Raiders Dismantle Tarpons at Home
April 3, 2013 - Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL)
Lakeland Raiders News Release
After a rough loss to the Florida Tarpons 36-41 the previous game, the Raiders were out for a win Saturday night against the running league champs.
"Last week was a little bit of a travesty...It should be an even game [tonight]. We made adjustments without defensive backs; we also made some adjustments without protection. We have to protect our quarterback, we did a bad job protecting him last week; were going to go everything out protecting him," head coach, Michael Mink said before the Raiders took the field. They defeated the Tarpons for the first time, 52-40.
The first quarter started out with the Tarpons passing the ball on a third and 10 attempt for a gain of 30 yards, putting them in the end zone and on the board with 10:41 left in the quarter with a score of 0-6.
The Raiders responded on their first offensive play of the game, passing the ball from its 20-yard line after quarterback BJ Hall connected with wide receiver Josh Smith with 9:30 left in the quarter. Adrian Smith completed the two-point conversion to put the Raiders in the lead, 8-6.
Later in the half, Julius McClellan intercepted the ball on the Raiders 3-yard line for a turnover on downs, giving the Raiders control. Offense responded on a second and 15 attempt when Hall connected with Roderick Jefferson to score with 2:40 left in the first quarter. After a failed extra point attempt, the Raiders held the lead 14-6 where it would remain until the next quarter.
The Tarpons moved up on the Raiders on the first play of the second quarter when its quarterback connected with a receiver with 14:01 remaining in the half after they completed their field goal attempt, pulling the score to 14-13. The Tarpons struggled and attempted a fourth down field goal which ended up being received by Sam Smith who ran it to the Tarpon 20, then threw a lateral pass to Koreen Burch, who completed the run for a defensive touchdown, furthering the Raiders lead to 20-13 after a failed extra point attempt.
Defense held strong on the following Tarpon possession, ending the drive with a sack made by a host of Raiders resulting in a Tarpon turnover. The following play, Josh Smith connected with Hall from the Raiders 21-yard line to score, putting up six more points for the Raiders and ending all scoring for the half at 26-13.
The Tarpons were the first to score in the second quarter on a third and three attempt with 9:40 left in the third.
The Raiders responded scoring on a fourth and three passing attempt to Jefferson with 3:32 remaining on the board to bring the score to 32-20.
"Basically we brought in a couple of guys to fill in some spots," Jefferson said to account for the teams' performance this week in comparison to last week.
The Tarpons moved into the fourth quarter with momentum, posting another touchdown on a fourth and six pass with 12:48 remaining in the game, getting closer to the Raiders, 32-26.
The Raiders responded when on the first play of their offensive possession, McClellan connected with Hall for a touchdown with 9:51 on the clock, moving the score to 38-26.
The Tarpons fought back, scoring on a second and 10 attempt from the Raiders 12-yard line to get within four points of the Raiders, 38-34. Adrian Smith helped the Raiders move further ahead on a third and three attempt with 1:55 left on the clock to bring the score to 44-34.
The Tarpons made one final offensive effort for a touchdown with :44.5 seconds remaining in the game, which resulted in a score of 44-40.
The Raiders, posted the last touchdown of the night on a fourth a three attempt which was completed by Adrian Smith. The following two-point conversion was completed by McClellan to bring the final score to 52-40.
"Last week, we played timid. It helped to play at home. We really wanted this tonight; it's been on our backs the last few years. There was a certain sense of urgency for the win," Conor Reilly said.
The Raiders, now 3-1, will go on to face the Corpus Cristi Fury on April 12. "This puts us back in place for the number one seat, then it's Texas," Mink said.
The Raiders are taking steps towards the ultimate goal - a league championship.
Ultimate Indoor Football League Stories from April 3, 2013
- Raiders Dismantle Tarpons at Home - Lakeland Raiders
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