener the Crusaders dominated the Kristianstad Predators 42-6, using a very balanced attack on offense and stifling defense. Last week, the Crusaders were in a competitive match against the Tyresö Royal Crowns, and found a way to be victorious by a slim margin of 24-21. In just two weeks, the Crusaders have proven themselves to be one of the better teams in the Super Serien.
On the other hand, the Oslo Vikings are still trying to prove themselves. Losses to the Tyresö Royal Crowns (56-37) and Örebro Black Knights (31-19) have left the Vikings team with a bad taste in their mouths. In both games, the Vikings have shown flashes of great play and execution, but ultimately have been overwhelmed by the talent of their opponents when it mattered most. This team relies heavily on offensive play calling and great execution to score points, while the defense offers very little resistance to their opponents offenses. After a bye week, the Vikings will have a chance to show everyone how much they have improved so far this season.
Key Players to Watch
Here are a few key players to keep a look out for heading into this weekend’s matchup.
CARLSTAD CRUSADERS
#10 Slade Jarman (Quarterback) - 31/66 (47%), 394 yds, 4 tds, 4 int
#8 Young Kennedy (Running Back) - 29 att, 292 yds, 4 tds
#11 Kristian Natunen (Wide Receiver) -7 rec, 99 yds, 1 td
#4 Willem Van Compernolle (Wide Receiver) - 11 rec, 155 yds, 2 td
#12 Albin Forsman (Wide Receiver) - 7 rec, 119 yds, 1 td
#32 Elias Rosenkvist (Defensive Back) - 5 tkls, 2 int, 1 pbu / 4 pr, 91 yds / 3 kr, 64 yds
#42 Mattias Eriksson (Linebacker) - 13 tkls, 2.5 tfl, 1 sack, 1 int
#1 Rory Kelly (Linebacker) - 9 tkls, 1 pbu
#41 Lucas Hedberg (Defensive Lineman) - 6.5 tkls, 4.5 tfl, 3 sacks
OSLO VIKINGS
#12 CJ Fowler (Quarterback) - 26/58 (45%), 354 yds, 3 tds, 2 int
#7 Vegard Tysse (Running Back) - 14 att, 39 yds
#3 Matthew Snawder (Wide Receiver) - 6 rec, 88 yds, 2 tds
#15 Niklas Fengler (Wide Receiver) - 8 rec, 124 yds
#1 William Sewell Jr (Linebacker/Running Back) - 15 tkls, 3 tfl, 1 sack, 2 pbu, 1 ff / 6 att, 47 yds, 1 td / 1 rec, 14 yds, 1 td
#10 Sigurd Stenseng (Linebacker) - 7.5 tkls
Matchup Analysis
The Carlstad Crusaders offense is very balanced. The receiving trio of Willem Van Compernolle, Kristian Natunen, and Albin Forsman will be a handful for the Vikings pass coverage. Oslo’s defensive unit has shown the ability to create turnovers in pass coverage, so that will be a priority in this matchup. The Crusaders also boast the top rushing attack in the Super Serien, thanks to the legs of Young Kennedy. His speed and ability to break tackles will be put to the test, as he has not seen the likes of linebacker William Sewell thus far this season. The Crusaders offense should be able to score consistently against the Vikings defense, but their quarterback is prone to turnovers and the Vikings defense is very opportunistic themselves.
The Oslo Vikings have an offense full of potential to score a lot of points. Unfortunately, the unit will have to play extremely efficiently with some luck to do so against a very sound Crusaders defense. The Vikings offensive line will be overmatched, ruling out any type of rushing attack for them. It will be up to CJ Fowler and his receiving corps to give the Oslo team a fighting chance. The Carlstad Crusaders have a very solid secondary group led by Safety Elias Rosenkvist who will do everything in his power to get the ball and put his offense in position to score. Someone from the Vikings offense will have to step up and make plays consistently for their offense to keep pace in this matchup.
Who Will Win?
The Carlstad Crusaders are the favorites in this game, and should win convincingly. The Crusaders are slightly better, if not much better, in every aspect of this matchup, excluding the quarterback position. The Crusaders quarterback Slade Jarman has been their achilles heel each week. The signal caller is a sporadic thrower, which resulted in 4 interceptions last week against a competent defense. If the Vikings are fortunate to score points when Jarman makes mistakes, they could upset the Crusaders in this matchup. That will be very difficult to do, as Young Kennedy and the Crusaders defense proved last week, as they refused to let bad quarterback play prevent them from winning.
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