Brigade Puts It All Together In Dominant 65-31 Win Over Las Vegas Gladiators

April 8, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Kansas City Brigade News Release


LAS VEGAS (April 8) - In its second season, the Brigade has been slow starters, scoring only 34 first-quarter points in its first four games. Well, the fifth game at the Las Vegas Gladiators definitely signaled a change of course, in more ways than one. Kansas City put up 21 points in the opening quarter on its way to a record-setting 65-31 victory.

The Brigade, now 3-2, has a winning record in a season for the first time in its short history. The team returns to the Hangar next week to start a run of three straight Central Division games with the Grand Rapids Rampage on April 14 at 7 p.m.

The game began simply enough as the Kansas City defense limited the Gladiators to a 39-yard field goal on the opening drive. Then the Brigade just exploded for 34 unanswered points on four Raymond Philyaw touchdown passes and a two-yard scoring run by Dawan Moss, which occurred after Kansas City recovered a botched Gladiators kickoff return. The 31-point lead was the largest ever for the Brigade.

Las Vegas did its part in the first half, coughing up the ball four times and turning it over on downs once, which led to 27 Brigade points. The game slowed down after Kansas City's surge and the Gladiators put up 10 more points of their own. The Brigade would not be chased down, though, and responded with one final first-half touchdown for a 41-17 lead.

The story was offensive coordinator Chris Siegfried's unit demonstrating its full potential. Philyaw completed 12-of-14 attempts in the half with five touchdown passes. Charles Frederick was his favorite target, as the rookie standout scored on three of his seven receptions for 122 yards. Following a Brigade defensive stop on fourth-and-goal led by Jamarr Ward, Philyaw went to Frederick on a perfectly executed wide receiver screen in which Frederick moved around solid blocks by his teammates and broke away for a 42-yard touchdown.

Not one to be left out of the action, Jerel Myers scored on a highlight reel 38-yard touchdown of his own. It came after BJ Cohen recovered a Gladiators fumble on a rushing attempt in Kansas City territory. Philyaw wasted little time moving the offense, finding Myers on a deep out just an instant before the defender arrived. Myers broke the tackle and sauntered into the end zone.

The Brigade momentum continued in the second half as Myers nearly topped his great touchdown catch of the first half. Philyaw hit him on a short pattern along the boards, but Myers shook and shimmied his way around the entire Las Vegas secondary before collapsing at the one-inch line. Frederick capped the drive with his eighth touchdown run of the season for a 48-17 lead.

The Gladiators answered with a score of their own, but Kansas City had already proved it was ready to pile up the points. On a play the defense had seen before, the Brigade line collapsed and Philyaw tossed a deep pass off his back foot to a streaking Ira Gooch. The 29-yard scoring strike gave the team a 55-24 advantage with 3:24 left in the third quarter. Philyaw finished the contest 19-of-23 for 292 yards with six touchdowns.

Las Vegas started to put a drive together on its ensuing possession, but the Brigade defense stepped up as it had done the entire game. Veteran playmaker Kenny McEntyre saw a comeback route unfold in front of him and jumped it, returning the interception 28 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 62-24 lead as the third quarter expired.

As if the momentum was not already squarely in favor of the Brigade, the start of the final quarter certainly reinforced it. On the Gladiators first possession, quarterback Shaun King was flushed from the pocket and threw the ball deep in an attempt to throw it away. Unfortunately, DaShane Dennis was close enough to the ball to gather it in for another interception.

The scoring for Kansas City was capped by kicker Clay Rush, who connected on all but one extra point, with a 28-yard field goal with 2:00 left to play. The 65 points scored set a single-game franchise record and the 34-point difference is the largest ever for the Brigade.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 8, 2007


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