The Cyclones beat the Red Hawks 38 to 10 in a regular-season NFL match on Friday, September the fifth. The game finished in Houston, where the home side put together a performance that left little doubt about the result. By then the visitors had already conceded their first points and never really recovered.
The Red Hawks came into the fixture with momentum from their previous outing. A week earlier they had edged the Sycamores 23 to 21 in a tight contest. That narrow win might have suggested they were ready for a challenge, but the Cyclones had other plans and made short work of the opposition.
And here's the thing — the scoreline tells only part of the story. A twenty-eight point margin is rare in this division, and the Red Hawks looked out of their depth for most of the afternoon. The Cyclones controlled territory and tempo, keeping the visitors pinned back and unable to find any rhythm.
To be fair, the Red Hawks will point to their recent victory as evidence of progress. But this was a different level of challenge, and they had no answer for the pace of the home side. The gap in quality showed through from the opening exchanges.
The result means the Cyclones start their campaign with a statement. The Red Hawks, meanwhile, will need to reassess quickly. A twenty-eight point defeat does not make for comfortable reading, and they face an uphill task to rebuild confidence before their next fixture.