Madden Ultimate League Week 8 Recap

Welcome to the Madden 18 Ultimate League (MUL) season weekly recap. Check out some of the biggest risers and fallers in the standings, review a full scoreboard from the week, and take a deep dive into some of the best matchups from the season’s weekly MUL gameplay. If you’re new to the Madden Ultimate League, here’s a guide on how to watch all season long.

Saturday’s Madden Ultimate League stream delivered more high-scoring games, some impressive defensive performances, and showcased outrageous stick work, proving exactly why this group of Elite Conference competitors deserves to be considered as the absolute best lineup of Madden NFL 18 pros in the world. Catch up on all the action below as the Elite Conference regular season drives forward.

RISERS AND FALLERS – WEEK 8

• Abbot “Blocky” Lopez notched yet another win during Saturday’s stream. He leads the Elite Conference thus far with nine total interceptions and a 240 passing yards per game average. His defense has been solid as well, as he leads the conference with a points-against per game average of just 16. It’s no wonder Blocky sits atop the standings with an undefeated 4-0 record.
• After losing his first two contests of the regular season, Michael “Noble Prodigy” Scott enjoyed a nice bounce back during Saturday’s stream. The Fontana, CA native didn’t lose a single turnover during his two matchups and went 2-0 on the day, putting his record at an even 2-2 record through four games.

• Skimbo won his only game of the day and sits at an even 2-2 through four matches. It’s worth noting that Skimbo has yet to score a rushing touchdown this season and is averaging just 32.75 rush yards per game. Meanwhile, he leads the Elite Conference with a 93 shotgun play call rate.
• The 2018 Madden Club Champion, Hassan “GOS” Spall, lost to Michael “Skimbo” Skimbo this week (more on that game below) but managed to beat Shay “Young Kiv” Kivlen in a blowout. The 38 points GOS scored against Young Kiv is a positive sign, because he was having some trouble putting up points in previous contests. GOS also posted a Madden Ultimate League record 14 sacks in that game. He leads the Elite Conference with 28 total sacks through his five contests (5.6 sacks per game average).

• Young Kiv lost two of his three games on Saturday but remains atop the Division B standings with a 3-2 record. The Seattle-based 20-year-old has scored the most offensive touchdowns thus far and is averaging a conference best 26.6 points per game. He also leads the conference in pass yards (1,123) through five games, living up to his pass-heavy reputation.
• Joel “Joel CP” Crooms-Porter is allowing a conference-worst average of 29.4 points per game against through his five matchups. He lost two of his three games during Saturday’s stream, dropping his record to 2-3. Check out more on Joel CP’s exciting tilt against Stephen “Noble SteveyJ” Javaruski below.

MATCHUP HIGLIGHTS – WEEK 8

Joel CP (PIT) vs. Noble SteveyJ (NYG)
Final score: Joel CP 27, Noble SteveyJ 24

This game included a 28-point fourth quarter that won’t soon be forgotten.

Trailing 13-10, Noble SteveyJ had the ball on the 37-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter. He dropped back and launched a deep touch pass over the heads of two defenders and right into Team of the Year Elite TE Evan Engram’s arms as he crossed the goal line. That score put Noble SteveyJ in the lead 17-13.

Less than a minute later, Joel CP’s offense was on the field at its own 40 yard-line. He ran a handoff to GOATs Elite RB Bo Jackson up the middle and found some space to cut outside, but Noble SteveyJ’s user defender closed in quickly and was in good position to make a tackle. Joel CP wasn’t having it. He completely embarassed his opponent with a stop-and-go juke – a fake cut toward the boundry became a burst to the inside. With a sprint into open pastures, Joel CP scampered into the end zone. The run was freaking outragoeous and the score put Joel CP up 20-17.

Now, Noble SteveyJ had the ball again, with 3:14 on the clock, and he was seeking redepmption. He handed off to Legends Elite RB Herschel Walker up the middle, in a strikingly similar style to the Jackson run described above. Noble SteveyJ pretty much had every defender beat with Walker at full sprint, save for Joel CP’s user defender. The two met up at about the 23-yard line where Noble SteveyJ performed the same stop-and-go juke that Joel CP put on him as if to say “I can do that too,” to his opponent. “He wants one of his own!” yelled out RG Glick. And in the blink of an eye, Noble SteveyJ was back in the lead 24-20.

That lead didn’t last very long, as Joel CP managed to score again.

Noble SteveyJ’s fate was then in his own hands. With 34 seconds to play, he was on the nine-yard line, down 27-24. Noble SteveyJ called a toss play to the right with Walker, who was met at the line by three of Joel CP’s defenders. The animated competitor nailed Walker with a big tackle, causing a Big Hitter Fumble. The ball came loose for what ended up being a game-sealing turnover. “I fight! I fight harder than anybody on this stage!” exclaimed Joel CP after the fumble recovery. An ending like that is exactly why fans love competitive Madden.

Skimbo (NE) vs. GOS (WAS)
Final score: Skimbo 20, GOS 10

Skimbo got out to an early 7-0 lead, thanks to an 18-yard touchdown completion from Football Outsiders Elite QB Carson Wentz to Core Elite WR Devin Hester. The two-time Madden Championship Series belt winner jumped out of his chair to let out a howl directed toward a smirking GOS. “Where you goin’?” Skimbo remarked, pointing out that GOS had questionably directed his user defender away from the targeted receiver during the play. These guys were clearly having fun early on.

Late in the second quarter, GOS was driving on offense with a 14-point deficit. He spent a few seconds dancing around in the pocket with Snow Beast Elite QB Marcus Mariota, waiting for the play to develop. Core Elite WR Tyreek Hill broke inside on a deep post route into wide open field, and GOS deposited a bullet pass on the money that was caught on the eight-yard line and carried into the end zone by the speedy wideout. GOS unleashed his signature growl and sat down in his chair with a satisfied look on his face. Neither Skimbo nor GOS could stop smiling during the game, even when they were getting scored on. This just in: video games are fun.

Before halftime, Skimbo had another scoring chance. Lined up on the eight-yard line he called a fake FG pass, but it was unsuccessful (Football Outsiders Elite K Greg Zuerlein, 55 Throw Accuracy Short, was the passer so the result was not shocking).

The scoreboard read 20-10 in Skimbo’s favor, but GOS had the ball with about four minutes to play in the final frame. GOS dropped back to throw from his own 29-yard line. He unloaded a low pass over the middle to Hill again, but this time Skimbo decided to User Lurk with his defender and drifted downfield in front of Hill just as the ball arrived.

Skimbo timed his jump perfectly and picked off the pass, celebrating with a little jig afterwards. Safe to say, we’d all be dancing too if we were in your shoes, Skim. No judgement here.

Make sure to tune in next week as Elite Conference gameplay continues.