Colorado defeats Kats
April 1, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
The Nashville Kats' road woes continued at Denver on Saturday night, falling 77-47 to the Colorado Crush. The Kats (6-4) now fall one game behind the defending champion Crush (7-3) in the Central Division and in the race for the top seed in the American Conference playoffs.
Colorado's John Dutton completed 26-of-41 for 270 yards and a personal-best nine TD's in a game that was tied after one quarter but quickly got out of hand in the second period.
With the game knotted at 14 at the start of the second quarter, Dutton and the Crush went to work right away. The veteran quarterback hit Ahmad Hawkins for a 17-yard TD on the first play of the period. Colorado's defense allowed the Crush to add to its lead by stopping the Kats on each of their two possessions in the quarter, once on downs and once on an interception in the end zone. The offense made Nashville pay for its mistakes, as Dutton connected for two more TD passes before the half, giving Colorado a 35-14 edge at the break.
Nashville's offense finally got untracked in the second half, scoring twice on their first three plays. Frank Carter scored on a one-yard run and T.T. Toliver caught a 41-yard TD pass to give the visitors a ray of hope. But the red-hot Crush attack never let the Kats grab the momentum for long, matching both of those scores and adding another after Nashville QB Leon Murray threw his second of four interceptions on the night.
Murray struggled all night, completing 15-of-27 passes for 286 yards and five scores. Two of his TD throws went to rookie Alonzo Nix, who finished with five receptions for 94 yards, while T.T. Toliver grabbed four passes for 129 yards and two TD's.
Dutton, who led the Crush to scores on 11 of their 13 offensive possessions, hooked up with favorite receiver Damian Harrell 12 times for 134 yards and five touchdowns. Hawkins also had a big night, catching seven passes for 61 yards and two TD's.
Nashville's defense, which has led the league in scoring defense and total defense for much of the year, could not find an answer for Colorado, giving up a franchise-high 77 points. But the defense's bad night was just one symptom of the team's problems. The Kats were flagged a total of 16 times for 86 yards on the night, and turned the ball over five times. The 30-point defeat was the worst in Kats history.
One bright spot for the Kats was Jarrick Hillery, who returned a third-quarter kickoff 57 yards for a score.
The Kats return to action next Sunday at Las Vegas.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 1, 2006
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- Desperados Continue Winning Streak in the Community with Visit to Boys & Girls Club - Dallas Desperados
- Desperados intercept three Destroyers passes en route to Eastern Division win - Columbus Destroyers
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