Winning on the Ground: How the London Warriors Turned Their Season Around
After a difficult 0-3 start to the season, the London Warriors have fought their way back and locked in a playoff seat in their very-first season in European American football. At the heart of their turnaround: a dominant ground game on both sides of the ball, with their rushing offense and rushing defense changing the way they play.
Run Denied: The Warriors’ Ground Defense Steps Up
The London Warriors’ defense has been the driving force behind their recent surge, and nowhere is that more evident than in the ground game. Against the Berlin Thunder, London allowed just 75 rushing yards over the entire game, but the first half tells an even more remarkable story: Berlin managed only two rushing yards. One of those came from quarterback Jakeb Sullivan, who scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. With the Warriors completely shutting down the run, Berlin gradually moved away from the ground game, finishing with just 10 rushing attempts across 60 minutes.
And if that performance was impressive, what followed against the Paris Lights was even more dominant. London held Paris to just 20 rushing yards, including a staggering two yards in the first quarter alone. For the Warriors, the message has been clear: if you want to move the ball, you’ll have to find another way.
The London Warriors rank third in the AFLE in rushing yards allowed, with only the Vienna Vikings (564) and Rhein Fire (1,065) having allowed fewer yards on the ground. When it comes to yards allowed per rushing attempt, however, the Warriors rank even higher, sitting second in the league behind the Vikings with just 4.08 yards allowed per attempt.
Rushing Their Way to Victory
But the Warriors’ defensive dominance is only half the story. Paired with a resurgent rushing offense, it has become the foundation of London’s turnaround — and at the center of it all is their go-to runner, Andy Owusu.
Against the Berlin Thunder, Owusu turned the ground game into a weapon. On 18 rushing attempts, he powered his way to 187 rushing yards, finding the end zone twice and picking up eight first downs along the way. Against the Paris Lights, he couldn’t quite replicate that explosive performance, but still carved out 120 rushing yards and kept the Warriors moving forward.
And Owusu is far from a one-man show. Over the past two games, London’s entire ground attack has run roughshod over its opponents. The Warriors piled up 320 rushing yards against Berlin and followed that up with another 232 against Paris, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the process. With the defense suffocating opposing ground games and the offense relentlessly moving the ball on the ground, the Warriors have found a formula that is as simple as it is effective: stop the run, run the ball, and let the results speak for themselves.
The Warriors are Ready for Their Next Test
If the Warriors’ turnaround has taught us anything, it is that London is at its best when the game is decided on the ground. Their ability to stop opposing rushing attacks while consistently moving the ball themselves has given the Warriors control of the tempo – and, perhaps more importantly, a formula they can rely on when games get tight. The numbers over the past two weeks are hard to ignore: 552 rushing yards for London, while allowing just 95.
But the next challenge could provide the ultimate test of that formula. The Wroclaw Panthers bring the league’s second-best rushing offense and a three-headed running back monster to the matchup, while their rushing defense ranks fourth, immediately behind London.
That sets the stage for a true battle in the trenches: Owusu and the Warriors’ ground attack against one of the AFLE’s toughest run defenses, while London’s defense faces a Panthers rushing game that has been among the league’s most productive all season. If London wants to keep winning on the ground, this could be the game that proves just how far their ground game has come.
