Not as good as Hodai, 3 consecutive losses in league matches/Autumn league match
With two consecutive losses and a difficult situation, the opponent for the fifth game of the autumn league was Hodai. They put up a good fight, even winning against last year’s Kanto champion at one point. However, in front of Hodai’s tough offensive line, they gradually lost points.38－26This was their third consecutive loss in the fall league match.
◆８・31～11・10Autumn league games (Amino Vital Field, etc.)
▼10・27Taiho Taisen (Amino Vital Field)
Meiji University266ー7、13ー24、0ー0、7ー738Hodai○
The game changed in the 3rd minute of the first quarter. He gave the first point to Hodai, who are riding a wave with five consecutive wins. However, the Griffins quickly fought back. On the kickoff return, RB #21 Shuhei Takahashi (Bun 3 = Adachi Gakuen) made a long run of about 50 yards, and after that he steadily attacked the enemy’s territory with runs. In the end, a 6-yard pass from QB #15 Keifu Shinraku (Commercial 3 = Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama) to TE #89 Kodai Kaneko (Politics and Economics 3 = Chiba Nihon University) resulted in a TD (touchdown). The score was 6-7. The 2nd Q continues. They lost a TD early in the game, but Shinraku made a 34-yard TD pass to WR #19 Koki Igarashi (Bun 3 = Sayamagaoka) to make it 12-14. “I’ve been consciously trying to match my long passes since this year, so I’m glad I was able to produce results,” said Igarashi. The Griffins gained momentum thanks to an interception by DB #39 Yuya Kitamoto (Politics and Economics 1 = Kosei Gakuen). At the 6th minute of the second quarter, Shu Takahashi’s 36-yard TD run made it 19-14, giving them the lead. However, their opponent was last year’s Kanto champion Hodai. With two TDs and a field goal, they quickly reversed the game and ended the first half with a score of 19-31.
In the third quarter, they suffered first downs one after another and struggled against the opponent’s onslaught, but DB #38 Yuki Tatsuta (Politics and Economics 1 = Chiba Nihon University) made an interception to recover. However, they were unable to score, and both teams ended with no points. In the 3rd minute of the final 4th quarter, Shinraku made his 3rd TD pass of the game, 29 yards, to TE #87 Soma Sato (Bun 3, Kamakura Prefectural), showing his ability to catch up. “It was a little tricky play, but I made sure to match it many times for today.The result was that I prepared well, so it was a really good experience.” (Shinraku) However, with one and a half minutes left in the game, he was given a TD that would have put him out of luck. The Griffins wanted to hold on until the end, but in the end they allowed an interception and the final whistle blew.
The Griffins are facing a tough battle with 2 wins and 4 losses this season. The next match will be against Waseda University on November 10th. The path to becoming number one in Japan has been cut off, but will the fourth-year students be able to make it their last game with a flourish?
[Nanaka Kato]
Comments after the match
Igarashi
――How do you look back on the match?
“There were clear times when the flow was good and times when it was bad, and when the flow was good, we were able to move forward and feel comfortable, but when the flow wasn’t good, we couldn’t change it ourselves, which is frustrating.”
――Please tell us your impressions of the Hodai defense team.
“The level of each individual was so high that if I let my guard down, I felt like I could get hit.”
Shinraku
――Please tell us about the good points and issues of Meiji University’s offensive team.
“The good thing was that we were able to gain yards on the run in the first half and make passes at key points to score points.Our issues were two of our own turnovers, not being able to get third downs, and not being able to get 1 yards. I think the problem is that there isn’t one.”
――Please show your enthusiasm for the next match.
“Even if the path to becoming the best in Japan is cut off, I don’t think I’m a Han if I give up, so I hope I can win at the end and carry on to next year in order to become a Han.”
Kitamoto
――Please tell us your impressions of Intercept.
“I feel like I was a little lucky in terms of form, but I think it was a great thing that I was able to intercept the ball, so I want to use it as inspiration for the next time.”
――How do you look back on Meiji University’s defense team?
“We started off a little slow, but in the second half we were able to limit ourselves to only seven points, so if we can play like we did in the second half from the beginning, I think we can lead to a win.”
