Claymores Begin Two-Game Road Swing
May 21, 2003 - National Football League Europa (NFLE)
Scottish Claymores News Release
The Scottish Claymores (3-4) will travel to The Netherlands this week to play their first of two straight road games when they face the Amsterdam Admirals (3-4) Saturday night at the Amsterdam ArenA. The Claymores are trying to stay hot and keep their World Bowl aspirations alive after shutting out the Rhein Fire 33-0 last week in Glasgow. The Admirals come into the game riding high after defeating the Galaxy in Frankfurt last week 27-24. The Claymores are 1-2 away from Scotland this year, and the Admirals are also 1-2 at the ArenA. This will mark the 17th regular season meeting in the history of the teams, with each team winning eight of the previous 16 games. The Admirals hold a 5-3 edge in games played in Holland, but the Claymores have a three-game winning streak in the series, including a sweep last season. Saturday's game will be broadcast live in the United States on FOX Sports Net at 7:00 PM local time and 1:00 PM EDT. FOX Sports broadcaster Dave Pasch will handle the U.S. play-by-play, and he will be joined in the broadcast booth by analyst and New York Giants kick return specialist Brian Mitchell.
CLAYMORES INJURY REPORT
The Claymores head into Saturday's game with a clean bill of health, no injuries to report.
THE HEAD COACHES
Gene Dahlquist is on the Claymores' sideline for his third season, and currently carries a record of 12-15 (.444) as an NFLE head coach. The 60-year-old head coach brings 30 years college coaching experience to the Claymores and, before moving to NFL Europe, he most recently held the position as offensive passing game coordinator at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in 2000. Prior to joining John Robinson's staff at UNLV, Dahlquist served as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and receivers coach at the University of Texas from 1992-1997 where he helped direct the Longhorns to three Big XII Conference titles and three bowl appearances. From 1988-91, he was again the offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois, and steered the Fighting Illini offense to one Big Ten Championship and four Bowl appearances under head coach John Mackovic, helping to develop future NFL #1 pick, quarterback Jeff George. Prior to his stint at Illinois, he worked with close friend and former Claymores head coach Jim Criner for 10 years. The two coaches worked together at Iowa State University from 1983-86 and at Boise State University from 1977-82, where Dahlquist served as the offensive coordinator. Together, Dahlquist and Criner helped drive Boise State to five Big Sky Conference titles and one NCAA Division 1-AA National Championship. Prior to coaching at Boise State, Dahlquist was the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon from 1974-76 and quarterbacks coach at the University of Utah from 1971-73. He kicked off his coaching career as quarterbacks coach at Idaho State University from 1968-70. Dahlquist received his Master's Degree in Education from Idaho State University in 1974, graduating from the University of Arizona with his bachelor's degree in 1965, where he played college football as a quarterback and punter. Following his collegiate career, Dahlquist played professional football from 1965-66 as a quarterback and punter in the Continental Football League in the United States with the Norfolk Neptunes. Dahlquist, a native of Mount Prospect, Illinois, he and his wife Toni currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bart Andrus is also in his third year as head coach of the Amsterdam Admirals having led them to consecutive 4-6 seasons in his first two campaigns. He carries a career record of 11-16 (.407) into this week's game. Last year, Amsterdam boasted the league's number one red zone offense, scoring 16 touchdowns and seven field goals on 27 trips inside the 20-yard line. He guided the Admirals to a 4-6 record in 2001, narrowly missing out on a berth in World Bowl IX in the final regular season contest. Andrus spent the 2000 season as the offensive coordinator of the Rhein Fire, winning a World Bowl ring. His Fire offense topped the league in total yards gained and points scored. Prior to his appointment with the Fire, Andrus spent three seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans/Oilers, serving as an offensive assistant in 1997-98, and as the quarterbacks coach in 1999. He was a member of the Titans' coaching staff at Super Bowl XXXIV. Andrus has more than 10 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level including one season as the head coach of Rocky Mountain College. He received the 1996 NAIA Coach of the Year Award for his efforts in restructuring a program that had not won a game in four years. At the helm at Rocky Mountain, Andrus ended the season at 6-4 with his offense ranking first in the nation. Prior to his stint at Rocky Mountain, Andrus held the role of offensive coordinator at three different institutions, Southern Utah University (1993-95), Montana State (1990-91) and Humboldt State (1986-89). Andrus served as a graduate assistant at Brigham Young University in 1984 after a three-year position as head coach at St. Patrick High School in Vallejo, California. Andrus is a graduate of the University of Montana where he played quarterback for four years (1978-81). Born in Los Angeles on March 30, 1958, Andrus and his wife Karen are the parents of a daughter Brooke (15) and a on Travis (12).
QUOTES FROM THE COACH
Catching up with Claymores' Head Coach Gene Dahlquist for some of his latest thoughts:
(on the upcoming games with Amsterdam): "We have a chance to play away and then home against Amsterdam, so our series with them hasn't even started this season. They swept Frankfurt this season, which is a heck of an accomplishment, so they're dangerous. There's no doubt about that."
(on playing in the Amsterdam ArenA): "Amsterdam is always a tough place to place because their fans make so much noise. They may not have the biggest crowds in the league, but I think they are right up there with the loudest. With this game meaning so much to both sides, we expect them to be especially vocal this week, and we need to be ready for that."
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES QUOTES
RHEIN FIRE (0) AT SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (33)
MAY 18, 2003 â HAMPDEN PARK, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Head Coach Gene Dahlquist: "Defensively we got them off the field in a hurry. Our kicking game kept them pinned up with long fields, and offensively we scored enough points to win, and we scored on defense. It was a special effort by the players and the coaches. It was a good week of preparation and as a group we had good feelings about the game and it showed in how we went about our business and hopefully we will continue to do that in the future."
"I believe that when your back is against the wall, the right people find a way to get things done. There was a confident manner in the way our players went about their business today."
Quarterback Craig Nall: "We were focused. We've got to come out every week and play the way we did today. The defense did a great job of shutting them out. Overall it was a good effort by everybody. The defense got off the field, we had some guys make some good catches and the offensive line did a great job of giving us all day back there to decide who we wanted to throw the ball to which is key on a rainy day like this."
Wide Receiver John Minardi: "Our offense was running and throwing the ball so well that when the rain came, I know it was a struggle for everyone, but we were going to win the game rain or shine."
"We know we have to become a team that can put a winning streak together, especially since World Bowl is closing in. It's a big game next week, and I feel our team is coming together, which we showed today."
Cornerback Ronald Rogers: "We took last week's game upon ourselves, so we felt like if we came in this week and focused and go back to work and have fun, we would go out there and make plays and do our job. The last two weeks let us know what kind of team we are. If we play together offense, defense and special teams, we can beat anybody. But it goes both ways, if one part doesn't get it done, we could lose any game."
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES GAME NOTES: Claymores captains for game seven were QB Craig Nall, RB Ken Simonton, LB Yubrenal Isabelle and S Bobby Jackson... Temperature at game time was 54° F, (12° C), with cloudy skies and a forecast for scattered showers... The Claymores won the coin toss and elected to receive... Simonton took the opening kickoff three yards deep in the end zone and returned it 53 yards to the 50-yard line... After a three-and-out, P Kevin Stemke's punt was downed at the eight-yard line... A mishandled snap on Rhein's first play resulted in QB Nick Rolovich fumbling out of the back of his own end zone for a Claymores' safety, giving the Claymores a 2-0 lead with 13:20 left in the first half... S Robbie Robinson was credited with the tackle and safety... Nall hit WR John Minardi for a 13 yards and a first down at the Fire 49... TE Rod Trafford showed good concentration in grabbing a tipped ball for 10 yards and a first down at the 36... FB Mike Malan ran 12 yards up the middle for another first down... Nall then hit Minardi for 23 yards over the middle for a touchdown, and K Rob Hart's PAT made the score 9-0 with 10:09 to go in the first... The Fire drove downfield, primarily on the running of RB Frank Moreau... LB Isaac Keys stopped Autry Denson on a third down run, forcing a 43-yard field goal attempt, which Todd France missed wide to the right... Nall eluded a strong rush and found WR Edell Shepherd for a 10-yard gain and a first down at midfield... Scott McCready caught a pass from Nall for four yards and a first down... G Brandon Moore alertly pounced on a fumbled handoff... The Fire held, bringing out Stemke to punt, which was downed at the four-yard line... Denson ran for 27 yards out to the 31... The first quarter expired with the Claymores ahead 9-0... Denson cut through the defense for a gain of 14 on the first play of the second period... The Claymores forced a punt, but Tim Morgan dropped the ball inside the five, and it was downed at the Claymores' two-yard line... QB Shane Stafford took over on the Claymores' first possession of the second quarter... Stafford hit Minardi for 23 yards and a first down... An intentional grounding penalty on Stafford made his 15-yard pass to Minardi fall short of the first down marker, forcing a punt... Chris Greisen came on at quarterback for the Fire, and DE T.J. Bingham greeted him with a sack for a 10-yard loss... DE Robert Flickinger caught Moreau in the backfield for a loss of two on the next play... Three Claymores linemen stuffed an attempted draw play to Moreau six yards deep in the backfield, forcing a punt out of their own end zone... A kick catch interference call on Rhein gave the Claymores the ball at the Rhein 34 as the rain began to fall again, this time much harder... A holding penalty moved the team out of field goal range, forcing a punt that was downed inside the ten-yard line for the third time today... The Claymores held for two plays of no gain, and Rolovich had the ball slip out of his hands on a third down pass attempt, with DT DeVonte Peterson recovering the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown... Hart's PAT put the Claymores up 16-0 with 2:51 to play in the first half... CB Deveron Harper picked off Greisen at the Claymores' 32... Simonton gained 11 on the first play of the drive... The Claymores allowed the clock to run out, heading into the locker room with a 16-0 lead... Rolovich returned to quarterback the Fire in the third quarter... The Fire went three-and-out to start the second half... S James Rooths blocked Taylor's punt, giving the Claymores the ball at the Fire 13... Nall returned at QB for the Claymores... Simonton gained nine on the first play of the drive, but Nall was sacked on third-and-one for a five-yard loss by Abdual Howard... Hart booted a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-0 with 11:38 to go in the third... DE Radell Lockhart batted down a Rolovich pass attempt... DE Chris Ward pressured Rolovich into an overthrow on third down, forcing another Fire punt... The teams traded possessions of three-and-out... A low snap on the Rhein punt forced Morgan to run, but Keys forced him out of bounds to give the Claymores the ball at the Fire 32... Nall found Shepherd from 29 yards out for a touchdown pass on third down, and Hart's PAT put the Claymores up 26-0 with 4:44 to play in the quarter... After another Fire punt, RB Maurice Hicks ran for a 12-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter with the Claymores on top 26-0... Greisen returned for the Fire in the fourth quarter... The teams traded punts again, with Stemke's kick caught at the 16, his fifth punt inside the 20 on the day... The defense forced a turnover after forcing an incompletion on fourth down... Stafford returned at QB for the Claymores... Hicks ran for 15 yards to the Fire 30... Stafford found WR Anthony Bright for a 33-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 33-0 with 3:10 to play... Attendance for the game was 8,217... The Fire mounted one last drive to try to avoid being shut out for the first time in their history, but Swedish LB Jens Pettersson kept the shutout alive with an interception in the end zone with five seconds left on the clock... The Claymores knelt on the ball to run out the clock with a 33-0 win, the third shutout in team history, the largest margin in a Claymores' shutout and the first time the Fire had been shut out in their 87-game NFLE history.
2003 SCOTTISH CLAYMORES GAME SEVEN
Rhein Fire 0 at Scottish Claymores 33
May 18, 2003
Hampden Park
Glasgow - (Rainy, Cool) - The Scottish Claymores showed Sunday what the hometown fans have been looking for since the season opener with a 33-0 drubbing of the Rhein Fire on the sloppy field at Hampden Park. The Claymores ran their record to 3-4 and just one game out of a World Bowl position. The shutout was the first in NFL Europe this season, the first in the history of the Rhein Fire and just the third time that the Claymores defense has pitched a shutout, with this one being the largest margin. Defensive end Radell Lockhart collected game MVP honors for the Claymores, but the entire defense came together to put the clamps on a Fire team that had scored 34 points against Scotland last month in Germany. The slippery elements in Glasgow came to the Claymores' aid as they jumped on top early with a defensive score. After a Kevin Stemke punt was downed at the eight-yard line, Fire quarterback Nick Rolovich mishandled the snap on the first play and fumbled out of the back of the end zone. Strong safety Robbie Robinson was credited with the safety and the Scotsmen were ahead 2-0 less than two minutes into the game. The Claymores offense then took the ball on the ensuing drive and moved down the field behind Craig Nall's passing. He found John Minardi twice on the drive, including a 23-yard touchdown strike on a slant pattern. Rob Hart's extra point put the Claymores on top 9-0 with 10:09 to play in the first period. The second quarter was a defensive showcase for the Claymores as the defense scored for the second time on the day. T.J. Bingham greeted Rhein back-up quarterback Chris Greisen to the game with a sack, good for a loss of 10. The Claymores used their advantage in the field position battle to extend their lead. After Stemke dropped a punt inside the ten for the third time on the day, defensive tackle DeVonte Peterson jumped on a Greisen fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and a 16-0 lead. Cornerback Deveron Harper snuffed Rhein's attempt at a rally with an interception of Greisen on an attempted deep pass at the Claymores 32-yard line. The Claymores pushed on with a successful third period, led again by their defense and special teams. James Rooths broke through to block a Jay Taylor punt on the Fire's first possession of the second half. Hart converted a 27-yard field goal attempt to extend the lead to 19-0 with 11:38 to go in the third. The Fire's punting woes continued as a low snap forced Taylor to try and run for a first down, only to be stopped short. The Claymores took over at the 32, and Nall found Edell Shepherd three plays later for 29 yards to push the lead to 26-0 with just under five minutes to play in the period. The offense piled on the points and the defense stayed strong through the fourth quarter. As the rain continued to pour from the sky, Stafford returned at quarterback and hit Anthony Bright for a 33-yard touchdown pass, Bright's third scoring catch of the year. Rhein drove down the field trying to crack the score sheet with Greisen connecting on some intermediate passes. Linebacker Jens Pettersson stepped in front of a Greisen offering in the end zone and picked off the ball with just five seconds remaining on the clock. The Claymores knelt on the ball and the shutout was secure at 33-0.
National Football League Europa Stories from May 21, 2003
- F.C. Barcelona Dragons Game Notes - F.C. Barcelona Dragons
- Thunder Set to Grind it out with the Fire - Berlin Thunder
- Claymores Begin Two-Game Road Swing - Scottish Claymores
- Admirals Look to Keep Hopes Alive Versus Claymores - Amsterdam Admirals
- Dragons aim to maintain Bowl course - NFLE
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