Saturday’s opening game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was a thriller between the IFAF World Team and USA Football Select Teams.

The two teams traded touchdowns early before the U.S. capped it late for a 20-15 victory in the 2015 International Bowl.

The World Team took a 15-14 lead late in the fourth quarter before Team USA scored with less than a minute remaining.

The top two quarterbacks, Team USA’s Scotty Forbes (Sterling, Va.) and the World Team’s Carlos Alberto Farias Fernandez, received MVP honors for their performance.

“It’s probably the best moment of my football life so far,” Forbes said. “The hard work I put in every week pays off. No matter the lows, nothing pays off more than winning the MVP.”

Click here to see photos from the game and practices throughout the week.

For Forbes, his path to the International Bowl was an unlikely one. He was called up as a replacement when another player got hurt.

“I tried out for the team two years in a row, missed the cut two years ago, made the cut for the regional development game this past year and became a late call up a few weeks ago,” Forbes said.

Forbes was quick to credit his teammates for the offensive production, especially running back Blaylen Crawford (Bristow, Okla), who totaled 98 all-purpose yards. Forbes completed 5-of-7 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for another 27 yards and a score.

U.S. uarterback Trent Green Jr. (Leawood, Kan.) capitalized on the final drive of the game, tossing the go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Brian Nichols (Strasburg, Colo.) to provide the game’s final points.

U.S. head coach Rocky Hager of The College of New Jersey told his players before the game that they would have to compete until the very last whistle.

“Our kids really competed the entire game,” Hager said. “I was proud of the way they worked all week. They represented our country well and had first class attitudes.”

Two days ago during the jamboree scrimmages, Hager said his team had plenty to clean up on defense. After Saturday’s victory, he praised the way his defensive coaching staff prepared their personnel and adjusted.

After a scoreless first quarter, the World Team engineered a drive to open the scoring, capped by Anton Wegan’s 8-yard TD run.

The U.S. found its groove on the ensuing drive by getting the ball into Crawford’s hands. Short but not small, Blaylen stands just 5-foot-8 but packs a punch behind his listed 250-pound frame. Forbes converted on fourth-and-goal at the 1 yard-line to bring the score to a 7-7 tie.

The World Team picked up 2 points and took a 9-7 lead in the third quarter after the U.S. sailed a snap over punter Tommy Carr’s head and into the back of the end zone

Forbes then threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quez Henson (Colbert, Ga.) near the end of the third quarter to put the USA on top, 14-9.

With less than eight minutes to play, Farias Fernandez connected with Nikolaus Knehs for a 73-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown put the World Team ahead. The two-point conversion failed, keeping the score 15-14.

After two fourth-quarter drives stalled inside the World Team 35, Green led final drive of the game for the U.S., converting a pair of first downs before tossing the game-winning touchdown to Nichols.  

The International Bowl is a collaboration of the sport’s national governing bodies in each country – USA Football and Football Canada – along with the International Federation of American Football, the sport’s international governing body as recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The IFAF World Team included players from 27 countries. IFAF’s 67 member nations reside on six continents. 

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