AFL Week 11 Recap

As we turn the calendar to June, week eleven approaches and is the official start of the second half of this Arena Football season. Fourteen teams, seven games, let's go!

Arizona Rattlers 64, Philadelphia Soul 57

The second installment of this Arena Bowl 25 rematch began this past week's action at a special Saturday afternoon start time. The Rattlers entered the "City of Brotherly Love" looking to be the first team to reach ten wins, while the Soul were looking to continue a win streak of their own.
The game couldn't have started much better for Arizona, their defense forced a turnover on downs on the opening possession and Nick Davila orchestrated a four-play scoring drive that he completed with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Rod Windsor. On Philadelphia's next offesnive snap Dan Raudabaugh's pass was juggled by Ryan McDaniel and intercepted by Jeremy Kellem; setting up Odie Armstrong's two-yard touchdown run two plays later to make it an early 14-0 jumpstart. The Soul offense finally got things going with a four-play, 30-yard drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown catch by Tiger Jones. Arizona began the second quarter with a seven-play, 40-yard drive in response that concluded with Tyson Poots' nine-yard touchdown catch on third-and-goal to bring the lead back to two scores. The Soul quickly chopped away at the deficit, as on the next two offensive plays Raudabaugh and Jones connected for a 45-yard strike and Joe Goosby undercut a Davila pass to intercept it and make the 17-yard return for a score to make it 21-20 with 8:17 in the second. Nick Davila and company responded by completing all three of his passes on a four-play, 33-yard drive that he finished with a elevan-yard catch by Poots. Bryan Robinson blocked the following extra point, scooped it, and ran it back for the defensive PAT (2 points). Dan Raudabaugh led a seven-play, 48-yard drive that he finished when he found a wide-open Ryan McDaniel for an eighteen-yard score to give Philadelphia its first lead of the game; 29-27 at the half. Arizona began the third quarter with the ball and looked like they would retake the lead when Nick Davila completed his first three passes of the half, but it quickly went the other way when Rayshaun Kizer picked off his fourth throw and returned it 45 yards for the Soul's second "pick-six" to extend the lead to nine. Davila didn't take long to bounce back with a 41-yard completion to Jared Perry that quickly got the Rattlers in the red zone, setting up Odie Armstong's second two-yard touchdown run of the afternoon; Armstrong would also take a direct snap on the PAT to successfully convert the two-point conversition. The Rattler defense forced a four-and-out and Davila found Kerry Reed for a fourteen-yard touchdown to retake the lead midway in the third. A 21-yard return by James Romain on the ensuing kickoff allowed Raudabaugh to float a 30-yard pass to Tiger Jones for their third hookup of the day to reclaim the lead. The fourth quarter was a tale of two separate periods. On the first play of the quarter, Nick Davila's fourth-down pass fell out of Rod Windsor's reach. Raudabaugh found Ryan McDaniel three plays later for a fifteen-yard touchdown with 13:08 to play. The Soul looked like they had done enough to runaway with this one when on the fifth play of Arizona's ensuing drive LaRico Stevenson recorded the third interception of Davila and two plays later Tiger Jones hauled in his fourth touchdown to extend the lead to 57-42 midway in the fourth, but the Rattlers weren't done just yet. Davila engineered a seven-play, 40-yard drive that was aided by two personal fouls and ended it on a four-yard scoring strike to Rod Windsor; who also caught the two-point conversion. Philadelphia bobbled Garrett Lindholm's ensuing onside kick and Arizona recovered to keep possession. Nick Davila went 3-3 and Odie Armstrong punched-in a one-yard touchdown on a five-play scoring drive that tied the game with 49 seconds remaining. The Soul made the recovery on the next onside attempt, but did a horrible job of managing the clock. Dan Raudabaugh threw away his pass on first-and-goal, and had his next pass bounce of the rebound net and be intercepted by Marquis Floyd; giving Arizona a chance to win it. Davila found Kerry Reed for a nineteen yards on second down and then completed a 32-yard pass to Rod Windsor to setup a first-and-goal at the three. Nick Davila scored on the third of three one-yard runs to reclaim a 64-57 lead with 12 seconds. Dan Raudabaugh completed three quick dump-off passes to get the Soul within 20 yards of the end zone, but a last-play hook-and-lateral failed to secure the Rattlers' seventh straight win, and tenth on the season.

Stat Leaders:
Arizona (10-1)                                            Philadelphia (5-5)
Nick Davila 28-48, 362 yds, 5TD, 3 Int,     Dan Raudabaugh 20-33, 308 yds, 6TD, 2 Int
                        Rush TD                              Tiger Jones 8 rec, 171 yds, 4 TD
Odie Armstrong 7 rush yds, 3 TD               Andrae Thurman 7 rec, 70 yds
Rod Windsor 8 rec, 111 yds, 2 TD              Ryan McDaniel 5 rec, 67 yds, 2 TD
Kerry Reed 6 rec, 87 yds, TD                      Rayshaun Kizer 12 tackles, Int-ret TD
Tyson Poots 8 rec, 70 yds, 2 TD                  Joe Goosby Int-ret TD
Virgil Gray 8 tackles                                    Bryan Robinson blocked PAT, defensive PAT, 
Marquis Floyd/Jeremy Kellem Int each                                    0.5 sack

Jacksonville Sharks 70, Pittsburgh Power 48

The Sharks and Power squared off for the second this season in the Shark Tank. Both teams were in search of a second consecutive victory admist tight playoff races.
Jacksonville received the opening kick and drove down the field in a quick five plays, taking the lead on Bernard Morris' fourteen-yard touchdown scamper. Steven Sheffield completed his first five passes, the fifth a twelve-yard touchdown to Julian Talley to cap off a nine-play opening drive. Jeff Hughley scored on a two-yard run and Jamaal Fudge stripped Talley to force a fumble on the ensuing drives to open the game up. Morris led a nine-play, five-minute and 40-second drive that he finished with an eighteen-yard strike to Jeron Harvey to extend the Sharks lead to 21-7 midway through the second quarter. The Power got right back in the game with Chris LeFlore's 54-yard kick return that set up Mike Washington's four-yard touchdown run and when the defense came up with a four-and-out, which setup Julian Talley's eight-yard touchdown reception that made it a one-point contest. Jacksonville preserved their lead with an eight-play, 33-yard drive that resulted in a beautiful one-hand catch of the rebound net by Jeron Harvey to give the Sharks a 28-20 lead at intermission. The Power had an opportunity with the opening possession of the third quarter to get right back in it, but were unable to when the Shark defense made a goal-line stand. Both teams traded turnovers and Jacksonville scored the first point of the quarter on Renderick Taylor's four-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh's offense continued to struggle when they failed their third possession of the period ended when Terrance Smith intercepted Steven Sheffiled on a deep ball. Renderick Taylor pounded in another touchdown run to extend the lead to 42-20 by the start of the fourth quarter. The Power gave themselves a chance to come back when Mike Washington caught a six-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth. Jacksonville quickly ended on threat of a comeback when Bernard Morris aired out a 45-yard scoring toss to Josh Philpart and Terrance Smith intercepted his second pass on the next play. Morris found Jeron Harvey for a seven-yard score three plays later to put away Jacksonville's second straight win.

Stat Leaders:
Pittsburgh (3-7)                                               Jacksonivlle (8-3)
Steven Sheffield 24-30, 235 yds, 6TD, 2 Int   Bernard Morris 18-34, 249 yds, 5TD, Int, 
Julian Talley 12 rec, 117 yds, 4 TD                                             36 rush yds, TD
Oderick Turner 6 rec, 76 yds                           Jeron Harvey 8 rec, 122 yds, 4 TD
Mike Washington 6 rec, 42 yds, 3 Total TD   Josh Philpart 4 rec, 76 yds, TD
Sergio Gilliam 11 tackles                                Sharks: 59 rush yds, 5 rush TD
Darius Powell sack                                          Terrance Smith 2 Int
Brandon Freeman Int                                       Tracy Belton 10 tackles, FF
                                                                         Marco Capozzoli 10-10 PAT

Chicago Rush 63, Orlando Predators 55

The Predators welcomed the Rush to the Jungle with both sides in desperate need of a win.
Aaron Garcia got the ball first and led the Predators on a twelve-play, nine-plus minute drive that he finished with an eight-yard touchdown to Prechae Rodriguez; the drive was kept alive by a roughing the passer penalty by Chicago on an earlier fourth-and-goal. The long wait to take the field didn't effect Carson Coffman as he completed three of his first four passes, the third of which a 25-yard touchdown to D.J. Woods. Over the next four possessions both quarterbacks were extremely accurate, combing to complete ten of twelve passes while each throwing two touchdowns. It was the Rush defense that made the first stop of the game when Kelvin Morris deflected a Garcia pass into the hands of Josh Pleasant who returned it fifteen yards for a pick-six, giving Chicago its first lead. This stop remained the only difference between the two, as both sides traded two more touchdowns in the final five minutes of the half; Jared Jenkins' five-yard catch gave the Rush a 42-34 lead. Carson Coffman opened the third quarter with a seventeen-yard completion to Jenkins on third-and-eleven and then went to Reggie Gray for a ten-yard score to open the lead fifteen. Aaron Garcia quickly led the Preds back to within one score with a 33-yard strike to Prechae Rodriguez with 9:29 in the third. These opening drive touchdowns would hold up as the only points of the period. The Predators were in desperate need of a stop and got it when Tim Cheatwood knocked the ball from J.J. Payne and Dominc Jones made the recovery, but the Rush answered with a goal-line stand that featured three straight plays from their own one-yard line. The scoring resumed on the first play of the fourth quarter when Carson Coffman completed a 36-yard touchdown to Reggie Gray, capping off a six-play drive. Orlando responded with a six-play drive that saw Aaron Garcia complete four of six passes and toss a four-yard score to Rodriguez. Chicago recovered the ensuing onside kick and Luke Drone caught a ten-yard touchdown two plays later to keep the lead at fifteen. The Preds weren't done just yet, things got interesting when Dominc Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown and Greg Laybourn intercepted Coffman four plays later to give the Preds another chance to tie the game. Aaron Garcia found T.T. Toliver for eight yards on first down, but Wonde Rutledge lost a yard on the next play to setup third-and-three. Garcia's third-down pass fell incomplete and Vic Hall batted away the ball on fourth down to preserve the lead. Luke Drone added 19 total yards of offense in the final 1:56 to run out the clock and secure a 63-55 road win for the Rush. Greg Laybourn and D.J. Woods each had solid debut performances for the Predators and Rush respectively. 

Stat Leaders:
Chicago (6-5)                                                 Orlando (2-8)
Carson Coffman 20-28, 281 yds, 8 TD, Int    Aaron Garcia 24-42, 287 yds, 6 TD, Int
Reggie Gray 6 rec, 132 yds, 3 TD                  T.T. Toliver 10 rec, 134 yds, 2 TD
D.J. Woods 5 rec, 60 yds, TD                         Jason Geathers 7 rec, 71 yds
Jared Jenkins 6 rec, 56 yds, 3 TD                   Prechae Rodriguez 6 rec, 69 yds, 4 TD
Josh Pleasant 8 tackles, Int-ret TD                 Dominic Jones 8 kick ret, 24.1 avg, TD
Jose Martinez 9-9 PAT                                   Greg Laybourn 9 tackles, Int

New Orleans VooDoo 69, Cleveland Gladiators 40

This matchup featured two of the worst teams in the AFL at this point of the season. The VooDoo were in search of snapping an eight-game losing streak, while the Gladiators wanted their third win.
New Orleans brought out brand new purple jerseys and mayb they spurred some good luck on the opening kickoff when Gary Cismesia's kick took a favorable bounce and landed to the VooDoo, earning them an unexpected first possession. Kurt Rocco found Donovan Morgan on the next play for a six-yard score to quickly captialize on the good break. Chris Dieker returned for the Gladiators and started off hot, completing four of his first five passes on a six-play scoring drive that resuted in a 25-yard touchdown grab by Thyron Lewis. Rocco continued to stay hot on the next series and completed all three of his passes, the third of which was a seventeen-yard strike to Donovan Morgan for six. Dieker, just like his counterpart, continued his start by completing all five of his passes on the following possession that concluded with Carlese Franklin's 26-yard touchdown. The quarterback showcase continued as Kurt Rocco found Morgan for the third time of the period on a 30-yard deep ball to finish a drive where he completed four of five. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the start of the second quarter marked the cooling off of the offense and their signal caller. On the first play of the period Jamar Howard caught a five-yard slant, but was stripped by Dwight McClean and Eddie Moten made the recovery. L.J. Castille, in his return debut to New Orleans, caught an eight-yard touchdown on the next play to create the first bit of space on the night. New Orleans' defense made a second consecutive stop when Dieker was held to two yards on a quarterback-keeper on third down and was sacked on fourth down, after Dominic Goodman had hauled in back-to-back passes for 22 yards. It looked like the Gladiator defense was going to match with a stop of their own when New Orleans faced on fourth-and-eleven, but Kurt Rocco continued the onslaught of his former team with a 29-yard touchdown strike to Donovan Morgan. Cleveland scored their first points of the quarter on an eight-play, five-and-half minute drive, but the Rocco made sure the VooDoo would take a three-score lead into the break by completing five of six passes and finding Courtney Smith for a three-yard score with nine seconds to spare. It looked as if any chance of a comeback by the Glads went out the door when Dwight McClean knocked away Chris Dieker's first three passes of the second half and Marlon Favorite recorded his second sack to force a four-and-out, but Marrio Norman recoverd a fumble on the next play to get he ball right back. Derik Steiner scored on a nine-yard touchdown run two plays later to cut the margin to sixteen. New Orleans bounced back with a five-play, 45-yard drive to get the touchdown back when Courtney Smith grabbed a 23-yard strike. This time Cleveland's chance at a comeback left the Graveyard when L.J. Castille intercepted Dieker and returned it 46 yards for the touchdown to give the VooDoo a commanding 56-26 lead. Cameron McGlenn made two interceptions in the fourth quarter and returned one 38 yards for a pick-six to cap off an exciting 69-40 victory for New Orleans. The VooDoo played their best of the year to earn a second win, while snapping an eight-game losing streak.

Stat Leaders:
Cleveland (2-8)                                          New Orleans (2-8)
Chris Dieker 27-42, 239 yds,                      Kurt Rocco 22-31, 250 yds, 7TD
                         5 Total TD, 3 Int                Donovan Morgan 8 rec, 127 yds, 4 TD
Dominic Goodman 12 rec, 85 yds, 2 TD    Courtney Smith 9 rec, 70 yds, 2 TD
Carlese Franklin 7 rec, 74 yds, TD             LJ Castille 3 rec, 33 yds, 2 TD, int-ret TD
Lenny Wick 7 tackles                                 Dwight McClean 12 tackles, FF
Randy Cooling sack                                   Cameron McGlenn 2 Int, 1 ret-TD
                                                                    VooDoo Defense: 3 Int, Fumble, 5 sacks

Tampa Bay Storm 65, Iowa Barnstormers 62

A matchup of young, but productive defenses the Storm traveled to Des Moines to battle the Barnstormers. Despite the success of each defense, this one was all about the offenses.
Marcus Harris opened the game with a 35-yard kick return and on the next play J.J. Raternik threw a 23-yard touchdown to Marco Thomas to get the first points of the night for Iowa. The Barnstormer defense came out firing on all cylinders by forcing a couple of incompletions and recording back-to-back sacks of Adrian McPherson to set up a fourth-and-nineteen. McPherson went deep and found Joe Hills for a 38-yard score to tie the game at seven. The scoring frenzy was on, as Raternik and McPherson traded touchdown passes on the next seven possessions that gave Iowa a 35-28 lead with 44 seconds left in the second quarter. The Barnstormer defense made the first stop by either side by holding Adrian McPherson to ten rushing yards and two incompletions in the final span of the half. Adrian McPherson bounced back on the first possession of the third quarter with back-to-back completions that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown to Chris Dixon; tying the game at 35. J.J. Raternik continued his fantastic night with four straight completions, including a 33-yard touchdown to Marco Thomas. Iowa's defense made their second stop of the night when on the next play McPherson fumbled as he was sacked by Mike Lewis. On the ensuing drive it appeared Tampa Bay's defense had earned their first stop when Leroy Burgess sacked Raternik on fourht down, but an offside call erased the play and gave the Barnstormers and automatic first-and-goal. Brian Reader checked-in to the game and punched in a one-yard QB-keeper to extend the lead to 49-35 with 5:25 left in the third. The Storm needed a score on their next drive to stay in the game, and got it when Adrian McPherson capped off a seven-play, 36-yard drive with a three-yard run. Tampa Bay quickly erased the remainder of a fourteen-point defecit when they successfully recovered Juan Bongarra's onside kick and McPherson scored on another three-yard run seven plays into the fourth quarter, tying it at 49 with twelve minutes left. J.J. Raternik completed four of five passes, a fifteen-yarder to Marco Thomas reclaimed the lead for Iowa. McPherson led the Storm on a six-play, 39-yard drive that he slavaged with a twenty-yard scamper into the end zone to retie the game with three minutes to play. Marco Thomas fielded the ensuing kick eight yards deep into his end zone and barely made it out to his one-yard line. Raternik's first pass should have been a quick pick-six for Rashad Barksdale, but the ball bounced of his hand and into the grasp of Thomas for a safe no-gain. After another incompletion the 'Stormers faced a third-and-ten at their own one. On the play, Raternik held onto the ball for a second too long and was sacked by Pernell Phillips for a safety with 56 seconds left. Iowa kicked it deep and trusted their defense to get the ball, Mike Hoensesse's trust was rewarded. The front-four stuffed Jeff Tow-Arnett on third-and-two and forced McPherson to overthrow a wide-open Joe Hills on fourth down to hand the ball back to the offense at Tampa Bay's eleven-yard line. Kai Brown ran for ten yards on two carries to quickly move the ball to the Storm's two, and J.J. Raternik punched in a one-yard run to give the Barnstormers a 62-58 lead with 23 seconds left. In the AFL any time is enough time to score and that was the case here. A pass interference and three quick completions by Adrian McPherson gave the Storm one, final play from Iowa's three-yard line with 0.3 seconds. On the play, Joe Hills broke wide-open as he ran across the secondary to the right corner of the end zone and caught the game-winning touchdown as the clock expired to bring home a huge win for Tampa Bay, a game in which they trailed by fourteen late in the third and never led until Phillip's safety with 56 seconds left.

Stat Leaders:
Tampa Bay (7-4)                                           Iowa (4-7)
Adrian McPherson 26-39, 286 yds, 6 TD,     JJ. Raterink 25-34, 264 yds, 7TD, Rush TD
                                 9 rush, 47 yds, 3 TD      Marco Thomas 11 rec, 149 yds, 4 TD
Joe Hills 8 rec, 120 yds, 3 TD                        Jesse Schmidt 6 rec, 49 yds, 2 TD
Chris Davis 10 rec, 89 yds, 2 TD                   Marcus Harris 6 rec, 49 yds
Michael Lindsey 8 rec, 77 yds, TD                De'Mon Glanton 11 tackles
Rashad Barksdale 9 tackles                            Mike Lewis 3.5 sacks, FF
Pernell Phillips sack, safety                            Ter'Ran Benton 9 tackles, FF
Juan Bongarra 9-9 PAT

Spokane Shock 75, San Jose Sabercats 45

This past week's CBS Sports Network game of the week featured a wild western showdown between Spokane and San Jose in Deaf Valley. These to foes are going head-to-head in the National Conference wild card race and are fighting to keep within reach of Arizona. On paper it looked like a potential classic, but the Goal Line Bandits and their Shock ran away with this one from the start.
Terrance Sanders fielded the opening kick and made a 36-yard return, which setup Erik Meyer's 20-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Thompkins on the first play. Russ Michna hooked up with Jason Willis for 23 yards on a third-and-one, then Fred Williams scored on a two-yard run to cap off an opening five-play drive for the Sabercats. Spokane answered quickly with a three-play drive that ended with Thompkins' second touchdown catch, a 34-yarder. Michna completed a string of dump-off passes on San Jose's second series, but back-to-back penalties created a fourth-and-fourteen which saw Terrance Sanders bat away the pass to force the turnover on downs. The Shock began, what would be a dominant quarter, with Erik Meyer's one-yard touchdown run on the second play of the period. The game was broken open four plays later when Terrance Sanders made another impact play, returning an interception 42-yards for a pick-six to give the Shock a 27-7 lead. San Jose enjoyed a light bright spot when Francis Maka blocked the ensuing PAT and Clevan Thomas returned it for two points, making it 27-9. Things didn't get any better for the 'Cats when on their next drive Fred Williams fumbled after making a six-yard catch. Erik Meyer hit Adron Tennell for 28 yards on the next play and Tennell took a receiver-sweep three yards into the end zone to extend the lead to 34-9. Russ Michna tried to pull the Sabercats back in it with consecutive completions and a three-yard touchdown run, but the Shock were just too good on this night. Spokane finished a perfect half with a five-play scoring drive that ended with Adron Tennell's second touchdown run and Jeff Soloman intercepting Mitch Mustain's deep ball; Russ Michna was injured on his touchdown run and did not return. San Jose began the second half with a nine-play drive that took of nearly six minutes, but resulted in no points via a turnover on downs. Erik Meyer put the game away by directing a seven-play, 27-yard drive that he finished with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Soloman to make it a commanding 48-16 lead midway through the third. San Jose outcored Spokane 29-27 the rest of the way, but obviously that was not enough to cut into the margin. The top-ranked Sabercat defense allowed over 40 points for the first time since week four, when they surrendered 69 to Spokane in a loss. The Shock have now won three in a row and sweep the season series with a masterful 75-45 romp of a division rival; San Jose's five-game win streak came to an end.

Stat Leaders:
San Jose (7-4)                                                 Spokane (8-3) 
Russ Michna 12-21, 127 yds, Rush TD, Int    Erik Meyer 9-18, 145 yds, 4TD, Rush TD
Mitch Mustain 14-25, 173 yds, 3 TD, Int       Adron Tennell 5 rec, 64 yds, 3 Rush TD
Jason Willis 10 rec, 152 yds, 3 TD                 Brandon Thompkins 5 rec, 86 yds, 4 TD
Fred Williams 12 rec, 120 yds, Rush TD       Jeff Soloman 9-yd TD rec, 10 tackles, FR, Int
Francis Maka blocked PAT                            Terrance Sanders 8 tackles, Int-ret TD
Clevan Thomas 3 tackles, Def-two points      Beau Bell 2 sacks

San Antonio Talons 42, Utah Blaze 41

On a special AFL Monday Night game, the Talons played host to the Blaze in a matchup of 4-5 teams.
Utah opened the game with the ball and Tommy Grady came out slinging, completing his all seven passes on his first two series. The first drive resulted in a seven-yard touchdown to Chase Deadder, but D.J. Stephens sparked the home crowd with a 56-yard kick-return touchdown. The second series ended when Jamar Ransom forced and recovered a fumble. Xavier Lee, who made his first start for the Talons, took advantage of the turnover and scored on a one-yard a quick three plays later. Grady continued his hot start, but another wide receiver fumble gave the Talon defense a second straight stop. The Utah defense got the stop right back when Tony Tatum intercepted Lee at the two-yard line, to end a six-play drive by San Antonio. The Blaze offense responded with a five-play, 48-yard drive that tied the game with Ben Stallings' one-yard touchdown run. Utah quickly retook the lead on the next play when David Hyland made the second interception of Lee and returned it sixteen yards for a touchdown. The Blaze looked primed to take complete control when they forced a four-and-out and San Antonio's eight-yard line, but Sale Key saved the threat when he intercepted Tommy Grady in the end zone. Xavier Lee quickly completed back-to-back passes to D.J. Stephens, the second of which a 33-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21 with 4:38 left in the first half. Tommy Grady led a six-play, 45-yard drive that ended on Aaron LeSue's ten-yard touchdown that gave the Blaze a 28-21 lead at the break. The Talons didn't trail for long as Xavier Lee tied the game on the first play of the third quarter with a 42-yard deep ball to Jomo Wilson. A nine-play, seven-minute drive by Utah turned to shambles when Joe Sykes sacked Grady on first-and-goal and the D-Line caused immense pressure on the next three throws to get the turnover on downs. A quick four-play, 35-yard drive reclaimed the lead for San Antonio when Sale Key was the recipient of an eight-yard touchdown grab. Utah's offensive woes continued when another lengthy drive ended in nothing on the second play of the fourth quarter when Andre Jones made an end-zone interception, but once again the Blaze defense came up big with a crucial four-and-out deep in San Antonio territory. Three plays later, Tommy Grady tied the game with a thirteen-yard strike to Mario Urrutia. Xavier Lee and the Talons answered with an eight-play, 40-yard drive that spanned over six minutes to take a 42-35 lead on Jomo Wilson's six-yard touchdown catch. Aaron LeSue quickly got the Blaze in striking distance with a 42-yard return on the ensuing kick. Tommy Grady and Chase Deadder hooked up for two completions good for fifteen yards and a first-and-goal with one minute remaining. Ben Stallings took a toss and rumbled four yards into the end zone to score with 56 seconds left. Being on the road and done by one, Ron James elected to go for two. His decision did not pay off as Stallings was stuffed a yard shy of the goal. San Antonio recoevered the ensuing onside kick and between Chad Cook and Xavier Lee the Talons were able to run out the remaining time to lock up a tight-fought 42-41 home victory. Utah falls to 4-6 with back-to-back one-point losses, while the Talons return to .500 with a 5-5 mark.

Stat Leaders:
Utah (4-6)                                                        San Antonio (5-5)
Tommy Grady 25-36, 248 yds, 3TD, 2 Int      Xavier Lee 16-30, 207 yds, 4TD,
Ben Stallings 5 rush, 9 yds, 2 TD                                          2 Int, 11 rush yds, TD
Mario Urrutia 13 rec, 101 yds, TD                   D.J. Stephens 5 rec, 80 yds, TD, kick-ret TD
Braylon Bell 5 rec, 84 yds                                Jomo Wilson 5 rec, 78 yds, 2 TD
Chase Deadder 5 rec, 41 yds, TD                     Sale Key 5 rec, 33 yds, TD
David Hyland 9 tackles, Int-ret TD                  Jamar Ransom 10 tackles, FF, FR
Kyle Brotzman 5-5 PAT                                  Carlton Brown 8 tackles, FF, FR
                                                                          Talon D: 4 turnovers, 3 sacks
                                                                          Stefan Demos 6-6 PAT, 0-1 FG

Week 11 Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week: Carson Coffman, Chicago QB
- Without a doubt, Carson Coffman had his best game of 2013 in week elevan. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 281 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the Rush to a 63-55 road win in a hostile environment in Orlando. The Rush improved to 6-5 and hold a 1/2 game lead for first in the central division.       

Defensive Player of the Week: Mike Lewis, Iowa DE
- Mike Lewis had a monster week eleven. He racked up 3.5 sacks and forced a fumble against the most mobile quarterback in the AFL. Despite his efforts, the 'Stormers dropped a close game on the final play to Tampa Bay. Iowa sits at 4-7 and needs to string together some wins if they are to sneak into the 2013 playoffs.

Playmaker of the Week: Cameron McGlenn, New Orleans DB
- Cameron McGlenn helped seal New Orleans' second win of the season with two interceptions in the fourth quarter, returning one of them for a touchdown. The VooDoo played their best game of the season, which turned out to be a 69-40 win. Despite being 2-8 the VooDoo are only one game out of a playoff spot in the American Conference, and who knows maybe they have found something that can salvage this season.
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