World Team 35, Team USA 29 at 2012 International Bowl

The next event on tap for the National Team is the International Bowl next February.  That being the case, I felt like looking for a recap of the World team's victory from 2012.  Several countries are represented on the World Team, but the roster is primarily Canadian.

I couldn't find one the actual International Bowl website.  Imagine that.  It would be one thing for USA Football to not acknowledge it but the International Bowl website really should.  Perhaps I was just not able to locate it.

More surprisingly, Football Canada doesn't have much on it either.  Mind you, again, it's not a true national team.

So I've located the very detailed recap below on the IFAF website.  It's cropped somewhat, mostly to remove quotes.  The full version is here (at least for the time being).

The IFAF World Team won a thrilling 2012 International Bowl 35-29 despite a rousing U.S. Under-19 National Team comeback that fell just short in the fourth quarter.

The game marked the first loss in international competition at the senior or junior level by Team USA, including the 2007 and 2011 IFAF Senior World championships, the 2009 U-19 IFAF World Championship and two previous International Bowls.

Wait a minute...didn't we read something similar recently?  The following comment was included with the 2012 U19 championship recap: "Canada...handed the U.S. national team its first ever loss in international competition."  And that was in July of that year so evidently not only did they choose to ignore the multiple defeats to Canada in the Global Junior Championship Games, they ignored the International Bowl from February that same year as well.

Anyway...

University of Manitoba running back Anthony Coombs rushed for a game-high 147 yards and two touchdowns and Burlington (Canada) Nelson High School quarterback Will Finch completed 11-of-14 passes for 169 yards and a pair of scores to lead the World team to the victory.

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Team USA took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Sean Maguire threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Romond Deloatch on the Americans' first play after a promising World Team opening drive had been halted. The score was set up by a fumble recovery and return by Malcom Brown on that first possession.

But the World Team answered with a stunning 75-yard touchdown pass from Will Finch to (Jahlani) Gilbert-Knorren on the next series to knot the score at 7-7, making the receiver the first player to score in two International Bowls.

Gilbert-Knorren - a University of Saskatchewan product - finished the night with three catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.

After an exchange of defensive stops, Deloatch fumbled a World Team punt, maintaining the visitors' momentum at the USA 46 late in the first quarter.

Canada's Coombs capitalized and capped the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter to give the World Team a 14-7 lead, breaking tackles through the middle to fight his way into the end zone. The lead marked the first time a US junior national team had trailed in six games in international competition and the first ever World Team lead in an International Bowl.

The USA cut the lead to 14-9 when it forced a safety by the World Team after a fumble in the end zone by quarterback Jesse Mills was recovered by one of his offensive linemen.

Team USA was unable to move the ball on its ensuing possession and the score remained 14-9 until a short USA punt set the World Team up at its own 44-yard line with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

Mills led the drive down the field and connected with (Tevaun) Smith for a 19-yard score in the corner of the end zone with 1:05 to go in the half and the score stood at 21-9 in favour of the World team at the break.

The World Team forced a three-and-out by the USA to start the second half and a stellar punt return by Japanese back Shingo Maeda set the World team up at the USA 40. After moving down to the 20, the World settled for a 37-yard field goal attempt by Dillon Wamsley that was blocked by the USA's Daje Johnson. The blocked kick was caught by Jarrett Irving, who returned it out to the 29-yard line but fumbled as he went down and the ball was recovered the World's Casey Chin.

With new life following the turnover, the World Team rushing attack moved the ball down to the USA eight-yard line before Finch found defensive end-turned-tight end Daryl Waud in the left corner of the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the game. The World Team led 28-9 with 2:47 to play in the third quarter.

On the next USA possession Javelle Allen found receiver Frank Epitropolous open in the middle of the end zone for a 12-yard scoring strike to cut the World lead to 28-16 with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.

But Coombs opened the fourth quarter with 62-yard touchdown scamper to extend the lead to 35-16 with 11:48 left in the game.

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The World Team opened its next possession pinned back at its own one-yard line but quickly moved the ball out of danger thanks to some nifty running by Smith, Maeda and Austrian running back Andreas Hofbauer. The drive ran five minutes off the clock and should have put the game to bed.

But Devin Funchess came up with a touchdown catch over the middle and cut the deficit to 13 points after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

The resulting onside kick failed, but the World Team offense stalled and was unable to either move the ball or take time off the clock. Team USA struck with an instant pass to Epitropoulos to move the ball dramatically from their own 33 to only three yards from paydirt. Then on second and goal from the two, Jarrett Solomon found Canon Smith, whose one-handed grab meant the USA trailed by only six points after the point after.

World Team receiver Jean-Claude Madin Cerezo recovered the onside kick at the US 43 and from there the World Team kept the ball on the ground and the clock ran down to confirm their historic victory.

Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren, Evan Gill and Marcus Grandison
Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

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Defensively, the World team held Team USA to 254 yards in total offense and ran up 404 yards against the Americans.

"This is huge," Coombs said. "People don't think anyone can play outside of the United States. "This is going to make the US take this event more seriously and its also going to inspire tons of little kids around the world. It feels great that we did this."

Coombs' performance earned quite a bit of attention.  Burnt Orange Nation also recapped that game (and pretty well tore a strip off Team USA).  The evaluated seven players after the game, only one of which was a World Team player:

Anthony Coombs, University of Manitoba running back -- As mentioned above, Coombs was the MVP for the World team and was extremely deserving of the honor, as he was the most impactful player on the field. His 19-yard touchdown run in the first half showed off his combination of tough running, slipperiness, and balance as he broke multiple tackles before dragging a defender into the endzone. Not to be pegged simply as a between-the-tackles back, Coombs flashed his top-end speed on his long touchdown run, when he took the edge and outraced the US into the endzone. On a night of unexpected surprises, the fact that the best running back belonged to the World team was perhaps foremost.

Coombs also ended up in the "Faces In The Crowd" segment of Sports Illustrated.

In the Feb. 27 issue of North America’s leading sports publication, Coombs earned North America-wide recognition when it highlighted his MVP showing at the recent International Bowl.

“It’s kind of like surreal to be in the same magazine with all of those well-known sports figures,” said Coombs, 19. “It’s just an awesome feeling.

“To be in such a prestigious magazine where other great athletes have been profiled in the past in Faces in The Crowd is pretty cool … I am honoured and can’t wait to pick up a copy.”

Coombs plans to buy three copies.

Coombs has a headshot and a write-up in the Faces in the Crowd, a section in S.I. that honours talented amateur athletes and their accomplishments.

Coombs recorded a game-high 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries to lead the International Federation of American Football World Team to a 35-29 victory over the U.S. Under-19 National Team in the USA Football’s third annual International Bowl in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 1.

The Winnipeg native scored on touchdown runs of 62 and 19 yards.

Coombs was a Conference West all-star with the University of Manitoba Bisons this past season.