Coyotes beat Talons, 64-63

May 8, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Central Valley Coyotes News Release


TULSA – The Central Valley Coyotes (4-1) scored on all but two offensive possessions on a record-setting night to beat the Tulsa Talons (3-2), 64-63 before a crowd of 5,027 at the Tulsa Convention Center.

The offensive shootout ended when Talon kicker Nick Browne's 40-yard field goal sailed right as time expired to seal the Coyote victory.

Quarterback Juston Wood connected on 28-of-43 passes for a career-high 396 yards and a franchise-record nine touchdowns to give Central their fourth win of the year and sole-possession of first place in the West Division.

"We told our team before the game that this would be a night that as coaches we were going to sit back and enjoy watching them play ball," head coach Fred Biletnikoff Jr. said. "Words cannot say how much fun our coaching staff had watching our players get us our fourth win."

The 396 yards passing was the most in franchise history and the seventh-most in af2 league history.

"We stuck together the entire game," Wood said. "I feel like we are starting to gel. This was a great win for us."

Wood's favorite target was offensive specialist George Williams, who tied a franchise record with 14 receptions and broke the franchise record for receiving yards in a game with 210. Williams scored four touchdowns in the scoring onslaught.

The first half opened with an early indication of a high-scoring affair as Tulsa offensive specialist Donovan Morgan caught the first of his six touchdowns on the first play from scrimmage.

His next one was a two-yard grab on fourth-and-goal that put the Talons up 13-7 after a missed extra point.

"We knew going in he was their go-to-guy," Biletnikoff Jr. said. "He really showed why he is one of the best players in the league."

The two teams continued to trade touchdowns during the first half until Gockman's 50-yard field attempt at the buzzer went wide right to keep the Coyote deficit to six, 33-28.

Tulsa opened the second half with their second consecutive stop and followed it with a 45-yard Nick Browne field goal that gave the Talons a 36-28 lead. It would be the last time the Talons defense was able to be successful as Coyotes would score five consecutive touchdowns on their final five possessions.

On the last play of the third quarter the Coyote's lost WR/DB Michael Duncan, who earned "Ironman of the Game" honors after an apparent shoulder injury.

After a ten minute delay due to Duncan's injury, Wood connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Williams less than a minute into the final quarter to bring the Coyotes to within two, at 43-41. The Coyotes faked the snap to holder Chad Munson, directing it to defensive specialist Josh Robinson who rushed it in for the two-point conversion to tie it at 43.

"It was a play that we worked on during the week," Biletnikoff Jr. said. "We didn't know if we were going to be in position to use it, but it was the perfect opportunity."

The teams would trade scores again after Tulsa QB Joshua Blankenship connected with Morgan for a 39-yard score while Wood answered with a 15-yarder to Williams to tie the game at 50.

"It was like the Morgan vs. Williams show for a while there," Biletnikoff Jr. said. "It was really great to watch two athletes rise to the occasion."

Blankenship found Finley again to give the Talons a six-point lead. Tulsa held a 56-50 lead as they were unable to convert the point after.

After the two teams traded touchdowns again, the Coyotes took control of the seesaw battle, 64-63, when John Gockman hit an extra point after a 33-yard DeRonn Finley touchdown catch with 17 seconds left in the game.

The Talons would get the ball back to attempt a 40-yard field goal after a roughing the passer penalty on Coyote lineman Micah Jackson-Sattler with five seconds to go.

Central Valley returns to home next week to take on the Rio Grande Valley Dorados on Saturday, May 14 at Selland Arena.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific) and the game can be heard on ESPN Radio 1430 AM.



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