The opening weekend of the 2013 Arena Football season has come and gone. All fourteen teams played their first game of the 18-game, 19-week season this week. Let's take a look at all seven games.
Utah Blaze 64, Pittsburgh Power 33
The Power played host to the Blaze in the first game to kickoff on the season. These two teams traded touchdowns for their first couple possesions until Caesar Rayford sacked Jordan Jefferson on fourth and ten, giving Utah the ball at the Power 1-yard line. The Blaze would punch it in on one play and take a 27-14 lead with 9:57 left in the 2nd quarter. The Utah defensive line would blow the game open on the next play, when Keenan Mace sacked Jordan Jefferson in the end zone and force a fumble that was recovered by Antwan Marsh. Just like that, two sacks created two quick touchdowns to give Utah a lead for good. The Blaze led 41-27 at the half. The Power had a great opportunity to get themselves back within striking distance, but the chance was gone when Jordan Jefferson threw an interception on the opening drive of the third quarter. The Power defense would come up with a big stop, but despite a second chance to make it a one-possession Jefferson would throw his second interception of the quarter. Ben Stallings scored a on 1-yard touchdown run to make it 48-27. Utah's defense continued to dominate, holding the Power to only a six-point second half and Tommy Grady engineered a couple of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to make this a clean runaway for the Blaze. Utah wins 64-33 to start the season with a very impressive road win. For the Power, Jordan Jefferson looked good but made rookie mistakes; but that is expected in his AFL debut.
Stats Leaders:
Utah (1-0) Pittsburgh (0-1)
Tommy Grady 17-33 190 yds, 5TD Int. Jordan Jefferson 19-34 196 yds 5TD 2 Int, 19 rush yards
Ben Satllings 18 yards, 2 TD rushing Mike Washington 8 rec, 91 yds, 2TD
Mario Urrutia 5 rec, 76 yds, 4TD P.J. Berry 7 rec, 48 yds
LJ Castile 5 rec, 50 yds, TD Alvin Ray Jackson 7 tackles, Forced Fumb, sack
Utah Defense: 4 sacks, safety
Jacksonville Sharks 64, Tampa Bay Storm 55
The three-time defending south division champs opened their 2013 campaign in Tampa Bay to face in-state foe the Storm. Adrian McPherson excited the Storm fans in his home debut, rushing for five touchdowns while throwing for two more. McPherson broke off a 35-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21.After a net recovery (On the kickoff, the ball hits the rebound nets and was a live ball that was recovered by the kicking team) he would give Tampa Bay its first lead on a 1-yard TD run. The game waged on as a back-and-forth battle that entered the fourth quarter tied at 42. Bernard Morris and his Sharks had the opportunity to break the tie on the opening series of the quarter, but Morris' pass on fourth and six fell incomplete to give Tampa Bay the ball on the Shark 19-yard line. McPherson would find Greg Ellingson for 14 yards to set up a 1st and goal on the Jacksonville five-yard line. After the first three attempts were unsuccessful, Adrian McPherson would score his fifth rushing touchdown on a one yard run to put Tampa Bay back in the lead. The Sharks tied the game on their next possession when Bernard Morris hit Markee White for a 25-yard touchdown to tie it at 49 with 3:24 left in the game. Michael Lindsey made sure the tie wouldn't last for long by returning the ensuing kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Storm the lead, but it was only a six point lead because Jacksonville blocked the extra point. Jeff Hughley nearly made it back-to-back kick returns, but he was tackled at midfield. Morris and the offense took over just needing 25 yards with 1:48 to work with. On the first play inside the one-minute timing warning, Morris would connect with Hughley for a 25-yard touchdown to tie it and Marco Capozzoli's extra point gave Jacksonville a one-point lead with 53 seconds left. The Sharks recovered the ensuing onside kick, this is a common arena football strategy, to retain possesion with a lead. Morris would find Jeron Harvey for a 36 yard TD pass and then successfully ran in the two-point conversion to make it a two possession game. The Storm's chance at a wild comeback ended when Greg Ellingson was stopped six yards shy of the end zone on fourth down.
Stats Leaders:
Jacksonville (1-0) Tampa Bay (0-1)
Bernard Morris 24-31, 269 yds, 7TD Adrian McPherson 20-33, 218 yds, 2TD,
20 rush yds, TD 58 rush yds, 5TD
Rendrick taylor 57 rush yds, TD Greg Ellingson 15 rec, 159 yds
Jeff Hughley 13 rec, 146 tds, 2TD Joe Hills 4 rec, 53 yds, 2TD
Jeron Harvey 6 rec, 62 yds, 3TD Michael Lindsey kick-ret TD,
Tracy Belton 10 tackles avg 21.8 on 6 ret
Iowa Barnstormers 63, Chicago Rush 41
An opening night central division matchup in Chicago, the only thing missing was a Rush win. The Stormers couldn't have asked for a much better start, J.J. Raternick led the team on a six play, 47 yard drive that ended on Marco Thomas' 21 yard touchdown recpetion. The Iowa defense forced a missed field goal and Raternick found Darius Reyonds for a 41 yard TD reception to extend the lead to twelve. Raternick would throw three touchdown passes in the second quarter and the Iowa defense continued to halt the Rush offense to give the Stormers a comfortable 39-21 lead at the half. Chicago would come as close to be withing elevan but Iowa kept the foot on the gas and cruised in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rush 17-6 to post an impressive 22-point road win to begin the season. J.J. Raternick did a great job leading the Barnstormer offense and spreading the passes around to each of his three receivers.
Stats Leaders:
Iowa (1-0) Chicago (0-1)
J.J. Raterinck 22-30, 257 yds, 7TD, Rush TD Carson Coffman 23-38, 225 yds, 6TD, 2 Int
Collin Taylor 8 rec, 86 yds, TD Rodney Wright 12 rec, 121 yds, 2TD
Darius Reynolds 7 rec, 86 yds, 4TD Reggie Gray 7 rec, 63 yds, 4TD
Marco Thomas 7 rec, 85 yds, 2TD Jorrick Calvin/Kelvin Morris 9 tackles each
Ter'Ran Benton Int and Fumb rec.
De'Mon Glanton Int
Arizona Rattlers 66, Philadelphia Soul 52
The Rattlers and Soul met in an Arena Bowl rematch on CBS Sports Network's first nationally televised game. Nick Davila and Dan Raudabaugh both looked to be in mid-season form while leading their teams to touchdowns on each of the first five possessions. The Rattlers would lead this shootout 35-32, the difference being the failed extra points by the Soul, at the half. Davila and the Rattlers took advantage of having the ball first in the second half by marching down the field in four plays and 47 yards and taking a ten point lead on Jared Perry's 26 yard TD reception. The flood gates opened when Derrick Ross lost a fumble on Philadelphia's first play of the half that later resulted in three points for the Rattlers. The Sould began the fourth quarter trailing by thirteen, but had the ball on Arizona's eight-yard line down. Things got uglier for Philadelphia when Derrick Ross would lose his second fumble of the night, this time Marcus Pittman returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Rattlers a 59-39 lead. Derrick Ross would redeem himself on the next possession with his second rushing touchdown of the night and the Soul would recover the ensuing onside kick. Raudabaugh led Philadelphia down the field quickly and found Tiger Jones for a nine yard touchdown reception to close the gap to seven with 4:34 remaining. This time the Soul wouldn't be as lucky on the onside kick and Davila found Maurice Purify for the two yard touchdown to get the lead back to double digits. The Soul took over with 100 seconds left and had hope. Raudabaugh completed three passes to get to the Rattler's four-yard line in less than a minute, but the chance at a comeback would finally end when Marquis Floyd stepped in front of a Raudabaugh pass in the end zone to seal the victory for the Rattlers.
Stats Leaders:
Philadelphia (0-1) Arizona (1-0)
Dan Raudabaugh 22-34, 323 yds, 5TD, Int Nick Davila 23-34, 304 yds, 7TD, Rush TD
Derrick Ross 18 rush yds, 3TD Maurice Purify 10 rec, 141 yds, 3TD
Tiger Jones 9 rec, 169 yds, 3TD Jared Perry 6 rec, 91 yds, 2TD
Alvance Robinson 5 rec, 97 yds, 2TD Virgil Gray 11 tackles
Brandon Perkins 5 tackles, sack Marquis Floyd 4 tackles, Int
Garrett Lindholm 9-9 pat, 1-1 Field goals (33)
San Jose Sabercats 47, San Antonio Talons 42
This game featured two of the oldest quarterbacks in the AFL, but opening game jitters got the best of each in the first half. Both Qb's would commit turnovers on their opening possession, but San Jose struck first when Aaron Garcia found Huey Whittaker for a three yard touchdown. The Talon offense took a while to find their groove, John Dutton threw two interceptions and Jomo Wilson fumbled on their next three drives. San Antonio would finally score with 1:40 left in the half on Rob Quiroga's 21 yard touchdown reception. The Sabercats held a 20-7 halftime lead, but John Dutton quickly cut into it on the opening possession of the second half when he completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jomo Wilson. The Sabercats were going down the field looking to get the lead back to thirteen when Fred Shaw intercepted Garcia on the final play of the quarter and returned it for a touchdown. Stefan Demos's extra point gave San Antonio its first lead (28-27) entering the fourth quarter. Aaron Garcia would make ammends on his next throw by hitting Huey Whittaker 40 yards for a touchdown to put San Jose back in front by six. John Dutton answered by finding Jomo Wilson for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Talons a 35-34 lead with 11:34 left. The teams would trade touchdowns on the next two series and with 2:10 remaining San Antonio held a 42-21 advantage. Mervin Brookins returned the following kickoff to his own 18-yard line, Aaron Garcia completed back-to-back passes and just like that San Jose was at the Talon one-yard line with 55 seconds left. The 'Cats had four tries to retake the lead but only needed one as Jarmarko Simmons scored on a one-yard touchdown run to give San Jose a 47-42 lead; the two-point conversion failed. The Talons recovered San Jose's onside kick to put themselves in a position where they had four tries to get eight yards. Consecutive one-yard runs set up a third and goal, but a pass interference on the defense gave the Talons a fresh set of downs and put the ball at the three-yard line with 36 seconds left. The Sabercat defense would hold, forcing two quick passes and recording a sack of Dutton to secure the victory. The Sabercat defense kept San Antonio out of the end zone on seven plays at the end of the game to perserve the win. Aaron Garcia quarterbacked the Talons to the 2012 playoffs, but he began his 2013 by beating his former team to start this season.
Stats Leaders:
San Jose (1-0) San Antonio (0-1)
Aaron Garcia 23-36, 264 yds, 5TD, 3 Int John Dutton 19-43, 244 yds, 5TD, 2 Int
Jason Willis 7 rec, 77 yds Jomo Wilson 6 rec, 105 yds, 2TD
Huey Whittaker 8 rec, 89 yds, 4TD Rob Quiroga 7 rec, 74 yds, 2TD
5 tackles, Forced fumb, Int Jamar Ransom 9 tackles, Int, sack
Saber Cat Defense: 2 Int, Fumb rec, 2 sacks
Spokane Shock 67, Cleveland Gladiators 41
The Shock traveled to Cleveland to face the Gladiators in this Sunday afternoon meeting and dominated from the start. Erik Meyer hit Adron Tennell for a three-yard touchdown to cap off a eight-play, five minute opening drive. The Shock defense would stand up as Paul Schiechl would strip-sack Brian Zbydniewski to give Spokane the ball at the one-yard line. Tennell would run it in on the next play to expant the lead to thirteen. Cleveland tried to match Spokane step-for-step, but couldn't keep up with Erik Meyer's four second-quarter touchdown passes and fell behind 40-20 at the half. Meyer and the Shock offense stayed in rhythm all second half, not giving the Gladiators any chance at a comeback. Spokane cruised to a 67-41 win.
Stats Leaders:
Spokane (1-0) Cleveland (0-1)
Erik Meyer 32-42, 284 yds, 8TD, Brian Zbydniewski 25-38, 297 yds, 4TD,
16 rush yds, TD Rush TD
Adron Tennell 7 rec, 60 yds, 4TD, Maurice Williams 6 rec, 83 yds, TD
rush TD Dominic Goodman 9 rec, 72 yds, TD
Steven Black 9 rec, 97 yds
Kamar Jordan 9 rec, 60 yds, 2TD
James Ruffin 2 sacks,
Shock defense 4 sacks and Fumb rec
New Orleans VooDoo 51, Orlando Predators 45 F/OT
The last game of opening weekend proved to be the best one. These south division foes put together a three-hour battle that was nothing short of excellant. After the Preds defense came up with a stop to open the game, Kyle Rowley led the offense down the field in four plays and ended the drive by completing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Prechae Rodriguez. The VooDoo would tie the game at seven on their next possession and the defense would make their first stop of the night by forcing a Rowley incompletion on fourth down. The Predator defense responded quickly with a sack of Kurt Rocco in the endzone for a safety. Kyle Rowley hit Jason Geathers for a six-yard touchdown pass to cap of a nine play drive with 9:36 left in the second quarter. New Orleans ended the first half by scoring ten unanswered points to lead 17-16 at the break. Midway through the third quarter Orlando held a 29-24 lead and the VooDoo were ready to keep trading touchdowns when Simeon Castille intercepted a Kurt Rocco pass and returned it to the VooDoo's two-yard line. Jermaine Richardson would get a rushing touchdown to give the Predators a twelve point lead. On the next series Kurt Rocco scored on a three-yard TD run to make it 36-31 entering the fourth. The VooDoo were in desperate need of a stop and got one early in the quarter when Efe Osawemwenze intercepted a Rowley pass and returned it for a touchdown, putting New Orleans back in the lead by two. New Orleans would force a missed field goal on the next Predator possession and looked like they would be able to put the game comfortably out of reach. After three penalties the ball was on the New Orleans three and Rocco dropped back in the end zone only to see Tim Cheatwood come flying through untouched, resulting in his second safety of the day which tied this one at 38. After the New Orleans defense came up big again with another stop, Rocco would lead the offense down the field to find Derek Lee for a four-yard touchdown to give his side a solid seven-point lead. Kyle Rowley and the Preds offense responded by putting together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that was saved with a pass interference on a fourth and six and concluded with Kyle Rowley hooking up with Jason Geathers for a twelve yard touchdown on another fourth down. Mark Lewis's extra point tied it at 45. In the AFL each team receives one possession in overtime and if its still tied, it becomes sudden death. Orlando won the toss and decided to play defense first. Kurt Rocco completed just two passes on the series, but threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Smith. Gary Cismesia missed the extra point, his only failed PAT on the day, to give the New Orleans defense only a six point lead to protect. Kyle Rowley and the Preds took the field knowing that a touchdown would tie the game and the PAT would win it. Rowley's first pass of the period found Prechae Rodriguez for nineteen yards to VooDoo 24. The New Orleans defense needed to step up one final time and they did so when Eddie Moten tracked down Rowley's second and final overtime pass in the middle of the end zone to come up with the game-clinching interception. The VooDoo defense played great, putting Rowley under constant pressure, making timely stops, and coming up with two big interceptions.
Stats Leaders:
Orlando (0-1) New Orleans (1-0)
Kyle Rowley 25-48, 319 yds, 5TD, 2 Int Kurt Rocco 18-40 220 yds 3TD, Int,
Prechae Rodriguez 9 rec, 176 yds, 3TD Rush TD
Jason Geathers 12 rec, 110 yds, 2TD Bruce Figgins 11 rush yds, 2TD
Tim Cheatwood 2 sacks, 2 safeties Courtney Smith 6 rec, 63 yds, 2TD Brent Holmes 5 rec, 85 yds
Efe Osawemwenze Int-ret TD
Eddie Moten 5 tackles, Int
Demarcus Robinson 12 tackles
Week 1 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Erik Meyer, QB of Spokane
- Meyer was flawless in the Shock's season-opening win over Cleveland. Meyer completed 76.2% (32/42) of his passes for 284 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. He also added 16 yards and a touchdown on the ground to provide more-than enough offense to accompany the defense's dominant performance.
Defensive Player of the Week: Ter'ran Benton, Defensive back from Iowa
- Ter'ran Benton wins this week's defensive player for his outstanding performance against Chicago. Benton intercepted a pass and recorded a fumble recovery to headline a solid performance by the Barnstormer defense.
Playmaker of the Week: Huey Whittaker, WR and Linebacker for San Jose
- Whittaker made his prescence felt on both sides of the ball. On offense he was Aaron Garcia's favorite target, catching eight passes for 89 yards and four touchdowns. On defense he recorded five tackles, forced a fumble, and intercepted a John Dutton-pass in the red zone to help San Jose wins its first game of 2013.
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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