Christian Ultimate
Disc League

First Impressions

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CUDL2023 continues to amaze.

 

The latest three weeks of the season have been marked by big wins, huge upsets, crushing losses, and totally crazy statistics. ​

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The sheer amount that I could write about weeks 4-6 is staggering. The Disc-iples are on a winning streak. The standings have shifted dramatically. And the Tugboats have fallen.

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Buckle in and strap yourself down. It's going to be a wild ride.

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So What Happened?

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I was sure I had the teams all figured out after week 3. 

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Predictably, I was wrong.

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Week four was a week of firsts. The Disc-iples started off week four with a huge win. The (0-3) Disc-iples faced (1-2) Scoobers, and promptly handed them their third loss. 36 total points were scored, only 14 of which were the Scoobers'. The Disc-iples worked quickly and efficiently. They completed passes and capitalized on defense. The 22-14  final score brought the Disc-iples up from seed eight to seed six and gave the previously winless team a much-needed morale boost. 

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The Wind, too, enjoyed their first win, edging out HammerTime in a 14-10 battle. It was a surprising win. Despite their week three loss to Green, HammerTime was favored to win by a large margin. They had won their first two games, and Wind hadn't won yet. HammerTime was showing great talent— they just hadn't seen quite the results they were looking for yet. Wind left them looking. Red never led, and ultimately lost by four points for the second game in a row. 

 

On the other side of the spectrum, the much-anticipated Landsharks-Tugboats game went about as well as it could have. Both teams brought their A-game, resulting in a wildly impressive and excruciatingly close game. The Tugboats started the game off 3-0 in the first four minutes. But the Landsharls rallied, bringing the score to 5-4 at the end of the first quarter. At halftime, the score stood 8-8. At the end of the third, the Landsharks were winning 12-11. The two teams tossed around the lead the entire game, never slipping outside of two points of each other. The Tugboats brought their typical game- a powerful, destructive, league-leading offense. But the Landsharks countered with the best defense in the league paired with a remarkable focus on possession of the disc. The Landsharks won every end-of-quarter matchup except the fourth, a mistake that eventually cost them the game. The Tugboats scored with 32 seconds left, putting them ahead 15-14. The Landsharks responded valiantly, but couldn't come up with the equalizing point. The Tugboats remained undefeated and handed the Landsharks their first loss.

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Then things really started shaking up.

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The Landsharks appear to have been emboldened by their performance in week four. Weeks five and six saw a combined total of 35 points, impressive numbers for a team that averaged only 10.3 points per game in the first three weeks. Meanwhile, their powerful defense allowed a combined total of only 11 points. The Landsharks continue to average fewer than ten points allowed per game (8.5), the lowest of any team in the league. At (5-1), they've moved to first in the league. However, they face some of their toughest games yet as they move towards the end of the regular season.

 

Week four may have been the tip of the iceberg for the Tugboats. In the first three weeks, the powerhouse team amassed 59 points, the largest three-game total of any team. In the next three weeks, however, they've scored 28 points— less than half their previous total. They converted only 15 points in their 1-point win over Purple in week four, the second-lowest of their season. In week five, they converted only nine. Week six saw the tugboats score only four points in 48 minutes of play. They still hold second place overall, but unless something changes during the bye week, the Tugboats could have some rough waters ahead of them.

 

HammerTime and the Green Eggs both suffered similar fates in weeks 4-6. Both defeated the Knights (Green Eggs by 8 in week four, HammerTime by 3 in week six). However, neither team won either of their other two games. In week five, both lost by significant margins (Hammertime by 11, Green Eggs by 12). Both played teams they could have won against— or at the very least, come close. Both teams were understaffed, creating huge mismatches for their opponents while cutting down on rest time for their own players. Both games ultimately came down to which team could run longer— and the understaffed team always loses that battle.

Red and Green also lost to Gray in weeks four and six, respectively. In both cases, underdog Gray commanded the game, never losing the lead. An understaffed Red and an uncoordinated Green couldn't fight back against the repeated deep threats on Gray's roster.

Both teams end the halfway mark of the season at (3-3). Both have very promising teams, but I think that both could stand a good old halftime pep talk.

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I ended the last article with a glaring indictment of the Scoobers: they needed to fix their offense. They needed to stop punting on every huck. In fact, they needed to stop hucking in the first place. I am happy to announce that the Scoobers appear to have improved drastically. Sure, the game results might not be there quite yet— they went (1-2) in the last three weeks, the same as their first three. Nonetheless, I believe that the skill and strategy most certainly are.

Week four, though they lost by eight points to the Disc-iples, marked the start of their offensive improvement. Despite the loss, the Scoobers still performed very well, scoring 14 points to the Disc-iples' 22.

Week five, in my opinion, was the pinnacle of their season thus far. The Scoobers played a short, fast, and effective game. They didn't huck, and they didn't rush. They were smart. Facing an understaffed green gave them the perfect opportunity to capitalize on drops and convert more and more drops. At the end of the game, the score stood 20-8 in Yellow's favor. It was, at the time, the largest margin of victory in any CUDL2023 game. 

But week six led to a crushing loss for Yellow. Purple's defense capitalized on every drop, and the scoobers suffered more throwaways and blocks against the Landsharks than in any other game. That said, the Scoobers' offense played remarkably. They kept their cool and performed well. When they scored, their points were fast and furious. One interesting aspect of Yellow's offense that I noticed in week six is their use of the sideline. Yellow played the sides very well in both of their last two games. Throughout the game, the disc would move to the very edge of the field. Cutters would advance, and the disc would move out around the defenders and back in toward the cutters. Cutters would, in turn, dump the disc to a handler and the process would repeat itself. This seemed to throw the defense off many times, and most of Yellow's points were scored in this manner.  

I look forward to seeing what the Scoobers come up with in the last three games. They are (2-4) now. Tough games are promised, but I believe the Scoobers have what it takes.

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The Wind, also (2-4), seems to be some strange freak of nature. They've only won two games, both of which were upsets. Both were won by considerable margins— by four over HammerTime and by six over Green. All of their losses have been decided by relatively slim margins; only one was decided by more than four points. But honestly, I still don't know quite what to make of the Wind. They seem to be chronically understaffed. They've played with no extra players to substitute for the vast majority of their games. And despite a slow start, they're really performing well. The Knights (1-5) are next up on Gray's schedule. Gray is the only team Camo has won against so far. But if Gray gets a full team— or even close to a full team— to play with, I think they are more than capable of taking down any opposition that comes their way.

Dare I say it? Maybe even the Tugboats in week nine.

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The Knights, unfortunately, have continued their losing streak. Things were looking up for them after an important win over Gray in week three. Three consecutive losses have rather dampened their hopes, however. It's certainly worth mentioning, though, that the Knights are not losing by much. They lost by eight points to Green, their largest loss of the season. They then proceeded to hold the Tugboats to a mere nine points, the Tugboats' lowest score of the season at the time. The Knights still couldn't pull out the win, but only lost by 5 points to the biggest offense in the league. Against HammerTime in week six, they lost by only 3 points, in another close-but-not-quite showing.

I haven't had the privilege of watching many of Camo's games. As such, I can't really detail strategy or break down statistics right now. But based on scores alone: I think it's high time for the Knights to win again. Their next game is against Gray, a team they've already beaten once. I think they can do it again. get some cutters moving around in tight spaces. Get a solid handler throwing the disc at all times. You can do it, Knights.

 

That brings me to the biggest story in the CUDL: The Disc-iples.

 

What on earth. 

 

The Disc-iples performed somewhat miserably in the first three weeks. The scores were relatively close, I suppose, but they weren't playing together very well. Orange was plagued by drops, bad throws, and little mistakes throughout their first three games. They never won. 

 

Now, it seems they can do no wrong:

 

22-14 over the Scoobers.

20-11 over the Wind.

15-4 over the Tugboats.

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They won three consecutive games by 8, 9, and 11 points, respectively. Their last game was against the previously undefeated Tugboats. Not only did they win, but they did so in spectacular fashion. They held the best offense in the league to only one point per quarter, meanwhile scoring almost four times that amount. They were quick, efficient, and deadly. 

Over the last three weeks, we've seen a complete turnaround for Orange. They've scored 57 points in the last three games, averaging 19 points per game. They are now ranked as the second-most efficient offense in the league and the second-most efficient defense. They've risen from 8th place in week three to 3rd place in week six. Here's some quick side-by-side stats to show how far they've come:

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         Weeks 1-3:     Weeks 4-6:   

PT:        28                   57

PA:        37                   29

PPG:     9.3                 19.0

CP:*    73.7%             150.5%

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Those numbers are insanity unleashed. No other team in CUDL history has pulled off something like this. Even Green's legendary end-of-season run last year doesn't come close to this. 

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I guess it goes to show you what a little bit of practice can do for you.

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I enjoy quoting myself:

"Even the mightiest team can be toppled by a smart, effective offense." 

I wrote that three weeks ago regarding the Mighty Mighty Tugboats, in anticipation of the Landsharks-Tugboats game. I didn't think the team to topple the Tugboats would be the Disc-iples. But here we are.

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I don't want to call it a comeback yet. They're (3-3). They're seed 3 at the moment. A loss in week seven would mean a standings drop no matter what. A win would solidify them as a top-three team, potentially even a league leader. Anything could happen. They play 1st seed Landsharks after the bye. That will be an important game for both teams.  

 

Final Whistle

 

How much things can change in just three weeks! Every team except the Knights has a chance to finish first place. Even the Knights can feasibly reach second. Playoffs are solely based on rank, so placement at the end of the season matters. ​We must now accept the fact that the Disc-iples are looking like legitimate championship contenders.  

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We end the three-week period with another huge game looming: this time between the Landsharks and        Disc-iples. The Landsharks are no longer the underdogs, but I have to acknowledge the sense that the Disc-iples are far better than we initially gave them credit for. 

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I can't wait for week 7. I absolutely cannot wait. 

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But I'll have to, because time is constant. Ah, well.

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Enjoy your week off, CUDL. You've certainly earned it.

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The Call

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As is my habit, I will give my take on the next week's games at the end of each article. Feel free to disagree with me; this is just my opinion. It's also worth noting that I was miserably, miserably wrong last time. Put your own calls in the comments below!

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Hammers - HammerTime:

Hammers, 14-12

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Scoobers - Tugboats:

Tugboats, 23-10

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Landsharks - Disc-iples:

Landsharks, 15- 11

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Wind - Knights:

Wind, 13-9

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* Conversion Percentage. This is a statistic I totally made up. However, it's a useful one to have. CP looks at how many points a team's offense converts compared to the league average (12.625 at time of writing). A percentage lower than 100% represents a lower-than-average conversion rate. Basically, the higher your percentage is, the better the offense is. This statistic also monitors defense, albeit indirectly. A very high statistic represents a good defense since more turnovers equal more breaks. However, it is not as reliable for defense as the Points Allowed statistic is since turnovers do not always result in breaks.