Things learned in USFJ-AFL Week 13.0

Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer continues shaking his head at the marvel that was Saturday's U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League South Division title game:

-- After succumbing to Foster 25-7 in the 2009 South Division title game last Aug. 8, Torii coach Darell Keith hinted that would be his last game at the Wolfpack's helm. To which I replied, don't do it. This is a startup program. The worst thing that can happen to a startup unit is if the coaching post resembles a revolving door.

-- Think Keith isn't happy he returned to the Joint Task Force Wolfpack now?

-- Especially after dethroning his greatest rival, the Foster Bulldogs, 20-18 in Saturday's South championship?

-- Especially after JTF's version of the Music City Miracle, Kent Onuoha's 82-yard kick-return touchdown with 28 seconds left that saved the Wolfpack, which had just fallen behind 18-13 on Frank Bryant's 7-yard touchdown pass to Roger Veal.

-- Google Onuoha and you'll see that name associated with the Kansas State University track and field team and several events he ran last decade.

-- No doubt, he proved why he was a collegiate sprinter on that play. One Foster player had a shot at bringing him down, just shy of the goal line, but Onuoha somehow kept his balance and rambled into the end zone.

-- And the wall that Onuoha used to turn the left corner and spring himself free for the score ... just how "kick-return left," or "legs" as I've heard it called, was designed by coaches throughout the land at all levels. Only this time, it worked just as diagrammed.

-- Foster, with its wide-open, no-huddle spread attack, outgained the Wolfpack 181-41 (!!!) and forced six sacks and two turnovers. One would think a team that outgains its opponent by 4.5-1 should expect to win, right?

-- "You can't take a play off. That's what happens when you take a play off," Foster offensive coordinator Gerald Sharber said of Onuoha's return.

-- "We believed. We simply believed," Keith said.

-- Onuoha's decisive return capped a contest which saw the lead change hands five times. JTF got its first two touchdowns on a 10-yard pass from Mike Geddie to Joseph Huewitt at first-quarter's end; Foster answered with second-quarter TD runs of 3 yards by Bryant and 15 by Desmond Fagan.

-- Despite JTF's offensive yardage dearth, the Wolfpack caught a break when Foster committed two personal-foul penalties that set up JTF at the Foster 14, leading to Darrell Miller's 2-yard touchdown run with 11:25 left.

-- The defeat wasted a relentless performance by defensive end Jonathan Johnson who racked up 4 1/2 sacks. W.L. McMullen recovered two JTF fumbles.

-- JTF could have scored more were it not for a 65-yard touchdown pass being called back on a holding penalty, and another apparent TD toss being ruled out of bounds.

-- The teams combined for 54 passes, the most by two teams in one game this season. Bryant was 15-for-45 for 123 yards; Geddie went 4-for-9 for 73 yards.

-- So, what lies ahead for the Wolfpack, which now travels north for a showdown at Yokota High School's Bonk Field with the North champion Yokota Warriors?

-- Yokota (5-2, 160 points for, 97 against) is in its fourth Torii Bowl, but at home for the first time. The Warriors lost 15-12 at Yokosuka in 2000, 30-21 at Misawa in 2005 and 30-6 last Aug. 29 at Foster.

-- JTF might appear to be the most unlikely of candidates to reach the Torii Bowl out of the South. A year ago, when Keith contemplated quitting, the Wolfpack went 0-5 in the regular season before ousting second-place Kadena 12-6 in four overtimes last July 18.

-- Now, look. The Wolfpack sports a 6-2 overall record, 157 points for and 108 against.

-- But ... the Wolfpack has a bit of history against it: No road team has ever won the Torii Bowl. Yokosuka won it in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007; Misawa in 2005 and 2008, and Foster last year, all at home.

-- Why? It's tough to ensure you get your entire team off of duty and to Yokota and back in just two days' time. Always keep in mind, the players are not hired to play football; they're hired to defend the nation.

-- This will be the second time Okinawa faces a North Division team for the title, following on last year's Foster victory. Kadena was to visit Yokosuka for the 2001 and 2003 title games; the 2001 game was canceled due to Sept. 11, and the 2003 game was never played, because both teams couldn't agree on a playing date due to transportation problems and duty commitments.

-- JTF will bring about half its roster to Yokota, Keith said, and the Wolfpack will "give it all we can."

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