Edinburgh Wolves 35 Yorkshire Rams 0

Thu Jun 23 2016

A below-strength Yorkshire Rams team went down 35-0 away to the unbeaten Edinburgh Wolves on Sunday at a rain-swept Meadowbank Stadium.

Receiver Lloyd Dignan’s first-half hat-trick put the home side in control and after Stu Galloway added a fourth touchdown, Dignan scored again to round off victory for the team from the Scottish capital.

The Rams had travelled without several players due to injury or work commitments, and the loss of running backs Daunté Wint-Angus and Alex Hughes in the first quarter made their task harder still against a Wolves team who went into the game with a 142-18 points differential from four straight wins and at 6-0 with the Clyde Valley Blackhawks’ two forfeits.

A bizarre first touchdown came when an Edinburgh field goal was drilled into the line of scrimmage and the loose ball was tossed to Dignan - also the home team’s kicker - to run it in.

The Wolves number 20 added a second score before a spectacular but disputed third before the half, when he appeared to go out of bounds before making an impressive grab.

The rain worsened in the second half and with defenses largely on top, Edinburgh turned to their running game for a long gain up the right sideline before a floated pass to Galloway in the back left of the end zone earned a 12-yard score.

A Rams three-and-out and a short punt set the hosts up on a short field and after Rams cornerback Will Johnson broke up a deep pass, a screen play and two broken tackles earned a first down.

Following yet another Rams injury, the Wolves came out in a hurry-up offence and Dignan came off the back of a two-receiver stack for a touchdown catch over the middle to make it 35-0.

Now with only pride at stake, the Yorkshire defence continued to play hard despite players in unfamiliar positions, with even back-up quarterback Mark Gaze involved in the secondary after rookie Tyler Broad earlier suffered a broken nose colliding with team-mate James Hudson.

The Rams are next in action on July 10 with another trip to Scotland to face the West Coast Trojans, and will be looking to get back to winning ways to build on a 5-2 record.

Rams MVPs

Offensive MVP: Matt Ward-Stead

Defensive MVP: Alex Saunders

Rookie of the Day: Faheem Hasan

Ram of the Day: Charlie Vincent