# 2015 Birmingham Bulls season

The 2015 Birmingham Bulls season was the team's 32nd season in competitive British American Football. It was also the first season under rookie Head Coach Mark Pagett and Chairman Richard Penwright, whilst Rob Amor returned for a fifth year as Club Secretary. The Bulls entered the 2015 season in the second tier following a league restructure, and were considered by some to be favourites for post-season success and immediate promotion back to the top tier.
Following the departure of the previous coaching staff, former player Matt Sheldon was appointed as Offensive coordinator, while Alan Steel, departing the Coventry Jets, was appointed as Defensive coordinator. Coaches Mark Webb and Paul Roberts were retained in their role as Special Teams and Defensive Back coaches respectively.
Part way through the season, Offensive coordinator Matt Sheldon stepped down from his role and was replaced by O-Line coach Gary Hodgen. Despite early season promise, including an away win against the eventual league champions Farnham Knights, a five-game losing streak put paid to any notion of post-season football in 2015.

## Recruitment

Following successful recruitment sessions in the winter of 2014, several rookies joined the team, along with former players returning from playing in Europe.

### Rookies

| Position | Player |
| FS | Dotun Ademiju |
| ILB | Mohammed Awil |
| WR | Joshua Boulton |
| DE | Matthew Brown |
| CB | Elliott Forster |
| DE | Gavin Henry |
| OLB | Dominic Taylor |
| OLB | Simon Taylor |
| DE | Jay Willis |

### Transfers

| Position | Player | Previous Team |
| OLB | Dimeji Ademiju | Walney Terriers |
| FS | Oheeul Choudhury | Coventry Jets |
| WR | Marc Henry | Yorkshire Rams |
| OL | Andrew Kane | Glasgow Lions |
| OL | Tom Levick | Lura Bulls |
| CB | Calum Roberts | Colchester Gladiators |
| DT | Scott Robinson | Coventry Jets |
| K | Luca Zigliani | Lazio Marines |

## Playing staff
### Final roster
### Statistics

Offence
| Category | Name | |
| Passing Yards | Dan Wilkes | 204 |
| Passing TDs | Richard Penwright & Dan Wilkes | 1 |
| Rushing Yards | Mark Bonazebi | 1206 |
| Rushing TDs | Mark Bonazebi | 14 |
| Receiving Yards | Michael Beaty | 187 |
| Receiving TDs | Michael Doyle & Mark Bonazebi | 1 |
Defence
| Category | Name | |
| Total Tackles | Olu Amudipe | 57 |
| Solo Tackles | Olu Amudipe | 29 |
| Sacks | Olu Amudipe | 6.5 |
| Interceptions | Gareth Thomas | 8 |
| Forced Fumbles | Jake Harbon, Domeni White, Lee Macken | 2 |
| Fumble Recoveries | Olu Amudipe & Stephen Stoakes | 2 |
Special teams
| Category | Name | |
| Field Goals | Luca Zigliani | 1 |
| Punt Yards | Luca Zigliani | 1317 |
| Kick Return Yards | Gareth Thomas | 304 |
| Punt Return Yards | Gareth Thomas | 240 |
Bulls players set or equalled several team records throughout the 2015 season. Mark Bonazebi recorded 1206 rushing yards, the most in Bulls history, and his 93-yard run against the Hertfordshire Cheetahs was the longest in team history. Gareth Thomas' 9 total takeaways was a new Bulls season record, and his 4 interceptions against the Hertfordshire Cheetahs was a record for most single game takeaways and interceptions. His 8 total interceptions equalled Hall of Famer Paul Roberts' single season record. His 125 punt return yards against the East Kent Mavericks was also a single-game record for the Bulls.

### Award Winners

The Bulls held their annual awards night on 20 September 2015.
| Award | Winner |
| Team MVP | Mark Bonazebi |
| Player's Player | Mark Bonazebi |
| Offensive MVP | Mark Bonazebi |
| Defensive MVP | Gareth Thomas |
| Special teams MVP | Gareth Thomas |
| Coaches' MVP | Richard Penwright |
| Offensive Development Award | David Pemberton |
| Defensive Development Award | Stephen Stoakes |

## Schedule
### Preseason

| Week | Opponent | Result | Record | Location |
| 1 | Coventry Jets | L 0–20 | 0–1 | Erin Go Bragh |

### Regular season

| Week | Opponent | Result | Record | Location |
| 1 | Ouse Valley Eagles | L 14–21 | 0–1 | Erin Go Bragh |
| 2 | at Cambridgeshire Cats | W 34–12 | 1–1 | Coldham's Common |
| 3 | Hertfordshire Cheetahs | W 17-9 | 2–1 | Erin Go Bragh |
| 4 | at Farnham Knights | W 28-26 | 3–1 | Farnham RUFC |
| 5 | Colchester Gladiators | L 7-9 | 3–2 | Erin Go Bragh |
| 6 | Solent Thrashers | L 7-10 | 3–3 | Erin Go Bragh |
| 7 | at East Kent Mavericks | L 0-14 | 3–4 | Simon Langton Boys School |
| 8 | at Hertfordshire Cheetahs | L 8-28 | 3–5 | St Albans Rugby Club |
| 9 | at Ouse Valley Eagles | L 18-23 | 3–6 | Bedford International Athletics Stadium |
| 10 | Cambridgeshire Cats | W 50-0 | 4–6 | Erin Go Bragh |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game Notes

Week 1: vs Ouse Valley Eagles The Bulls lost a narrow opener to the visiting Ouse Valley Eagles by one score following a controversial touchdown at the end of the second quarter. The Eagles capitalised on Bulls turnovers in the fourth quarter to pull away and secure an opening day victory.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
Week 2: at Cambridgeshire Cats The Bulls travelled to Cambridge and won comfortably thanks to a strong ground attack from Rob Brown and Mark Bonazebi and pass rush from the defensive line.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 34 |
| Cats | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
Week 3: vs Hertfordshire Cheetahs Back at home, the Bulls secondary stepped up in a big way, picking the ball off seven times, including four interceptions by cornerback Gareth Thomas, while Bonazebi again carried the offence to move the Bulls to 3-1.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Cheetahs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
Week 4: at Farnham Knights The Bulls travelled to the favoured Knights but a 300+ yard display by running back Bonazebi paired with a last second pick by Thomas meant the Bulls came away with a signature win.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 6 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 28 |
| Knights | 0 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 26 |
Week 5: vs Colchester Gladiators The Bulls came back down to earth with a bump, and despite signs of an improving passing game, a number of turnovers brought an end to the Bulls' winning streak.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Gladiators | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
Week 6: vs Solent Thrashers The Bulls defence remained stout holding the visiting Thrashers to well below their season average, but a struggling offence meant back-to-back losses for the first time in 2015.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Thrashers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Week 7: at East Kent Mavericks The Bulls made the long trip as heavy favourites but were shut out on offence for the first time since July 2014 in a hard-fought defensive battle.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mavericks | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Week 8: at Hertfordshire Cheetahs The Bulls struggled on a hot day in St. Albans and fell to their third straight defeat putting their play-off chances in jeopardy.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Cheetahs | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Week 9: at Ouse Valley Eagles A Bulls squad decimated by injury travelled to Bedford and kept it close in a rain-soaked return fixture against their divisional rivals, but ended their hopes of play off football with another defeat.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| Eagles | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 21 |
Week 10: vs Cambridgeshire Cats The Bulls stopped the rot on the final day of the season by shutting out the already-relegated Cambridgeshire Cats at home and putting up their highest score of the season.
| | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Bulls | 14 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 50 |
| Cats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |