Wildcatters Demolish the Crunch, Keep Home Record Perfect
May 17, 2010 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)
Lafayette Wildcatters News Release
The Lafayette Wildcatters (1-4) played host to the IIFA's North Texas Crunch (6-0) in the CajunDome on Sunday, March 16, for its second home game of the 2010 SIFL season.
North Texas won the toss, but deferred. Lafayette's Clyde Edwards then took in the opening kickoff, running it all the way to the Crunch 15-yard line. Lafayette quarterback Juan Joseph then found Tim Richmond in the corner of the endzone. Richmond's diving reception, followed by Sean Comiskey's successful PAT, made it 7-0 Lafayette with only 40 ticks off the clock.
Lafayette held North Texas on its first possession, and was marching up field, taking the ball all the way to the Crunch's four-yard line. Joseph helped the North Texas cause though, when Deonta Malcom intercepted his pass attempt on the three and ran it 47 yards for the touchdown. Pulling double duties, Crunch quarterback/kicker Chad Morrow put the PAT through the uprights to even the score at 7.
Lafayette began its third possession on its own 22 following a strong kickoff return by Jasper O'Quinn, and made it to the Crunch 22 when North Texas' Chad Lewis jumped off sides. Joseph then capped off the drive, hitting Clyde Edwards in the endzone. Comiskey tacked on the extra point, then drove the kickoff through the posts to make it 15-7 Wildcatters with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
The Crunch began its next possession on its own 1-yard line, but managed to get to midfield when Morrow found receiver Chris Lee open in the middle, though Lee was flattened by O'Quinn. Morrow followed up with a 31-yard field goal that made it 10-15 after one quarter of play.
Morrow's ensuing kick-off went wide right off the field of play, resulting in a free return. O'Quinn took full advantage of his down-field blockers, and brought the ball to the North Texas 15-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Joseph hit Gerard Landry on a 15-yard heave just over the goal line. Comiskey's PAT made it 22-10 Wildcatters.
Lafayette kept the Crunch offense gainless on its next possession, and managed a quick safety on a blocked Morrow kick that went through the back of the endzone that made it 24-10.
The Crunch held the Wildcatters to that 14-point lead for most of the second quarter until, with under a minute left in the half, former Louisiana State University fullback Steven Korte plunged into the endzone on a three-yard pitch to make it 31-10.
North Texas quickly turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, and Joseph took advantage of the gift, hitting Edwards on a 15-yard, first-down strike for a touchdown to get the Wildcatters into the locker room with a commanding 38-10 lead.
North Texas began the second half by marching down the field, but failed to score when Clarence Pendleton intercepted a Morrow pass on the Wildcatter goal line and ran the ball back to the Crunch 22-yard line. After the two teams exchanged fumbles, Lafayette had the ball on the North Texas 14. Two plays later, Joseph floated a pass to Edwards in the endzone and, after Comiskey's successful PAT, the score stood at 45-10 Lafayette.
On the ensuing possession, Lafayette's Mitch Craft recovered a fumbled Morrow completion, and Joseph made the Crunch pay when he hit Tim Richmond on a six-yard strike just over the goal line. Comiskey's PAT was good, and he sailed the kickoff through the uprights again to give Lafayette a seemingly insurmountable 53-10 lead.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Lafayette had it first and goal and scored the touchdown on another Korte run. Comiskey's PAT made it 60-10 Wildcatters.
After the ensuing kickoff and touchback, O'Quinn intercepted another Marrow pass, giving Lafayette the ball on the North Texas 13 yardline. Joseph then hit Clevan White on a seven-yard touchdown pass, and after Comiskey's kick the score was 67-10.
With 10:32 left to play, Morrow made an ill-advised pass, attempting to squeeze it past Pendleton in the endzone, but Pendleton turned and leaped for the interception. On the next play, Joseph again found White, who the Crunch defense appeared to have dead to rights. White reversed field on the play, though, evading would-be tacklers all the way down field to score and make it 74-10 home team.
On its next possession, the Crunch lucked out and found themselves on the Lafayette two-yard line on the basis of a questionable interference call in the endzone on O'Quinn. Morrow then lifted a floater over two Wildcatter defenders that found the outstretched hands of former Grambling State receiver Jesse Sheilds to make it 74-17. It was too little, too late though.
With 3:41 left on the clock, Lafayette's Rudy Johnson scored the game's final points on a three-yard run. North Texas did manage to get the ball down field, but Stephen Barrett sealed the deal, picking off Morrow for the fourth time in the endzone. Lafayette then had only to run down the clock, with the remaining Wildcatters faithful counting down the final seconds as the home team trounced the Crunch 81-17.
Joseph went 24-31 passing for 293 yards, with just the one lone interception. Edwards tallied up 9 receptions for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Richmond, White and Korte each following suit with 2 touchdowns apiece. The defense held North Texas to just 137 offensive yards, forcing 6 turnovers.
The Wildcatters (2-4) will look to keep its perfect home record intact as they take on SIFL foe the Greenville Force (2-3) on Monday, March 24 at the CajunDome. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m.; are you ready for some football?
Southern Indoor Football League Stories from May 17, 2010
- Wildcatters Demolish the Crunch, Keep Home Record Perfect - Lafayette Wildcatters
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