Commandos survive second-half scare

Published on April 24, 2010 under Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Cincinnati Commandos News Release


It was a tale of two halves for the Commandos Saturday night at the Cincinnati Gardens.

After jumping out to a 24-0 lead en route to a 32-6 halftime edge, Cincinnati was outscored by the Miami Valley Silverbacks 44-26 in the second half, but held on 58-50 to remain undefeated at 5-0.

"I'm pretty disappointed in our performance," said Commandos head coach Billy Back. "We're 5-0, I'll take the win every time. But as a coach, I'm a perfectionist."

Miami Valley fought back from a 50-26 fourth-quarter deficit and cut Cincinnati's lead to six at 50-44 with 2:35 remaining in the game.

Commandos QB Ben Mauk responded by throwing a touchdown pass to WR Robert Redd two players later, pushing Cincinnati's lead to 58-44 with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter.

The Silverbacks quickly scored when QB Kyenes Mincy ran 24 yards to the end zone, making the score 58-50 with just 40 seconds remaining.

Miami Valley recovered the ensuing onside kick and returned it all the way inside the Cincinnati 10-yard line, but an illegal touching penalty nullified the play and gave the Commandos the ball.

With the Silverbacks in possession of several timeouts and Cincinnati K Travis Johnson inactive with a rib cage injury, the Commandos decided to go for the touchdown rather than opt to run out the clock.

This proved costly as Mauk threw his third interception of the season on a fade-pass intended for WR Dominick Goodman in the back of the end zone with 17 ticks left on the clock, giving Miami Valley one last opportunity to tie the score.

On Miami Valley's final drive, Mincy's first pass attempt was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Commandos LB Clayton Mullins made a diving catch for an interception to seal the victory for Cincinnati. Mullins finished the game with a game-high eight total tackles.

Mauk, who went 14-18 passing for 148 yards and seven touchdowns, including four to Redd, now has 27 TDs on the season.

"(Up until Mauk's interception) He did play a perfect game," said Back. "His series of play calls were perfect. When he called the plays on certain series, we moved the ball right down the field."

Due to the Johnson injury, the Commandos attempted nine two-point conversions, succeeding on only two of those attempts.

"We did leave six points on the field we should've had," Back said. "Which would've made it a different game. But you still can't say enough about the Silverbacks for what they did."

Mincy finished the game 10-24 passing for 102 yards, five touchdowns - including four in the second half - and two interceptions.

On the game's opening drive, Mauk started the night with his 21st touchdown pass of the season, firing a 4-yard dart to Redd.

Commandos DB Jeff Franklin recorded his fourth interception of the season after picking off Mincy on Miami Valley's opening drive.

Three plays later, Goodman made a one-handed grab in the back right corner of the end zone for his 10th score of the year to give Cincinnati a quick 12-0 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.

Defensive end James Spikes got to Mincy in the backfield twice and now has 9.5 sacks on the year, while DT Terrill Byrd added another sack, increasing his total to six.

Mauk extended the Commandos lead to 18-0 after racing 12 yards to the end zone with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

Miami Valley had a chance to get on the board early in the second quarter after driving to the Cincinnati 3-yard line. But after three Miami Valley pre-snap penalties, the Commandos defense preserved their early shutout by pushing the Silverbacks back to midfield and holding them on fourth down.

Wide receiver Brandon Boehm celebrated his 25th birthday by scoring his fifth touchdown of the season after he took a quick swing pass from Mauk two yards to the end zone with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter, increasing Cincinnati's lead to 24-0. Boehm later added another score with 5:07 left in the third quarter on a 31-yard pass from Mauk.

The Silverbacks temporarily stopped the bleeding with 3:07 left in the first half after Mincy found Adell Givens open for a 12-yard touchdown pass, making the score 24-6.

Mauk then calmy drove Cincinnati down the field and scored in four plays after tossing a 2-yard pass to Redd with 43 seconds left in the first half and increasing the lead to 32-6.

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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from April 24, 2010


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