Sacramento
Banditz
5-4
38
FINAL
49
Albuquerque
Vultures
6-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Albuquerque Vultures have secured their spot in the championship game with a thrilling 49-38 victory over the Sacramento Banditz in the Conference Championship. This win not only showcases Albuquerque's offensive prowess but also propels them one step closer to securing the ultimate prize in the 2027 season.
Quarterback Jon Langford put on a dazzling performance, throwing for an impressive 464 yards and five touchdowns. His main target, DK Metcalf, was unstoppable, racking up 262 receiving yards that kept the Banditz' defense on its heels. Despite the Banditz' Lance Choice leading the ground game with 47 rushing yards, it was the aerial assault of the Vultures that made the difference.
On the defensive side, Daiyan Henley led the way for the Vultures with five total tackles, helping to limit Sacramento's scoring opportunities. The turning point came late in the third quarter when Langford connected with Metcalf for a 75-yard touchdown, shifting the momentum decisively in Albuquerque's favor. With DeForest Buckner registering a key sack, the Vultures' defense ensured that the Banditz' comeback efforts fell short as they held off the late-game surge.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Langford | QB | 35 | 23 | 66% | 464 | 5 | 2 | 124.7 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 31 | 20 | 65% | 362 | 2 | 1 | 112.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Choice | HB | 10 | 47 | 4.7 | 11 | 2 | 20 | 1 |
| Juan Bradford | HB | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Jon Langford | QB | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | — | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Eli Stowers | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Taylor | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK Metcalf | WR | 11 | 262 | 23.8 | 71 | 3 | 35 | 0 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr | WR | 5 | 210 | 42.0 | 29 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Mason Taylor | TE | 4 | 87 | 21.8 | 25 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Eli Stowers | TE | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 33 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Caleb Douglas | WR | 4 | 35 | 8.8 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Juan Bradford | HB | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Garrett Wilson | WR | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | — | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Lance Choice | HB | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Marquel Mathis | WR | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Kendall Mills | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | — | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | FB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JT Woods | CB | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Darien Porter | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| L'Jarius Sneed | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chamarri Conner | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DeForest Buckner | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeremy Chinn | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dillon Hammond | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Cisse | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dominique Hampton | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Rush | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baron Browning | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| JaWuan Griffin | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Verse | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Harold Perkins Jr. | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Peoples | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon Taylor | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Elarms-Orr | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taylor Matias | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Barnes | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre Hawkins III | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaRon Bland | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bates | K | 2 | 2 | 5 | 30 |
| Cam Little | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 49 |

