Three field goals from Japan national team veteran Shintaro Saeki were enough to see the Panasonic Impulse past the Obic Seagulls 9-7 in the Rice Bowl at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
Despite widespread expectations of a shootout, the 79th edition of Japanese gridiron¡¯s showpiece event quickly became a defensive slugfest, with neither team¡¯s offense able to replicate their high-scoring performances from earlier in the season.
Obic quarterback Pierce Holley hit Yuki Sakuma for a 66-yard TD bomb down the left sideline in the second quarter, but that was where the scoring began and ended for the nine-time champion Seagulls.
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