By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The Dong-Eui University Turtle Fighters have completed a Tiger Bowl treble after a 23-3 rout of the Ulsan University Unicorns.
Quarterback Kim Cheol-yeon, who threw three touchdown passes on his way to being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), and the stingy defense helped the Turtle Fighters triumph in what was a rematch of last season's final.
Playing in Yangsan, South Gyeongnam Province, Saturday, the Turtle Fighters, established in 1982, became the first to claim the title for the third straight time in the history of national championship matches, which since 1995 has been known as the Tiger Bowl.
Dong-Eui University did not waste time in getting on the scoreboard as Kim connected with wide receiver Kim Soo-don on a seven-yard touchdown pass three minutes into the game.
In the second quarter, the signal caller hooked up with wideout Kim again for a 29-yard score for his team, which downed the Kyungpook National University Orange Fighters 32-6 in the semifinals, and the MVP capped his strong performance by threading a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Park Kyung-sun in the final period.
The Unicorns, which reached the championship game after defeating the Daegu Haany University Rhinos 30-12 in the penultimate round, managed one field goal in the first quarter due to the opponents' daunting defense, which picked up a safety.
The three-time defending champion will meet either the Shipping-Land Vikings or the ADT Caps Golden Eagles in the Gwanggaeto Bowl, the senior league championship, in the Kimchi Bowl, the Super Bowl of the Korea American Football Association (KAFA), on Jan. 11 2009.