The 80th Koshien Bowl (the final of the All-Japan University Championship) will kick off on December 14th at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Hyogo. For the first time in history, teams from the same league will face off against each other. The Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters, who are ranked first in the Kansai Student Division 1, and the Ritsumeikan University Panthers, who are ranked second. The “Kansai-Ritsu Game” between these two rivals, who have been rivals since the 1990s, will determine the best university in Japan in 2025. In the league match, Kwansei Gakuin won 24-3. We asked Kyoto Ryoyo High School American football coach Muneshige Kido, who has previously served as a coach at Ritsumeikan University, for his outlook on the “Kansai-Ritsu Koshien Showdown.”
🔥CHAMPIONSHIP GAME🔥
[80th Koshien Bowl] 🏈
Game Information❗️
Ritsumeikan University🆚Kwansei Gakuin University
🗓12/14 (Sun) 13:40 KO
🏟Hanshin Koshien Stadium
Ritsumeikan looks like they’re having fun with this quick no-huddle
First, let’s take a quick look back at the league matches. Due to the tight schedule, this season seems to have seen more close matches than usual. It seems like there are more and more situations where victory or defeat is determined by the team’s tactical management, rather than relying on individual strength. While the spectators enjoyed the nail-biting matches every week, for the players and staff, the outcome of the match was directly linked to whether or not they would be able to travel, so it must have been a more tense season than usual.
The first thing to note in the Kansai-Ritsumeikan Koshien Showdown is the Ritsumeikan offensive line. They have players who have the ability to instantly change the flow of a game. Among them, one thing I always check before the start of a play is whether running backs Minobe (Yubo) and Urushibara (Daisei) are on the field at the same time. Rookie Okumura (Kodai) joined the lineup in the final league game. The wildcat formation, which was frequently used last year, means there’s a chance these three players will line up at the same time, which raises expectations. It would be very interesting to see Ritsumeikan add a little extra creativity to their quick no-huddle offense, as they did in the first series against Kansai University.
The quick no-huddle strategy allows Ritsumeikan players to “think faster and move more accurately,” and it seems they’re enjoying it. I’m looking forward to seeing them take full advantage of the 15-minute quarter and use a no-huddle offense that stops the opposing defense from thinking. With the performance of wide receiver Ryosuke Kinoshita, who has had an overwhelming presence in the last few games, I think Ritsumeikan will have a good chance of winning if the game goes to a shootout.
Higashida fills in the weak areas of Kwansei Gakuin’s defense
Meanwhile, on the Kwansei Gakuin defense, attention is focused on where defensive back (DB) Ryutaro Higashida will start his play. He usually positions himself on the wide side of the field or the side with the most wide receivers. However, in big games, he plays in all sorts of positions, from the narrow side of the field to the front row or the back. His blitzes are extremely destructive, but even more impressive is the way he singlehandedly fills in the gaps in the defense that are left open when five or six other players are blitzing.
Particularly impressive was his performance in the league match against Ritsumeikan University. With two minutes remaining in the first half, he made a blitz from the back and immediately afterward scored a sack, on the next play he made a run tackle to take down Ritsumeikan University’s ace running back, Minobe. We are excited to see what scheme will be developed to bring out the best in him.
If it’s a battle for points, it’s Ritsumeikan, if it’s a low score, it’s Kwansei Gakuin
Also noteworthy is the coaching staff’s positioning during games. Ritsumeikan’s head coach, Takahashi (Kentaro), offensive coordinator Yamaguchi (Yoshito), and defensive coordinator Oshima (Yoshiji) lined up on the sidelines—the so-called head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Kwansei Gakuin’s offensive coordinator Umemoto (Hiroyuki) and defensive coordinator Kayama (Hirotoshi) were stationed on the sidelines toward the end of the league games, while coach Omura (Kazuki) was stationed in the spotter seats above the stands. Being on the sidelines allows them to be closer to the players’ perspective and communicate directly. Meanwhile, the spotter seats allow for a bird’s-eye view of the situation, allowing them to give instructions three or four steps ahead. Speaking specifically of Kwansei Gakuin’s defense, in the league game against Ritsumeikan and the second game against Kansai University, they actively called for 6-man blitz and CB blitz from early downs, and it seemed to work. It will also be interesting to see how the coaching staff arrangements will affect the Koshien Bowl.
I predict that if it comes down to a score battle, Ritsumeikan will prevail, but if it comes down to a low score, Kwansei Gakuin will prevail. However, I hope for a heated battle that far exceeds these expectations.
Finally, I was a coach at Ritsumeikan from 2015 to 2017, and I was deeply impressed by Kwansei Gakuin’s competitive spirit in crucial moments. The words my mentor, Mizuno Yaichi, told me at that time remain strong in my heart to this day: “I think Ritsumeikan has been practicing to beat Kwansei Gakuin. But I think Kwansei Gakuin is practicing to overcome itself.”
With these words in mind, I would like to watch both schools do their best.
