XFL XX LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 24, 2038
In Butte Montana, 61,545 fans merged to witness the Saint Paul Punishers led by league MVP Kenneth Powers face off with the Dakota Blizzard led by former 3x league MVP Jason Matson in the 20th league Title game in XFL history. This is Saint Paul's 3rd straight Title game under QB Kenneth Powers after losing the previous 2 years. This is Dakota's 8th Title game appearance (League Record) where they are 3-4 Alltime but the 1st appearance for Dakota QB Jason Matson.
The game started with Dakota kicking off to Saint Paul for a touchback. Things got off to a rough start as QB Powers hit WR John Burke for a quick 11 yards and a 1st down but on the 2nd play they were called for Holding setting up 1st and 20. A 13 yard run by RB Bradley Pickett got them from behind the sticks and SS Jason Cox was called for a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty which gave Saint Paul another 1st down at the Dakota 46 yard line. The next play saw Powers getting intercepted by CB Vincent Stoner who returned the ball 27 yards to the Saint Paul 36 yard line.
Dakota started their 1st drive with great field position and a Matson 20 yard pass to RB Ice Inveins put them in the redzone at the Saint Paul 16 yard line. After a couple of runs, it set up 3rd and 3 from the 9 before Matson was sacked for a 10 yard lose by DT Lawrence Steger and forced K Robert Combs to kick a 37 yard field goal giving Dakota a 3-0 lead with 11:23 left in the 1st quarter.
The Powers interception and Matson sack would begin a reoccurring theme in a game which featured both teams going on extended runs of scoring points.
Saint Paul would start their 2nd possession on their 25 following another touchback and was awarded a 1st down on the 1st play thanks to a defensive pass interference penalty on MLB Kenneth Soucy. After 3 straight short passes, Saint Paul was forced to punt on a 4th and 3 from their own 40.
Dakota's 2nd possession started on their 19 yard line. After an incompletion on 1st down, Matson hit RB Inveins for 21 yards to move the ball to their 40. Another incomplete pass was followed by Inveins running for 11 yards on a counter run to cross midfield. Matson would hit TE Christian Fritz then FB David Correa for 23 then 19 yard completions on the next 2 plays setting up 1st and goal from the 7. Saint Paul's defense would tighten up when they got another sack on 2nd and goal, this time by LDE Brian Jones which ended up forcing K Robert Combs to settle for a 35 yard field goal which extended Dakota's lead to 6-0 with 5:55 left in the 1st quarter.
Saint Paul started on the 25 again following another touchback but after an 8 yard pass to John Burke, the drive stalled after back to back incomplete passes which forced another punt.
Dakota would start this drive from their own 19 yard line. Matson completed a 12 yard pass to TE Christian Fritz to start the drive but 2 runs sandwiched around an incomplete pass made it 4th and 1 from their own 40 and Dakota stayed conservative and punted the ball away.
It turned out to be the right decision as Saint Paul started its next drive which started off nice with an 11 yard pass to WR Floyd Montgomery followed by an 8 yard run by RB Bradley Pickett before QB Powers was picked off for the 2nd time, again by CB Vincent Stoner.
Dakota would take over at the Saint Paul 45 and the drive started with a pass to WR Derek Looney for 16 yards but 2 runs for basically no gain followed by an incompletion led to K Robert Combs hitting a 48 yard field goal to make the score 9-0 with 31 seconds left in the 1st quarter.
The theme of the game stayed true as QB Powers threw his 3rd pick of the game on back to back passes and once again it was CB Vincent Stoner with the interception, his 3rd!!!
Dakota would begin once again in Saint Paul territory at the 35 yard line. QB Matson hit TE Christian Fritz for 20 yards putting the ball down to the 14 and they were in the redzone for the 3rd time. On 3rd and 7 from the 12, Saint Paul LDE Robert Craig would sack Matson for a 10 yard lose. K Robert Combs would kick a 40 yard field goal to extend Dakota's lead to 12-0 with 13:39 left in the 1st half.
Another touchback put the ball on the 25 yard line and after back to back completions of 8 yards to WR John Marrero and 24 yards to WR Floyd Montgomery, QB Kenneth Powers was picked off for the 4th time in the 1st half by CB John Esterly.
Dakota would take over at their 38 yard line and after an 8 yard pass to WR Keith Watts, RB Ice Inveins ran thr ball right thru the Saint Paul defense for a 54 yard touchdown making the score 19-0 after the extra point with 11:53 left in the 1st half.
Saint Paul put together a few good plays and had their best drive of the game to this point. A 16 yard pass to WR John Marrero and a 13 yard run by RB Bradley Pickett moved the chains twice but on 3rd and 10 from the Dakota 46 which seemed like 4 down territory based on the field position and score, QB Kenneth Powers was sacked by RDE Stu Nathan for a 10 yard lose making it 4th and 20 from their own 44 which forced Saint Paul to punt.
After a touchback, Dakota started on thier own 20 but on 1st down they were called for Holding putting them behind the sticks making it 1st and 18 from the 12. On 3rd and 17 from the 13, QB Jason Matson hit WR Derek Looney for 38 yards moving the ball into Saint Paul territory at the 49. After a run for no gain and an incomplete pass, on 3rd and 10 QB Jason Matson hit RB Ice Inveins for 18 yards moving the chains down to the Saint Paul 30. Dakota ran the ball 3 straight plays and on 4th and 3 from the Saint Paul 23 yard line, K Robert Combs hit a 42 yard field goal to make the score 22-0 with 4:25 left in the 1st half.
Saint Paul was reeling and the game looked to be over heading into halftime. Their defense had done their best, Holding Dakota to 5 fieldgoals after QB Kenneth Powers threw 4 interceptions but the team looked lifeless and dead in the water until QB Kenneth Powers hit WR John Marrero for a 75 yard touchdown pass to make the score 22-7 with 4:12 left in the half.
Dakota would start their next drive from their 19 yard line and the 1st play of the drive seemed to take some of the charge out of any Saint Paul momentum when QB Jason Matson hit WR Derek Looney for 21 yards. But the spark had been lit for Saint Paul and on the 2nd play of the drive, FB David Correa caught a short pass but WLB Albert Pierrepoint knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble.
The spark that happened when Powers hit Marrero for that 75 yard touchdown started a fire and Saint Paul had a 1st and 10 on the Dakota 44. QB Kenneth Powers hit FB Brian Caraway for 17 yards, RB Robert Evans ran for 13 yards followed by RB Bradley Pickett running for 12 yards which put the ball on the 2 yard line. Two plays later, QB Kenneth Powers hit WR Floyd Montgomery for a 2 yard touchdown and suddenly the score was 22-14 with 1:08 left in the half.
The half was dominated by Dakota for the 1st 25 minutes, with QB Kenneth Powers throwing 4 picks and Dakota scoring on 6 of their 8 possessions but Saint Paul's defense did enough to limit them to 5 field goals. One big pass play sparked a late 1st half run fueled by a Dakota fumble and Saint Paul went into halftime down 22-14 and with all the momentum.
The 2nd half started with Dakota receiving the kickoff and you could feel the entire atmosphere in the stadium had shifted. The opening drive for Dakota felt crucial as the momentum had clearly shifted and after an incompletion on 1st down, back to back runs for nearly no gain forced a quick 3 and out and a punt.
Amazingly, Saint Paul had the ball, down just 8 and it felt like everything was going their way. After an incompletion followed by a 3 yard run, on 3rd and 7, Saint Paul was called for a false start and QB Kenneth Powers completed a 7 yard pass to RB Bradley Pickett forcing a punt.
Dakota seemed to stop some of the Saint Paul momentum and and on back to back plays, Saint Paul's defense was called for penalties. 1st a pass interference penalty which gave Dakota a 1st down then on a 10 yard pass to RB Barry Williams, a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty gave Dakota a 1st and 10 on the Saint Paul 38 yard line. On 3rd and 9 from the Saint Paul 37, SLB Daniel Martin came free on a blitz forcing QB Jason Matson to throw the ball away. K Robert Combs kicked a 55 yard field goal to extend the Dakota lead to 25-14 and this gave them breathing room and seemed to change the momentum of the game.
The momentum change really seemed to be taking hold as Saint Paul was forced into a 3 and out where they were forced to punt.
Dakota started at their 25 but Saint Paul's defense stepped up as QB Jason Matson threw 3 straight incompletions and were forced to punt after they used 9 seconds of that possession.
Saint Paul started this drive on their 28 yard line and the drive was helped on the 1st play after RB Bradley Pickett ran for 1 yard but DT Julian Porter was called for a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty. RB Bradley Pickett had a 3 yard run sandwiched between 2 incomplete passes and once again Saint Paul was forced to punt from their own 46 and Dakota was pinned in at the 10 yard line.
Dakota RB Ice Inveins ran for 2 yards to give Dakota a little breathing room but on 2nd down, QB Jason Matson was sacked by DT Bret Walton for an 8 yard lose which led Dakota to punt from their endzone.
Saint Paul started with great field position at their own 45 but both defenses came to play in the 2nd half, Dakota held and forced a punt on 3th and 4 from the Dakota 48 yard line.
Once again, Dakota was pinned at their 10 yard line and once again QB Jason Matson was sacked by LDE Brian Jones pushing them back to the 1 yard line. On the very next play, DT Lawrence Steger sacked Matson again forcing a fumble which rolled out of bounds for a safety which close the score to 25-16 with 4:44 left in the 3rd quarter.
After a free kick, Saint Paul started their next possession at their 39 yard line. After an incompletion, Saint Paul was called for a false start making it 2nd and 15 but QB Kenneth Powers hit WR Floyd Montgomery for 15 yards making it 3rd and inches. RB Robert Evans run the ball up the middle and broke off a 13 yard run giving Saint Paul a 1st down at the Dakota 38. A short pass was followed by RB Jeremy Lewis running for 13 yards then QB Kenneth Powers hit WR John Marrero for a 24 touchdown making the score 25-23 with 1:46 left in the 3rd quarter.
After a touchback, Dakota went another quick 3 and out and were forced to punt it back to Saint Paul.
Saint Paul would start at their own 31 and QB Kenneth Powers hit WR Floyd Montgomery for 16 yards which ended the 3rd quarter. After an incompletion on 1st down, RB Bradley Pickett ran for 14 yards giving Saint Paul a 1st down on the Dakota 39 yard line. 3 plays later, Saint Paul was faced with a 4th and 6 from the Dakota 35 yard line and ALLPRO K Steve Garver kicked a 52 yard field goal giving Saint Paul its 1st lead of the game 26-25 with 12:56 left in the game. Saint Paul had successly came back from being down 22-0 to take a 26-25 lead and Dakota had to feel like a Championship was slipping away.
A touchback meant Dakota started on their own 25 and 3 plays later, QB Jason Matson was picked off by WLB Warren Burnett for the 1st time in the game.
Saint Paul took over on the Dakota 40 yard line with 12:41 remaining after just coming back from 22 down to take the lead. QB Kenneth Powers hit RB Robert Evans for 15 yards then on 3rd and 10, he hit WR Edward Montes for 24 yards setting up a 1st and goal from the 1 yard line. The game was slipping away from Dakota and a touchdown here would put them down 8 with the clock at 11:13 in the 4th quarter. Saint Paul elected to throw the ball 3 straight times on the 1 yard line and Dakota's defense stood tall with CB Vincent Stoner and FS Derek Norwood knocking passes away. On 4th and goal from the 1, Saint Paul decided to kick a chipshot 18 yard field goal making the score 29-25 with 11:03 left in the game.
Special teams matter, the Title game was showing that kickers matter with K Robert Combs and K Steve Garver both hitting 50+ yard field goals plus Saint Paul P Woodward Trent pinning Dakota inside the 10 twice.
Dakota would start their next drive from their own 16 when the Saint Paul special teams made a play on the kickoff return. QB Jason Matson would hit WR Derek Looney on back to back plays of 18 and 11 yards before RB Ice Inveins ran for 12 yards giving Dakota a 1st down at the Saint Paul 43 yard line. 2 plays later, QB Jason Matson hit WR Mark Moore on a 43 yard touchdown pass giving Dakota a 32-29 lead with 8:25 left in the game. That pass play would be the longest pass play of the game for Dakota.
Saint Paul would begin on their own 19 yard line and on 2nd and 10, Dakota was called for pass interference but Saint Paul was called for Holding so the penalties offset. On 3rd and 12, Saint Paul threw an incompletion along with being called for Holding so they were forced to punt down 32-29 with 7:28 left in the game.
Amazingly after a 3 yard run, Dakota threw 2 incomplete passes using just 52 seconds of clock before they had to punt.
Saint Paul took over at their 16 yard line and the drive started with RB Bradley Pickett rushing for 11 yards. QB Kenneth Powers hit WR John Marrero for 9 yards making it 3rd and 1 where Powers hit RB Robert Evans for 5 yards giving them a 1st down at their 40 yard line. The drive would stall after a short pass, a short run and an incompletion pass brought up 4th and 15 after a false start penalty forcing Saint Paul to punt with 2:58 left in the game.
Dakota would start on their own 20 and RB Ice Inveins ran for 12 yards and a 1st down. For some insane reason, QB Jason Matson dropped back to pass and was sacked by DT John Mansell for an 8 yard lose which took the clock to the 2 minute warning. That was the 8th time QB Jason Matson was sacked in the game. On 2nd and 20, Dakota decided to run the ball twice forcing Saint Paul to burn just 1 timeout before they punted the ball away.
Saint Paul started at their 25 yard line down 32-29 with 1:06 left in the game. QB Kenneth Powers dropped back to pass and had WR Floyd Montgomery 1 on 1 with CB Vincent Stoner on a go route and he cut the pass loose...CB Vincent Stoner got inside position and picked off QB Kenneth Powers for the 4th time personally and 5th time in the game.
The interception sealed the win as CB Vincent Stoner was named the games MVP with 4 interceptions, 8 knockdows and 6 tackles on 16 passes defended.
In the 4 postseason games, CB Vincent Stoner was thrown at 28 times where he had 11 knockdowns, 6 interceptions and allowed only 9 catches for a 32.1 catch allowed percentage.
Saint Paul drops to 0-3 Alltime in the XFL Title game, all in the last 3 seasons...Dakota is 4-4 Alltime in the XFL Title game and their 4 Championships matches Buffalo for the most in league history....This was the 1st Title for Dakota QB Jason Matson who started the season on the bench after 3 MVP seasons because of his 4-4 Alltime Record in the postseason and his inability to beat Buffalo, Matson didn't get the starting job back until week 8 but he finally proved the detractors and doubters wrong!
