Close Games Now The Expectation As Week 4 Of United Football League Action Returns To Las Vegas, Har
Published on October 5, 2010 under United Football League (UFL 1) News Release
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - The United Football League excitement rolls back into Las Vegas, Nevada, and Hartford, Connecticut, for a pair of intriguing Week 4 games. And if the season so far is any kind of an indicator, fans at Sam Boyd Stadium and Rentschler Field will be in for last-minute down to the wire finishes, which have become the norm in the UFL this season.
On Friday night, the first-place Omaha Nighthawks (2-0) travel to Las Vegas to take on the resurgent Locomotives (1-1) in the first road game in Nighthawks' history, after the franchise posted back-to-back sellout crowds at Rosenblatt Stadium. The question on everyone's mind is can the Nighthawks pull out a third successive win without 23,000 home fans screaming them to victory? Or can the Locos add to their road success in Florida with a win on home soil?
HDNet will provide all the answers in a live broadcast at 7pm local time / 10pm Eastern as PAUL MAGUIRE and KENNY RICE call the action from the booth and RON KRUCK and PAUL CRANE take UFL viewers where no other professional football outdoor league dares - onto the sidelines for in-game interviews with the players who make the plays and into the locker rooms pregame and at halftime. The HDNet pregame show kicks off the action at 6.30pm PDT / 9.30pm EDT.
Las Vegas returns home following a dramatic last-second 20-17 road win at heated rival Florida, facing opposition other than the Tuskers for the first time in four games. Head coach JIM FASSEL has a familiar offensive weapon back in the fold in running back DEDE DORSEY. Recently released by the Detroit Lions, the MVP of the 2009 UFL Championship game made his 2010 debut with a performance that earned UFL Player of the Week honors, rushing and receiving for a combined record 204 all-purpose yards.
An Omaha victory guarantees that the Nighthawks remain alone in first place, while a Locos win would put them into a first-place tie just two weeks after being in last place.
On Saturday afternoon the Hartford Colonials (1-1) and Florida Tuskers (1-2) face off at Rentschler Field in a battle between two quarterbacks who are potential game-winners as they have proved already this season.
JOSH McCOWN leads the league with a 137.4 passer rating, while BROOKS BOLLINGER, the 2009 UFL Player of the Year, has thrown for more yards than any other quarterback in the UFL with 832 - outshining the likes of DAUNTE CULPEPPER and JEFF GARCIA. Hartford is coming off a bye week, while Florida has lost back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history, but by a combined total of only seven points. This will be the first of two straight home games for the Colonials, while the Tuskers will end a stretch of three road games in four overall contests to start 2010.
Catch all the action life from East Hartford on Versus as CRAIG MINERVINI and DOUG FLUTIE are joined by the sideline pair of RYAN NECE and DAMON HACK at 3pm EDT.
"The caliber of play has been tremendous," says Flutie of the 2010 UFL season. "It's been a joy to do the games that last two years. It's been exceptional play."
Evaluating the Tuskers quarterback whose accuracy led Florida to victory last week, Flutie added: "We were all amazed that Brooks Bollinger, after the season he had, didn't get signed and jump back into the NFL."
The Sacramento Mountain Lions (1-2) have the Week 4 bye.
*************************************************
LIVE STREAMING
Can't get away from work to catch kickoff or get home to switch on the TV to watch the UFL in Week 4? Then take advantage of the live streaming options offered by the official UFL-Football.com website, Versus.com, Fanhouse.com and Boxee.TV to enjoy live online viewing. There are no excuses for missing all the UFL has to offer, even if it means sneaking on a pair of headphones while sitting at your workstation.
*************************************************
IT'S ALL ABOUT A BETTER PRODUCT
It's one thing to say the UFL product has gotten better in the last 12 months. It's another thing to prove it.
The difference in play from the first three weeks of the 2009 Premiere season to the first three weeks of the 2010 season is extensive:
CATEGORY 2009 2010
Number of games 5 6
Average score 30.4-11.8 24.2-18.3
Games decided by 7 points or less 0 5
Games decided by 3 points or less 0 3
Average attendance 11,203 16,504
*************************************************
THE BEST OF THE BEST FROM WEEK 3
Las Vegas running back DeDe Dorsey (offense), Las Vegas defensive end Eric Henderson (defense) and Sacramento punter Tom Malone (special teams) are the UFL Players of the Week for Week 3.
Watch the UFL Week 3 recap on the website.
Dorsey had arguably the best individual single-game performance in United Football History in Week 3, setting many new UFL standards in the Locomotives' 20-17 win at the Florida Tuskers. In his first game back with the team after an NFL training camp stint with the Detroit Lions, Dorsey became the first UFL player to both run (99) and catch (105) for more than 90 yards in a game, he became the first UFL running back with a 100-yard receiving game and he broke the UFL single-game all-purpose yards record (204).
Henderson, the UFL sack co-leader in 2009, recorded a pair of sacks to go with two solo tackles and a forced fumble in the Locos' 20-17 win in Week 3 at Florida. Henderson's three sacks in 2009 were tied for the league lead, and his five career sacks are the UFL career record.
Malone set a new UFL single-game record for punts downed inside the 20-yard line with four in the Mountain Lions' 20-17 loss in Week 3 at Omaha. Four of his seven overall punts pinned the Nighthawks deep, and his eight punts inside the 20 so far this season already ties the UFL single-season record.
UFL WEEK 4 SCHEDULE (All times local)
Friday, Oct. 8 Saturday, Oct. 9
Omaha at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. (HDNet) Florida at Hartford, 3 p.m. (Versus)
Pregame show airs at 6:30 p.m.
Bye Week
Sacramento
UFL WEEK 4 PREVIEWS
Omaha Nighthawks (2-0) at Las Vegas Locomotives (1-1) - Friday, October 8, 7 p.m. Pacific
ALL-TIME SERIES: First-ever meeting.
BROADCAST: HDNet - Kenny Rice (play-by-play), Paul Maguire (analyst), Ron Kruck and Paul Crane (sideline).
NOTES: Omaha quarterback JEFF GARCIA is 14-for-26 for 160 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of games this season... Nighthawks wide receiver ROBERT FERGUSON has 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in the last six quarters... Omaha middle linebacker NICK GREISEN has 18 total tackles and five tackles for loss through two games... Nighthawks running back SHAUD WILLIAMS is averaging 11 yards on four punt returns and 22.5 yards on four kickoff returns... Las Vegas quarterback TIM RATTAY (324 yards) had the franchise's first 300-yard passing game in Week 3... Middle linebacker ED HARTWELL has 14 total tackles in his first two UFL games... The Locos' five sacks in the Week 3 victory were a franchise record.
Florida Tuskers (1-2) at Hartford Colonials (1-1) - Saturday, October 9, 3 p.m. Eastern
ALL-TIME SERIES: Florida 2, Hartford 0.
LAST MEETING: Florida 24, New York Sentinels 6 (November 12, 2009).
BROADCAST: Versus - Craig Minervini (play-by-play), Doug Flutie (analyst), Ryan Nece and Damon Hack (sideline).
NOTES: Florida running back DOMINIC RHODES has four touchdowns, and has scored at least one in all three games this season... Tuskers running back AVEION CASON averages 15 yards on seven punt returns and has 233 all-purpose yards this season... Florida defensive end JOE CLERMOND already has set a UFL and Tuskers single-season record with 3 1/2 sacks in three games... Tuskers punter KEN PARRISH is averaging 43.7 yards per punt, and has seven punts inside the 20-yard line... Hartford quarterback JOSH McCOWN completed a league-record 88 percent (22-of-25) of his passes in Week 2... Colonials running back ANDRE DIXON had 21 carries in each of the first two games of the season... Hartford middle linebacker FRANZ JOSEPH had 10 total tackles and a pass breakup in Week 2.
United Football League Stories from October 5, 2010
- Hartford Colonials Game Notes - Hartford Colonials
- Close Games Now The Expectation As Week 4 Of United Football League Action Returns To Las Vegas, Har - UFL 1
- Returning Locos Running Back Dorsey Wins Player Of Week 3 Award - UFL 1
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.
