Copperheads improve by fall to af2 powerhouse Steeldogs
Published on May 3, 2007 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Texas Copperheads News Release
BIRMINGHAM- The Texas Copperheads fell 58-27 in their fifth game of the season at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in front of a rowdy crowd of 3,788 with a tough task as they faced a seasoned af2 veteran Alabama Steeldogs team.
The teams combined for a new af2 record of 24 penalties. The Copperheads continue to show improvement but 13 penalties for 103 yards hurt the team. Scott finished the game hitting on 19-of-31 passes for 172 yards and one interception. Eckert, who came in after the game was already decided, passed for 24 yards on 2-of-4 attempts. He also fumbled in the fourth.
The Copperheads scored first on a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jarrod Fuller from Scott to take a 6-0 lead. In the first drive, Scott brought more calamity behind the line of scrimmage than the personnel under center the previous four games.
The secondary continues to play soft for the Copperheads during the Steeldogs first drive went straight down the field as they scored with a short Jon Olinger touchdown pass from Mitch Tanney to tie the game at 5:19 left in the first quarter, Tanney went 3 for 5 passing on the first drive for the Steeldogs.
Gatto attempted a 56-yard field goal that fell short as the Steeldogs begin their second possession.
Bradley Chavez, a UAB product, grabbed a TD pass with 38.7 seconds left in the first quarter to grab their first lead of the game, 14-7.
The Copperheads, though, continued to hurt themselves as they committed four penalties a quarter and a half. Gatto's ensuing miss from 38 yards put him at 1-for-12 on the season.
Tanney connected again with a 10-yard pass to Chavez to push the score to a 21-7 advantage with 8:50 remaining until halftime.
Gatto misses another field goal attempt, this one a 33 yarder, to stall the drive as it sailed wide right over the nets at the four-minute mark.
A Nick Hayes kick for the Steeldogs is partially blocked and Fuller returns the kick for 50 plus yards to pull the Copperheads closer at 21-13 with 42 seconds in the second.
A late hit by Copperheads' defender Byron Hughley continued a late Steeldog drive with 11.4 seconds until halftime. Treveco Lucas sacked Tanney with four seconds until halftime, but Hayes hit a 33-yard field goal at the end of the half to give the Steeldogs a 24-14 lead.
The Steeldogs score on a 4-yard touchdown run by a big 300-plus-pound back Deon DeBoise from Jackson State for a 31-14 lead early in the third quarter.
Fuller took the Copperheads' first play of their second half drive for a 31-yard gain after a Steeldogs facemask penalty. A Ronald Dillon interception of a Scott pass ended well for the Snakes as Scott stripped the ball to regain possession.
The Copperheads then scored on a Patrick Norton 2-yard run for his second score of the season at the 6:48 mark in the third, but the Steeldogs struck back quickly on a 33-yard pass from Tanney to Olinger to regain a 17-point lead.
The Copperheads jump back into the game quickly after a 42-yard Fuller return and Norton's right side TD sweep against the pads.
Former All-SEC receiver Markeith Cooper from Auburn would take the short reception passes all night to pace most Steeldogs drives.
Steeldogs Tight End David Daniel added a touchdown pass to push the score to 45-27 early in the final quarter to put the game away.
The Copperheads, with a never-die-attitude, drove to the Steeldogs 3-yard line but failed on a fourth-down conversion as Fuller dropped a Scott pass in back of the end zone.
Cooper added another long TD reception later in the game as Eckert entered and fumbled on his second play from scrimmage. The Steeldogs capitalized with another score off the turnover.
The Copperheads return to action at home on Mother's Day, May 13, against the Laredo Lobos at the Berry Center, when all mothers get in free. The first 300 mothers will receive a free carnation compliments of Cy-Fair Floral Designs.
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