Mobile Brings It All Home

Jethro Ittaway adds Hyperbowl MVP to impressive run of honors

In a regular season meeting, the Iowa Bunch got two late scores on Mobile mistakes, an interception and botched punt, to run away at the end, winning 34-20. This made for a rare occasion when a championship game was made more interesting because of a previous meeting. Without that Iowa win, Mobile would have been a prohibitive favorite.

The Mobile Homes have been the best team in the league the last three seasons, going undefeated in the regular season two years ago, and losing in the Eastern Conference championship by two points last year. After rolling through the season with the best record this year, that Iowa loss one of only two, the Homes were much anticipated to finally claim the title.

This time Mobile got two big interceptions in the first quarter that changed the tenor of the game. What might have been a real shootout with Mobile chasing Iowa became a game in which Iowa chased Mobile the whole time, though there was still suspense if not the thrilling kind of lead changes. The Bunch even drew within one score at the end, the possibility of a touchdown and two-point attempt, and it came down to an onsides kick and last gasp effort, but Mobile prevailed to claim that title.

In the season game, Iowa proved their similarity to Mobile also made them competitive, matching up statistically, and those mistakes were the difference. The same here. On the opening drive, the Bunch slashed up the field, the big play a 21-yard scramble by quarterback Tab Lloyd, supposedly less mobile than Mobile's Jethro Ittaway, All-East QB and East MVP. This set Iowa up at the Mobile 34-yard line, but on the next play, Lloyd was picked off. Mobile drove right back the other way, consuming most of the distance on a 32-yard pass play from Ittaway to running back Everett DeMall to the Iowa 12. Ittaway threw to tight end Jorge Girl for the TD on the next play, and Mobile struck first, rather than Iowa.

Again in the first, after a Mobile punt that set Iowa up at their own 31, Lloyd ripped off three straight passes to TE Dick Cass, of 14, 11 and 32 yards, down to the Mobile 12. On the next play, Mobile's Jeff Uckendick cut into the route of Iowa's Sawyer Hiney for another perfect pick to kill a scoring bid. After an exchange of possessions and punts carrying into the second quarter, the Homes went on another churning drive of their own, including a 16-yard pass to Uckendick, a 17-yard run by RB Torpedo Lovecraft, and the 10-yard scoring strike to All-East and league reception leader WR Guy Nicologi.

Iowa responded with a drive that took more plays, though it was mostly one big strike, a 51-yard pass play from Lloyd to All-West WR Hollis Assaway to the Mobile 15. The Homes held to a fourth down and four yards to go at their nine. The Bunch went for it, and scored on a pass to Cass. They were in the game, despite yielding the lead.

Mobile had another threat killed by the clock, as they gobbled the field again to move to the Iowa 19 when the half ended. Ittaway threw to Uckendick for 20 yards and Girl for 24. But they came right back out in the second half, did it over and finished the job. They received the kickoff, started at the 21, and scored in three plays. Lovecraft ran for 21 yards, then it was Ittaway to Nicologi on a 49-yard bomb to the Iowa nine, Mobile's own big strike to answer for Iowa's with Assaway. Ittaway threw to Nicologi again for the nine-yard TD.

In command again, 21-7, Mobile forced the Bunch to punt on their next drive, then went on a long, grinding drive starting from their own ten, consuming the clock, keeping the ball from Iowa, and seeming to put them in a stranglehold. The Bunch, however, stiffened up and stalled the drive at their 36, despite the fact Mobile used 11 plays and a third of the quarter to get there. This was good enough to force a punt rather than a field goal attempt.

Iowa started at their own six, but went three and out, a ten-yard pass to Assaway unable to make up for two losses by Lloyd and RB Elian N. Vasian. On the punt, however, Mobile's Uckendick fumbled the return, and the Bunch recovered at their 44. They drove to the Mobile 26, where they stalled again, but got a 43-yard field goal by kicker Donovan Tryett. Score: Mobile 21, Iowa 10.

The fourth quarter was another kind of contest, as the teams traded long drives, just one for each team, the two drives taking all but a couple of minutes of the quarter. Iowa's field goal was the first play of the fourth, then Mobile started at their 20 and took 14 plays to move to the Iowa eight. Ittaway began the drive with a 14-yard run, and had an 18-yard pass to Uckendick, but no other play was more than nine yards. The pass to Uckendick came on fourth down at the Iowa 22, and appeared to be improvised on a botched punt snap, though it may have been a fake. On the eight, Ittaway was hit attempting to pass and went out rattled. Backup QB Brady Bunch came on and fumbled the snap. Iowa recovered at the eight.

The Bunch then went on a drive that was a tug of war of wills of both teams, Mobile forcing smaller gains and more downs, Iowa then just getting enough. There were five third downs and three fourths on the drive, altogether 20 plays. When Mobile forced a fourth and ten at their 43 and appeared to have killed the drive, a defensive holding penalty revived it for Iowa.

Finally, however, Mobile seemed to impose their will even on Iowa's decision. Held to a fourth down at the Mobile 14, Iowa decided for the field goal attempt rather than a shot at conversion or TD. Perhaps the earlier interceptions had a role in in swaying the Bunch to get the more sure points rather than turning possession to Mobile on downs. Tryett made the 31-yard field goal, and it was 21-13 in favor of Mobile. Iowa had a shot, but would need the touchdown and a two-point conversion.

The Bunch went for the onsides kick and recovered at the Mobile 42, to add more suspense. But the next play from scrimmage proved to be the last when they apparently improvised a draw, Lloyd handing off to DeWater, after finding the receivers covered. Iowa was unable to stop the clock and it ended there.

Iowa's Lloyd had 277 yards passing, as the teams were pretty much even again there statistically. The difference was Lloyd's one TD pass and two interceptions compared to Ittaway's three TDs. Assaway had a big game and led all receivers, and Cass also contributed eight catches for 93 yards and the TD, but for Mobile Nicologi had six catches for 99 yards and two TDs, and Uckendick six catches for 75 yards. A big difference was the running game and backs, where Mobile got 70 yards rushing from Lovecraft, another 28 from DeMall, and DeMall had 41 yards receiving, that along with Ittaway's 26 yards rushing. Iowa had just 32 net yards rushing, 30 of it by DeWater.

Mobile made good on their three-season rise to the top of the league, and added a second Hyperbowl win and league title for the franchise. They won it 1994, the year Nicologi came in as a rookie. Nicologi is the only player to have spanned that history for the Homes, and now that he's not only been around this long, but remained good enough, it will fuel the speculation that he will decide to retire on this note, making a full circle.