How the Knights lost against the Cottbus Crayfish

Leading twice, equalizing once, losing again: The Oldenburg Knights are deep in the relegation mess after the 23:45 defeat against Cottbus. Apparently, not everyone was really frustrated by this.

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Oldenburg – After a setback that actually made you pull your mouth down to shoulder pad height, some of the Oldenburg Knights players ran across the field with broad smiles shortly after the end of the game on Saturday. There was little more than the summer weather at the GFL2 duel with the Cottbus Crayfish that had given them a good mood. The Knights’ 23:45 (16:24) defeat could not only have been the last duel this season in the Marschweg Stadium, but also the last home game for the time being in the second highest German American football league.

Bernd Teuber

Jan To Bruges

Oldenburg

The situation

Instead of putting themselves in a good position in the relegation battle with a win against Brandenburg (now 4:12 points/6th place), the Knights (2:14/8th) suffered their seventh defeat in the round of 16 and fell from non-relegation position sixth to last place in the northern division, behind the Bielefeld Bulldogs (4:14/7th), who won 42:35 against the Langenfeld Longhorns (10:8/4th). The Lübeck Cougars (6:12/5th) are also still in danger.

The tours

The Knights even quickly created a good mood on Saturday. On the very first offensive play, Isaiah Grice made it 7-0 with a short run into the end zone and the subsequent extra point by Darrian Naujoks. The guests struck back with a long pass from quarterback Tionne Harris to receiver Payton Schott and a successful two-point conversion, but the Oldenburg team countered the deficit with a field goal by Naujoks to make it 10-8.

They win and win: A 31:0 win against Bremen was a step on the way to the North German Championship for the players of the young Knights team.

The difference maker

This Knights lead did not last long either. Harris again found pass receiver Schott, and the Crayfish again added two points. “Schott makes the difference in Cottbus’ game,” said Knights coach Sebastian Blase about the US import, who had not yet played in the game in Brandenburg in June (rescheduled for September 14) that was abandoned due to a thunderstorm when the Knights were leading 21-0. “We had problems most of the time, to the point where we were completely out of control. “Our defense did that very well,” said Blase.

The errors

The Oldenburgers made it 16:16 thanks to another co-production by quarterback Joshua Cartwright and Grice, but missed the extra point after a substitution error and a five-yard penalty. A Harris run and another two-point conversion led to a 16:24 halftime score before the Knights once again got in their own way, as they often do. An interception in the red zone served the guests a 30:16 lead on a silver platter. A touchdown by running back Nils Bünger including an extra point gave rise to hope, but Harris made the guests celebrate and beam with a run of his own and a 20-yard pass.

In recent weeks, the Oldenburg Knights have reacted to the increasing threat of relegation with a package of measures.

Bernd Teuber

Jan To Bruges

Oldenburg

Bernd Teuber

Jan To Bruges

Oldenburg

The view

In order to stay in the league on their own, the Knights need two wins next Sunday (3 p.m.) in Lübeck and the following Saturday (4 p.m.) in Cottbus. If the points are equal, the direct comparison with the Cougars (who won 34:17 in Oldenburg at the end of July) and the Crayfish (who hosted champions Düsseldorf before the Knights’ return match) could decide who can finally smile.