Avengers beat Orlando in overtime, 44-37
March 12, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Avengers and Predators added yet another dramatic ending to their epic series, as the game's final play sealed L.A.'s 44-37 overtime victory on Monday night in front of a raucous crowd at Amway Arena and a national television audience on ESPN2.
Avenger defensive end Reggie Rhodes swatted a fourth-down Predator pass to seal the hard-fought victory for Los Angeles (1-1), which has a week off before continuing its three-game road swing. It was the fourth time in five games that an Avenger-Predator contest was determined on the final play.
"We knew we couldn't go into the bye week 0-2," said Avenger quarterback Sonny Cumbie, who finished 32-of-48 for 340 yards and five touchdowns. "We're tickled to come into such a hostile environment and get this type of win."
It was fitting that the game ended on a defensive knock down, as L.A.'s ball-hawking secondary and relentless pressure up front made it a tough night for Orlando quarterback Shane Stafford, who completed only 22 of his 46 pass attempts.
Although they never led in regulation, the Predators forced the overtime after Avenger kicker Remy Hamilton missed a 47-yarder, as time expired. He also missed a 29-yard attempt with under a minute left that could have closed the door on Orlando (1-1), which trailed by seven at the time.
The Predators tied the contest at 37-37 with six seconds left on a Stafford touchdown pass to Javarus Dudley.
Los Angeles opened the extra period with a scoring drive that was capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cumbie to Rob Turner. Hamilton's extra point gave the Avengers a seven-point lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss preached all week that Orlando's rounded end zones would pose a challenge for the visiting Avengers. They ended up being a challenge for both teams in a first half that saw only 27 total points.
"The pressure was the difference," said Avenger rookie cornerback James Bethea, who had a key pass deflection on Orlando's final possession. "Our confidence kept getting better through the game. It was a huge effort up front and in the backfield."
A key fourth-down conversion from Cumbie to receiver Lenzie Jackson deep in their territory with just over two minutes remaining seemed to preserve L.A.'s first victory of the year, but that wasn't the case, as Orlando got the ball back trailing by seven with 37 seconds left.
Taking a 17-10 lead into halftime, momentum seemed to swing against the Avengers on their first drive of the second half when Orlando recorded a red-zone stop after a misdirected pitch from Cumbie to Kevin Ingram was recovered by Predator linebacker Marlon Moye-Moore.
Despite the misfortune, the Avenger defense, which was tenacious throughout, responded with a stop of its own, forcing Orlando to give it up on downs inside L.A.'s 10-yard line.
After the consecutive stops, both offenses exploded with three touchdowns apiece.
L.A.'s first came when Kevin Ingram made an acrobatic, one-handed grab in the back of the end zone. The 22-yard strike seemed to be out of reach, but Ingram fully extended his right arm to bring it in. Hamilton's missed extra point kept the Avenger lead at 23-10.
"I did everything I could to get to that ball," said Ingram. "It was a play that all of the guys seemed to feed off of. It really gave our offense some confidence down the stretch."
Orlando returned the favor when Stafford found DeAndrew Rubin in the corner of the end zone on a 32-yard bomb. Rubin, like Ingram, also made a spectacular grab as he crashed against the rounded boards to trim L.A.'s lead to 23-17, with 3:20 to go in the third quarter.
Stafford connected with Rubin again, this time for 19 yards out, following a Cumbie touchdown pass to Turner, to make it 30-24, with 11:25 remaining.
The offensive fireworks continued when Ingram took a screen pass and turned it into a 27-yard touchdown to extend the L.A. lead back to 13 with 9:11 left, but the lead was cut quickly when Predator fullback Kevin Nagle added a rushing touchdown that made it 37-30 after a missed extra point.
The Avenger defense recorded a turnover on the game's opening possession, after forcing two fumbles on the same play.
After Stafford had a ball ripped from him on a rush, Nagle picked it up and tried to advance it, but another strip by Avenger defensive back Damen Wheeler gave teammate Bethea a chance to jump on it after it squirted past several players.
The Avengers jumped out to a 14-point lead, 17-3, after two consecutive touchdowns by Jackson. The first was a 17-yard strike from Cumbie, while the second was a rush from one yard out with just over 12 minutes left in the first half. The second score was set up after Wheeler forced another turnover with an interception.
Jackson led the Avengers with 11 catches for 124 yards.
The first half ended with a block of Hamilton's 25-yard field goal attempt by Predator lineman Charles Hill.
The Avengers, who enter their bye week, will return to action when they travel to New Orleans on March 24, to take on the VooDoo. The contest will kick off at 5 p.m. (PT) and can be heard on live KLAC AM 570.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 12, 2007
- Avengers beat Orlando in overtime, 44-37 - Los Angeles Avengers
- Preds lose in overtime - Orlando Predators
- ArenaBowl XXI Tickets on Sale - AFL I
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
