2015 FBA Season/15.02.08/TXS@TEN/Capsule
The air was filled with unusual tension at The Still; both the Moonshiners and the Lone Stars were itching for a win, anything that would end both of their respective losing streaks. Tennessee was itching for a win, being one of two teams who had not won a game since the conclusion of All-Star Week close to a month prior. The Lone Stars were looking to get back on track, keep their momentum going.
Even then, most people expected that Texas would go home with the win: Tennessee had been having an incredibly rough season even before All-Star Week, and many expected the losing streak to continue, particularly with Tennessee changing their starting line-up dramatically so that most of their stars were pushed to the bench.
But from the beginning of the match, the energy coming out of Tennessee was decidedly different, far more charged than it usually was. This energy came to define the whole match: what many expected to be an easy win for Texas quickly turned into a tense match-up after Tennessee caught up to Texas and coming within one point of overtaking Texas' lead in the third quarter. The fourth quarter ended up becoming a real nail-biter, with Tennessee and Texas fighting to maintain their dueling leads, culminating in an injury for Marcus Knight (River Otter, G) close to the end of the game. The Lone Stars put up a valiant fight in a charge led by FBA veteran Mitchell Redding (Rabbit, G). But in the end, Texas could not maintain their lead; Tennessee came out on top, finally ending their nine-game losing streak at home, and bringing home their first win since All-Star Week.
Of course, nobody was more happy about that than rookie Hank Sawyer (Virginia Opossum, G). The Virginia Opossum showed unusual focus during the game, his first appearance on the starting line. Known for his rather friendly presence on Tweeter, he showed a determination nobody had ever seen from him before. It was this determination that carried him to his first Player of the Game honor, one that he responded to almost euphorically when the buzzer signaled the end of the game. It's a rare sight to see an FBA player fall to their knees and cry out in victory, but the possum did just that at the end of the game.
Can Tennessee keep up this momentum? Only time will tell. But for a certain Player of the Game, something has definitely changed...