FCF 2022 Results: Johnny Manziel Lifts Zappers to 1st Win After Terrell Owens Trade
The last winless team of the 2022 Fan Controlled Football league season is winless no more, as quarterback Johnny Manziel helped the Zappers score their first win of the campaign Saturday.
With Johnny Football rotating in at quarterback throughout the game, the Zappers took down Shoulda Been Stars 28-24 to improve their record to 1-4 on the year.
The win came in the Zappers' first game without Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, who was traded to the Knights of Degen this week.
In addition to the Zappers' triumph, three other FCF games were scheduled for Saturday. Here is a look at the entire Week 5 slate and how each game played out.
FCF Week 5 Schedule and Scores
Zappers def. Shoulda Been Stars, 28-24
8oki vs. Kingpins, 3 p.m. ET
Knights of Degen vs. Bored Apes Football Club, 7 p.m. ET
Glacier Boyz vs. Beasts, 9 p.m. ET
FCF Week 5 Recap
Zappers 28, Shoulda Been Stars 24
Shoulda Been Stars entered Week 5 as a big favorite over the winless Zappers thanks to their 3-1 mark, and while they almost completed a huge comeback, they were unable to stave off the upset.
After falling behind 22-0 in the first half, Should Been Stars staged a furious comeback and got down to the Zappers' 15-yard line with two seconds remaining in the game, but they were unable to score the go-ahead touchdown.
While Manziel is the face of the Zappers, it was former University of Memphis quarterback Jason Stewart who took the bulk of the snaps Saturday.
On the strength of a pair of touchdown passes, Stewart staked the Zappers out to a 14-0 lead in the opening half:
Manziel got in on the act as well, throwing a scoring strike to wide receiver Terrance Williams to extend the lead to 22-0:
That touchdown had a decidedly Texas flavor, as Manziel starred and won the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M before playing for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, while Williams played collegiately at Baylor and for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.
It was from that point that Shoulda Been Stars made things interesting, starting with a touchdown pass from quarterback Slade Jarman to wide receiver Tyis Boykin with 15 seconds left in the first half:
That was followed by another Jarman touchdown pass early in the second half to shrink the deficit to 22-16:
The deluge continued when Stewart threw a pick-six on a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage to put Shoulda Been Stars ahead by two points:
All signs pointed toward Shoulda Been Stars completing the comeback with momentum firmly on their side, but Stewart bounced back with a touchdown pass to running back Shuncee Thomas to put the Zappers back on top:
At that point, Manziel expressed excitement over the play of Stewart:
Since Manziel is only playing in a part-time role rather than taking every snap this season, the emergence of another quarterback was of the utmost importance, and Stewart clearly came to play Saturday.
Now, the Zappers will look to keep rolling when they face the Glacier Boyz next week, while Shoulda Been Stars will attempt to bounce back against the Beasts.
