Sadale Foster rushed for two touchdowns, including a 60-yard third-quarter score, as the United States defeated Japan 43-18 on Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, in their world championship of American football contest.
The defending champion U.S. improved 2-0, while Japan is 1-1 in the fifth global tournament organized by the International Federation of American Football. The Americans defeated Mexico 30-6 on Thursday and will earn a win by default because Canada withdrew from the competition.
Japan faces Mexico (1-1) on Wednesday. Both Japan and Mexico have a win over Canada in the group stage.
Sunday's game was a defensive battle in the first half, with the U.S. leading 11-3 at the break. But Foster's score only 85 seconds into the third quarter gave the Americans a 17-3 advantage, and Aaron Wimberly's 4-yard touchdown run later in the period widened it to 25-3.
Japan countered with a trick play when running back Takuya Furutani threw a 1-yard scoring pass to defensive lineman Mitsunori Kihara, who was eligible, five minutes later, but the U.S. scored 18 unanswered points before Japan scored a touchdown on Shohei Kato's 25-yard scoring strike to Yuta Hayashi with 1:09 to play in the game.
Japan's defense forced four turnovers — three interceptions and a lost fumble— but failed to make the most of them, scoring only three points off those takeaways.
Dylan Favre, nephew of soon-to-be-Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre, completed 15 of 19 passes for 193 yards and rushed for a score for the U.S.
In other games on Sunday, Brazil (1-1) blanked South Korea (0-2) 28-0, while France (2-0) routed Australia (1-1) 53-3.