The summer season has set in which means its crunch time in the AFL. Entering week fourteen only Arizona had clinched a playoff spot and everyone else was still mathematically alive. Which teams were able to keep their playoff dreams afloat and who's dreams are beginning to drown?
Spokane Shock 80, Utah Blaze 41
A pivital western division tilt in Deaf Valley between the Shock and Blaze kicked this past week's action off. Scenarios: Spokane: with a win, looked to keep a firm grip on the top National Conference wild card spot and remain in the west division race; while also becoming the second team to reach the ten-win mark. Utah: Needed to win to keep their National Conference wild card hopes realistic; a loss all but officially eliminates them.
Utah needed to start off good to earn a road win and Jason Boltus provided it with five completions in his first six pass attempts, finding Mario Urrutia for a ten-yard touchdown to cap-off the opening drive. A 36-yard run by Adron Tennell was the highlight of a four-play scoring drive that concluded on Erik Meyer's one-yard quarterback-keeper. Things quickly flipped in Spokane's favor when Taylor Rowan's ensuing kickoff turned into a bar-ball that was recovered by Terrence Moore. Erik Meyer turned it into gold with three straight completions, a fifteen-yard strike to Kamar Jorden gave the Shock a 13-6 lead. Utah was able to field the following kickoff and Jason Boltus picked up right where he left off by completing a pair of passes, a 26-yard touchdown to Urrutia tied the game at thirteen. The Shock regained the lead when Wil Falakiseni pounded in a two-yard run in the beginning moments of the second quarter. Spokane would turn it into a dominant period when Diyral Briggs forced a fumble as he sacked Boltus on a third down from Utah's three-yard line and Terrence Moore made the recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. The Blaze continued to cool off on the next series when after three straight completions by Boltus he was unable to find his intended target on third and fourth down, resulting in a turnover on downs that was credited to the Shock pass rush. Erik Meyer then led a lenghty five-play drive that resulted in his second touchdown pass, a six-yarder to Arvell Nelson. Pat Stoudamire capped off a menacing quarter for the Shock defense when he intercepted a pass at his own three-yard line to turn a seven-play drive to spoils for the visitors. In the second quarter, Spokane's defense earned a stop on all three possessions and forced two turnovers that alotted to a 33-13 halftime advantage. Erik Meyer put the game out of reach on the third play of the second half when he connected with Brandon Thompkins for a 43-yard score. After both offenses traded fumbles, Jason Boltus threw an eleven-yard touchdown to Anthon Jackson that cut the deficit to nineteen. The Blaze kicked it deep and Meyer made them pay by leading a nine-play, six-and-half minute drive that he finished with a two-yard touchdown run. Mario Urrutia hauled in his third touchdown of the night to begin the fourth quarter, but defeat became inevitable for the Blaze when Terrance Sanders returned the ensuing kick 57 yards for a touchdown. The Shock added on to a 26-point lead forcing a couple more turnovers and Terrance Moore scoring his second scoop-and-score of the contest; highlighting the end of a 80-41 Deaf Valley beat down. The loss all but officially eliminates Utah from the National Conference playoff picture, while the Shock join Arizona in the AFL's ten-win club.
Stat Leaders:
Utah (5-8) Spokane (10-4)
Jason Boltus 30-44, 362 yds, 6TD, Int Erik Meyer 20-27, 229 yds, 4TD; 2 Rush TD
Mario Urrutia 10 rec, 138 yds, 3 TD Adron Tennell 4 rec, 19 yds, TD; 40 rush yds
Chase Deadder 8 rec, 112 yds, TD Brandon Thompkins 11 rec, 174 yds, TD
Anthon Jackson 8 rec, 49 yds, 2 TD Kamar Jorden 3 rec, 33 yds, 2 TD
David Hyland 7 tackles, FF, FR Terrence Moore 11 tackles, 3 Fumb rec, 2 Def TD
Shock Defense 5 sacks, 5 takaways
Terrance Sanders kick-ret TD; 10 tackles, FR
Philadelphia Soul 54, Iowa Barnstormers 30
The Barnstormers traveled to Philadelphia coming off of their best performance in 2013 and looking to take advantage of the Soul's issues at home. Scenarios: Philadelphia: with a win would take a large step towards clinching the east division and would remain in the race for home-field in the American Conference. Iowa: in a must-win situation in order to keep their hopes alive and realistic in their respective division and wild card chase.
On Saturday evening one of these teams came out desperate and good news for the home crowd that it was the team who is approaching their second consecutive division crown. Iowa received the ball to start the game, but had a miserable first possession that saw J.J. Raterink throw five incompletions, was kept alive by an illegal defense penalty, and ended when Larry Brackins made an interception. Dan Raudabaugh quickly turned the stop into points when he completed his first pass to Tiger Jones for a 23-yard touchdown. Iowa's second possession was going much better until Raterink was sacked by Bryan Robinson on second down and Marcus Harris was stopped four yards shy of the sticks on fourth and sixteen; ending an eight-play drive. The Soul extended their lead to fourteen when Raudabaugh and Jones connected for a second time on a seven-yard score, which was preceded by a 32-yard run by Derrick Ross. After the first quarter Philadelphia held a 14-0 lead despite only running three offensive plays, compared to Iowa's fifteen snaps and 13-plus minutes of possession. The Barnstormers put together a six-play, 45-yard drive that ended on Jesse Schmidt's thirteen-yard touchdown grab to begin the second quarter. The Soul continued their quick-strike ability when Dan Raudabaugh completed back-to-back passes that setup a three-yard touchdown run by Ryan McDaniel to complete a three-play series. Iowa had appeared to complete a second scoring drive when J.J. Raterink found Jesse Schmidt alone in the end zone, but an offensive pass interference called on Schmidt erased the play. The mistake would prove costly as on the next play Raterink was under heavy duress and as a reaction just flung a pass up for grabs that turned into a second interception for Larry Brackins. The Soul took adavantage of a short field and extended their lead to 27-6 on Derrick Ross's three-yard run that ended a four-play scoring drive. Rayshaun Kizer recorded the third interception for the Soul defense to complete an ugly half for Raterink and the Iowa offense. Dan Raudabaugh began the third quarter with a 22-yard completion to Tiger Jones and three plays later Ross rumbled into the end zone for the second time to push Philadelphia's lead to 34-6. Kizer's interception not only marked the end of the first half, but also the end of J.J. Raterink's night as Brian Reader came into the game to begin the third. Reader provided a nice spark for the Barnstormers as he led a three-play scoring drive on his first series that concluded on Jesse Schmidt's five-yard touchdown. The Soul went on their longest drive of the game, a six-play series, that got the lead back up to four scores on Ryan McDaniel's six-yard reception. Iowa made a little noise early in the fourth quarter when Brian Reader scored on a four-yard option-keeper to begin the period and on the next possession Mike Lewis recorded a sack that forced a fumble which was recovered by Rodney Gnat. Reader then directed a five-play drive that ended on a beautiful catch and run by Marco Thomas that was good for a nine-yard touchdown; Darius Reynolds brought in a two-point conversion that made it a 41-30 margin with 5:43 left to play. Despite the deficit and time, Iowa still kicked it deep and paid for it when Raudabaugh aired out a 23-yard score to Ryan McDaniel that padded the lead back to eighteen. The Soul secured victory when Iowa's final drive took off over three-and-half minutes and came to a screeching end when Calvin France picked up a loose ball and returned it for a scoop-and-score. The Soul have put together back-to-back dominating performances to reach 8-5 and in complete control of the east, well Iowa dug a huge hole for themselves as they fall to 6-8.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (6-8) Philadelphia (8-5)
J.J. Raterink 15-27, 145 yds, TD, 3 Int Dan Raudabaugh 12-15, 142 yds, 4TD
Brian Reader 13-20, 124 yds, 3 Total TD Derrick Ross 9 rush, 54 yds, 2 TD
Marco Thomas 10 rec, 97 yds, TD Tiger Jones 4 rec, 57 yds, 2 TD
Darius Reynolds 7 rec 74 yds Ryan McDaniel 5 rec, 57 yds, 3 Total TD
Jesse Schmidt 4 rec, 39 yds, 2 TD Larry Brackins 7 tackles, 2 Int
John Mohring 8 tackles Bryan Robinson sack
Jacksonville Sharks 43, Cleveland Gladiators 41
The Sharks have been struggling, and rather a mess over the past month but a date with Cleveland provided an opportunity to fix things. Scenarios: Jacksonville: a win would clinch a playoff berth, asure sole possession of first in the south and keep the Sharks in position for home-field advantage. Cleveland: The only thing for the Gladiators is that they are not yet mathematically eliminated from the wild card race, a loss or Philadelphia win would end their mathematical chances at the division.
The Gladiators looked to be easy bait for the Sharks, but they would put up one heck of a fight despite a slow start. Chris Dieker began the game with two incompletions on his first three passes and was sacked on a fourth and four by Aaron Robbins. The Sharks had their first crack on offense at Cleveland's four-yard line and cashed in on Markee White's two-yard touchdown grab. Dieker and the Glads got things going on their second series and tied the game on a fifteen-yard touchdown Carlese Franklin. The game swung in Cleveland's favor when Kyle Rowley was picked off on a crossing route by LaRoche Jackson who returned it 32 yards for a score to give the Gladiators a 14-7 lead after one. Rowley and the Sharks bounced back with a five-play, 46-yard drive that began the second quarter with a fourteen-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Hughley. The Sharks' D-Line recorded a pair of sacks on the next possession to force a long field goal try by Aaron Pettrey, earning another stop. LaRoche Jackson recorded his second interception on the ensuing Sharks possession, but Jacksonville got the ball right back when Terrance Smith forced a recovered a fumble on the five plays later. Kyle Rowley ended the long scoring drought with an eight-play drive that he finished with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Sharks a 21-14 lead at the break. Jacksonville kept the lead by stringing together two six-play scroing drives in the third quarter that resulted in Jeron Harvey's five-yard touchdown on the opening possession and a 25-yard field goal by Marco Capozzoli. Cleveland answered the bell with a six-play drive that ended on Dominick Goodman's six-yard touchdown catch. Chris Dieker led the Gladiators on a five-play scoring drive to begin the fourth quarter and made it a 30-27 game on Carlese Franklin's six-yard touchdown grab with 12:41 remaining. The Shark Tank looked like it was flooded over the course of six plays when LaRoche Jackson made his third interception of the night and and Dieker went bakc to Goodman for a ten-yard score to give Cleveland its first lead of the game with a 8:25 left. Once again, Kyle Rowley calmly responded by directing an eight-play drive that put the Sharks back on top with London Crawford's one-yard touchdown. The Sharks got some braething room when Marco Capozzoli's ensuing kickoff sailed through the back of the end zone for a touchback and on the next play Chris Dieker was picked off by Micheaux Robinson who returned it twelve yards for a pick-six, giving Jacksonville a comfortable 43-34 advantage with one minute to play. Chris Dieker completed three quick passes that were highlighted by a 23-yard catch and run by Derik Steiner to make it 43-41 with 33 seconds. Jacksonville recovered the ensuing onside kick and a trio of one-yard runs by R.J. Archer ran out the clock to give Jacksonville a much-needed 43-41 win that clinched a fourth-straight playoff berth.
Stat Leaders:
Cleveland (2-11) Jacksonville (9-5)
Chris Dieker 20-30, 222 yds, 5TD, Int; Kyle Rowley 21-31, 185 yds, 4 Total TD, 3 Int
21 rush yds Jeron Harvey 11 rec, 106 yds, TD
Carlese Franklin 6 rec, 81 yds, 2 TD Jeff Hughley 5 rec, 59 yds, TD
Dominick Goodman 5 rec, 43 yds, 2 TD Markee White 6 rec, 52 yds, TD
LaRoche Jackson 10 tackles, FF, FR, Shark Defense 3 sacks, 3 takaways
3 Int, Def TD Micheax Robinson Int-ret TD
Jacob Hardwick/Kris Cooke sack each Marco Capozzoli 1-1 FG (25), 4-6 PAT
Orlando Predators 50, Pittsburgh Power 35
The Power ventured into the Jungle to take part in an American Conference wild card knockout game. Scenarios: Orlando: a win would give the Predators a firm two-game hold on the second American Conference wild card spot. Pittsburgh: a win would tie the Power and Predators for the second wild card spot, a loss makes the playoffs a distant hope.
In a make-or-break game the pressure was on both Pittsburgh and Orlando, and the Predators were the team that arose to the moment. Steven Sheffield and the Power got first crack on offense and had a sound opening drive that was capped off with Mike Washington's sixteen-yard touchdown catch on fourth down. Aaron Garcia responded with a six-play drive of his own that tied the game on Prechae Rodriguez's sixteen-yard touchdown. Marcus Everett made the first noise by either defense when he intercepted Sheffield two plays later and returned it for a score to give the Preds an early 14-7 lead. The Predator defense earned a second consecutive stop by forcing a turnover on downs on Pittsburgh's next series, but it went unnoticed as Sergio Gilliam had a pick-six of his own on Garcia's next pass to bring the Power within one. Aaron Garcia bounced back by completing four passes in a row on a six-play scoring drive that was highlighted by Prechae Rodriguez's thirteen-yard touchdown. The Predator defense forced another turnover on downs and this time it paid off as Garcia and Rodriguez hooked up for the third score on a four-yard pass with 3:06 left in the half. Pittsburgh saw its third straight drive end on downs and Mark Lewis was good on a 22-yard field goal to give Orlando a 31-13 halftime lead. The Predators stretched their lead to 25 on the opening drive of the third quarter when Mykel Benson took a handoff and strolled three yards into the end zone; but this would stand as the last points for Orlando until 10:18 in the fourth. With the season slipping away the Power needed something and got it over the next couple possessions. Steven Sheffield completed seven of eight passes and threw two touchdowns, while the defense sandwiched a turnover on downs in between scores that brought the Power within ten on Julian Talley's 46-yard catch early in the fourth quarter. Aaron Garcia and the Predators were not going to be denied a second straight trip to the red zone and got a much-needed touchdown when Garcia fired a fifteen-yard strike to Maurice Williams. Pittsburgh cut the margin to eight when Sheffield threw a sixteen-yard touchdwon to Mike Washington that capped off a seven-play, five-minute drive. Pittsburgh elected to kick it deep, but the gamble didn't pay off when Dominic Jones made a 37-yard return to setup the offense up at the Power's six-yard line. The wiley-old vet, Aaron Garcia put on a display of wonderful clock management and found Maurice Williams, who made a fantastic catch in traffic, for a two-yard score with one minute to play. The win for Orlando was secured when Marcus Everett recorded his second interception of the game four plays later and Mykel Benson had one, final run to expire the clock. With a 50-35 victory in the jungle, the Predators have now won three in a row and have a firm two-game grasp on the second wild card in the American Conference.
Stat Leaders:
Pittsburgh (3-10) Orlando (5-8)
Steven Sheffield 20-39, 195 yds, 4TD, Aaron Garcia 21-37, 231 yds, 5TD, Int
2 Int; 12 rush yds Mykel Benson 12 rush yds TD, 18 rec yds
Julian Talley 9 rec, 101 yds, TD Prechae Rodriguez 8 rec, 106 yds, 3 TD
Mike Washington 6 rec, 64 yds, 2 TD Maurice Williams 7 rec, 68 yds, 2 TD
Sergio Gilliam Int-ret TD Travis Coleman 10 tackles
Gary Butler sack Marcus Everett 2 Int, int-ret TD
Mark Lewis 1-1 (22) FG, 5-7 PAT
Chicago Rush 50, Tampa Bay Storm 49
Two 7-6 teams in the midst of a divisional race met Saturday night in the Tampa Times Forum. Scenarios: Chicago: with a win would secure first in the central division. Tamapa Bay: needed a win to stay within one game of Jacksonville in the south division, a loss would close the gap between them and Orlando in the wild card race to 1.5 games.
Randy Hippeard made his first start for the Storm, Adrian McPherson was out with an injury, and instantly had success. Hippeard directed a penalty-filled, six-play drive that finished on Chris Davis' thirteen-yard touchdown catch. Carson Coffman answered the bell with completions on his first three passes, including a sixteen-yard strike to Reggie Gray that tied the game at seven. Both offenses continued the fast start on their second possessions, Hippeard found Joe Hills for a 41-yard score and Reggie Gray threw a three-yard touchdown to Jared Jenkins on a nifty reverse. The offenses continued to trade blows as Randy Hippeard threw a seventeen-yard touchdown to Davis; capping off a nine-play, six-and-half minute drive to begin the second quarter. After each side traded a six-play scoring drive, Carson Coffman led the Rush down the field in a quick four plays that concluded with Reggie Gray's 31-yard touchdown grab that sent the game to halftime tied at 28. Chicago grabbed their first lead of the night on the opening possession of the third quarter when Coffman scrambled and scored on a six-yard touchdown to conclude a fove-play drive. Randy Hippeard and the Storm responded with a seven-play, 45-yard drive that retied the game on an eight-yard reception by Joe Hills. Once again, Chicago regained the lead when Coffman plunged into the endzone on a one-yard run that capped off a nine-play, six-minute series. This game was the definition of an offensive battle and it continued when Hippeard scored on a one-yard run that ended a six-play, 45-yard drive and tied the game at 42 with 9:56 left in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff Jorrick Calvin made a 37-yard return and it looked like we would see the Rush retake the lead with another touchdown. Carson Coffman hit Reggie Gray for a quick fifteen-yard completion that setup first and goal at the Tampa Bay's four-yard line. Coffman would throw three straight incompletions before being intercepted by Tremaine Johnson on fourth and goal; Johnson would fumble but Chris Davis picked it up and returned it to Chicago's fifteen-yard line. After an incompletion and a holding penalty Tampa Bay faced a second-and-twenty from midfield, but Hippeard made quick work of it by finding Michael Lindsey in-stride for a 25-yard score that reclaimed a 49-42 lead for the Storm. Chicago got the ball with with 3:52 left in the game, but that would turn out to be just enought time. Coffman found Jared Jenkins for eight yards on first down and kept the drive alive with an eight-yard completion to Gray on fourth down. On the first play inside of the one-minute warning, Jenkins hauled in a 23-yard pass that put the ball at Tampa Bay's oen-yard line. Carson Coffman had three straight runs that went for no gain, making the Storm exhaust all their timeouts while running the clock down to two seconds. Chicago left themselves one, final play and on the fourth try Coffman was able to bulldoze his way into the end zone for his third touchdown run of the night as the time expired. With no time remaining and the Rush trailing by one, Bob McMillen had to choose between the extra point that would have tied the game and forced overtime, or going for all the marbles on a two-point conversion. McMillen elected to go for two and win, and the move payed off as Coffman fired a strike to Reggie Gray to successfully complete the conversion and send the Rush home as 50-49 winners. This is the second game this season that Chicago won on a two-point conversion as they improve to 8-6 and keep sole possession of first in the central. Tampa Bay has now lost three in a row and four of five, falling two games back in the south division at a 7-7 record.
Stat Leaders:
Chicago (8-6) Tampa Bay (7-7)
Carson Coffman 21-32, 258 yds, 3TD, Randy Hippeard 25-38, 315 yds, 6TD; Rush TD
Int; 3 Rush TD Joe Hills 8 rec, 140 yds, 2 TD
Jared Jenkins 10 rec, 120 yds, TD Michael Lindsey 9 rec, 95 yds, 2 TD
Reggie Gray 8 rec, 115 yds, 2 TD Chris Davis 8 rec, 80 yds, 2 TD
Vic Hall 7 tackles Tremaine Johnson Int
Tyus Jackson sack Juan Bongarra 7-7 PAT, 0-1 FG
Darrel Campbell/Kelvin Morris 0.5 sack
Jose Martinez 6-6 PAT
San Antonio Talons 56, New Orleans VooDoo 53
The Talons traveled to the Graveyard looking for a crucial seventh win, while the VooDoo were trying to win three of four. Scenarios: San Antonio: with a win the Talons would keep pace with Chicago in the central division and keep their National Conference wild card hopes alive. New Orleans: a win would keep the VooDoo within one game of Orlando in the chase for the second American Conference wild card.
In such a big non-conference game you would expect both teams to come out sharp, this was not the case between these two offenses. San Antonio's opening drive ended in four plays when Cameron McGlenn intercepted Rohan Davey, but the Talons got the ball right back when Fred Shaw intercepted Kurt Rocco's first pass on the next play. Davey got things going on his second possession when he led a six-play, 45-yard that produced the first points if the night on Jomo Wilson's twelve-yard touchdown. New Orleans' second possession also appeared to be going in the right direction thanks to three straight penalties by the Talon defense, but Carlton Brown erased all the mistakes by intercepting Rocco in the end zone. Rohan Davey continued to march the Talons down the field, engineering an eight-play drive that was finished on the ground by Chad Cook. The VooDoo finally got on the board when Kurt Rocco completed a pair of passes, highlighted by a seventeen-yarder to L.J. Castille. Davey connected with Dallas Baker for a 28-yard score on the next offensive snap and two plays later Shaw recorded his second interception. San Antonio would go on another eight-play drive, but failed to extend their lead when Davey's pass on fourth and goal fell incomplete. Kurt Rocco threw three interceptions in nine passes, reuslting in his early exit from the game in favor of Chris Dixon. On Dixon's first play he tucked it and scrambled for eighteen yards, and four plays later he scored on a creative eight-yard run with 43 seconds before halftime. Rohan Davey completed four straight passes to quickly get the Talons inside the red zone and Xavier Lee came in and scored on a two-yard run, extending the lead to 28-13. A fifteen-point contest quickly was cut to one in the early stages of the third quarter. Chris Dixon began the period with a four-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Morgan that completed a six-play drive. The VooDoo defense forced and recovered a fumble on San Antonio's first series of the half, and capitalized on Dixon's four-yard touchdown run. Dwight McClean picked off Davey on the second play of San Antonio's following series and the VooDoo earned their first lead of the night one play later when Dixon fired a nineteen-yard strike to Morgan. For the second straight game the Talons were shutout in the third quarter, but also for the second straight game they put up big numbers in the fourth. San Antonio caried an eight-play series into the fourth, where they tied the game on Jomo Wilson's six-yard touchdown grab. The score quickly went up as Quorey Payne and Brent Holmes traded kick-return touchdowns on the following kickoffs. Chris Dixon settled things back down with three consecutive completions that gave New Orleans a 47-41 lead on Courtney Smith's ten-yard grab with 9:43 left to play. Rohan Davey matched his counterpart with four straight completions on a seven-play scoring drive that put San Antonio baack in the lead on his own one-yard run. The VooDoo didn't trail for long as on the next offensive play Dixon found Donovan Morgan on a 45-yard deep ball to electrify the crowd; the two-point attempt failed to leave the margin at five. San Antonio recovered the ensuing onside kick and Chad Cook to a pitch and rumbled fifteen yards in for a score on the next play to quickly return the lead to the Talons, Dallas Baker hauled in the two-point conversion to make it 56-53 with 1:45 left to play. New Orleans' last chance ended on back-to-back incompletions by Dixon that ended the game. San Antonio came away with a hard-fought road win that improves them 7-6 on the year and keeps them in both playoff races in the National Conference, while the loss drops New Orleans to 3-10 and puts them in a hole for obtaining a playoff spot.
Stat Leaders:
San Antonio (7-6) New Orleans (3-10)
Rohan Davey 26-42, 254 yds, 3TD, Chris Dixon 10-15, 151 yds, 4TD;
2 Int; Rush TD 59 rush yds, 2 TD
Chad Cook 6 rush, 30 yds, 2 TD Kurt Rocco 4-9, 61 yds, TD, 3 Int
Jomo Wilson 12 rec, 121 yds, 2 TD Donovan Morgan 6 rec, 116 yds, 3 TD
Brent Holmes 9 rec, 72 yds; Kick-ret TD Cameron McGlenn/Dwight McClean Int
Jamar Ransom 10 tackles Quorey Payne Kick-ret TD
Fred Shaw 2 Int
Stefan Demos 8-8 PAT
San Jose Sabercats 72, Arizona Rattlers 42
In the CBS Sports Network game of the week these west division rivals squared off for the 40th time in their storied history. The Rattlers looked to sweep the season series, but this time it was a bit of payback for the Sabercats. Scenarios: San Jose: a win would keep the 'Cats mathematically in the west division race, but more importantly secures their hold of a National Conference wild card. Arizona: the Rattlers have already clinched a playoff berth and a win would move them closer to the weest crown.
This matchup appeared to have heavyweight status in week 14 and it started out in that fashion. Nick Davila, Russ Michna, both of their offenses came out on fire, starting the action with three touchdown drives apiece. Davila scored on a quarterback-keeper to start the scoring and then him and Michna traded touchdown passes to five different receivers that had the score tied at 21 with four minutes left in the second quarter. The Sabercat defense earned the game's first stop on the next drive when they took advantage of a false start penalty and forced three of Davila's passes to fall incomplete to earn a turnover on downs. San Jose took over with 88 seconds before the break, but Russ Michna only needed five of them to throw an eleven-yard strike to Fred Williams on a crossing pattern that gave the 'Cats their first lead. Arizona recovered the ensuing onside kick, but failed to score when Nick Davila continued to struggle finding an open receiver and failed to get the ball into the endzone on three consecutive plays from the San Jose-four. Michna and the offense took advantage of back-to-back defensive stops and grew their lead to two touchdowns when Fred Williams caught a seven-yard score on the final play of the first half. The Sabercats had a great opportunity to blew this game open by receving the ball to start the second half and they did when Williams hauled in another touchdown that capped off a six-play drive. Arizona wasn't going to go away that easy, as Nick Davila responded with back-to-back completions to Tyson Poots for 31 yards that setup his second rushing score of the night; cutting the deficit back to fourteen. Russ Michna led a quick answer on the next series by finding Jason Willis on a 35-yard pass to begin the drive and then hit Fred Williams for a ten-yard score. The Rattlers chance of a comeback was already teetering on a thin line at this point, but the line completely broke on the next play when Davila was intercepted by Ken Fontenette who returned it 20 yards for a pick-six that pushed the margin to 56-28 late in the third quarter. The Sabercat defense recorded a second straight score when on Arizona's next offensive snap Terrance Carter sacked Nick Davila in the end zone for a safety that pushed the lead to 30. Huey Whittaker caught a one-yard touchdown three plays later that had San Jose leading 65-28 entering the fourth quarter. During this nine-game win streak Arizona faced a 22-point deficit in Philadelphia midway through the fourth quarter, but rallied off 22 unanswered points to sneak out a tight win. Kerry Reed halued in a six-yard touchdown that wrapped up a seven-play drive early in the fourth, but this time the Rattlers would not be able to work their magic. Russ Michna threw one, last touchdown pass to Jason Willis four plays later and the defense made quick work of the clock to produce a 72-42 final score in San Jose's favor. The Rattlers drummed the Sabercats back in week three, but this time around it was San Jose handing over a 30-point beatdown of a bitter rival.
Stat Leaders:
Arizona (12-2) San Jose (9-4)
Nick Davila 22-41, 238 yds, 4TD, Int; Russ Michna 24-37, 313 yds, 9TD
2 Rush TD Fred Williams 10 rec, 121 yds, 5 TD
Maurice Purify 8 rec, 114 yds Jason Willis 6 rec, 87 yds, 2 TD
Tyson Poots 6 rec, 54 yds, 2 TD Amarri Jackson 5 rec, 72 yds, TD
Kerry Reed 3 rec, 46 yds, 2 TD Ken Fontenette 9 tackles, FF, FR, Int-ret TD
Arkeith Brown 7 tackles Terrance Carter sack
Garrett Lindholm 6-6 PAT Nich Pertuit 10-10 PAT, 0-1 FG
Week 14 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Fred Williams, San Jose WR
- Fred Williams was a huge part of San Jose's 72-42 thrashing of the Rattlers. He caught 10 passes for 121 yards and five touchdowns as he was Russ Michna's go-to target all night.
Defensive Player of the Week: Ken Fontenette, San Jose DB
- Just like his teammate who took home offensive honors in week fourteen, Ken Fontenette led a stout defensive performance from his 'Cat squad. Fontenette made the game-sealing play when he returend an interception 20 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter. He also force and recovered a fumble while leading the team with nine tackles.
Playmaker of the Week: Larry Brackins, Philadelphia
WR
- Larry Brackins is used to making plays with his hands, but as a receiver catching touchdowns. In week fourteen Brackins stepped in to some spot duty at jack linebacker and recorded two key first half interceptions that sparked the Soul's 54-30 rout of Iowa.
For more on any of these seven games, or the Arena Football
League go to: http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/sched/afl-a-footbl-sched.html
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