Colorado at Dallas on ESPN2 Highlights Week 3 Schedule
March 12, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK - Home winning streaks, in-state rivalries and championship banner ceremonies highlight Week 3 in the Arena Football League as the Mitsubishi Motors Drive to ArenaBowl XXII New Orleans makes its way to the Lone Star State.
The Dallas Desperados (2-0), No. 1 in this week's AFLWA rankings, welcome the Colorado Crush (1-0), No. 8, to American Airlines Center on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday, March 17, at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2 HD, ESPN360.com).
Dallas defeated the Columbus Destroyers (0-2), 46-36, on Friday night as QB CHRIS SANDERS completed 21-of-34 passes for 268 yards with five touchdowns in his Desperados debut.
Dallas has won 30-of-34 regular-season contests, including 13 consecutive at home. The Desperados can become the third team in AFL history to win 14 consecutive home games with the victory, joining Orlando (1992-95) and San Jose (2001-03, 06-current).
Dallas WR/DB WILL PETTIS recorded six receptions for 47 yards with three touchdowns and returned a kickoff 40 yards for a touchdown as the Desperados defeated the visiting Crush, 77-58 in the final game of the 2007 regular season for both teams.
Coming off their bye week, Colorado looks to go 2-0 for the third time in the team's six-year history. Crush head coach MIKE DAILEY can become only the fourth coach in AFL history to win 100 regular-season games with a win.
Colorado QB JOHN DUTTON completed 25-of-38 passes for 259 yards and six touchdowns as the Crush defeated the Columbus Destroyers 50-47 in their home opener in Week 1.
Colorado is 1-1 all-time in Dallas with its 66-58 victory coming during its ArenaBowl XIX Championship season in 2005.
The Cleveland Gladiators (2-0), No. 5, make the 142-mile trek to Columbus to face the Destroyers (0-2) at Nationwide Arena for the inaugural "Battle of the Buckeye State" on Saturday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET (AFL NET, ESPN360.com, SportsTime Ohio - Live, CSN - Live).
Cleveland looks to begin its season 3-0 for the first time in the franchise's 12-year history. Gladiators QB RAYMOND PHILYAW completed 24-of-38 passes for 297 yards and six touchdowns as Cleveland defeated the Utah Blaze (0-2) 66-63 on Sunday.
Columbus hopes to end its four-game regular-season losing streak, all on the road, by returning to the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena where they have won five of their last eight contests.
The San Jose SaberCats (1-1), No. 7, welcome the Arizona Rattlers (1-1), No. 11, to HP Pavilion in a Mitsubishi Motors Western Division matchup on Saturday, March 15, at 10:30 p.m. ET (FSN Arizona - Delay, 10:30 PT, FSN Bay Area, 3/16 at 11:30 PT).
The SaberCats will officially raise the ArenaBowl XXI championship banner as former defensive coordinator and current Rattlers head coach KEVIN GUY makes his return.
San Jose hopes to extend their current home winning streak to 15 games with a victory, making them only the second team in AFL history to win 15 consecutive home contests (Orlando - 1992-95).
The SaberCats swept the Rattlers in 2007 for the second consecutive season and have won five of the last six meetings dating back to 2005.
San Jose QB MARK GRIEB completed 22-of-36 passes for 228 yards with six touchdowns as the SaberCats got their first win of the season with a 66-58 victory over the Grand Rapids Rampage (0-1) on Monday night.
Arizona hopes to bounce back from its 65-33 loss to the Los Angeles Avengers (2-0) on Monday night. With a win, the Rattlers can improve to 2-1 for the first time since 2002 and capture their first victory in San Jose since Week 16 of the 2004 season.
The Philadelphia Soul (2-0), No. 2, welcomes the New York Dragons (1-1), No. 10, to Wachovia Center on Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m. ET (MSG Plus, Delay, at 6:30 p.m. ET; CSN Philadelphia, Delay at 7 p.m. ET).
With their 60-49 victory over the Chicago Rush (1-1) on Sunday, the Soul have positioned themselves in a three-way tie atop the Mitsubishi Motors Eastern Division. A win on Sunday will secure Philadelphia's second consecutive 3-0 start.
Philadelphia has won four consecutive home contests since losing to New York, 69-49, in Week 11 in 2007.
The Dragons notched their first win of the season with a 50-47 victory over the Kansas City Brigade (0-2) on Sunday and can jockey for second place in the division with a win.
This week's other games include: Chicago at Grand Rapids and Utah at Orlando on Friday; Los Angeles at Georgia on Saturday; and Tampa Bay at New Orleans on Sunday.
AFLWA TOP TWELVE RANKINGS
RANKING TEAM POINTS 1 Dallas Desperados (10) 192
2 Philadelphia Soul (5) 188
3 Tampa Bay Storm (1) 168
4 Los Angeles Avengers (1) 153
5 Cleveland Gladiators 125
6 Chicago Rush 120
7 San Jose SaberCats 109
8 Colorado Crush 95
9 New Orleans VooDoo 59
10 New York Dragons 50
11 Arizona Rattlers 39
12 Georgia Force 11
Also receiving votes: Utah (9), Orlando (4), Kansas City (2), Grand Rapids (1), Columbus (1). Dropped out: Kansas City (11), Orlando (12)
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 12, 2008
- Rivals to meet as San Jose takes on Arizona - San Jose SaberCats
- Playoff-bound Rattlers to face rival San Jose - Arizona Rattlers
- 2008 LA Avengers on FSN PRIME TICKET - Los Angeles Avengers
- Colorado Head Coach Mike Dailey Goes For 100 Wins - AFL I
- Gladiators Announce Television Schedule - Cleveland Gladiators
- Colorado at Dallas on ESPN2 Highlights Week 3 Schedule - AFL I
- Dragons take opener in thrilling fashion - OSC Original by David Holusha
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