Predators see off Knights in Varsity Cup

On Super Bowl Sunday, the Edinburgh University Predators comfortably beat the Edinburgh Napier Knights 28-10 at a packed Meggetland Stadium.

Billed as this years largest student sporting event in Scotland, the hundreds of fans who braved the cold were treated to some spectacular touchdowns as they watched the Predators triumph over their rivals to take home the Varsity Cup.

Understandably, given that both teams hadn’t played a fixture since last year, the players struggled to find their feet early on. However, the Predators quickly gained the upper hand, gaining good yardage, especially through running back Kevin Calvey.

In defence they harried their opponents aggressively, containing the Knights in their own half and putting pressure on their quarterback, Euan Rennie. Sacked multiple times, Rennie found it difficult to impose himself on the game. The Predators capitalised on their early domination, scoring the only points in the first quarter thanks to a touchdown by Kadi Labram, with a two-point conversion giving them an eight point lead.

The Knights’ problems continued in the second quarter, with Rennie continually harassed by the opposition defence and throwing wayward passes. The Predators’ hold on the game was slipping, however, and their receivers regularly fumbled quarterback Dan Cameron’s passes. The Knights steadily crept into the Predators’ red zone, but an overthrown pass by Rennie on third down forced them to settle for a field goal.

Edinburgh hit back immediately, Jonathan Siri finally catching one of Cameron’s passes in the end zone for the touchdown. The two points were added by Calvey who was on the receiving end of another Cameron pass, and the Predators headed into halftime leading 16-3.

The Knights emerged after half-time with a new intensity, especially on defence, and their linebackers put in some big hits on their opponents. The Predators were unfazed, though, with Dan Cameron throwing a perfect twenty yard pass for Siri to run onto and score his second touchdown.

After a failed conversion, the Knights retaliated swiftly through Jamie Welsh. The running back tore through the opposition defence, giving the Napier fans something to cheer about as he ran the half-length of the field to score an impressive touchdown. Napier kicked the additional point to make the score 22-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

However any hope of a Napier comeback was short-lived. With the players visibly tired, frequent errors prevented either team from seizing the upper hand on offence. Both quarterbacks struggled with their accuracy and were being put under pressure by their centres who were snapping the ball too high.

Nevertheless, the Predators’ defence stood firm as they continued to contain the Knights in their own half. Just as the sun was setting and the game was fizzling out, Cameron picked out wide receiver Richard Stoneham who sidestepped past the Knights’ safeties and raced away to score the game’s final touchdown.

Alasdair Howe, President of Edinburgh Predators, commented post-game: "The entire team played out of their skin, but a special mention for the defence who kept the team in the game with some excellent stops."