Pulse Jackals 40, Vector Strikers 38
Week 5 · Regular season · round 8 · Tuesday 27 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEC Vector Strikers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| PLS Pulse Jackals | 3 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 40 |
Game recap
The Pulse Jackals snatched a 40-38 win over the Vector Strikers in round 8 of Week 5 at the very end. The decisive score was a safety, Dax Holloway sacked in the end zone with 0:20 left in the fourth quarter.
The Strikers opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal by Adrien Lachance with 2:57 left in the first quarter. It was 17-17 at halftime. The fourth quarter brought a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair for the Strikers (2:25 left, 31-24); a 4-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock for the Strikers (2:17 left, 31-31); a 1-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Adrien Esposito for the Jackals (1:26 left, 38-31); a 5-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock for the Strikers (1:04 left, 38-38); a safety, Dax Holloway sacked in the end zone for the Jackals (0:20 left, 40-38).
The play that tilted the game came with 0:20 left in the fourth quarter: a safety, Dax Holloway sacked in the end zone. It moved the Jackals' chance of winning from 51% to 95%.
Player of the game: Rio Castellanos (QB, Jackals), with 34 of 46 passing for 349 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries for 43 yards. Elsewhere, Jace Albright (Jackals) had 15 carries for 97 yards and 1 TD; Tavi Nkemelu (Jackals) had 10 catches for 103 yards; Dax Holloway (Strikers) had 30 of 59 passing for 428 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT; 5 carries for -1 yard; Teo Briggs (Strikers) had 7 carries for 46 yards; 2 catches for 23 yards.
Before kickoff, the Jackals' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, beat man coverage, take shots deep, target Cassius Achebe; on defense: bracket Nico Saint-Clair (Cassius Achebe finished with 7 catches for 64 yards and 1 TD). Meanwhile, the Strikers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, take shots deep, throw it more, target Elio Falkner; on defense: bracket Tavi Nkemelu (Elio Falkner finished with 11 catches for 169 yards).
The Jackals move to 3-5 and the Strikers to 5-2-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down once, without success.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | VEC-PLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2:57 | Strikers | A 43-yard field goal by Adrien Lachance | 3-0 |
| Q1 1:31 | Jackals | A 32-yard field goal by Roman Zamora | 3-3 |
| Q1 0:14 | Strikers | A 1-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair (extra point) | 10-3 |
| Q2 2:47 | Strikers | A 16-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Bastien Kincaid (extra point) | 17-3 |
| Q2 1:41 | Jackals | A 1-yard touchdown run by Fabian Lachance (extra point) | 17-10 |
| Q2 0:12 | Jackals | A 7-yard touchdown run by Jace Albright (extra point) | 17-17 |
| Q3 2:40 | Jackals | A 9-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Cassius Achebe (extra point) | 17-24 |
| Q3 0:56 | Jackals | A 7-yard touchdown run by Fabian Lachance (extra point) | 17-31 |
| Q4 2:25 | Strikers | A 12-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair (extra point) | 24-31 |
| Q4 2:17 | Strikers | A 4-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock (extra point) | 31-31 |
| Q4 1:26 | Jackals | A 1-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Adrien Esposito (extra point) | 31-38 |
| Q4 1:04 | Strikers | A 5-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock (extra point) | 38-38 |
| Q4 0:20 | Jackals | A safety, Dax Holloway sacked in the end zone | 38-40 |
Team stats
| VEC | PLS | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 512 | 544 |
| Passing yards | 428 | 349 |
| Rushing yards | 84 | 195 |
| Completions | 30 of 59 | 34 of 46 |
| Offensive plays | 82 | 83 |
| Third downs | 3 of 11 | 4 of 12 |
| Fourth downs | 0 of 1 | — |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Sacks allowed | 5 | 7 |
| Time of possession | 7:21 | 8:39 |
Vector Strikers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax Holloway | 30/59 | 428 | 3 | 3 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teo Briggs | 7 | 46 | 0 | 13 |
| Yannick Whitlock | 5 | 35 | 2 | 14 |
| Bastien Kincaid | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| Dax Holloway | 5 | -1 | 0 | 4 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elio Falkner | 11 | 169 | 0 | 18 |
| Nico Saint-Clair | 9 | 129 | 2 | 18 |
| Bastien Kincaid | 4 | 54 | 1 | 7 |
| Adrien Yardley | 3 | 45 | 0 | 6 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Ingram | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Bellamy | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yannick Thorne | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bram Brennan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Anders Delacroix | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivo Falkner | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Lachance | 1/2 | 43 | 5/5 |
Pulse Jackals box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Castellanos | 34/46 | 349 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jace Albright | 15 | 97 | 1 | 19 |
| Fabian Lachance | 7 | 53 | 2 | 20 |
| Rio Castellanos | 6 | 43 | 0 | 21 |
| Adrien Esposito | 2 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tavi Nkemelu | 10 | 103 | 0 | 13 |
| Adrien Esposito | 9 | 88 | 1 | 10 |
| Cassius Achebe | 7 | 64 | 1 | 11 |
| Anders Quarles | 6 | 62 | 0 | 8 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elio Oyelaran | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Quentin Norcross | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Quentin Delacroix | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Valen Ashford | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Orson Castellan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Draven | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Zamora | 1/1 | 32 | 5/5 |
Watch the replay
Every play of this game can be replayed on the big screen, with the play calls, the win probability and the commentary: replay Pulse Jackals 40, Vector Strikers 38 on Snapline. More about the teams: Pulse Jackals · Vector Strikers.