Speed Defense Grounds Greensboro
July 13, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Richmond Speed News Release
Richmond, Va- One down, two to go. Coming into Saturday nights game against Greensboro, Richmond controlled their own destiny win their last three games and earn home-field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Speed responded with a superb defensive effort and 27 unanswered second quarter points, rolling to a 46-21 win at Richmond Coliseum.
ADT Defensive Player of the Game OL/DL Walter Shelton keyed a ferocious pass rush, logging 1.5 tackles, an assist for a loss, 2 pass deflections, and several hits on Greensboro QB Travis Pender. Richmond notched 4 sacks for losses of 24 yards on the night, with WR/LB Tim Jones, OL/DL Patrick Heard, OL/DL Lawrence Lewis, and OL/DL Jason Jewell each logging one apiece. Jones led the Speed with 4.5 tackles (including 1.5 for losses of 10 yards) and added a 10-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Game MVP OS Jeff Townsley was a cut above, grabbing 6 receptions for 119 yards and 4 touchdowns including a 35-yard strike late in the second quarter. WR/DB Kevin Harvey added 4 catches for 36 yards, while rookie WR/DB Jay Dee Flynn caught 2 passes for 19 yards in his Speed debut. QB Bob Bees turned in 154 yards passing on 11-of-24 passing with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Greensboro decided to fight The Law and The Law won. Ironman of the Game OL/DL Lawrence Lewis continued his stellar play for the second straight week, catching an 18-yard touchdown pass to go with 2 tackles (1 for a loss of 5), a forced fumble, a blocked field goal attempt, and a 5-yard sack. Lewis is returning to his dominant form of 2000, a scary thought for opponents.
The Prowlers started out of the gate quickly, forcing Richmond to settle for a field goal attempt. WR/DB Walter Ford returned the missed kick by Geoff Groshelle 55 yards for a score to give Greensboro an early 7-0 lead. QB Travis Pender answered a TD catch by Lewis, with a 6-yard run for paydirt to give the Prowlers their second, and last, lead of the night.
In a word, the second quarter was a disaster for Greensboro. The Speed scored five straight touchdowns, four in the second and one in the third, turning a 14-7 deficit into a 40-14 lead. Townsley rattled off a natural hat trick with 3 consecutive strikes as Richmond outscored the Prowlers 34-0 over the course of 20 minutes and 47 seconds. The big difference was the play up front, as the Speed constantly forced Pender out of the pocket, knocking down 9 passes, sacking him 4 times, and hurrying him countless others.
With starting QB Chris Weibel unable to play significant minutes for Greensboro due to an injury suffered in last weeks loss to Norfolk, the Prowlers offense never got on track. Pender finished just 12-of-34 for 115 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception. WR/LB Antoine Calloway led Greensboro with 3 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. DS Jermaine Toney was the top defensive performer with 4.5 tackles, 2 pass break-ups, a blocked kick, and an interception.
Richmond now prepares for a season-defining showdown on the road next Friday against Atlantic Division-leading Cape Fear. The Wildcats and Speed are fighting for home-field advantage in an inevitable first-round showdown between the two clubs. Greensboro finishes their season on the road next week against Roanoke.
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