Carinthian Black Lions (1-1) at The SWARCO Raiders (1-2)
Saturday, April 18th, 2009. 3 pm. Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck.
The SWARCO Raiders return home on Saturday to face the Carinthian Black Lions in a pivotal game for both clubs. After making strides in the win against Danube, the SWARCO Raiders took a step backwards last week with a disappointing result at Vienna. They will look to be more consistent offensively and limit their penalties, while working to control the line of scrimmage. An important match up in this game will be the SWARCO Raiders’ secondary looking to limit the productivity of “do-everything” Carinthian quarterback D.J. Hernandez, who rushed 20 times and threw 30 in the club’s victory over Salzburg last week.
Roommates in Action. Photo: Florian Schellhorn
LAST YEAR: In their only meeting last season, the SWARCO Raiders won on the road in Klagenfurt 47-12 behind Florian Grein’s four total touchdowns.
The SWARCO Raiders’ offense has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but must work to limit turnovers and mistakes if they are to take their place among the league’s elite. So far this season quarterback Jason Johnson has thrown 9 touchdowns and just 1 interception, completing 63% of his passes. Among his favorite targets are Jacob Dieplinger (20 catches for 332 yards, 2 TD), Matt Epperson (18-160-2), and Andreas Pröller (11-128-5). Florian Grein is averaging 81 yards per game on the ground, but the SWARCO Raiders will continue to look to get him more involved.
Jakob Dieplinger breaks through on a long catch and run. Photo: Florian Schellhorn
The Black Lions offensive strength is through the air, as their passing has generated 75% percent of their offensive yards game this season, at 233 per game. They are averaging 29 points per game, fresh off a 30-18 victory over the Salzburg Bulls. The SWARCO Raiders’ defense spent a lot of time on the field in the Vienna game, and did an admirable job containing the run, however they must rise to a different challenge this week against the Black Lions. Linebacker Philipp Magreiter leads the charge with 17 total tackles this season, while applying the pressure on the quarterback will be Mario Rinner, Gonzalo Segovia, and the rest of the defensive front.
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