After defeat Sea Devils look ahead: "Have to stay focused"

On Saturday, the Stuttgart Surge made an enormous statement, dismantling the Hamburg Sea Devils 53-14 in a one-sided affair at Bremen’s Weserstadion. After a disappointing loss to the Paris Musketeers in Week 2, the Surge bounced back in dominant fashion, controlling all three phases of the game and handing Hamburg a rough start to their home campaign.

Stuttgart wasted no time asserting themselves. On the very first play, Hamburg quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa - brother of NFL star Tua Tagovailoa - threw a pick-six to Surge defensive back Raheem Simiram-Wilson. It was a nightmare start for the Sea Devils and set the tone for the evening. “When you’ve had a tough day like the offense did last week, it obviously helps a lot when you come out and make some big plays and get some good plays,” said Surge head coach Jordan Neuman. “I expected us to come back today and show our strengths.”

And they showed them indeed. The Hennessey-Geyer duo, which had been quiet against Paris, lit up the field. Quarterback Reilly Hennessey threw three touchdown passes to wide receiver Louis Geyer in the first half, rediscovering their chemistry just when it mattered. 

Stuttgart's defense on fire

The Surge defense, however, may have stolen the show. In addition to Simiram-Wilson’s opening pick-six, defenders Mitch Fettig, Julian Ludwig Mayorga, Nick Wenzelburger, Berend Grube, and Marko Vidackovic all recorded interceptions. Lasse Engel even turned a broken-up pass into another pick-six. Constant pressure up front - highlighted by sacks from Chris Mulumba and Robert Lachmann - left Hamburg’s offense in disarray. Linebacker Nikolas Knoblauch, who produced 10 tackles against the Sea Devils, continued his run of dominant performances.

“We have to stay focused,” said Sea Devils general manager Mark Weitz after the game. “Even though things didn’t go our way on the field, we saw what our fans bring to this team - goosebumps.” Despite the heavy loss, the support in the stands was unwavering. The Weserstadion was electric, but the Sea Devils simply could not match Stuttgart’s pace or precision. 

A rough first act for Division I QB Tagovailoa

All eyes were on Taulia Tagovailoa in his ELF debut, but it was an outing to forget. Completing just 5 of 17 passes, Tagovailoa was hounded by a relentless Stuttgart pass rush and threw one interception which was returned for a touchdown. While the talent is there, Saturday’s game was a harsh introduction to the speed and complexity of the Stuttgart Surge defense. The Sea Devils replaced him at halftime with Moritz Maack, who brought more stability and added two touchdown passes in the second half.

How far can the Surge go?

The Stuttgart Surge will now return home to face the Munich Ravens on Sunday, June 8th, in what promises to be an explosive South German derby. With their offense back in rhythm and the defense firing on all cylinders, they will enter the matchup with high confidence.

For the Hamburg Sea Devils, it is back to the drawing board. But they will do so at a meaningful venue - returning to the historic Stadion Hoheluft for the first time in over a year to host the Berlin Thunder. It’s a chance for redemption, and perhaps for Tagovailoa to write a very different chapter.

© Jonas Wicker / Hamburg Sea Devils