SKYSHIELD 3: Special teams lifts Skyler Howard and the Obic Seagulls to Pearl Bowl berth

Skyler Howard and YOUR Obic Seagulls returned to action in the wee hours of the morning on the east coast, as they took on the Lixil Deers with a spot in the Pearl Bowl final on the line.

The Seagulls offense struggled for the largest part of the game, but was bailed out by an outstanding performance by their special teams. Obic opened up a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter off a 77-yard punt return by wide receiver Yuki Ikei. Minutes later, former Colorado Buffalos linebacker Byron Beaty Jr. blocked a Lixil punt and former Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Kevin Jackson picked it up and capitalized with a 26-yard scoop-and-score to put the Seagulls up 16-0.

Obic’s lone offensive touchdown came in the waning seconds of the first half, when Skyler Howard found Taro Mizuno for a 46-yard touchdown to send the Seagulls to the locker room up 23-0.

The Deers attempted to mount a comeback in the second half, but Obic’s defense proved to be too much and Obic went on to win 23-10. Howard finished the day 13-for-29 passing for 164 yards.

With their win over Lixil, Obic advances to the Pearl Bowl championship for the sixth time in their last eight semifinal appearances. They’ll take on the IBM BigBlue on June 28th at the Tokyo Dome.

Howard caught up with our friends at Inside Sport: Japan for a quick post-game interview.