Mustangs end historical season undefeated
Dan Barutha, Ironman Insider CorrespondentAugust 11, 2008
Milwaukee, WI - With week nine’s 32-14 victory over the Fond du Lac Crusaders, the Madison Mustangs ended the 2008 regular season with an unblemished 9-0 record, which makes them the undisputed number one seed in the National Conference going into the playoffs.
Madison outscored their opponents 473-44 this season, which is the most dominating comparison in IFL history. Their offense averaged a league record-high 53 points per game, while their defense only gave up an average of five points per game. The only team to give up fewer points defensively in league history was the Milwaukee Bulldogs back in 2005, which gave up only ten points all season and had eight consecutive shutouts.
Madison’s offense was held to a team-low 16 points in week two against Roscoe, but just two weeks later, the Mustangs exploded for 72 points against Spring City. The next two weeks, Madison hung 54 points on both Milwaukee and Rock County, and just another week later, they put up 79 points against St. Francis. Their season-high offensive eruption came in week eight as they scored 91 points against New Berlin tying the now defunct Pewaukee Warhawks league record of 91 points scored in a game set back in 1997. A record most people thought could never be matched.
Combining their points from weeks four and five, the Mustangs scored 126 points in just two games. That is more points than the St. Francis Monarchs, Spring City Cyclones, and New Berlin Panthers have scored all season combined, which totals to just 119 points.
Madison is aiming to be the fifth team in IFL history to ever finish the regular season undefeated and win the Iron Bowl. If they can do so, they would be the first team since the Bay View Beast in 2002 to capture that feat. Next Saturday, the Mustangs host the Fond du Lac Crusaders in their Wildcard Playoff match up. Kickoff at Middleton High School is set for 7pm.