AFL Week 6 Recap

The second quarter of the AFL season began in week 6 with all fourteen teams in action for seven games. The Shock and Sharks entered the week as the only unbeatens while Orlando was the only team still in search of their first win. The division races are beginning to shape up and the competitors are beginning to separate themselves from the bottom of the pack; but with thirteen weeks left every team still has hope.

Chicago Rush 64, Iowa Barnstormers 63 F/OT

These central division foes provided us with a great game that came down to the final play to kick off week 6. The Rush were trying to extend their three-game winning streak while avenging a week 1 loss, while the Barnstormers were looking for their first win at home to snap a three-game losing streak.
Iowa scored the first points of the night on J.J. Raterink's 26-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Harris with 6:30 in the first quarter, after both sides traded defensive stops on their opening possesions. The Barnstormer defense came away with their second consecutive stop when John Mohring intercepted Carson Coffman's pass across the middle; Raterink would score on a one-yard touchdown four plays later to extend the lead to 13-0. Coffman and company finally figured things out on their third possesion which was a quick two plays that ended on Reggie Gray's 39-yard touchdown reception. Iowa began the second quarter with the ball and a six-point lead but after three straight incompletions lead to a turnover-on-downs on their first possession, the Rush needed just two plays to take their first lead of the night on Reggie Gray's 18-yard touchdown catch. After each side's defense had forced two stops on their first four possessions, each offense found a rhythm and traded touchdowns for the remainder of the half which resulted in Chicago leading 28-26 at the intermission. The Rush added to their lead on the opening possession of the third quarter when Carson Coffman scored on a one-yard touchdown run to complete a four-play, 41-yard drive. The margin got wider when Jorrick Calvin intercepted Raterink's second pass of the second half and then Coffman threw a 20-yard touchdown to Reggie Gray to cap off a seven-play, 45-yard drive. With 4:50 to go in the third Iowa found itself trailing by 16 points, but this central division battle was far from over. Raterink hit Marcus Harris in-stride for a 34-yard touchdown and completed the conversion pass to quickly cut the deficit in half, Ter'Ran Benton recorded an interception on the next play, Raterink threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Marco Thomas on the second play of the fourth quarter, and Jesse Schmidt caught the second conversion pass to tie the game at 42 with fourteen minutes left to play. The tie didn't last for long as Reggie Gray caught his fifth touchdown of the game two plays later to give the Rush a seven point lead. Iowa looked to be clicking and worked hard to get back in the game, but a quick four-and-out followed by Gray's sixth touchdown at the eight minute mark had them trailing by two scores once again. Despite having less time, Iowa quickly cut the deficit in half on the next play when J.J. Raterink fired a 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to Marcus Harris. Chicago's enusing possession lasted eight plays and nearly six minutes, but produced no points when Jose Martinez missed a 30-yard field with 55 seconds remaining. Raterink completed four straight passes to quickly get Iowa across midfield and had the Stormers at Chicago's seven-yard line after a personal foul penalty that was followed by a four-yard run by Marco Thomas. Raterink found Thomas for a seven-yard touchdown on the next play to conclude the six-play drive and Fabrizio Scaccia's extra point tied the game with elevan seconds remaining. Chicago would just run the clock out to send us to overtime, tied at 56. Iowa received the first possesion in overtime and needed just three plays to take their first lead since 13-7 in the second quarter when Raterink threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Harris; Scaccia's extra point was good to make it 63-56. The Rush responded with a five-play, 40-yard drive that resulted in Kelvin Morris entering the game as a fullback on a goal-line formation and scoring on a two-yard touchdown run to make it 63-62. The Rush had a decision: to kick the extra point and tie the game to force sudden-death, or go for two and the win. After taking a moment to discuss this, Bob McMillan elected to go for the win and got it when Coffman's conversion pass found the hands of a wide-open Jared Jenkins in the end zone to give Chicago the thrilling 64-63 overtime road victory. After starting 0-2, Chicago has won four straight to turn a two-game deficit into a two-game lead in the central division.

Stat Leaders:
Chicago (4-2)                                             Iowa (2-4)
Carson Coffman 23-36, 354 yds, 7TD,      J.J. Raterink 34-49, 335 yds, 7TD, Int, Rush TD
                          2 Int, 7 yds, TD rushing    Marco Thomas 12 rec, 81 yds, 4 Total TD
Reggie Gray 12 rec, 234 yds, 6 TD            Marcus Harris 16 rec, 205 yds, 4 TD
Nate Forse 6 rec, 81 yds                             John Mohring/Ter'Ran Benton Int
Jorrick Calvin 15 tackles, Int                     Rodney Gnat/Mike Lewis sack
Jose Martinez 8-8 PAT, 0-2 FG                 De'Mon Glanton 11 tackles

Utah Blaze 57, Cleveland Gladiators 40

The Blaze traveled to Cleveland looking for their first win since week 1, while the Gladiators tried to make it two in a row in Quicken Loans Arena.
Both offenses got off to fast starts, scoring two touchdowns on their first two possessions to make the first quarter a back-and-forth battle. The first defensive stop was made by Utah on the second play of the second quarter when Brian Zbydniewski's pass of fourth-and-goal fell to the ground incomplete, ending a seven-play drive empty-handed. Tommy Grady followed by leading the Blaze on their third staright touchdown drive, 16-yard reception by L.J. Castille, to make it 19-14 with twelve minutes left in the second quarter. Both sides traded touchdowns on their ensuing possessions to keep the margin at six with four minutes remaining in the half. The Blaze defense made its second stop of the quarter by again forcing Zbydniewski's pass on fourth-and-goal to fall incomplete, but the chance to extend the lead was missed when Lenny Wicks intercepted Grady on the final play of the half. The Blaze were able to extend the lead to twelve on the opening possession of the third quarter on a four-play, 35-yard drive that ended with Mario Urrutia's five-yard touchdown reception. David Hyland intercepted Zbydniewski's third pass of the quarter which setup an eight-play, 45-yard drive that ended on Aaron LeSue's 16-yard touchdown catch. The rout was on, and it continued when Maurice Leggett recorded the second interception of Zbydniewski in as many series. three plays later Tommy Grady threw his third touchdown of the period, capping off a 22-0 quarter that extended Utah's lead to 49-21. A slow-paced fourth quarter sealed the victory for Utah, who snaps a three-game skid by earning their second road win of the year.

Stat Leaders:
Utah (2-3)                                                   Cleveland (1-4)
Tommy Grady 30-42, 300 yds, 7TD,          Brian Zbydniewski 20-38, 205 yds, 3TD,
                          Int, Rush TD                                                         2 Int, 2 rush TD
Aaron LeSue 14 rec, 156 yds, 4 TD            Derik Steiner 4 rush, 29 yds, 2 TD
L.J. Castile 7 rec, 65 yds, TD                      Thryon Lewis 6 rec, 81 yds
Mario Urrutia 8 rec, 62 yds, 2 TD               Jonathan Wilson 6 rec, 65 yds, 3 TD
Maurice Leggett 7 tackles, Int                     Lenny Wicks 10 tackles, Int

Jacksonville Sharks 55, Philadelphia Soul 53

In a rematch of the 2012 american conference championship, it was the visiting Sharks who this time left Philadelphia as winners.
All did not start smoothly for the Sharks, as they failed to convert on fourth-and-three on their opening drive and fell behind two plays later on Derrick Ross's two-yard touchdown run. Jacksonville quickly faced another fourth down, but had a much better result when Bernard Morris went deep and found Markee White for a 30-yard touchdown to give the Sharks their first points of the night. The Sharks quickly turned the momentum back in their favor when Tracy Belton forced Alvance Robinson to fumble and recovered it. Morris would connect with Jeff Hughley three plays later for a 29-yard touchdown to put the Sharks up by a full-possession. Teams traded touchdowns until Tracy Belton sealed a second defensive stop by batting Dan Raudabaugh's pass out of the reach of Tiger Jones. Morris would find Markee White two plays later on a three-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 28-12 lead midway through the second quarter. Philadelphia quickly cut a 16-point deficit down to two when Derrick Ross scampered into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown and Joe Goosby made an interception, which led to a seven-play drive that resulted in Larry Brackins' three-yard touchdown catch in the final moments of the first half. The Soul were looking to retake the lead on the first possession of the third quarter, but Tracy Belton continued his dominance by forcing his second fumble of the game, for another Jacksonville defensive stop. Bernard Morris threw a three-yard touchdown to Jeron Harvey on the following series, pushing the lead back to nine. Belton's second forced fumble stood as the lone defensive stop of the second half, until the Jacksonville defense forced a turnover-on-downs in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Morris threw a 23-yard touchdown to Jeron Harvey three plays later to push the Sharks' lead to fifteen. Dan Raudabaugh answered by directing a four-play drive that ended on Andrae Thurman's seven-yard touchdown which cut the lead in half, but Jacksonville recovered the ensuing onside kick and got the lead back to fifteen on Harvey's fifth touchdown of the night. Raudabaugh quickly led the Soul down the field and threw a six-yard touchdown to Larry Brackins to cut the deficit back to eight with three minutes remaining. Jacksonville recovered the following onside kick, but the Soul defense made a pivital stand; forcing a field goal try by Marco Capozzli that went wide right and was fielded by Rayshaun Kizer. After Kizer's 24-yard return and a kick-catch interference penalty, the Soul had 45 seconds to try and tie the game from the Sharks 19-yard line. Raudabaugh started the drive by completing a twelve-yard pass to Tiger Jones, and after Derrick Ross gained six yards on two carries Philadelphia was faced with a third-and-goal at the Shark-1. On the third down snap Ross got the hand-off and was met immediately by Jerry Turner who popped the ball free, forcing a fumble that Raudabaugh scurried to fall on at the one to save the drive. Ross would get the ball again on fourth down, this time delivering a powerful hit to a Shark defensive lineman before powering into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown to make it 55-53 witrh eighteen seconds left. Down by two, Philadelphia had to attempt a two-point conversion that failed when Raudabaugh's pass sailed out of the reach of Jones. Jacksonville recovered the third onside kick of the quarter and ran out the clock to hold on to a 55-53 road win; making them 6-0 for the season.

Stat Leaders
Jacksonville (6-0)                                    Philadelphia (2-3)
Bernard Morris 17-26, 219 yds, 8TD,      Dan Raudabaugh 24-37, 312 yds, 4 TD
                            Int, 45 rush yds             Derrick Ross 13 rush, 38 yds, 3 TD
Jeff Hughley 7 rec, 98 yds, TD                Tiger Jones 9 rec, 148 yds
Markee White 5 rec, 65 yds, 2 TD           Andrae Thurman 7 rec, 93 yds, 2 TD
Jeron Harvey 5 rec, 56 yds, 5 TD             Larry Brackins 4 rec, 22 yds, 2 TD
Terrance Smith 8 tackles, Fumb. Rec.      Joe Goosby Int
Tracy Belton 8 tackles, 2 FF, FR              Bryan Robinson sack
Marco Capozzoli 7-7 PAT, 0-1 FG

San Jose Sabercats 57, New Orleans VooDoo 38

Two struggling teams entered the Graveyard in week 6 looking to try and snap losing streaks with a new face at quarterback. Russ Michna made his 2013 debut for the Sabercats, while Zack Eskridge made his first start of the season; Bill Stull would also appear in the second half to make his VooDoo debut.
With two new faces commanding the offense it's only normal to suspect a slow start, which is what we got when Zack Eskridge mis-fired on his first three passes and Russ Michna fumbled the exchange inside the VooDoo-5 to give the ball back to New Orleans with niether team scoring. After Eskridge made his first completion of the night, he completed his next pass but to Huey Whittaker who returned it ten yards for the "pick-six" to give San Jose a 7-0 lead. Quorey Payne had a solid kick return to setup the ensuing VooDoo drive that lasted seven plays and resulted in Gary Cismesia's 25-yard field goal. San Jose would answer with a seven-play drive that spanned into the second quarter and resulted in Jamarko Simmons' six-yard touchdown reception. Quorey Payne returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for New Orleans' first touchdown of the night and DeMarcus Robinson recorded a safety two plays later to get the VooDoo back in the game. New Orleans had a chance to grab their first lead of the game after the safety, but the opportunity was missed when Eskridge threw his second interception of the night to Clevan Thomas. Eddie Moten intercepted Michna two plays later to give the ball right back to his offense; Eskridge threw a nine-yard touchdown to Chris Duvalt on the next play to give the VooDoo their first lead of the night. San Jose didn't trail for long, as Michna connected with Jamarko Simmons for a 47-yard touchdown to get the lead right back. The 'Cats got aggressive and successfully recovered an onside kick which turned into a nine-play, 41-yard drive that resulted in a nine-yard touchdown reception by Huey Whittaker on the final play of the half to extend the lead to elevan. The Sabercats would break the game open on the first play of the third quarter when Russ Michna found Fred Williams on a deep-ball for a 45-yard touchdown to quickly make it 35-17. Things got worse for the home team, as Zack Eskridge got called for intentional grounding in the end zone on New Orleans' first play of the quarter to give the ball right back to San Jose with a twenty-point lead. The VooDoo defense kept some hope alive when they forced four consecutive incompletions to keep the game in-reach; Eskridge scored a rushing touchdown three plays later to cut the deficit to thirteen. Michna matched with a 35-yard touchdown to Huey Whittaker to blow the lead back up to three possessions. On the next New Orleans possession Zack Eskridge was injured on a roughing the passer and was replaced by Bill Stull who completed his first pass, but after that threw three incompletions and got sacked to end the possession. The Sabercats began the fourth quarter with a five-play drive that ended on Jamarko Simmons' one-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach. The Sabercats would go on to win by a final score of 57-38 to earn their third win of the season, while New Orleans has lost four consecutive games.




          
Stat Leaders:
San Jose (3-2)                                               New Orleans (1-4)
Russ Michna 23-35, 312 yds, 6 TD, Int        Bill Stull 8-14, 97 yds, TD, Rush TD
Jamarko Simmons 53 rec yds, 2 TD,            Zack Eskridge 7-18, 67 yds, TD,
                                 12 rush yds, TD                                    2 Int, 10 yds Td rushing
Huey Whittaker 8 rec, 97 yds, 4 Total TD    Chris Duvalt 5 rec, 90 yds, TD, 20 rush yds
Fred Williams 5 rec, 88 yds, TD                   Quorey Payne 5 rec, 46 yds, Kick-ret TD
Clevan Thomas/Whittaker Int                       Derandus Frye sack
Sabercat Defense: 3 sacks, 3 turnovers         Eddie Moten Int

Tampa Bay Storm 70, Spokane Shock 62
This week's CBS Sports Network game of the week featured two of the top teams in the AFL to this point in the season. Tampa Bay entered with a perfect road record, while the Shock looked to stay unbeaten in Deaf Valley.
The Storm showed why they have been one of the best road teams this year by dominating the first quarter in a very hostile environment. Adrian McPherson orchestrated a nine-play, 49-yard drive that ended on Joe Hills two-yard touchdown reception. The Storm defense also made some noise, forcing Erik Meyer to start 0-3 which included an interception Rodney Beamna. The Storm extended their lead three plays later when McPherson aired-out a deep ball on third-and-22 to Greg Ellingson for a 46-yard touchdown. Meyer and the Shock offense got it going on the next possession which ended on the first play of the second quarter on Kamar Jordan's nine-yard touchdown reception. Jordan's touchdown catch would stand as the only first half points for the Shock as their offense couldn't figure out Tampa Bay's defense. Adrian McPherson added a pair of one-yad touchdown runs to give the Storm a 28-7 lead at halftime. The second half got off to a much better start for the Shock, Terrance Sanders had a 45-yard return on the opening kickoff and Adron Tennell scored on a one-yard touchdown run two plays later. Spokane made it a game when Terrence Taylor forced and recoverd a fumble while sacking McPherson; setting up Kamar Jordan's ten-yard touchdown reception. The Shock defense continued to pressure McPherson, but couldn't stop a deep ball to Joe Hills that went for a 42-yard touchdown. Spokane quickly responded when Erik Meyer found Jordan for a 40-yard touchdown with five minutes left in the third. Tampa Bay answered with a six-play drive, 43-yard drive that resulted in Hills' 18-yard touchdown reception to get the lead back to fourteen, which didn't last long when Terrence Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards for a touchdown to end the third quarter with Spokane trailing by 42-35. The back-and-forth battle spanned for the entire fourth quarter which saw Adrian McPherson throw three touchdowns and run for an additional score, while Erik Meyer threw four touchdown passes; a 12-yarder to Adron Tennell made it 70-62 with 21 seconds remaining. Tampa Bay recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to earn their third road win of the season, while becoming the first team to beat the Shock in 2013. Spokane's offense was nearly unstoppable through the first five weeks of the season, but the Storm defense made it's mark in the first half and caused Erik Meyer to throw his first two interceptions of the season.

Stat Leaders:
Tampa Bay (4-2)                                          Spokane (5-1) 
Adrian McPherson 21-36, 310 yds, 7TD,     Erik Meyer 21-35, 258 yds, 7TD,
                               46 yds, 3 Td rushing                             2 Int, 13 rush yds
Joe Hills 10 rec, 177 yds, 5 TD                     Adron Tennell 12 rec, 161 yds, 4 Total TD
Greg Ellingson 8 rec, 108 yds, 2 TD             Kamar Jorden 7 rec, 92 yds, 3 TD
Rodney Beamna 3 tackles, Int, sack              Terrance Sanders Kick-ret TD
Chris Smith Int                                               Terrance Taylor FF, FR, and sack
Craig Camay 10-10 PAT, 0-1 FG

San Antonio Talons 42, Pittsburgh Power 37

The Talons and Power entered Consol Energy Center with identical 1-3 records in week 6. The Power with a win would move into first place in the east division via tiebreak, while the Talons needed a win to keep pace with first-place Chicago in the central division.
San Antonio received the opening kickoff and moved the ball inside the Pittsburgh's ten-yard line, until the Power defensive line kept Chad Cook in check and came away with a stop. Jordan Jefferson got off to a solid start, directing a nine-play, five-minute drive that resulted in Josh Czajkowski's 36-yard field goal. The Power defense nearly made back-to-back stops, but on a fourth-and-nine Nick Hill threw a perfect deep ball that fell into the arms of Dwayne Eley Jr. for a 23-yard touchdown. The Talon front-three began to make their prescence felt on Pittsburgh's second series, putting Jefferson under constant duress to force a turnover on downs. Hill threw a nine-yard touchdown to Jomo Wilson on the first play of the second quarter to extend the San Antonio's lead to 14-3. Jefferson answered by leading a five-play drive that concluded on Mike Washington's five-yard touchdown. Chris LeFlore intercepted Hill's pass on fourth down to give Pittsburgh another chance at the lead, but the opportunity was quickly expended when Kirby Griffin fumbled a toss on the next play. The Talons would turn the turnover into a six-play drive, that was kept alive when Nick Hill found Jomo Wilson for a five-yard completion on fourth down and that ended with the same result. Mike Washington would catch his second touchdown of the game on the ensuing series to cut the Talons lead to 21-17 at the half. Pittsburgh had an opportunity to retake the lead on the first possession of the third quarter and did so when Jordan Jefferson hit Washington in-stride for a 32-yard touchdown. Christian Wise caught up to an overthrown deep ball and intercepted it in his own end zone. The Power had a great opportunity to take full control of the game by increasing the lead to two possessions, but were unable to come through when their drive was haulted by the front-three of San Antonio; sack followed by back-to-back incompletions. Nick Hill quickly point the Talons back in-front on his 20-yard touchdown pass to Eley Jr. The Talon front-three continued their harrassment of Jordan Jefferson by applying heavy pressure and sacking him on fourth down to make another stop. The Talons quickly put the game out of reach when Burl Toler caught a 21-yard touchdown, the constant durress on Jefferson forced a four-and-out, and Chad Cook punched in a one-yard touchdown run to extend the margin to eighteen with under 8:30 left in the fourth. Shane Austin entered the game and scored on a 17-yard touchdown run to end the scoring drought, but it would not be enough to overcome a three-score deficit.   

Stat Leaders:
San Antonio (2-3)                                           Pittsburgh (1-4)  
Nick Hill 17-29, 180 yds, 5TD, 2 Int,              Jordan Jefferson 20-36, 209 yds, 3 TD,
                    13 rush yds                                                                 11 rush yds
Chad Cook 8 rush, 17 yds, TD                         Mike Washington 13 rec, 133 yds, 4 TD
Burl Toler 8 rec, 86 yds, TD                            Perry Baker 10 rec, 105 yds
Dwayne Eley Jr/Jomo Wilson 2 rec TD          Chris LeFlore/Christain Wise Int
Fred Shaw 11 tackles                                       Gary Butler sack
Talon Defense: 5 sacks, 2 turnovers                Josh Czajkowski 1-1 FG (36), 4-4 PAT
Stefan Demos 6-6 PAT, 0-1 FG
Arizona Rattlers 82, Orlando Predators 42

The Predators entered the Snake Pit as the only team in Arena Football still looking for a win and left it still in search of that elusive first victory. Despite all the controversy, Kyle Rowley made his fifth start for Orlando who was clearly no worthy opponent for Arizona.
Nick Davila wasted no time to get the home crowd rocking, guiding a four-play, 44-yard drive that ended on Kerry Reed's 19-yard touchdown catch. Kyle Rowley had a forgetable performance in week 5 and this one didn't go much better. After completing two of his first three passes Marquis Floyd intercepted his fourth pass, which led to Rod Windsor's three-yard touchdown reception three plays later. Virgil Gray racked up the second Rattler interception on Rowley's next pass; Davila threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jared Perry on the next play. Both quarterbacks would exchange touchdown passes in the final minutes of the period to keep the margin at 21 entering the second quarter. Orlando began the quarter with an eight-play, six-half-minute drive that came to an end when four staright passes by Kyle Rowley all fell incomplete. Odie Armstrong scored a rushing touchdown three plays after to extend the lead to 28. A missed extra point was the only beat that the Rattler offense missed in the first half that produced a 48-21 advantage. The connection between Rowley and Prechae Rodriguez continued to find the end zone in the third quarter, but the hole was too big to climb out of for the Predators. Arizona continued the onslaught by outscoring the Preds 34-21 in the second half; Arkeith Brown returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown to emphatically put the exclamation point on a dominant 82-42 home victory.

Stat Leaders:
Orlando (0-5)                                                 Arizona (5-1)     
Kyle Rowley 27-49, 328 yds, 4TD, 3 Int       Nick Davila 17-20, 197 yds, 6TD
Marlon Moye-Moore 2 rush TD                     Odie Armstrong 6 rush, 15 yds, 4 TD
T.T. Toliver 11 rec, 139 yds, TD                    Rod Windsor 5 rec, 62 yds, TD
Prechae Rodriguez 9 rec, 123 yds, 2 TD        Jared Perry 7 rec, 59 yds, 3 TD
Tim Cheatwood sack                                      Kerry Reed 2 rec, 30 yds, 2 TD
                                                                        Antron Dillon sack
                                                                  Marquis Floyd/Arkeith Brown/Virgil Gray Int each
                                                                        Jeremy Kellem 11 tackles


Week 6 Players of the WeekOffensive Player of the Week: Adrian McPherson, Tampa Bay QB
- McPherson, once again put on a dominating performance on the road to earn victory for the Storm. He produced 356 total yards (310 passing on 21-36 completions) and 10 total touchdowns (7 passing). Adrian McPherson has definatley cemented himself as an MVP candidate and has his Storm in contention at 4-2.   
Defensive Player of the Week: Tracy Belton, Jacksonville DB
- Tracy Belton single-handedly was a thorn in Philadelphia's side in week 6. Belton forced two fumbles, recovered one of them, while making eight tackles. Belton anchored the Sharks' secondary for their sixth win of 2013.

Playmaker of the Week: Reggie Gray, Chicago WR
- The Rush have won four in a row thanks to a strong defense, but it was all about Reggie Gray this week. Gray had his best game of the season, bringing in 12 receptions for 234 yards, and 6 touchdowns to lead Chicago to a well-earned 64-63 overtime victory against division-foe Iowa.   


For more on any of these seven games, or the Arena Football League go to: http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/sched/afl-a-footbl-sched.html