As we head in the month of June, the AFL is entering week elevan of the 2013 season. The first half of the season is in the books and through ten weeks some teams have separated themselves from the pack, whether for good or bad reasons. We look at and examine the League at the midway point. In this edition, I will give the good and the bad for each team from the second quarter
of the season, look at how my predictions for the past month fared and give some thoughts on what we might see in the month of
June, starting with the East Division.
American Conference
East Division
1) Philadelphia Soul (5-4)
Second quarter results: Responded from a close loss to Jacksonville by going to Chicago and blowing out the Rush 72-41. Came home in week eight and allowed Pittsburgh to grab their only lead midway through the fourth and failed on red zone opportunity to lose 53-48. Earned their first home win by holding off Orlando 61-51, and crushed the Storm in Tampa, 73-55 in week ten.
5 Good:
- Can they finally be hitting their stride?
- Bryan Robinson 7.5 sacks in nine games
- Lead the east by two games
- 59 ppg for season, 61.4 ppg in last five games = offense beginning to jell
- The month of June holds and easy schedule; opponents win percentage = .270, with the exception of hosting Arizona in week elevan
5 Bad:
- Inconsistent, won two in a row then lost home-opener to Cleveland. Dominate in Chicago, then come home and blow a lead to Pittsburgh the next week; currently on a two-game win streak.
- Defense has allowed 51.2 ppg; 59.5 in four losses
- 0-2 in the division with both losses coming at home
- 1-3 at Wells Fargo Center
- 13 lost fumbles as a team
Key stats:
Derrick Ross, 250 rush yds and 21 TD's; 42 rec yds and 2 TD
Dan Raudabaugh 67.3% comp, 2537 pass yds, 49 TD, 7 Int
Tiger Jones 79 rec, 1135 yds, 20 TD, 2 Rush TD
Andrae Thurman 55 rec, 511 yds, 6 TD
LaRico Stevenson leads team with 3 Int
Joe Goosby 44 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 int
Carlos Martinez 61-69 PAT, 2-2 FG, long of 33
Overview: The Soul have struggled all year with consistency but have a chance in the month of June to get hot and establish themselves atop the east division and as a favorite in the conference. Dan Raudabaugh has returned to form in the last couple weeks and has generated the feeling that this offensive unit is beginning to hit its stride. Derrick Ross, Andrae Thurman, Ryan McDaniel and Tiger Jones are more tahn enough weapons for Raudabaugh to do some damage with, but it will be up to the defense as to how far this team will go. An easy June needs to produce at least four wins in order for the Soul to have any title hopes. Prediction: The Soul will enter July with eight wins and a comfortable lead in the east.
2) Pittsburgh Power (3-6)
Second quarter results: After back-to-back home losses, went to Philadelphia and pulled of one of the biggest upsets in 2013. After the big in-state win returned home to be blown out, 62-34, by Tampa Bay. Rebounded with 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come back and beat Cleveland in week ten to earn their first victory at Consol Energy Center since April 2012.
5 Good:
- Despite the 3-6 record would be the 4 seed of playoffs began today, and are only 2 games back
- 2-0 record in the east division, 3-3 conference record
- Appears Steven Sheffield is the right fit at quarterback, has led the Power to 2 wins in his 3 starts
- Defense ranks first in passing (217.4) and total yards per game (244.8)
- The consistency of Mike "The Joystick" Washington, 229 receptions and 64 TD's in his first two seasons, through nine games has 79 catches for 842 yards and 15 TD
5 Bad:
- 1-5 home record
- Offensive woes through first ten weeks, last with 38.3 ppg and 12th with 227.6 pass yard/game
- 4 of 6 losses by 26+ points
- (-9) turnover margin, 20 giveaways
- P.J. Berry's struggles: 24 rec, 329 yds, 4 TD, 2 Rush TD; has missed last three games with injury
Key stats:
Steven Sheffield 60-109, 834 pass yds, 15 TD, 7 Int; 55 rush yds, 2 TD (3 games)
Mike Washington 79 rec, 842 yards, 15 TD
P.J. Berry 24 rec, 329 yds, 6 Total TD (6 games)
Alvin Ray Jackson 43.5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 Int (ret-TD); 9 rec, 122 yds, 2 TD
Sergio Gilliam leads team with 3 int
Overview: The Power are in prime position to earn their first playoff berth in franchise history in thanks to the weakness of the American Conference. At the bottom of the conference The Power sit in fourth at 3-6, only one game ahead of Cleveland and Orlando who are both 2-7, and two games ahead of last-place New Orleans. It seems the quarterback question has been answered with Steven Sheffield who has been at the helm in two of the three wins. If Pittsburgh can start June off on the right note with a win at Jacksonville, and figure out how to reincorporate P.J. Berry into the offense again, then look out! Prediction: A challenging June schedule puts pressure on the Power to take care of business at home, i see them with four or five wins by July 1st and right in the mix for the four seed.
3) Cleveland Gladiators (2-7)
Second quarter results: After scoring a major upset of Philadelphia in week five the Glads lost consecutive games to the west division by 17+ points, but they bounced back as Chris Dieker came in relief to lead a 53-30 win over Chicago in week eight. Following the impressive win came a 57-33 loss to San Antonio, which saw Dieker get injured early in the game, and allowed 27 unanswered points to the Power in a fourth quarter collapse in week ten.
5 Good:
- This team continues to fight hard despite the lack of experience
- Dominic Goodman 65 rec, 551 yds, 10 TD, 2 rush TD
- The short-lived success of Chris Dieker that accounted for the Glads week eight win and earned him his first start in week nine where he was injured
- The recreated secondary of Marrio Norman (signed in week 8), Lenny Wicks (started all season), LaRoche Jackson (signed in week 3), and Joe Phinisee (aquired in week 9 trade with Chicago)
-Despite a 2-7 record, still have very realistic playoff hopes entering week elevan
5 Bad:
- Both Dieker and Zbydniewski both are on injured reserve
- Defense allows 59.3 ppg, 3rd highest in AFL
- Defense is fourth-worst, allowing 295.4 Total ypg
- Lack of pass rush, league-low 6 sacks
- Inexperience o-line making life tougher than it is by allowing 21 sacks
Key Stats:
Derik Steiner 114 rush yds, 5 TD
Chris Dieker 27-36, 314 yds, 4 TD, 73 rush yds, 3 TD (1 start)
Brian Zbydniewski 57.4% comp, 2001 yds, 34 TD, 14 Int, 42 rush yds, 6 TD
Dominic Goodman 65 rec, 551 yds, 12 Total TD
Thyron Lewis 48 rec, 752 yds, 12 TD
Secondary has combined for 8 int, Phinisee with 1 ret-TD
Overview:
I predicted the Gladiators to be the worst team in the AFL this year so I will keep it nice. The Cleveland defense has struggled this year in getting pressure on the opposing quarterback, couple that with offensive struggles and more time to pass has this unit at the bottom of the League. I do like how the secondary has been reshaped in the past month and who knows, with more playing time together mayb this group can sure up things. With the injuries to both Zbydniewski and Dieker, Andrico Hines has been signed for week elevan at New Orleans. Hines inherits a solid receiving core of two productive veterans in Thyron Lewis and Dominic Goodman, and Jonathan Wilson and Jamar Howard who have taken turns at the third slot. The next three opponents for the Glads are New Orleans, Iowa, and Orlando which gives them a great opportunity to quickly turn things around and make a push to sneak into this year's playoffs. Prediction: Cleveland will have four wins by July and be invovled in a three team battle for the final playoff spot.
In the next blog will be the South Division and a recall on the whole American Conference!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
AFL Week 10 Recap
We are in the middle of this 2013 Arena Football season, with the first half of the year coming to a wrap here in week ten. Seven games split between Friday and Saturday to fill our Memorial Day weekend plates of half the field, twice the fun action!
Spokane Shock 61, San Antonio Talons 48
The Talons where in search of their third striaght win as they welcomed the Shock to the Alamo on Friday night. Spokane was able to call upon their road-warrior ways en route to notching a second consecutive win.
Spokane got off to an explosive start when Terrance Sanders returned the opening kick 30 yards and a pair of Talon penalties set up Erik Meyer's 17-yard touchdown pass to Adron Tennell. Nick Hill got the Talons off to a good start by completing three straight passes to Sale Key, who made his San Antonio debut, and finished a six-play scoring drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. Erik Meyer quickly answered by completing his next three passes, the third of which to Tennell for a 33-yard score. The game changed on the next series when Nick Hill was sacked on first down by Diyral Briggs and suffered an injury to his left leg; he did not return. San Antonio's do-it-all man, Xavier Lee was forced to come in and play quarterback and tied the game five plays later with an elevan-yard touchdown pass to Jomo Wilson. Spokane carried a six-play, 45-yard drive into the second quarter that finished with Kamar Jorden's fifteen-yard touchdown grab. Xavier Lee, the X-man, showed off his dymanic ability with a sixteen-yard scramble to begin the drive and a 28-yard touchdown strike to Wilson on fourth-and-fifteen. Terrance Sanders made another 30-plus yard return and Meyer scored on a one-yard run to once again match a Talon score. Midway through the second period neither offense had been stopped, but that changed when the Shock defense turned away the Talons after an elevan-play drive that took off seven minutes. Duane Brooks was the recepiant of an eight-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the half to complete a perfect half for the Shock offense. San Antonio began the third quarter with the ball, but were unable to get back in the game when Pat Stoudamire ended an eight-play drive by making an interception inside the five and returning it to midfield. Erik Meyer kept his offense perfect by leading a five-play drive that he capped off with a ten-yard run to extend the lead to 40-21. The Talons finally cashed in on their third eight-plus play drive when Xavier Lee found Jomo Wilson for a five-yard touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter. This one wasn't over just yet as Spokane recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Meyer made his only mistake of the night as his pass intended for Adron Tennell was intercepted by Carlton Brown and seven plays later Moqut Ruffins catch a one-yard score to quickly close the gap to five with 8:44 remaining. Spokane recovered the following onside kick again, but this time Erik Meyer tossed a five-yard touchdown to Kamar Jorden on the next play. Despite two kick return touchdowns by D.J. Stevens in the final eight minutes the Talons were unable to make a defensive stop or recover an onside kick, as Erik Meyer threw a pair of scores to Adron Tennell to secure a 61-48 road victory. Nick Hill completed three of his four passes for 37 yards, while adding ten yards and a touchdown rushing before being injured on the first play of the second quarter.
Stat Leaders:
Spokane (7-3) San Antonio (4-5)
Erik Meyer 23-29, 255 yds, 7TD, Int, Xavier Lee 22-48, 237 yds, 4TD, Int,
2 Rush TD 20 rush yds
Adron Tennell 12 rec, 177 yds, 4 TD Jomo Wilson 8 rec, 105 yds, 3 TD
Brandon Thompkins 5 rec, 29 yds D.J. Stephens 8 rec, 99 yds,
Kamar Jorden 3 rec, 29 yds, 2 TD 7 kick ret, 190 yds, 2 TD
Richard Dodd-Masters 10 tackles Sale Key 8 rec, 69 yds
Pat Stoudamire FF, Int Carlton Brown Int
Pittsburgh Power 55, Cleveland Gladiators 44
Despite both teams holding 2-6 records this east divisional tilt held huge postseason implications. The winner of this game not only would earn a third win, but also had the opportunity to claim sole possession of the second wild card spot at the middle of the season. Julian Talley and Kenny Stafford each made their AFL debuts for the Power and played a pivetal role in deciding this chapter of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry.
This matchup started out as a defensive battle that limited Brian Zbydniewski to only complete three of his first nine passes and forced each kicker into missing a long field goal try; also known as the AFL's version of a punt. The Power only needed one play on their second drive to score the first points of the night when Steven Sheffield hit Mike Washington in-stride for a sixteen-yard touchdown. It looked as if the Power defense was in line for a third stop in the first quarter, but Zbydniewski completed a fourteen-yard pass to Thyron Lewis on fourth-and-ten to keep the drive alive. He then made a ten-yard pass to Carlesse Franklin and finsihed a six-play drive with a nineteen-yard strike to Lewis to tie the game at seven. The scoring picked up fast in a second quarter that featured each side trading blows. Sheffield completed two of his first three passes of the period, finding Kenny Stafford on a 32-yard deep ball to put the Power back in the lead. Brian Zbydniewski completed all three of his passes on the ensuing five-play drive that resulted in Terril Byrd's three-yard run. Steven Sheffield answered by completing back-to-back passes on the next series, which setup his six-yard scamper to cap off a five-play, 47-yard drive. Zbydniewski matched his counterpart's efficiency by completing all three of his passes on the following four-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in Jamar Howard's twelve-yard score. The Power regrabbed the lead when Sheffield completed back-to-back passes to Julian Talley and followed it with a 17-yard strike to Stafford to give Pittsburgh a 28-21 advantage with fourteen seconds in the half. Thyron Lewis had quick six-yard return and Howard brought in a twelve-yard catch to setup Aaron Pettrey for a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the half to cut the deficit to 28-24. Pittsburgh began the third quarter with a four-point lead and the ball, but failed to score when the Gladiator stepped up to force three straight incompletions and got a missed field goal from Julian Rauch. The stop opened the door for Cleveland to take their first lead of the night and they did when Brian Zbydniewski came out firing with two straight completions and handed a receiver-sweep to Carlesse Franklin who dashed into the end zone on a three-yard run. The period became more frustrating for the Power when their next series ended on a turnover-on-downs after a five-yard catch by Mike Washington was erased because of a personal foul and Sheffield was sacked on fourth down. Zbydniewski continued his excellant play on the ensuing series and completed the five-play drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Goodman, who made a spectacular catch on his back after the ball was tipped twice. Steven Sheffield's next pass was intercepted, but the Power defense made a game-saving stand by forcing three straight incompletions. The momentum appeared to be moving back in Pittsburgh's direction when they were on th move to begin th fourth but it flipped when Joe Phinisee, who made his return-debut with Cleveland, interepted an under-thrown ball and returned it 49-yards for the "pick-six" to push Cleveland's lead to 44-28 with 13:58 left. Just when it looked like the Power were done, momentum once again flipped when Chris LeFlore returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead back to ten. Pittsburgh's defense made a marquee stop which featured a second-down sack by Neil Purvis that caused the turnover-on-downs at the Gladiator-15. Sheffield connected with Mike Washington for a ten-yard score two plays later to quickly cut the margin to three with 8:52 remaining. The Power made another quick defensive stop and took over at their own twenty-yard line with six-and-half minutes left. Steven Sheffield directed a four-play drive that he finished with a seventeen-yard touchdown to Washington to reclaim the lead for Pittsburgh with 2:39 left. The Power defense owned the fourth quarter and fittingly ended the game when Brandon Freeman intercepted an overthrow by Zbydniewski and Julian Talley had a 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown to complete 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the Power in notching their first home victory since April 2012. The Power move to 3-6, while Cleveland suffered another tough loss to fall to 2-7.
Stat Leaders:
Cleveland (2-7) Pittsburgh (3-6)
Brian Zbydniewski 19-38, 204 yds, 3TD, Steven Sheffield 18-30, 286 yds, 6TD, 2 Int,
Int, 11 rush yds 19 rush yds, TD
Thyron Lewis 5 rec, 107 yds, TD Kenny Stafford 6 rec, 119 yds, 2 TD
Carlese Franklin 4 rec, 40 yds, Rush TD Julian Talley 6 rec, 99 yds, TD
Jamar Howard 5 rec, 32 yds, TD Mike Washington 6 rec, 68 yds, 3 TD
Dominic Goodman 5 rec, 25 yds, TD Neil Purvis 2 sacks
Mario Norman 8 tackles, Int Brandon Freeman Int
Joe Phinisee Int-ret TD Chris Leflore 56-yd Kick-ret TD
Aaron Pettrey 1-4 FG (36), 5-6 PAT Julian Rauch 7-7 PAt, 0-2 FG
Jacksonville Sharks 44, Orlando Predators 41
Bitter in-state rivals met in "The Jungle" for this week ten battle. The Sharks began the season with a franchise-record six straight wins, but have followed it up with a franchise-high three-game losing streak. The Predators were trying to avoid a second straight loss while fighting for jocking position in the american conference wild card chase.
The fans in the Jungle were in a frenzy and Dominic Jones quenched their hunger by returning the opening kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. Jacksonville took the ball and marched down the field in five plays to tie the game on Bernard Morris' sixteen-yard touchdown pass to Markee White. When Aaron Garcia and the rest of the Predator offense finally got to take the field, he made a 35-yard completion to T.T. Toliver on his first pass and found Prechae Rodriguez for a ten-yard score two plays later. After the teams traded strip-sacks, Bernard Morris directed a nine-play, 35-yard drive that concluded with Jeff Hughley's three-yard touchdown run on a receiver sweep. On their next possession, Orlando put together a nine-play drive that featured two touchdowns being erased via holding penalties and as a result failed to score on the series. The Sharks took their first lead four plays later when Morris connected with Hughley for a 21-yard touchdown. The mistakes continued to be costly for the Predators when Dominic Jones fumbled at his own 20-yard line trying to gain extra yards on the ensuing kickoff. Even though the Sharks failed to score on the immediate possession, Jamaal Fudge forced and recovered a fumble which setup Marco Capozzoli for a 34-yard field goal to end the first half. Bernard Morris came out firing in the second half, completing all three of his passes for 34 yards and capping of a four-play scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown scamper to extend Jacksonville's lead to 30-14 early in the third. The game looked like it was going to get ugly when Fudge forced his second fumble on Orlando's first play of the quarter, but the Preds chances were salvaged when Dominic Jones interecepted Morris three plays later to get the ball right back. Aaron Garcia led the Predators right back into the game with two straight completions to Prechae Rodriguez that went for 29 yards and a touchdown. A second straight stop made by the Orlando defense and back-to-back thirteen-yard receptions by Rodriguez created a first and goal at the Shark-six for the Preds at the beginning of the fourth quarter. On the second play of the period Garcia floated a two-yard touchdown to Marcus Everett to close the gap to 30-28 with 14:05 left to play. Bernard Morris led the Sharks on a five-play drive that ended on a 21-yard touchdown strike to Jeron Harvey to end the scoring drought and extend the lead to nine. Aaron Garcia quickly answered with a four-play drive of their own that ended on Prechae Rodriguez's third touchdown grab of the night to cut the margin back to two. Jamaal Fudge stepped up to make another key play by recovering the ensuing onside kick which setup Morris for a nine-yard touchdown scamper, and with Capozzoli's extra point push the lead back to nine with under three minutes remaining. Down by nine the Predators needed a quick score and did so when Garcia threw a four-yard touchdown to T.T. Toliver to make it a 44-41 game with two minutes left. Doug Plank and Aaron Garcia decided to go for two, but the attempt failed when Garcia's pass was knocked away by Terrance Smith. The Sharks recovered the following onside kick and ran out the remaining 97 seconds with three positive runs by Bernard Morris. With the win, Jacksonville ends a franchise-long three-game losing streak; while Orlando has now lost two in a row and falls to 2-7.
Stat Leaders:
Jacksonville (7-3) Orlando (2-7)
Bernard Morris 23-39, 161 yds, 3TD, Int, Aaron Garcia 20-27, 251 yds, 5TD
10 rush, 39 rush yds, 2 TD T.T. Toliver 8 rec, 124 yds, TD
Jeron Harvey 9 rec, 101 yds, TD Prechae Rodriguez 8 rec, 97 yds, 3 TD
Markee White 6 rec, 44 yds, TD Dominic Jones Int, 57-yd kick-ret TD
Jeff Hughley 4 rec, 40 yds, 2 Total TD Prentice Purnell sack, fumb rec
Shark Defense: 4 fumble rec, 2 sacks
Marco Capozzoli 1-2 FG (34), 5-6 PAT
Philadelphia Soul 73, Tampa Bay Storm 55
This week on CBS Sports Network the Soul and Storm squared off at Tampa Times Forum. Both teams wanted to keep position in their respective divisions, but it was the inconsistent Soul who made the bigger statement on Saturday night.
Dan Raudabaugh got off to a hot start by completing all five of his passes on Philadelphia's first two possessions, which resulted in a six-yard touchdown run by Derrick Ross and a sixteen-yard touchdown recpetion by Ryan McDaniel. Raudabaugh's counterpart, Adrian McPherson got off to a opposite start by completing just two of six passes and getting sacked two times on Tampa Bay's first two possessions; his first completion was a 29-yard strike to Greg Ellingson. The Soul took a 14-6 lead into the second quarter and had a chance to add to it, but a misexchanged snap on fourth and goal ended the opportunity. McPherson completed back-to-back passes and scored on a one-yard run four plays later to pull the Storm back within one. Over the course of an elevan minute-span in the second quarter both sides traded lenghthy scoring drives to keep the margin at one by the one-minute warning. Dan Raudabaugh dished a seven-yard pass to Derrick Ross who ran it in for a score on the first play inside the warning, but Joe Hills recovered the ensuing onside kick and returned it fifteen yards for a touchdown to quickly answer Philadelphia. The Storm would get another good bounce on a kickoff when Michael Lindsey jarred the ball free from LaRico Stevenson on the next kickoff and Vance Cuff made the recovery. Adrian McPherson found Joe Hills for a six-yard touchdown three plays later to give Tampa bay their first lead of the night with 21 seconds left before halftime. Raudabaugh made a couple quick completions to setup Carlos Martinez for a 33-yard field goal that he drilled down th middle to cut the deficit to three at the half. The Storm began the second half with the ball but failed to score when Bryan Robinson made a huge fourth-down sack to earn the defensive stop. Derrick Ross gave the lead back to the Soul when he took his third straight carry into the end zone for a three-yard score. The Soul defense came away with consecutive stops when McPherson misfired on three of four passes, failing to pickup a first down. Dan Raudabaugh completed back-to-back passes, the second of which a fourteen-yard touchdown to Andrae Thurman to extend the lead to 45-34 with 3:50 left in the third. The Soul broke the game open in the final minutes of the period despite giving up a 31-yard touchdown catch by Greg Ellingson by recovering the ensuing onside kick which led to Tiger Jones' ten-yard touchdown reception and an onside kick recovery of their own. Raudabaugh went deep and found Ryan McDaniel for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Soul a 59-41 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter. Both offenses exchanged touchdowns on their next series and Adrian McPherson capped off a nine-play, six-plus minute drive with a three-yard touchdown run, also completed a two-point conversition, to make it an elevan-point game with 2:26 remaining. Philadelphia recovered the ensuing onside kick and Tiger Jones caught a thirteen-yard score two plays later to ice the win for Philadelphia.
Stat Leaders:
Philadelphia (5-4) Tampa Bay (6-4)
Dan Raudabaugh 20-23, 297 yds, 7TD Adrian McPherson 19-35, 258 yds, 5TD,
Derrick Ross 22 total yds, 4 Total TD 11 rush, 48 yds, 2 TD
Tiger Jones 8 rec, 122 yds 2 TD Joe Hills 9 rec, 131 yds, 3 TD, kick-ret TD
Ryan McDaniel 7 rec, 108 yds 3 TD Greg Ellingson 9 rec, 123 yds, 2 TD
Bryan Robinson 2 sacks Pernell Phillips sack
Carlos Martinez 10-10 PAT, 1-1 FG (33)
Arizona Rattlers 70, Iowa Barnstormers 26
The hottest team in the AFL, the Arizona Rattlers kept on rolling in week ten with a dismantling of the Barnstormers.
Trandon Harvey fielded the opening kick and got the faithful at the Snake Pit on their feet with a 37-yard return, which setup a four-yard touchdown reception by Kerry Reed three plays later. Iowa's first possession wasn't as exciting as J.J. Raternik started with back-to-back completions for 23 yards, but was incomplete on his next three attempts that forced a field goal try by Fabriz Scaccia, which went wide left. Two plays later, Nick Davila and Kerry Reed hooked up for the third time on a 39-yard touchdown to bolster the lead to fourteen. Raternik bounced back on the following drive with four straight completions that was highlighted with Jesse Schmidt's eight-yard touchdown to get Iowa on the board. Davila and company continued to unstoppable when on the back end of consecutive completions Jared Perry hauled in a 33-yard touchdown. Iowa was already in an uphill battle, but things got more complicated when J.J. Raternik was injured on the final play of the first quarter and was unable to return. Brian Reader entered the game and threw three straight incompletions, which setup Jared Perry for an eight-yard touchdown on the next play. Reader settled in on the next series with a few completions, but the result didn't change as his fourth down pass was intercepted by Marquis Floyd. Nick Davila directed a ten-play, six-half minute drive that he ended with a sneaky one-yard touchdown pass to Rod Windsor for a 35-6 lead to break the game wide open. If things couldn't get any worse for Iowa they did when Floyd made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff and Davial went back to Windsor three plays later for a 21-yard score. A 49-yard touchdown reception by Marco Thomas on the next play was the lone highlight of the night for the Stormers who trailed 49-13 at halftime and scored a total of thirteen points in the second half en route getting blown out. The Rattlers cruised to their sixth straight win by scoring 21 points in each of the first three quarters and by holding their opponent to a measley 26 points.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (4-6) Arizona (9-1)
Brian Reader 14-29, 168 yds, 3TD, 2 Int Nick Davila 19-23, 241 yds, 8TD, Int
J.J. Raternik 8-11, 73 yds, TD Rod Windsor 7 rec, 90 yds, 2 TD
Marco Thomas 5 rec, 92 yds, 2 TD Kerry Reed 7 rec, 70 yds, 2 TD
Jesse Schmidt 10 rec, 84 yds, TD Jared Perry 4 rec, 57 yds, 4 TD
Marcus Harris 7 rec, 65 yds, TD Marquis Floyd 8 tackles, FF, FR, Int
De'Mon Glanton Int Arkeith Brown Int
Marcus Pittman 2 sacks
Chicago Rush 84, New Orleans VooDoo 48
Just when it looked like the Rush were a ship on the verge of capsizing, they go into the Graveyard and put up their best performance of the season that led to an amazing box score.
Things started out good for New Orleans when Kurt Rocco connected with Donovan Morgan for a 45-yard touchdown on the the first play of night for the early 7-0 lead. The Rush responded by pounding out a seven-play, 39-yard drive that concluded with J.J. Payne's one-yard touchdown run. Each team's second possession produced seven, but things changed on the second play of the VooDoo's third drive when Tyus Jackson forced and recovered a fumble after sacking Rocco to earn the first stop of the game. Luke Drone scored on a one-yard to give Chicago the lead at the begining of the second quarter. Kurt Rocco answered with a five-play, 45-yard drive of his own that he finished with a 22-yard touchdown to Quorey Payne. Chicago quickly created distance when Reggie Gray returned the ensuing kick 57 yards for a touchdown, Vic Hall made an inerception, and Rodney Wright scored on a four-yard run over a sequence of four plays to build a fourteen-point lead. After both offenses traded touchdowns the Rush defense made another stop when Kelvin Morris forced a fumble while sacking Rocco and made a 37-yard return to setup a one-yard touchdown run by Carson Coffman to make it a 49-28 lead in favor of Chicago at the break. Coffman began the third quarter with four straight completions, which were highlighted by Reggie Gray's two-yard touchdown that extended the lead to an insurmountable 28 points for New Orleans. New Orleans scored fourteen points in each of the first three quarters, but committed six turnovers that aided a 35-point second quarter and a 21-point fourth quarter for Chicago. With the dominating performance Chicago moves to 5-5 and reclaims sole possession of first in the central division. For Chicago, four different receivers caught one touchdown, Reggie Gray and Jared Jenkins each added a kick-return touchdown, Rodney Wright had an additional rushing score, Payne and Drone each had two rushing touchdowns, and Coffman even added a rushing score.
Stat Leaders:
Chicago (5-5) New Orleans (1-8)
Carson Coffman 13-18, 154 yds, 3TD, Kurt Rocco 10-17, 227 yds, 4TD, 2 Int
Rush TD Bill Stull 11-17, 132 ysd, 3TD, Int
Luke Drone 3-3 48 yds, TD, 2 Rush TD Quorey Payne 8 rec, 165 yds, 2 TD
J.J. Payne 9 rush 28 yds, 2 TD, 23-yd TD rec Donovan Morgan 7 rec, 142 yds, 3 TD
Rodney Wright 6 rec, 75 yds, 2 total TD Courtney Smith 5 rec, 49 yds, 2 TD
Reggie Gray 4 rec, 52 yds, TD, kick-ret TD Eddie Moten 7 tackles
Jorrick Calvin 12 tackles, Int, 0.5 sack
Rush Defense: 4 sacks, 6 turnovers
Jose Martinez 12-12 PAt, 0-1 FG
San Jose Sabercats 35, Utah Blaze 34
The Sabercats and Blaze squared off in a pivital week ten wild western showdown. San Jose looked to extend their four-game winning streak, while the Blaze were in desparate need of a road win to keep themselve in the western race.
Utah grabbed an early 7-0 lead after Josh Ferguson intercepted Russ Michna's second pass and Tommy Grady marched the Blaze down the field on a six-play drive that resulted in AJ Jackson's nine-yard touchdown reception. Russ Michna responded on the next series by completing five of six passes, which featured a five-yard scoring catch by Huey Whittaker to tie the game. Tommy Grady led an eight-play scoring drive into the second quarter that he finished with an elevan-yard touchdown to Aaron LeSue to get the lead back. San Jose tied the game for the second time just two plays later when Fred Williams was on the receiving end of a 28-yard strike. The Sabercat defense matched the early stop made by Utah when Clevan Thomas made a spectacular end-zone interception to foil an elevan-play drive that lasted six minutes and 43 seconds. Russ Michna quickly answered with three straight completions, the third of a which a 41-yard touchdown to Jason Willis, giving the 'Cats their first lead. Inside the final minute of the first half Utah recovered an onside kick and scored three plays later when Grady thre a seven-yard touchdown to Chase Deadder; but the Blaze still trailed as a result of the missed point after attempt. Michna moved San Jose into scoring position in a timely seven plays, but a stout Blaze defense forced an incompletion of fourth-and-six to keep it a 21-20 game at the intermission. The Blaze had a prime opportunity to reclaim the lead on the opening possession of the third quarter but after a 27-yard completion to Mario Urrutia to get the ball to San Jose's four-yard line, Clevan Thomas made his second interception of the night and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to extend the Sabercats' lead to 28-20. Tommy Grady battled back by engineering an eight-play, 45-yard drive that concluded on Aaron LeSue's fourteen-yard touchdown catch. Utah blew their opportunity to retake the lead on the opening drive of the third, but earned another chance when Keenan Mace recorded a second-down sack of Michna to couple with a pair of incompletions that forced a turnover on downs. This opportunity was also short-lived as on the next play AJ Jackson fumbled after making a three-yard reception and Francis Maka made the recovery for San Jose. Four plays later, Russ Michna hit Jason Willis on a crossing pattern for a seven-yard touchdown to get the lead back to eight. The Blaze opened the fourth quarter with a five-play, 36-yard drive that ended on LeSue's seventeen-yard touchdown catch; which turned out to be the final points that either team would score on the night. San Jose hung onto a 35-34 lead for the final elevan minutes of the game thanks to the eight straight incompletions that their secondary forced from Tommy Grady.
Stat Leaders:
Utah (4-5) San Jose (7-2)
Tommy Grady 24-48, 291 yds, 4TD, 2 Int Russ Michna 22-38, 246 yds, 4TD, 2 Int
Aaron LeSue 10 rec, 117 yds, 3 TD, Fred Williams 10 rec, 124 yds, TD
7-yd TD pass Jason Willis 5 rec, 67 yds, 2 TD
Mario Urrutia 7 rec, 126 yds Huey Whittaker 6 rec, 46 yds, TD
David Hyland/Josh Ferguson Int Clevan Thomas 2 Int, Int-ret TD
Francis Maka/Terrance Carter sack Nich Pertuit 5-5 PAT
Week 10 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Dan Raudabaugh, Philadelphia QB
- Dan Raudabaugh arguably had his best game of 2013 in week ten, completing 20 of 23 passes for 297 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Soul to a crucial 73-55 road win over Tampa Bay. As the second half of the season approaches it will be interesting to see if Raudabaugh and this bunch can play at a consistent level.
Defensive Player of the Week: Clevan Thomas, San Jose DB
- Clevan Thomas has been a thorn in the side of opposing quarterbacks all season and continued this week. Thomas intercepted Tommy Grady two times which helped the Sabercats pull out a 35-34 win to stay perfect with Russ Michna at quarterback.
Playmaker of the Week: D.J. Stephens, San Antonio WR
- Despite the defeat, D.J. Stephens was fun to watch this past week. Stephens caught eight passes for 99 yards, but, made a bigger impact on special teams by returning seven kicks for a total of 190 yards a two touchdowns; both coming in the fourth quarter. Stephens definately had a performance to remember, but the only thing missing was a win.
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
Spokane Shock 61, San Antonio Talons 48
The Talons where in search of their third striaght win as they welcomed the Shock to the Alamo on Friday night. Spokane was able to call upon their road-warrior ways en route to notching a second consecutive win.
Spokane got off to an explosive start when Terrance Sanders returned the opening kick 30 yards and a pair of Talon penalties set up Erik Meyer's 17-yard touchdown pass to Adron Tennell. Nick Hill got the Talons off to a good start by completing three straight passes to Sale Key, who made his San Antonio debut, and finished a six-play scoring drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. Erik Meyer quickly answered by completing his next three passes, the third of which to Tennell for a 33-yard score. The game changed on the next series when Nick Hill was sacked on first down by Diyral Briggs and suffered an injury to his left leg; he did not return. San Antonio's do-it-all man, Xavier Lee was forced to come in and play quarterback and tied the game five plays later with an elevan-yard touchdown pass to Jomo Wilson. Spokane carried a six-play, 45-yard drive into the second quarter that finished with Kamar Jorden's fifteen-yard touchdown grab. Xavier Lee, the X-man, showed off his dymanic ability with a sixteen-yard scramble to begin the drive and a 28-yard touchdown strike to Wilson on fourth-and-fifteen. Terrance Sanders made another 30-plus yard return and Meyer scored on a one-yard run to once again match a Talon score. Midway through the second period neither offense had been stopped, but that changed when the Shock defense turned away the Talons after an elevan-play drive that took off seven minutes. Duane Brooks was the recepiant of an eight-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the half to complete a perfect half for the Shock offense. San Antonio began the third quarter with the ball, but were unable to get back in the game when Pat Stoudamire ended an eight-play drive by making an interception inside the five and returning it to midfield. Erik Meyer kept his offense perfect by leading a five-play drive that he capped off with a ten-yard run to extend the lead to 40-21. The Talons finally cashed in on their third eight-plus play drive when Xavier Lee found Jomo Wilson for a five-yard touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter. This one wasn't over just yet as Spokane recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Meyer made his only mistake of the night as his pass intended for Adron Tennell was intercepted by Carlton Brown and seven plays later Moqut Ruffins catch a one-yard score to quickly close the gap to five with 8:44 remaining. Spokane recovered the following onside kick again, but this time Erik Meyer tossed a five-yard touchdown to Kamar Jorden on the next play. Despite two kick return touchdowns by D.J. Stevens in the final eight minutes the Talons were unable to make a defensive stop or recover an onside kick, as Erik Meyer threw a pair of scores to Adron Tennell to secure a 61-48 road victory. Nick Hill completed three of his four passes for 37 yards, while adding ten yards and a touchdown rushing before being injured on the first play of the second quarter.
Stat Leaders:
Spokane (7-3) San Antonio (4-5)
Erik Meyer 23-29, 255 yds, 7TD, Int, Xavier Lee 22-48, 237 yds, 4TD, Int,
2 Rush TD 20 rush yds
Adron Tennell 12 rec, 177 yds, 4 TD Jomo Wilson 8 rec, 105 yds, 3 TD
Brandon Thompkins 5 rec, 29 yds D.J. Stephens 8 rec, 99 yds,
Kamar Jorden 3 rec, 29 yds, 2 TD 7 kick ret, 190 yds, 2 TD
Richard Dodd-Masters 10 tackles Sale Key 8 rec, 69 yds
Pat Stoudamire FF, Int Carlton Brown Int
Pittsburgh Power 55, Cleveland Gladiators 44
Despite both teams holding 2-6 records this east divisional tilt held huge postseason implications. The winner of this game not only would earn a third win, but also had the opportunity to claim sole possession of the second wild card spot at the middle of the season. Julian Talley and Kenny Stafford each made their AFL debuts for the Power and played a pivetal role in deciding this chapter of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry.
This matchup started out as a defensive battle that limited Brian Zbydniewski to only complete three of his first nine passes and forced each kicker into missing a long field goal try; also known as the AFL's version of a punt. The Power only needed one play on their second drive to score the first points of the night when Steven Sheffield hit Mike Washington in-stride for a sixteen-yard touchdown. It looked as if the Power defense was in line for a third stop in the first quarter, but Zbydniewski completed a fourteen-yard pass to Thyron Lewis on fourth-and-ten to keep the drive alive. He then made a ten-yard pass to Carlesse Franklin and finsihed a six-play drive with a nineteen-yard strike to Lewis to tie the game at seven. The scoring picked up fast in a second quarter that featured each side trading blows. Sheffield completed two of his first three passes of the period, finding Kenny Stafford on a 32-yard deep ball to put the Power back in the lead. Brian Zbydniewski completed all three of his passes on the ensuing five-play drive that resulted in Terril Byrd's three-yard run. Steven Sheffield answered by completing back-to-back passes on the next series, which setup his six-yard scamper to cap off a five-play, 47-yard drive. Zbydniewski matched his counterpart's efficiency by completing all three of his passes on the following four-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in Jamar Howard's twelve-yard score. The Power regrabbed the lead when Sheffield completed back-to-back passes to Julian Talley and followed it with a 17-yard strike to Stafford to give Pittsburgh a 28-21 advantage with fourteen seconds in the half. Thyron Lewis had quick six-yard return and Howard brought in a twelve-yard catch to setup Aaron Pettrey for a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the half to cut the deficit to 28-24. Pittsburgh began the third quarter with a four-point lead and the ball, but failed to score when the Gladiator stepped up to force three straight incompletions and got a missed field goal from Julian Rauch. The stop opened the door for Cleveland to take their first lead of the night and they did when Brian Zbydniewski came out firing with two straight completions and handed a receiver-sweep to Carlesse Franklin who dashed into the end zone on a three-yard run. The period became more frustrating for the Power when their next series ended on a turnover-on-downs after a five-yard catch by Mike Washington was erased because of a personal foul and Sheffield was sacked on fourth down. Zbydniewski continued his excellant play on the ensuing series and completed the five-play drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Goodman, who made a spectacular catch on his back after the ball was tipped twice. Steven Sheffield's next pass was intercepted, but the Power defense made a game-saving stand by forcing three straight incompletions. The momentum appeared to be moving back in Pittsburgh's direction when they were on th move to begin th fourth but it flipped when Joe Phinisee, who made his return-debut with Cleveland, interepted an under-thrown ball and returned it 49-yards for the "pick-six" to push Cleveland's lead to 44-28 with 13:58 left. Just when it looked like the Power were done, momentum once again flipped when Chris LeFlore returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead back to ten. Pittsburgh's defense made a marquee stop which featured a second-down sack by Neil Purvis that caused the turnover-on-downs at the Gladiator-15. Sheffield connected with Mike Washington for a ten-yard score two plays later to quickly cut the margin to three with 8:52 remaining. The Power made another quick defensive stop and took over at their own twenty-yard line with six-and-half minutes left. Steven Sheffield directed a four-play drive that he finished with a seventeen-yard touchdown to Washington to reclaim the lead for Pittsburgh with 2:39 left. The Power defense owned the fourth quarter and fittingly ended the game when Brandon Freeman intercepted an overthrow by Zbydniewski and Julian Talley had a 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown to complete 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the Power in notching their first home victory since April 2012. The Power move to 3-6, while Cleveland suffered another tough loss to fall to 2-7.
Stat Leaders:
Cleveland (2-7) Pittsburgh (3-6)
Brian Zbydniewski 19-38, 204 yds, 3TD, Steven Sheffield 18-30, 286 yds, 6TD, 2 Int,
Int, 11 rush yds 19 rush yds, TD
Thyron Lewis 5 rec, 107 yds, TD Kenny Stafford 6 rec, 119 yds, 2 TD
Carlese Franklin 4 rec, 40 yds, Rush TD Julian Talley 6 rec, 99 yds, TD
Jamar Howard 5 rec, 32 yds, TD Mike Washington 6 rec, 68 yds, 3 TD
Dominic Goodman 5 rec, 25 yds, TD Neil Purvis 2 sacks
Mario Norman 8 tackles, Int Brandon Freeman Int
Joe Phinisee Int-ret TD Chris Leflore 56-yd Kick-ret TD
Aaron Pettrey 1-4 FG (36), 5-6 PAT Julian Rauch 7-7 PAt, 0-2 FG
Jacksonville Sharks 44, Orlando Predators 41
Bitter in-state rivals met in "The Jungle" for this week ten battle. The Sharks began the season with a franchise-record six straight wins, but have followed it up with a franchise-high three-game losing streak. The Predators were trying to avoid a second straight loss while fighting for jocking position in the american conference wild card chase.
The fans in the Jungle were in a frenzy and Dominic Jones quenched their hunger by returning the opening kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. Jacksonville took the ball and marched down the field in five plays to tie the game on Bernard Morris' sixteen-yard touchdown pass to Markee White. When Aaron Garcia and the rest of the Predator offense finally got to take the field, he made a 35-yard completion to T.T. Toliver on his first pass and found Prechae Rodriguez for a ten-yard score two plays later. After the teams traded strip-sacks, Bernard Morris directed a nine-play, 35-yard drive that concluded with Jeff Hughley's three-yard touchdown run on a receiver sweep. On their next possession, Orlando put together a nine-play drive that featured two touchdowns being erased via holding penalties and as a result failed to score on the series. The Sharks took their first lead four plays later when Morris connected with Hughley for a 21-yard touchdown. The mistakes continued to be costly for the Predators when Dominic Jones fumbled at his own 20-yard line trying to gain extra yards on the ensuing kickoff. Even though the Sharks failed to score on the immediate possession, Jamaal Fudge forced and recovered a fumble which setup Marco Capozzoli for a 34-yard field goal to end the first half. Bernard Morris came out firing in the second half, completing all three of his passes for 34 yards and capping of a four-play scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown scamper to extend Jacksonville's lead to 30-14 early in the third. The game looked like it was going to get ugly when Fudge forced his second fumble on Orlando's first play of the quarter, but the Preds chances were salvaged when Dominic Jones interecepted Morris three plays later to get the ball right back. Aaron Garcia led the Predators right back into the game with two straight completions to Prechae Rodriguez that went for 29 yards and a touchdown. A second straight stop made by the Orlando defense and back-to-back thirteen-yard receptions by Rodriguez created a first and goal at the Shark-six for the Preds at the beginning of the fourth quarter. On the second play of the period Garcia floated a two-yard touchdown to Marcus Everett to close the gap to 30-28 with 14:05 left to play. Bernard Morris led the Sharks on a five-play drive that ended on a 21-yard touchdown strike to Jeron Harvey to end the scoring drought and extend the lead to nine. Aaron Garcia quickly answered with a four-play drive of their own that ended on Prechae Rodriguez's third touchdown grab of the night to cut the margin back to two. Jamaal Fudge stepped up to make another key play by recovering the ensuing onside kick which setup Morris for a nine-yard touchdown scamper, and with Capozzoli's extra point push the lead back to nine with under three minutes remaining. Down by nine the Predators needed a quick score and did so when Garcia threw a four-yard touchdown to T.T. Toliver to make it a 44-41 game with two minutes left. Doug Plank and Aaron Garcia decided to go for two, but the attempt failed when Garcia's pass was knocked away by Terrance Smith. The Sharks recovered the following onside kick and ran out the remaining 97 seconds with three positive runs by Bernard Morris. With the win, Jacksonville ends a franchise-long three-game losing streak; while Orlando has now lost two in a row and falls to 2-7.
Stat Leaders:
Jacksonville (7-3) Orlando (2-7)
Bernard Morris 23-39, 161 yds, 3TD, Int, Aaron Garcia 20-27, 251 yds, 5TD
10 rush, 39 rush yds, 2 TD T.T. Toliver 8 rec, 124 yds, TD
Jeron Harvey 9 rec, 101 yds, TD Prechae Rodriguez 8 rec, 97 yds, 3 TD
Markee White 6 rec, 44 yds, TD Dominic Jones Int, 57-yd kick-ret TD
Jeff Hughley 4 rec, 40 yds, 2 Total TD Prentice Purnell sack, fumb rec
Shark Defense: 4 fumble rec, 2 sacks
Marco Capozzoli 1-2 FG (34), 5-6 PAT
Philadelphia Soul 73, Tampa Bay Storm 55
This week on CBS Sports Network the Soul and Storm squared off at Tampa Times Forum. Both teams wanted to keep position in their respective divisions, but it was the inconsistent Soul who made the bigger statement on Saturday night.
Dan Raudabaugh got off to a hot start by completing all five of his passes on Philadelphia's first two possessions, which resulted in a six-yard touchdown run by Derrick Ross and a sixteen-yard touchdown recpetion by Ryan McDaniel. Raudabaugh's counterpart, Adrian McPherson got off to a opposite start by completing just two of six passes and getting sacked two times on Tampa Bay's first two possessions; his first completion was a 29-yard strike to Greg Ellingson. The Soul took a 14-6 lead into the second quarter and had a chance to add to it, but a misexchanged snap on fourth and goal ended the opportunity. McPherson completed back-to-back passes and scored on a one-yard run four plays later to pull the Storm back within one. Over the course of an elevan minute-span in the second quarter both sides traded lenghthy scoring drives to keep the margin at one by the one-minute warning. Dan Raudabaugh dished a seven-yard pass to Derrick Ross who ran it in for a score on the first play inside the warning, but Joe Hills recovered the ensuing onside kick and returned it fifteen yards for a touchdown to quickly answer Philadelphia. The Storm would get another good bounce on a kickoff when Michael Lindsey jarred the ball free from LaRico Stevenson on the next kickoff and Vance Cuff made the recovery. Adrian McPherson found Joe Hills for a six-yard touchdown three plays later to give Tampa bay their first lead of the night with 21 seconds left before halftime. Raudabaugh made a couple quick completions to setup Carlos Martinez for a 33-yard field goal that he drilled down th middle to cut the deficit to three at the half. The Storm began the second half with the ball but failed to score when Bryan Robinson made a huge fourth-down sack to earn the defensive stop. Derrick Ross gave the lead back to the Soul when he took his third straight carry into the end zone for a three-yard score. The Soul defense came away with consecutive stops when McPherson misfired on three of four passes, failing to pickup a first down. Dan Raudabaugh completed back-to-back passes, the second of which a fourteen-yard touchdown to Andrae Thurman to extend the lead to 45-34 with 3:50 left in the third. The Soul broke the game open in the final minutes of the period despite giving up a 31-yard touchdown catch by Greg Ellingson by recovering the ensuing onside kick which led to Tiger Jones' ten-yard touchdown reception and an onside kick recovery of their own. Raudabaugh went deep and found Ryan McDaniel for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Soul a 59-41 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter. Both offenses exchanged touchdowns on their next series and Adrian McPherson capped off a nine-play, six-plus minute drive with a three-yard touchdown run, also completed a two-point conversition, to make it an elevan-point game with 2:26 remaining. Philadelphia recovered the ensuing onside kick and Tiger Jones caught a thirteen-yard score two plays later to ice the win for Philadelphia.
Stat Leaders:
Philadelphia (5-4) Tampa Bay (6-4)
Dan Raudabaugh 20-23, 297 yds, 7TD Adrian McPherson 19-35, 258 yds, 5TD,
Derrick Ross 22 total yds, 4 Total TD 11 rush, 48 yds, 2 TD
Tiger Jones 8 rec, 122 yds 2 TD Joe Hills 9 rec, 131 yds, 3 TD, kick-ret TD
Ryan McDaniel 7 rec, 108 yds 3 TD Greg Ellingson 9 rec, 123 yds, 2 TD
Bryan Robinson 2 sacks Pernell Phillips sack
Carlos Martinez 10-10 PAT, 1-1 FG (33)
Arizona Rattlers 70, Iowa Barnstormers 26
The hottest team in the AFL, the Arizona Rattlers kept on rolling in week ten with a dismantling of the Barnstormers.
Trandon Harvey fielded the opening kick and got the faithful at the Snake Pit on their feet with a 37-yard return, which setup a four-yard touchdown reception by Kerry Reed three plays later. Iowa's first possession wasn't as exciting as J.J. Raternik started with back-to-back completions for 23 yards, but was incomplete on his next three attempts that forced a field goal try by Fabriz Scaccia, which went wide left. Two plays later, Nick Davila and Kerry Reed hooked up for the third time on a 39-yard touchdown to bolster the lead to fourteen. Raternik bounced back on the following drive with four straight completions that was highlighted with Jesse Schmidt's eight-yard touchdown to get Iowa on the board. Davila and company continued to unstoppable when on the back end of consecutive completions Jared Perry hauled in a 33-yard touchdown. Iowa was already in an uphill battle, but things got more complicated when J.J. Raternik was injured on the final play of the first quarter and was unable to return. Brian Reader entered the game and threw three straight incompletions, which setup Jared Perry for an eight-yard touchdown on the next play. Reader settled in on the next series with a few completions, but the result didn't change as his fourth down pass was intercepted by Marquis Floyd. Nick Davila directed a ten-play, six-half minute drive that he ended with a sneaky one-yard touchdown pass to Rod Windsor for a 35-6 lead to break the game wide open. If things couldn't get any worse for Iowa they did when Floyd made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff and Davial went back to Windsor three plays later for a 21-yard score. A 49-yard touchdown reception by Marco Thomas on the next play was the lone highlight of the night for the Stormers who trailed 49-13 at halftime and scored a total of thirteen points in the second half en route getting blown out. The Rattlers cruised to their sixth straight win by scoring 21 points in each of the first three quarters and by holding their opponent to a measley 26 points.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (4-6) Arizona (9-1)
Brian Reader 14-29, 168 yds, 3TD, 2 Int Nick Davila 19-23, 241 yds, 8TD, Int
J.J. Raternik 8-11, 73 yds, TD Rod Windsor 7 rec, 90 yds, 2 TD
Marco Thomas 5 rec, 92 yds, 2 TD Kerry Reed 7 rec, 70 yds, 2 TD
Jesse Schmidt 10 rec, 84 yds, TD Jared Perry 4 rec, 57 yds, 4 TD
Marcus Harris 7 rec, 65 yds, TD Marquis Floyd 8 tackles, FF, FR, Int
De'Mon Glanton Int Arkeith Brown Int
Marcus Pittman 2 sacks
Chicago Rush 84, New Orleans VooDoo 48
Just when it looked like the Rush were a ship on the verge of capsizing, they go into the Graveyard and put up their best performance of the season that led to an amazing box score.
Things started out good for New Orleans when Kurt Rocco connected with Donovan Morgan for a 45-yard touchdown on the the first play of night for the early 7-0 lead. The Rush responded by pounding out a seven-play, 39-yard drive that concluded with J.J. Payne's one-yard touchdown run. Each team's second possession produced seven, but things changed on the second play of the VooDoo's third drive when Tyus Jackson forced and recovered a fumble after sacking Rocco to earn the first stop of the game. Luke Drone scored on a one-yard to give Chicago the lead at the begining of the second quarter. Kurt Rocco answered with a five-play, 45-yard drive of his own that he finished with a 22-yard touchdown to Quorey Payne. Chicago quickly created distance when Reggie Gray returned the ensuing kick 57 yards for a touchdown, Vic Hall made an inerception, and Rodney Wright scored on a four-yard run over a sequence of four plays to build a fourteen-point lead. After both offenses traded touchdowns the Rush defense made another stop when Kelvin Morris forced a fumble while sacking Rocco and made a 37-yard return to setup a one-yard touchdown run by Carson Coffman to make it a 49-28 lead in favor of Chicago at the break. Coffman began the third quarter with four straight completions, which were highlighted by Reggie Gray's two-yard touchdown that extended the lead to an insurmountable 28 points for New Orleans. New Orleans scored fourteen points in each of the first three quarters, but committed six turnovers that aided a 35-point second quarter and a 21-point fourth quarter for Chicago. With the dominating performance Chicago moves to 5-5 and reclaims sole possession of first in the central division. For Chicago, four different receivers caught one touchdown, Reggie Gray and Jared Jenkins each added a kick-return touchdown, Rodney Wright had an additional rushing score, Payne and Drone each had two rushing touchdowns, and Coffman even added a rushing score.
Stat Leaders:
Chicago (5-5) New Orleans (1-8)
Carson Coffman 13-18, 154 yds, 3TD, Kurt Rocco 10-17, 227 yds, 4TD, 2 Int
Rush TD Bill Stull 11-17, 132 ysd, 3TD, Int
Luke Drone 3-3 48 yds, TD, 2 Rush TD Quorey Payne 8 rec, 165 yds, 2 TD
J.J. Payne 9 rush 28 yds, 2 TD, 23-yd TD rec Donovan Morgan 7 rec, 142 yds, 3 TD
Rodney Wright 6 rec, 75 yds, 2 total TD Courtney Smith 5 rec, 49 yds, 2 TD
Reggie Gray 4 rec, 52 yds, TD, kick-ret TD Eddie Moten 7 tackles
Jorrick Calvin 12 tackles, Int, 0.5 sack
Rush Defense: 4 sacks, 6 turnovers
Jose Martinez 12-12 PAt, 0-1 FG
San Jose Sabercats 35, Utah Blaze 34
The Sabercats and Blaze squared off in a pivital week ten wild western showdown. San Jose looked to extend their four-game winning streak, while the Blaze were in desparate need of a road win to keep themselve in the western race.
Utah grabbed an early 7-0 lead after Josh Ferguson intercepted Russ Michna's second pass and Tommy Grady marched the Blaze down the field on a six-play drive that resulted in AJ Jackson's nine-yard touchdown reception. Russ Michna responded on the next series by completing five of six passes, which featured a five-yard scoring catch by Huey Whittaker to tie the game. Tommy Grady led an eight-play scoring drive into the second quarter that he finished with an elevan-yard touchdown to Aaron LeSue to get the lead back. San Jose tied the game for the second time just two plays later when Fred Williams was on the receiving end of a 28-yard strike. The Sabercat defense matched the early stop made by Utah when Clevan Thomas made a spectacular end-zone interception to foil an elevan-play drive that lasted six minutes and 43 seconds. Russ Michna quickly answered with three straight completions, the third of a which a 41-yard touchdown to Jason Willis, giving the 'Cats their first lead. Inside the final minute of the first half Utah recovered an onside kick and scored three plays later when Grady thre a seven-yard touchdown to Chase Deadder; but the Blaze still trailed as a result of the missed point after attempt. Michna moved San Jose into scoring position in a timely seven plays, but a stout Blaze defense forced an incompletion of fourth-and-six to keep it a 21-20 game at the intermission. The Blaze had a prime opportunity to reclaim the lead on the opening possession of the third quarter but after a 27-yard completion to Mario Urrutia to get the ball to San Jose's four-yard line, Clevan Thomas made his second interception of the night and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to extend the Sabercats' lead to 28-20. Tommy Grady battled back by engineering an eight-play, 45-yard drive that concluded on Aaron LeSue's fourteen-yard touchdown catch. Utah blew their opportunity to retake the lead on the opening drive of the third, but earned another chance when Keenan Mace recorded a second-down sack of Michna to couple with a pair of incompletions that forced a turnover on downs. This opportunity was also short-lived as on the next play AJ Jackson fumbled after making a three-yard reception and Francis Maka made the recovery for San Jose. Four plays later, Russ Michna hit Jason Willis on a crossing pattern for a seven-yard touchdown to get the lead back to eight. The Blaze opened the fourth quarter with a five-play, 36-yard drive that ended on LeSue's seventeen-yard touchdown catch; which turned out to be the final points that either team would score on the night. San Jose hung onto a 35-34 lead for the final elevan minutes of the game thanks to the eight straight incompletions that their secondary forced from Tommy Grady.
Stat Leaders:
Utah (4-5) San Jose (7-2)
Tommy Grady 24-48, 291 yds, 4TD, 2 Int Russ Michna 22-38, 246 yds, 4TD, 2 Int
Aaron LeSue 10 rec, 117 yds, 3 TD, Fred Williams 10 rec, 124 yds, TD
7-yd TD pass Jason Willis 5 rec, 67 yds, 2 TD
Mario Urrutia 7 rec, 126 yds Huey Whittaker 6 rec, 46 yds, TD
David Hyland/Josh Ferguson Int Clevan Thomas 2 Int, Int-ret TD
Francis Maka/Terrance Carter sack Nich Pertuit 5-5 PAT
Week 10 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Dan Raudabaugh, Philadelphia QB
- Dan Raudabaugh arguably had his best game of 2013 in week ten, completing 20 of 23 passes for 297 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Soul to a crucial 73-55 road win over Tampa Bay. As the second half of the season approaches it will be interesting to see if Raudabaugh and this bunch can play at a consistent level.
Defensive Player of the Week: Clevan Thomas, San Jose DB
- Clevan Thomas has been a thorn in the side of opposing quarterbacks all season and continued this week. Thomas intercepted Tommy Grady two times which helped the Sabercats pull out a 35-34 win to stay perfect with Russ Michna at quarterback.
Playmaker of the Week: D.J. Stephens, San Antonio WR
- Despite the defeat, D.J. Stephens was fun to watch this past week. Stephens caught eight passes for 99 yards, but, made a bigger impact on special teams by returning seven kicks for a total of 190 yards a two touchdowns; both coming in the fourth quarter. Stephens definately had a performance to remember, but the only thing missing was a win.
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
Thursday, May 23, 2013
AFL Week 9 Recap
As we reach the midway point of the AFL season the action is intensifying each week. The playoff picture is beginning to take serious form with all fourteen teams still in contention for a berth.
Spokane Shock 65, New Orleans VooDoo 54
The Shock hosted the VooDoo as the lone Friday night game of the week as both teams were in hope of snapping losing streaks in Deaf Valley.
Spokane got the opening possession and was fortunate to score the first points of the game. Erik Meyer completed his first two passes to move the ball to mid-field but on third down and two his pass was intercepted by Leslie Majors, who fumbled during his return to give the ball right back to Spokane. Meyer cashed in on the second chance by throwing a nine-yard touchdown to Brandon Thompkins four plays later. Kurt Rocco returned for New Orleans and wasted no time showing why he was missed with a 34-yard strike to Donovan Morgan, who also returned from injury, to trade opening touchdowns. The next three plays saw each quarterback throw their second touchdown pass, but Robert Henderson stopped the trend when he deflected Meyer's pass on fourth down, giving the VooDoo their first stop. Kurt Rocco found Morgan for another deep ball, 39 yards, for their second touchdown connection of the evening to give New Orleans a 21-14 lead to take into the second quarter. The mistakes by the VooDoo defense continued to pile up when what would of been Meyer's second interception was nullified by a defensive holding penalty and Kamar Jorden scored on a three-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21. Both teams scored touchdowns on their next possessions, but this time it was the Spokane defense that made a stand when Paul Stephens intercepted Rocco on fourth down in the end zone. The Shock ended the half with an eight-play drive that resulted in Taylor Rowan's 28-yard field goal. New Orleans began the third quarter with the ball and had a great chance to erase a four-point deficit, but came up short when Stephens recorded his second interception of the game. It took just two plays for Erik Meyer to find Kamar Jorden for a fourteen-yard score to push the advantage to 38-27 with under twelve minutes left in the period. The lead didn't last for long when two plays later Rocco connected for the fourth time with Donovan Morgan on a 47-yard touchdown and on the first play of the next Spokane drive Leslie Majors sacked Meyer, forcing a fumble that he recovered and returned for a touchdown to give New Orleans a 40-38 lead midway through the third. Just like their counterparts, the lead didn't last long as Terrance Sanders returned the ensuing kick 56 yards for a touchdown. Kurt Rocco picked up right from where he left off by directing an eight-play drive that ended on his nine-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Richardson to end the quarter. Erik Meyer answered by leading a seven-play drive of his own that resulted in a five-yard score to Brandon Thompkins. Terrance Sanders made his second big play of the quarter when he intercepted Rocco on the next play and returned it fifteen yards for a "pick-six" to put Spokane backup by two scores. Kurt Rocco responded on the next drive with a 33-yard touchdown to Donovan Morgan to keep it close. Erik Meyer got the lead back to twelve by completing consecutive passes to Adron Tennell on the next series for 42 yards and a touchdown. The VooDoo tried to respond, but on the fifth play of the ensuing drive James Ruffin made his second sack as in many plays, third of the game, on Rocco and forced a fumble that allowed Spokane to run out the clock and finally put an end to their three-game losing skid. Taylor Rowan made his debut for Spokane at kicker.
Stat Leaders:
New Orleans (1-7) Spokane (6-3)
Kurt Rocco 22-38, 318 yds, 7TD, 3 Int Erik Meyer 29-40, 353, 6 TD, Int
Donovan Morgan 13 rec, 255 yds, 5 TD Kamar Jorden 8 rec, 95 yds, 2 Total TD
Courtney Smith 3 rec, 24 yds, TD Adron Tennell 14 rec, 174 yds, 2 TD
Leslie Majors 10 tackles, Int, Sack, FF, Brandon Thompkins 6 rec, 82 yds, 3 TD
Fumb Rec-TD Terrance Sanders Int-ret TD, Kick-ret TD
James Ruffin 3 sacks
Paul Stephens 2 Int
Taylor Rowan 8-9 PAT, 1-1 FG (28)
San Antonio Talons 57, Cleveland Gladiators 33
The Talons and Gladiators both suited in in the Quicken Loans Arena looking for a second straight victory; each with an opportunity to gain substantial ground in their respect divisions.
Nick Hill led an opening drive aided by penalties by completing both of his passes, finding D.J. Stephens for a 26-yard score on his second pass. Chris Dieker made his first start of the season for Cleveland and started strong by completing three of his first four passes. On the fifth play of the drive it was first and goal from San Antonio's two-yard line, when Dieker lost eight yards on a scramble and fumbled; Derek Steiner recovered the ball at Cleveland's twelve to keep the possession alive. Chris Dieker quickly made the bizarre play forgotten when he used his legs on the next play and scampered 38 yards for a touchdown run to tie the game at seven. Nick Hill followed by directing an elevan-play, 44-yard drive that he finished with a one-yard touchdown run. Cleveland quickly matched with seven of their own when Dieker connected on a 46-yard bomb to Thyron Lewis on the second play of the second quarter. The teams traded touchdowns for the third straight sequence of possessions; but Chris Dieker was injured on the sixth play of an eight-play drive that Brian Zbydniewski finished with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Thyron Lewis. San Antonio again just needed three plays to score on their fourth straight series; a three-yard catch by D.J. Stephens. In light of the injury to Dieker, Brian Zbydniewski had his chance to win the starting job back. Zbydniewski started good by completing his first two passes, but things quickly turned south when his third pass was intercepted at midfield by Jamar Ransom. Xavier Lee scored on a one-yard touchdown run five plays later to create the first bit of space in the game. Trouble continued for Zbydniewski when on the second play of the ensuing series he was sacked by Joe Sykes and lost a fumble that was recovered by Victor DeGrate. In the final 42 second of the first half each side missed a field goal, keeping the margin at fourteen for the Talons. Cleveland had a chance to cut the deficit in-half at the start of the third quarter, but the nightmare continued as Brian Zbydniewski was called for intentional grounding in the end zone on the first play of series; resulting in a safety for San Antonio. These two points would stand as the points of the third as both quarterbacks struggled; both completed just three of ten passes while throwing two interceptions in the period. Brian Zbydniewski ended the scoring drought with his four-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Goodman on the first play of the fourth to make it a ten-point game. The offensive struggles continued for the Talons when a seven-play drive ended in nothing when Randy Colling sacked Hill on a fourth down at the Gladiator four-yard line. Things got interesting when Zbydniewski found Thyron Lewis on a 31-yard strike to make it 37-33 with nine minutes left in the fourth. Cleveland kicked it deep trusting their defense, which played fantastic in the second half, but Nick Hill finally broke through by tossing a twelve-yard score to Moqut Ruffins with 6:44 left to play. All the good feelings the Glads had of a comeback quickly vanished when Jamar Ransom intercepted Zbydniewski on the next play and returned it for a "pick-six" to put the game away. Ransom had a second "pick-six" on his third interception of the night four plays later to save the Talons after a lackluster second half.
Stat Leaders:
San Antonio (4-4) Cleveland (2-6)
Nick Hill 23-40, 239 yds, 4TD, 2 Int, Chris Dieker 8-10, 108 yds, TD, 26 rush yds, TD
19 rush yds, TD Brian Zbydniewski 14-27, 175 yds, 3TD, 6 Int
D.J. Stephens 8 rec, 78 yds, 2 TD Thyron Lewis 8 rec, 157 yds, 3 TD
Xavier Lee 7 rec, 54 yds, 2 Total TD Dominic Goodman 8 rec, 70 yds, TD
Jomo Wilson 6 rec, 76 yds Lenny Wicks 9 tackles, Int
Talon D: 4 sacks, 7 turnovers LaRoche Jackson 7 tackles, Int
Jamar Ransom 3 Int, 2 ret-TD
Fred Shaw 2 Int
Stefan Demos 7-8 PAT, 0-1 FG
San Jose Sabercats 57, Jacksonville Sharks 36
Saturday night was a night of firsts, the Sabercats made their first trip to Jacksonville while the Sharks ended up with a franchise-long three-game losing streak.
This inagural meeting in Jacksonville got off to a fast start when Fred Williams returned the opening kick 48 yards to set up a ten-yard touchdown by Huey Whittaker on the first play of the game. R.J. Archer was given his first start for the Sharks and completed two passes on the opening drive, including a thirteen-yard score to Jeff Hughley. San Jose answered quickly, starting with a 45-yard catch and run by Fred Williams to setup Russ Michna's three-yard touchdown run. Archer failed to complete a pass on three tries to gain one yard for a first down. After a pair of offensive penalties eliminated touchdowns for the 'Cats on their ensuing possession, Nich Pertuit nailed a 37-yard field goal to push the lead to 16-6. The Sharks responded with an eight-play, 37-yard drive that concluded with Jeron Harvey's seven-yard touchdown catch. San Jose responded with a five-play, 48-yard drive of their own that ended on Huey Whittaker's three-yard run; the extra point was blocked by Jerry Turner and returned by Ay Okpokowuruk for two points. Jeron Harvey snagged his second score of the night three plays later on a 23-yard pass and Marco Capozzoli's extra point tied the score at 22. Russ Michna made sure the Sabercats had the lead at halftime by leading an elevan-play, 48-yard drive that ended on the last play of the half with Whittaker's two-yard touchdown reception. Jacksonville had their chance to tie on the opening possession of the third quarter but failed to when Huey Whittaker intercepted R.J. Archer inside his own ten-yard line. Russ Michna scampered twelve yards into the end zone for his second rushing score to give San Jose a two score lead. The Sharks recovered the ensuing onside kick and with one play were on San Jose's two-yard line, but Jerry Turner fumbled a pitch which Jason Stewart recovered. Michna connected with Fred Williams for a 24-yard score three plays later to push their lead to 43-22 with less than six minutes in the third. The Sharks finally scored their first points of the half when R.J. Archer found Markee White for a three-yard touchdown to begin the fourth, cutting the deficit back to fourteen. San Jose recovered the onside kick and Russ Michna found Williams for a four-yard score to get the lead quickly back to 21. The Sharks' chance at a wild comeback ended when both offenses traded touchdowns one last time and Clevan Thomas intercepted Archer prior to the one-minute warning; San Jose would run out the clock en route to their fourth straight win.
Stat Leaders:
San Jose (6-2) Jacksonville (6-3)
Russ Michna 16-23, 258 yds, 5TD, R.J. Archer 29-46, 264 yds, 5TD, 2 Int
15 rush yds, 2 TD Jeron Harvey 11 rec, 108 yds, 2 TD
Fred Williams 8 rec, 155 yds, 2 TD Markee Whitee 11 rec, 78 yds, TD
Huey Whittaker 6 rec, 57 yds, 4 Total TD Jeff Hughley 6 rec, 75 yds, 2 TD
J.C. Neal 10 tackles Aaaron Robbins 2 sacks
Clevan Thomas 9 tackles, Int
Francis Maka/Jabar Fletcher 1.5 sack each
Tampa Bay Storm 62, Pittsburgh Power 34
The Storm traveld to Pittsburgh with the return of their top wide receiver, Joe Hills. Tampa Bay rebounded from an embarrassing road loss in big time fashion, while the Power once again failed to win at home.
Tampa Bay started quickly when Michael Lindsey returned the opening kick to midfield and caught a 25-yard touchdown on Adrian McPherson's first pass of the night. The Power answered with a four-play drive of their own that Steven Sheffield ended with a six-yard run to tie the game at seven. McPherson continued to be in rhythm, completing all five of his passes on the next series which was highlighted by Greg Ellingson's thirteen-yard scoring grab. De'Audra Dix made an interception in his own end zone to turn away Pittsburgh after a nine-play drive. Adrian McPherson continued to slice and dice the Power's secondary and the result was a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Lindsey on the third play of a second quarter that featured big play after big play. Kirby Griffin scored on a 20-yard run, Joe Hills caught a 34-yard bomb, and Mike Washington hauled in a 39-yard strike on the ensuing possessions to excite the fans at Consol Energy Center. Despite the high-flying pace of the period, Tampa Bay managed to slow things down with a five-play drive that led to Ellingson's six-yard touchdown catch to make it 35-21. The Storm defense denied the Power two chances at a short yardage situation to force a turnover on downs, but Dominie Pittman's sack of McPherson three plays later kept the halftime margin at two scores. Pittsburgh had a great opportunity to get back in the game by receiving the second half kickoff, but failed miserably when James Harrell intercepted a deep ball intended for Mike Washington and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, giving Tampa Bay its largest lead of the game. The Tampa Bay secondary continued to have its way when on the seventh play of Pittsburgh's next series Chris Smith jumped in front of a Sheffield pass to make the interception and returned it to midfield. The mistakes added up as Adrian McPherson kept dissecting the Power secondary and found Greg Ellingson for a 19-yard score. Pittsburgh finally got their first points of the second half when Alvin Ray Jackson, he's the starter jack-linebacker, made a beautiful catch over the back boards in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown to complete a ten-play, 49-yard drive. Adrian McPherson completed all three passes and rushed twice for seven yard, including a one-yard score, to conclude the clinic he put on in Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay crusied to a 62-34 victory, using a dominant performance by their secondary and McPherson's efficent night to move into a first-place tie in the south division.
Stat Leaders:
Tampa Bay (6-3) Pittsburgh (2-6)
Adrian McPherson 20-22, 240 yds, 6TD, Steven Sheffield 23-44m 276 yds, 4 Total TD, 4 Int
29 rush yds, TD Mike Washington 7 rec, 99 yds, TD
Greg Ellingson 10 rec, 96 yds, 3 TD Shamar Graves 7 rec, 69 yds
Joe Hills 6 rec, 79 yds, TD Alvin Ray Jackson 7 rec, 65 yds, 2 TD
Michael Lindsey 5 rec, 80 yds, 2 TD Dominie Pittman/Gary Butler sack
Chris Smith 11 tackles, Int Sergio Gilliam 9 tackles
James Harrell Int ret-TD
De'Audra Dix 2 Int
Juan Bongarra 8-9 PAT
Philadelphia Soul 61, Orlando Predators 51
On CBS Sports Network, The Soul were in search of their first home win while a completly different Orlando team from the earlier meeting entered the Wells Fargo Arena looking for their third straight win.
Orlando received the opening kick and got off to a good start, Aaron Garcia completed his first three passes and Marlon Moye-Moore scored on a one-yard run to conclude an efficent six-play opening drive. Dan Raudabaugh answered by leading a seven-play drive of his own that saw him complete all four of his passes, including a three-yard scoring toss to Larry Brackins. A twelve-yard touchdown catch by Maurice Williams and a forced and recovered fumble by Dominc Jones returned for a touchdown over the course of six plays gave the Preds an early 19-7 advantage. Philadelphia was quick to strike back on the next possession that featured three completions by Dan Raudabaugh to Andrae Thurman and was highlighted by a 23-yard score. The game turned around early in the second quarter when Rayshaun Kizer knocked the ball free from T.T. Toliver's grip and Derrick Ross scored on a one-yard run five plays later to give the Soul their first lead. Each team's next possession lasted eight plays, but produced very opposite outcomes. Orlando's ended with three consecutive incompletions by Aaron Garcia, while Derrick Ross scored on an elevan-yard screen pass to give Philadelphia a 28-19 lead at the break. It looked like the Soul were beginning to runaway with the game when Dan Raudabaugh found Tiger Jones on a 40-yard strike on the third play of the second half to increase the lead to sixteen. Orlando wasn't ready to wave the white flag just yet though and Aaron Garcia led a seven-play, 33-yard drive that ended with his five-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Williams. The Predator defense needed to make a stop, and they did with a huge goal-line stand that featured Derrick Ross getting four staright carries from Orlando's three-yard line. Garcia went deep and hit Maurice Williams for a 48-yard touchdown on the next play to trim the deficit to three with three minutes in the third. Both teams traded onside kick recoveries and quick scores to allow the margin to remain three upon entering the final period. Dan Raudabaugh calmed the home crowd's nerves by completing back-to-back passes to Tiger Jones, the second of those a 38-yard touchdown to begin the quarter. The Predators looked ready to answer until Aaron Garcia's end zone pass was undercut and intercepted by James Romain who returned it 50 yards for a "pick-six" to blow the lead back to sixteen. The Soul defense continued their fourth quarter stamp on the game when Rayshaun Kizer came up with an interception to turn Orlando away on the next series, but once again just when it looked as if Philadelphia was going to runaway with it Dominc Jones forced his second fumble to give Orlando new life. Three plays later, Jason Geathers was the recipient of a three-yard touchdown to bring the difference back to ten; the two-point conversion failed. The Soul recovered the onside kick and Derrick Ross punched in his second rushing score of the night to seal the game and earn the first home victory for Philadelphia this season.
Stat Leaders:
Orlando (2-6) Philadelphia (4-4)
Aaron Garcia 23-43, 292 yds, 6TD, 2 Int Dan Raudabaugh 21-27, 251 yds, 6TD
Maurice Williams 6 rec, 122 yds, 3 TD Derrick Ross 12 rush, 23 yds, 3 Total TD
T.T. Toliver 10 rec, 108 yds, TD Tiger Jones 5 rec, 114 yds, 3 TD
Jason Geathers 6 rec, 50 yds, 2 TD Andrae Thurman 8 rec, 67 yds, TD
Dominc Jones 2 FF, Fumb rec-TD Rayshaun Kizer FF, FR, Int
James Romain Int-ret TD
Utah Blaze 43, Iowa Barnstormers 34
The Blaze and Barnstormers entered week nine as two of the hottest teams in the AFL, both in search of much needed victories.
Utah got off to a good start and scored the first points of the night, but in a different way then we are used to seeing. The Blaze opened with a ten-play drive that failed to produce points when all three of Tommy Grady's passes in a goal-to-go situation fell incomplete. Maurice Leggett made it okay when he intercepted J.J. Raternik's third pass of the night and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. Raternik continued to srtuggle on the next possession, started 0-5, but finally made a couple completions and found Jesse Schmidt for a seven-yard score to tie the game. Iowa took the lead midway through the second quarter when Erick McIntosh picked off Grady in his own end zone and five plays later Marcus Harris caught a sixteen-yard touchdown. The next five plays saw Mario Urrutia haul in a 34-yard touchdown and Darius Reynolds catch a nine-yard score. Utah ended the half with an eight-play drive which resulted in Chase Deadder's one-yard run to make it 21-20 Iowa at the break. The Stormers opened the third quarter with a long six-play drive, but were unable to capitalize when J.J. Raternik got sacked on third-and-eight, setting up a fourth-and-25 at his own three; the snap was botched and allowed Ben Stallings to score on a one-yard run to give the lead back to Utah. It appeared that the previous two plays threw the Iowa offense completly out of sinc when Raternik misfired on his next three passes and got sacked on fourth down by Caesar Rayford for a Blaze safety. It looked like the door was open for Utah to pull away, but the Barnstormer defense shut it when on the third play of the drive John Mohring intercepted Tommy Grady and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to get the margin back to one. A pair of penalties by the Iowa defense aided Utah's ensuing four-play drive that ended with Mario Urrutia's 32-yard touchdown grab, giving the Blaze a 36-28 lead to take into the fourth quarter. Iowa began the period with the ball and needed just three plays to score what would be their only points of the quarter when J.J. Raternik threw a 24-yard touchdown to Marcus Harris; the two-point conversion failed so Utah held on to a two-point lead. Tommy Grady secured the lead by directing a 13-play, 49-drive that lasted 7:35 and resulted in a seven-yard touchdown catch by Urrutia. Down by nine with under six minutes, Raternik led Iowa on a nine-play, nearly four-minute drive that ended with no points when Maurice Leggett made his second interception of the game on a pass intended for Marcus Harris at the Utah-fourteen to seal the home win for Utah. To show why the west is the best, Utah's 4-4 record has them last in the west division, while Iowa at 4-5 is just a half-game behind the San Antonio, who is 4-4, in the central division.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (4-5) Utah (4-4)
J.J. Raternik 15-35, 178 yds, 4TD, 2 Int Tommy Grady 20-39, 223 yds, 3TD, 2 Int
Jesse Schmidt 6 rec, 78 yds, TD Mario Urrutia 8 rec, 112 yds, 3 TD
Marcus Harris 4 rec, 65 yds, 2 TD Chase Deadder 6 rec, 57 yds, Rush TD
Darius Reynolds 4 rec, 30 yds, TD Maurice Leggett 2 Int, Int-ret TD
Erick McIntosh Int Caesar Rayford 2 sacks
John Mohring Int-ret TD
Arizona Rattlers 56, Chicago Rush 49
The Rush hosted the hottest team in Arena Football when the Rattlers came into town to conclude week nine. Luke Drone made his 2013 debut and return to Chicago.
The Rattlers struck quick on the opening drive as Nick Davila's first pass went to Kerry Reed for a 30-yard touchdown. Luke Drone started slow, but capped a four-play scoring drive with a 30-yard strike to Reggie Gray to match Arizona's opening score. The Rattlers followed with a six-play drive that ended with Davila throwing a fifteen-yard touchdown to Rod Windsor. Rodney Wright made sure the Rush didn't spend too much time trailing as he fielded and returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown to retie the contest. Arizona battled back and finished a high-scoring first quarter with Jared Perry's eight-yard touchdown reception.With the change of quarters came a change in the game's pace when a seven-play drive by Chicago went to spoils because Virgil Gray made an interception in his end zone. Nick Davila found Trandon Harvey for a 17-yard touchdown two plays later to create the first bit of space on the afternoon. Each team would score a touchdown on their next possession and failed to net any points on their final possessions of the half, resulting in a 35-21 lead for the Rattlers at halftime. Chicago got the ball to begin the third quarter and cut the deficit in half when Luke Drone hit Rodney Wright for a 24-yard touchdown on the third play of the half. Nick Davila got off to a slow start to the half, throwing three incompletions before connecting with Rod Windsor for a 33-yard gain on fourth-and-ten to keep the possession alive. Three plays later Davila went back to Windsor, this time for a 20-yard touchdown to complete a seven-play series. Arizona broke the game open on the next two plays when Rodney Wright fumbled at the Chicago-one and Odie Armstrong punched it in on the next play to extend the lead to 49-28 with six minutes left in the quarter. The Rush kept themselves in the game with a five-play, 45-yard drive that resulted in a redemption ten-yard touchdown catch by Wright. The Rattlers scored their lone points of the fourth quarter on the first snap of the period when Davila threw a 33-yard touchdown to Rod Windsor, getting the lead back to 21. The Rush quickly responded and also scored on their first play of the fourth, a nifty 36-yard touchdown reception by Reggie Gray. The Chicago defense was in desperate need of a stop and trusted their secondary to make it. Nick Davila threw three consecutive incompletions to go with an offensive offside that forced Garrett Lindholm to attempt a 62-yard field goal that was missed; earning the stop for Chicago. The Rush now needed a quick score and got it when Luke Drone fired a 32-yard touchdown to Reggie Gray three plays later to all of a sudden turn it into a seven-point game with 5:53 remaining. The wildest turn of the game had yet to come as Josh Pleasant made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff to give the ball right back to the Rush. A pair of pass interferences on Arizona gave Chicago an extra set of downs, resulting in a first and goal at the four-yard line. Luke Drone throw back-to-back incompletions and fumbled on a third-down scramble to set up a fourth and goal at midfield. Drone found Reggie Gray for a gain of nineteen in the prevent coverage, but Arkeith Brown made the tackle to secure the lead with 32 seconds left. Nick Davila gained three yards on as many carries to run out the clock and earn the fifth straight win for Arizona.
Stat Leaders:
Arizona (8-1) Chicago (4-5)
Nick Davila 18-31, 301 yds, 7TD Luke Drone 14-34, 261 yds, 6TD, Int
Rod Windsor 10 rec, 186 yds, 3 TD Reggie Gray 8 rec, 194 yds, 4 TD
Kerry Reed 2 rec, 43 yds, TD Rodney Wright 4 rec, 42 yds, 2 TD, Kick-ret TD
Jared Perry 2 rec, 14 yds, 2 TD Tyus Jackson/Brian McNally sack
Virgil Gray FR, Int
Garrett Lindholm 8-8 PAT, 0-1 FG
Week 9 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Donovan Morgan, New Orleans WR
- Despite a seventh straight loss, Donovan Morgan shined in week nine. Morgan hauled in 13 passes for 255 yards and five touchdowns. Even though the VooDoo are 1-7, they are just one game out of a playoff berth in the American Conference.
Defensive Player of the Week: Jamar Ransom, San Antonio JLB
- Jamar Ransom single-handedly brought the Talons to victory in week nine. On the night Ransom recorded three interceptions and returned two of them for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Playmaker of the Week: Terrance Sanders, Spokane DB
- Terrance Sanders made big plays all night in the Shock's 65-54 win over New Orleans. Sanders had a kick return touchdown and an interception return touchdown in addition to breaking up two passes, making six tackles, and totaling 149 yards on six kick returns to keep in legaue leading pace.
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
Spokane Shock 65, New Orleans VooDoo 54
The Shock hosted the VooDoo as the lone Friday night game of the week as both teams were in hope of snapping losing streaks in Deaf Valley.
Spokane got the opening possession and was fortunate to score the first points of the game. Erik Meyer completed his first two passes to move the ball to mid-field but on third down and two his pass was intercepted by Leslie Majors, who fumbled during his return to give the ball right back to Spokane. Meyer cashed in on the second chance by throwing a nine-yard touchdown to Brandon Thompkins four plays later. Kurt Rocco returned for New Orleans and wasted no time showing why he was missed with a 34-yard strike to Donovan Morgan, who also returned from injury, to trade opening touchdowns. The next three plays saw each quarterback throw their second touchdown pass, but Robert Henderson stopped the trend when he deflected Meyer's pass on fourth down, giving the VooDoo their first stop. Kurt Rocco found Morgan for another deep ball, 39 yards, for their second touchdown connection of the evening to give New Orleans a 21-14 lead to take into the second quarter. The mistakes by the VooDoo defense continued to pile up when what would of been Meyer's second interception was nullified by a defensive holding penalty and Kamar Jorden scored on a three-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21. Both teams scored touchdowns on their next possessions, but this time it was the Spokane defense that made a stand when Paul Stephens intercepted Rocco on fourth down in the end zone. The Shock ended the half with an eight-play drive that resulted in Taylor Rowan's 28-yard field goal. New Orleans began the third quarter with the ball and had a great chance to erase a four-point deficit, but came up short when Stephens recorded his second interception of the game. It took just two plays for Erik Meyer to find Kamar Jorden for a fourteen-yard score to push the advantage to 38-27 with under twelve minutes left in the period. The lead didn't last for long when two plays later Rocco connected for the fourth time with Donovan Morgan on a 47-yard touchdown and on the first play of the next Spokane drive Leslie Majors sacked Meyer, forcing a fumble that he recovered and returned for a touchdown to give New Orleans a 40-38 lead midway through the third. Just like their counterparts, the lead didn't last long as Terrance Sanders returned the ensuing kick 56 yards for a touchdown. Kurt Rocco picked up right from where he left off by directing an eight-play drive that ended on his nine-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Richardson to end the quarter. Erik Meyer answered by leading a seven-play drive of his own that resulted in a five-yard score to Brandon Thompkins. Terrance Sanders made his second big play of the quarter when he intercepted Rocco on the next play and returned it fifteen yards for a "pick-six" to put Spokane backup by two scores. Kurt Rocco responded on the next drive with a 33-yard touchdown to Donovan Morgan to keep it close. Erik Meyer got the lead back to twelve by completing consecutive passes to Adron Tennell on the next series for 42 yards and a touchdown. The VooDoo tried to respond, but on the fifth play of the ensuing drive James Ruffin made his second sack as in many plays, third of the game, on Rocco and forced a fumble that allowed Spokane to run out the clock and finally put an end to their three-game losing skid. Taylor Rowan made his debut for Spokane at kicker.
Stat Leaders:
New Orleans (1-7) Spokane (6-3)
Kurt Rocco 22-38, 318 yds, 7TD, 3 Int Erik Meyer 29-40, 353, 6 TD, Int
Donovan Morgan 13 rec, 255 yds, 5 TD Kamar Jorden 8 rec, 95 yds, 2 Total TD
Courtney Smith 3 rec, 24 yds, TD Adron Tennell 14 rec, 174 yds, 2 TD
Leslie Majors 10 tackles, Int, Sack, FF, Brandon Thompkins 6 rec, 82 yds, 3 TD
Fumb Rec-TD Terrance Sanders Int-ret TD, Kick-ret TD
James Ruffin 3 sacks
Paul Stephens 2 Int
Taylor Rowan 8-9 PAT, 1-1 FG (28)
San Antonio Talons 57, Cleveland Gladiators 33
The Talons and Gladiators both suited in in the Quicken Loans Arena looking for a second straight victory; each with an opportunity to gain substantial ground in their respect divisions.
Nick Hill led an opening drive aided by penalties by completing both of his passes, finding D.J. Stephens for a 26-yard score on his second pass. Chris Dieker made his first start of the season for Cleveland and started strong by completing three of his first four passes. On the fifth play of the drive it was first and goal from San Antonio's two-yard line, when Dieker lost eight yards on a scramble and fumbled; Derek Steiner recovered the ball at Cleveland's twelve to keep the possession alive. Chris Dieker quickly made the bizarre play forgotten when he used his legs on the next play and scampered 38 yards for a touchdown run to tie the game at seven. Nick Hill followed by directing an elevan-play, 44-yard drive that he finished with a one-yard touchdown run. Cleveland quickly matched with seven of their own when Dieker connected on a 46-yard bomb to Thyron Lewis on the second play of the second quarter. The teams traded touchdowns for the third straight sequence of possessions; but Chris Dieker was injured on the sixth play of an eight-play drive that Brian Zbydniewski finished with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Thyron Lewis. San Antonio again just needed three plays to score on their fourth straight series; a three-yard catch by D.J. Stephens. In light of the injury to Dieker, Brian Zbydniewski had his chance to win the starting job back. Zbydniewski started good by completing his first two passes, but things quickly turned south when his third pass was intercepted at midfield by Jamar Ransom. Xavier Lee scored on a one-yard touchdown run five plays later to create the first bit of space in the game. Trouble continued for Zbydniewski when on the second play of the ensuing series he was sacked by Joe Sykes and lost a fumble that was recovered by Victor DeGrate. In the final 42 second of the first half each side missed a field goal, keeping the margin at fourteen for the Talons. Cleveland had a chance to cut the deficit in-half at the start of the third quarter, but the nightmare continued as Brian Zbydniewski was called for intentional grounding in the end zone on the first play of series; resulting in a safety for San Antonio. These two points would stand as the points of the third as both quarterbacks struggled; both completed just three of ten passes while throwing two interceptions in the period. Brian Zbydniewski ended the scoring drought with his four-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Goodman on the first play of the fourth to make it a ten-point game. The offensive struggles continued for the Talons when a seven-play drive ended in nothing when Randy Colling sacked Hill on a fourth down at the Gladiator four-yard line. Things got interesting when Zbydniewski found Thyron Lewis on a 31-yard strike to make it 37-33 with nine minutes left in the fourth. Cleveland kicked it deep trusting their defense, which played fantastic in the second half, but Nick Hill finally broke through by tossing a twelve-yard score to Moqut Ruffins with 6:44 left to play. All the good feelings the Glads had of a comeback quickly vanished when Jamar Ransom intercepted Zbydniewski on the next play and returned it for a "pick-six" to put the game away. Ransom had a second "pick-six" on his third interception of the night four plays later to save the Talons after a lackluster second half.
Stat Leaders:
San Antonio (4-4) Cleveland (2-6)
Nick Hill 23-40, 239 yds, 4TD, 2 Int, Chris Dieker 8-10, 108 yds, TD, 26 rush yds, TD
19 rush yds, TD Brian Zbydniewski 14-27, 175 yds, 3TD, 6 Int
D.J. Stephens 8 rec, 78 yds, 2 TD Thyron Lewis 8 rec, 157 yds, 3 TD
Xavier Lee 7 rec, 54 yds, 2 Total TD Dominic Goodman 8 rec, 70 yds, TD
Jomo Wilson 6 rec, 76 yds Lenny Wicks 9 tackles, Int
Talon D: 4 sacks, 7 turnovers LaRoche Jackson 7 tackles, Int
Jamar Ransom 3 Int, 2 ret-TD
Fred Shaw 2 Int
Stefan Demos 7-8 PAT, 0-1 FG
San Jose Sabercats 57, Jacksonville Sharks 36
Saturday night was a night of firsts, the Sabercats made their first trip to Jacksonville while the Sharks ended up with a franchise-long three-game losing streak.
This inagural meeting in Jacksonville got off to a fast start when Fred Williams returned the opening kick 48 yards to set up a ten-yard touchdown by Huey Whittaker on the first play of the game. R.J. Archer was given his first start for the Sharks and completed two passes on the opening drive, including a thirteen-yard score to Jeff Hughley. San Jose answered quickly, starting with a 45-yard catch and run by Fred Williams to setup Russ Michna's three-yard touchdown run. Archer failed to complete a pass on three tries to gain one yard for a first down. After a pair of offensive penalties eliminated touchdowns for the 'Cats on their ensuing possession, Nich Pertuit nailed a 37-yard field goal to push the lead to 16-6. The Sharks responded with an eight-play, 37-yard drive that concluded with Jeron Harvey's seven-yard touchdown catch. San Jose responded with a five-play, 48-yard drive of their own that ended on Huey Whittaker's three-yard run; the extra point was blocked by Jerry Turner and returned by Ay Okpokowuruk for two points. Jeron Harvey snagged his second score of the night three plays later on a 23-yard pass and Marco Capozzoli's extra point tied the score at 22. Russ Michna made sure the Sabercats had the lead at halftime by leading an elevan-play, 48-yard drive that ended on the last play of the half with Whittaker's two-yard touchdown reception. Jacksonville had their chance to tie on the opening possession of the third quarter but failed to when Huey Whittaker intercepted R.J. Archer inside his own ten-yard line. Russ Michna scampered twelve yards into the end zone for his second rushing score to give San Jose a two score lead. The Sharks recovered the ensuing onside kick and with one play were on San Jose's two-yard line, but Jerry Turner fumbled a pitch which Jason Stewart recovered. Michna connected with Fred Williams for a 24-yard score three plays later to push their lead to 43-22 with less than six minutes in the third. The Sharks finally scored their first points of the half when R.J. Archer found Markee White for a three-yard touchdown to begin the fourth, cutting the deficit back to fourteen. San Jose recovered the onside kick and Russ Michna found Williams for a four-yard score to get the lead quickly back to 21. The Sharks' chance at a wild comeback ended when both offenses traded touchdowns one last time and Clevan Thomas intercepted Archer prior to the one-minute warning; San Jose would run out the clock en route to their fourth straight win.
Stat Leaders:
San Jose (6-2) Jacksonville (6-3)
Russ Michna 16-23, 258 yds, 5TD, R.J. Archer 29-46, 264 yds, 5TD, 2 Int
15 rush yds, 2 TD Jeron Harvey 11 rec, 108 yds, 2 TD
Fred Williams 8 rec, 155 yds, 2 TD Markee Whitee 11 rec, 78 yds, TD
Huey Whittaker 6 rec, 57 yds, 4 Total TD Jeff Hughley 6 rec, 75 yds, 2 TD
J.C. Neal 10 tackles Aaaron Robbins 2 sacks
Clevan Thomas 9 tackles, Int
Francis Maka/Jabar Fletcher 1.5 sack each
Tampa Bay Storm 62, Pittsburgh Power 34
The Storm traveld to Pittsburgh with the return of their top wide receiver, Joe Hills. Tampa Bay rebounded from an embarrassing road loss in big time fashion, while the Power once again failed to win at home.
Tampa Bay started quickly when Michael Lindsey returned the opening kick to midfield and caught a 25-yard touchdown on Adrian McPherson's first pass of the night. The Power answered with a four-play drive of their own that Steven Sheffield ended with a six-yard run to tie the game at seven. McPherson continued to be in rhythm, completing all five of his passes on the next series which was highlighted by Greg Ellingson's thirteen-yard scoring grab. De'Audra Dix made an interception in his own end zone to turn away Pittsburgh after a nine-play drive. Adrian McPherson continued to slice and dice the Power's secondary and the result was a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Lindsey on the third play of a second quarter that featured big play after big play. Kirby Griffin scored on a 20-yard run, Joe Hills caught a 34-yard bomb, and Mike Washington hauled in a 39-yard strike on the ensuing possessions to excite the fans at Consol Energy Center. Despite the high-flying pace of the period, Tampa Bay managed to slow things down with a five-play drive that led to Ellingson's six-yard touchdown catch to make it 35-21. The Storm defense denied the Power two chances at a short yardage situation to force a turnover on downs, but Dominie Pittman's sack of McPherson three plays later kept the halftime margin at two scores. Pittsburgh had a great opportunity to get back in the game by receiving the second half kickoff, but failed miserably when James Harrell intercepted a deep ball intended for Mike Washington and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, giving Tampa Bay its largest lead of the game. The Tampa Bay secondary continued to have its way when on the seventh play of Pittsburgh's next series Chris Smith jumped in front of a Sheffield pass to make the interception and returned it to midfield. The mistakes added up as Adrian McPherson kept dissecting the Power secondary and found Greg Ellingson for a 19-yard score. Pittsburgh finally got their first points of the second half when Alvin Ray Jackson, he's the starter jack-linebacker, made a beautiful catch over the back boards in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown to complete a ten-play, 49-yard drive. Adrian McPherson completed all three passes and rushed twice for seven yard, including a one-yard score, to conclude the clinic he put on in Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay crusied to a 62-34 victory, using a dominant performance by their secondary and McPherson's efficent night to move into a first-place tie in the south division.
Stat Leaders:
Tampa Bay (6-3) Pittsburgh (2-6)
Adrian McPherson 20-22, 240 yds, 6TD, Steven Sheffield 23-44m 276 yds, 4 Total TD, 4 Int
29 rush yds, TD Mike Washington 7 rec, 99 yds, TD
Greg Ellingson 10 rec, 96 yds, 3 TD Shamar Graves 7 rec, 69 yds
Joe Hills 6 rec, 79 yds, TD Alvin Ray Jackson 7 rec, 65 yds, 2 TD
Michael Lindsey 5 rec, 80 yds, 2 TD Dominie Pittman/Gary Butler sack
Chris Smith 11 tackles, Int Sergio Gilliam 9 tackles
James Harrell Int ret-TD
De'Audra Dix 2 Int
Juan Bongarra 8-9 PAT
Philadelphia Soul 61, Orlando Predators 51
On CBS Sports Network, The Soul were in search of their first home win while a completly different Orlando team from the earlier meeting entered the Wells Fargo Arena looking for their third straight win.
Orlando received the opening kick and got off to a good start, Aaron Garcia completed his first three passes and Marlon Moye-Moore scored on a one-yard run to conclude an efficent six-play opening drive. Dan Raudabaugh answered by leading a seven-play drive of his own that saw him complete all four of his passes, including a three-yard scoring toss to Larry Brackins. A twelve-yard touchdown catch by Maurice Williams and a forced and recovered fumble by Dominc Jones returned for a touchdown over the course of six plays gave the Preds an early 19-7 advantage. Philadelphia was quick to strike back on the next possession that featured three completions by Dan Raudabaugh to Andrae Thurman and was highlighted by a 23-yard score. The game turned around early in the second quarter when Rayshaun Kizer knocked the ball free from T.T. Toliver's grip and Derrick Ross scored on a one-yard run five plays later to give the Soul their first lead. Each team's next possession lasted eight plays, but produced very opposite outcomes. Orlando's ended with three consecutive incompletions by Aaron Garcia, while Derrick Ross scored on an elevan-yard screen pass to give Philadelphia a 28-19 lead at the break. It looked like the Soul were beginning to runaway with the game when Dan Raudabaugh found Tiger Jones on a 40-yard strike on the third play of the second half to increase the lead to sixteen. Orlando wasn't ready to wave the white flag just yet though and Aaron Garcia led a seven-play, 33-yard drive that ended with his five-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Williams. The Predator defense needed to make a stop, and they did with a huge goal-line stand that featured Derrick Ross getting four staright carries from Orlando's three-yard line. Garcia went deep and hit Maurice Williams for a 48-yard touchdown on the next play to trim the deficit to three with three minutes in the third. Both teams traded onside kick recoveries and quick scores to allow the margin to remain three upon entering the final period. Dan Raudabaugh calmed the home crowd's nerves by completing back-to-back passes to Tiger Jones, the second of those a 38-yard touchdown to begin the quarter. The Predators looked ready to answer until Aaron Garcia's end zone pass was undercut and intercepted by James Romain who returned it 50 yards for a "pick-six" to blow the lead back to sixteen. The Soul defense continued their fourth quarter stamp on the game when Rayshaun Kizer came up with an interception to turn Orlando away on the next series, but once again just when it looked as if Philadelphia was going to runaway with it Dominc Jones forced his second fumble to give Orlando new life. Three plays later, Jason Geathers was the recipient of a three-yard touchdown to bring the difference back to ten; the two-point conversion failed. The Soul recovered the onside kick and Derrick Ross punched in his second rushing score of the night to seal the game and earn the first home victory for Philadelphia this season.
Stat Leaders:
Orlando (2-6) Philadelphia (4-4)
Aaron Garcia 23-43, 292 yds, 6TD, 2 Int Dan Raudabaugh 21-27, 251 yds, 6TD
Maurice Williams 6 rec, 122 yds, 3 TD Derrick Ross 12 rush, 23 yds, 3 Total TD
T.T. Toliver 10 rec, 108 yds, TD Tiger Jones 5 rec, 114 yds, 3 TD
Jason Geathers 6 rec, 50 yds, 2 TD Andrae Thurman 8 rec, 67 yds, TD
Dominc Jones 2 FF, Fumb rec-TD Rayshaun Kizer FF, FR, Int
James Romain Int-ret TD
Utah Blaze 43, Iowa Barnstormers 34
The Blaze and Barnstormers entered week nine as two of the hottest teams in the AFL, both in search of much needed victories.
Utah got off to a good start and scored the first points of the night, but in a different way then we are used to seeing. The Blaze opened with a ten-play drive that failed to produce points when all three of Tommy Grady's passes in a goal-to-go situation fell incomplete. Maurice Leggett made it okay when he intercepted J.J. Raternik's third pass of the night and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. Raternik continued to srtuggle on the next possession, started 0-5, but finally made a couple completions and found Jesse Schmidt for a seven-yard score to tie the game. Iowa took the lead midway through the second quarter when Erick McIntosh picked off Grady in his own end zone and five plays later Marcus Harris caught a sixteen-yard touchdown. The next five plays saw Mario Urrutia haul in a 34-yard touchdown and Darius Reynolds catch a nine-yard score. Utah ended the half with an eight-play drive which resulted in Chase Deadder's one-yard run to make it 21-20 Iowa at the break. The Stormers opened the third quarter with a long six-play drive, but were unable to capitalize when J.J. Raternik got sacked on third-and-eight, setting up a fourth-and-25 at his own three; the snap was botched and allowed Ben Stallings to score on a one-yard run to give the lead back to Utah. It appeared that the previous two plays threw the Iowa offense completly out of sinc when Raternik misfired on his next three passes and got sacked on fourth down by Caesar Rayford for a Blaze safety. It looked like the door was open for Utah to pull away, but the Barnstormer defense shut it when on the third play of the drive John Mohring intercepted Tommy Grady and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to get the margin back to one. A pair of penalties by the Iowa defense aided Utah's ensuing four-play drive that ended with Mario Urrutia's 32-yard touchdown grab, giving the Blaze a 36-28 lead to take into the fourth quarter. Iowa began the period with the ball and needed just three plays to score what would be their only points of the quarter when J.J. Raternik threw a 24-yard touchdown to Marcus Harris; the two-point conversion failed so Utah held on to a two-point lead. Tommy Grady secured the lead by directing a 13-play, 49-drive that lasted 7:35 and resulted in a seven-yard touchdown catch by Urrutia. Down by nine with under six minutes, Raternik led Iowa on a nine-play, nearly four-minute drive that ended with no points when Maurice Leggett made his second interception of the game on a pass intended for Marcus Harris at the Utah-fourteen to seal the home win for Utah. To show why the west is the best, Utah's 4-4 record has them last in the west division, while Iowa at 4-5 is just a half-game behind the San Antonio, who is 4-4, in the central division.
Stat Leaders:
Iowa (4-5) Utah (4-4)
J.J. Raternik 15-35, 178 yds, 4TD, 2 Int Tommy Grady 20-39, 223 yds, 3TD, 2 Int
Jesse Schmidt 6 rec, 78 yds, TD Mario Urrutia 8 rec, 112 yds, 3 TD
Marcus Harris 4 rec, 65 yds, 2 TD Chase Deadder 6 rec, 57 yds, Rush TD
Darius Reynolds 4 rec, 30 yds, TD Maurice Leggett 2 Int, Int-ret TD
Erick McIntosh Int Caesar Rayford 2 sacks
John Mohring Int-ret TD
Arizona Rattlers 56, Chicago Rush 49
The Rush hosted the hottest team in Arena Football when the Rattlers came into town to conclude week nine. Luke Drone made his 2013 debut and return to Chicago.
The Rattlers struck quick on the opening drive as Nick Davila's first pass went to Kerry Reed for a 30-yard touchdown. Luke Drone started slow, but capped a four-play scoring drive with a 30-yard strike to Reggie Gray to match Arizona's opening score. The Rattlers followed with a six-play drive that ended with Davila throwing a fifteen-yard touchdown to Rod Windsor. Rodney Wright made sure the Rush didn't spend too much time trailing as he fielded and returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown to retie the contest. Arizona battled back and finished a high-scoring first quarter with Jared Perry's eight-yard touchdown reception.With the change of quarters came a change in the game's pace when a seven-play drive by Chicago went to spoils because Virgil Gray made an interception in his end zone. Nick Davila found Trandon Harvey for a 17-yard touchdown two plays later to create the first bit of space on the afternoon. Each team would score a touchdown on their next possession and failed to net any points on their final possessions of the half, resulting in a 35-21 lead for the Rattlers at halftime. Chicago got the ball to begin the third quarter and cut the deficit in half when Luke Drone hit Rodney Wright for a 24-yard touchdown on the third play of the half. Nick Davila got off to a slow start to the half, throwing three incompletions before connecting with Rod Windsor for a 33-yard gain on fourth-and-ten to keep the possession alive. Three plays later Davila went back to Windsor, this time for a 20-yard touchdown to complete a seven-play series. Arizona broke the game open on the next two plays when Rodney Wright fumbled at the Chicago-one and Odie Armstrong punched it in on the next play to extend the lead to 49-28 with six minutes left in the quarter. The Rush kept themselves in the game with a five-play, 45-yard drive that resulted in a redemption ten-yard touchdown catch by Wright. The Rattlers scored their lone points of the fourth quarter on the first snap of the period when Davila threw a 33-yard touchdown to Rod Windsor, getting the lead back to 21. The Rush quickly responded and also scored on their first play of the fourth, a nifty 36-yard touchdown reception by Reggie Gray. The Chicago defense was in desperate need of a stop and trusted their secondary to make it. Nick Davila threw three consecutive incompletions to go with an offensive offside that forced Garrett Lindholm to attempt a 62-yard field goal that was missed; earning the stop for Chicago. The Rush now needed a quick score and got it when Luke Drone fired a 32-yard touchdown to Reggie Gray three plays later to all of a sudden turn it into a seven-point game with 5:53 remaining. The wildest turn of the game had yet to come as Josh Pleasant made a net recovery on the ensuing kickoff to give the ball right back to the Rush. A pair of pass interferences on Arizona gave Chicago an extra set of downs, resulting in a first and goal at the four-yard line. Luke Drone throw back-to-back incompletions and fumbled on a third-down scramble to set up a fourth and goal at midfield. Drone found Reggie Gray for a gain of nineteen in the prevent coverage, but Arkeith Brown made the tackle to secure the lead with 32 seconds left. Nick Davila gained three yards on as many carries to run out the clock and earn the fifth straight win for Arizona.
Stat Leaders:
Arizona (8-1) Chicago (4-5)
Nick Davila 18-31, 301 yds, 7TD Luke Drone 14-34, 261 yds, 6TD, Int
Rod Windsor 10 rec, 186 yds, 3 TD Reggie Gray 8 rec, 194 yds, 4 TD
Kerry Reed 2 rec, 43 yds, TD Rodney Wright 4 rec, 42 yds, 2 TD, Kick-ret TD
Jared Perry 2 rec, 14 yds, 2 TD Tyus Jackson/Brian McNally sack
Virgil Gray FR, Int
Garrett Lindholm 8-8 PAT, 0-1 FG
Week 9 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week: Donovan Morgan, New Orleans WR
- Despite a seventh straight loss, Donovan Morgan shined in week nine. Morgan hauled in 13 passes for 255 yards and five touchdowns. Even though the VooDoo are 1-7, they are just one game out of a playoff berth in the American Conference.
Defensive Player of the Week: Jamar Ransom, San Antonio JLB
- Jamar Ransom single-handedly brought the Talons to victory in week nine. On the night Ransom recorded three interceptions and returned two of them for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Playmaker of the Week: Terrance Sanders, Spokane DB
- Terrance Sanders made big plays all night in the Shock's 65-54 win over New Orleans. Sanders had a kick return touchdown and an interception return touchdown in addition to breaking up two passes, making six tackles, and totaling 149 yards on six kick returns to keep in legaue leading pace.
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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