PREVIEW: GRIDIRON BOWL VII

by Charles Thompson

The stage is set and the road has come to an end for Gridiron Bowl VII! Congratulations to the Nashville Storm (10-0),and the Oklahoma Thunder (10-0) football organizations and their fans.These two teams will meet to compete for the National Championship (GDFL Crown) in Oklahoma on Saturday, September 3, 2016

The GDFL National Championship is one of the most elite platforms in the country. The GDFL has had over 26 Championship Teams from other leagues enter this platform to compete at this level. There has been only six to take home this prestigious title.

The Oklahoma Thunder defeated the Memphis Blast in the Impact Conference Championship Game 37-11. The Thunder is making their third appearance in the Gridiron Bowl and is on a quest for ring number two. 

Their Gridiron Bowl record is (1-1). In 2011 at Gridiron Bowl II in Atlanta, Georgia the Oklahoma Thunder was defeated by the Chambersburg Cardinals 19-14. Two years later in 2013 they would return in Gridiron Bowl IV in Memphis, Tennessee to defeat the Leigh High Valley Storm 56 – 8 for their first GDFL Championship.

Oklahoma Thunder Gridiron Bowl History:

2011 Gridiron Bowl II (Atlanta,Georgia)
Chambersburg Cardinals 19
Oklahoma Thunder 14

2013 Gridiron Bowl IV (Memphis,Tenn)
Oklahoma Thunder 56
Lehigh Valley Storm 8

 

The Nashville Storm is currently the reigning champions of the GDFL. The Storm defeated the Georgia Crush 6-2 in the Xtreme Conference Championship and is on a quest to be the first team ever to win Back to Back Championships in the GDFL.

Nashville Storm Gridiron Bowl History

Gridiron Bowl VI (New Orleans,Louisiana)
Nashville Storm 31
Crescent City Kings 28

Gridiron Bowl VII will be played at Holland Hall  Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm Central Standard Time on the GDFL Sports Network with announcer John Hall and play by play Sam Harbin. Melody Dunlap will perform the National Anthem. The halftime show will be performed by the world famous Production Dance Crew.

Yes, it’s the Sooner State but this will be a night game where temperatures will be in the 80′s an will feel cooler than expected.

We will have 4 Days of time to analyze and break down how these two teams match-up and to prognosticate.

The Oklahoma,Thunder, as great as Brandon Noohi and Prentiss Elliott are and have been, they now have to go up against the top defense in the nation the Nashville Storm their defense is playing lights out!

The cliché is that defense win championships.  Almost all championship teams have a great defense, or at least good and smart enough to balance a good offense.

The Storm obviously have a outstanding  defense. The Thunder defense plays good enough to give it’s air-arsenal offense plenty of opportunities to light up the scoreboard and win.

The Storm defense is dominating while the Thunder defense is a bend but not break defense.

Both defenses are very competent at creating turnovers.

This will be, a highly anticipated match-up  between both offenses and their dominating defenses.  Something will have to give, expect the give and take issue will primarily rest on the shoulders of both quarterbacks Noohi and Murray.

Murray will select his passes precisely and carefully, not setting up his wide receivers to get “broke up“ while Noohi can extend plays an can be a,threat to run to open up his passing game.

With a week off it benefits both teams in terms of rest and healing from injuries, and game preparations. Also both teams will show us which coaching staff is superior with game preparation, developing a game plan, and most importantly, executing a game plan.

All of the pressure will be on the Thunder to win.  The Storm should be loose, with nothing to lose and everything to gain their essentially the road team. While the Thunder will benefit from hosting Gridiron Bowl VII in Tulsa the home crowd could add more pressure do to the expectations of winning a National Championship in your own  backyard!!!

If the game is close in the fourth quarter, this match-up will develop into a Noohi versus Murray type of game and whoever has the ball at  the end will more then likely be your National Champion!!!! 

There’s is Thunder/Storm on the way who will come out on top? Stay tune for the action!