Cudas Upset Thunder 54-50
March 25, 2008 - Intense Football League (Intense)
Frisco Thunder News Release
FRISCO, Tex. (March 22, 2008) -- In a game that was equal parts heartbreaking and frustrating, the Frisco Thunder lost to the CenTex Barracudas 54-50 before a raucous Saturday night crowd of 1,733 at the Deja Blue Arena in the Dr. Pepper StarCenter.
The Thunder led for most of the game but CenTex never rolled over, always came back and made the plays they needed to steal a precious win on the road. Bart Gloyd's daring 3 yard scramble to the goal line with 6 seconds left proved to be the game-winner in the season opening game for the Barracudas, who were 2-12 last season.
The Thunder slipped to 3-1.
The game was turbo-charged from the beginning by Olan Coleman who took the opening kickoff, found a hole up the right sideline and raced 47 yards for a score that put Centex up 7-0. Coleman posted a second return for a score later in the game.
"We knew going into this game how good Olan Coleman is,� said Thunder coach Troy Esprit. "We knew it was coming, prepared all week for what was coming but we just didn't execute on special teams tonight."
When the Thunder took over on offense, the contest appeared to be a mismatch. Cooper had a strong first quarter as he carved up the Barracuda defense by completing 4 of 5 passes with three touchdowns to three different receivers giving the Thunder a 21-14 lead after the first quarter.
Early in the game, CenTex had major issues moving the ball against the Thunder defense with any consistency due mainly to the beastly presence of linebacker Chris Glenn who racked up 3.5 sacks in the first half. Glenn rattled the cage of Gloyd all evening with pressure causing numerous passes to be thrown prematurely or wildly.
Just as the Thunder were ready to seize control of the game, they began to have quarterback issues of their own as the wheels of Cooper wobbled and then completely shot off the track. On consecutive possessions, CenTex intercepted Cooper passes in the end-zone negating chances to build momentum and extend the lead.
Given another chance deep inside CenTex territory late in the second quarter, Cooper temporarily found his bearings as he laced a beautiful pass to the inside shoulder of his receiver Guy Fernandez to put the Thunder up 28-20 with forty seconds left in the half.
Coleman officially earned nemesis status when he returned the ensuing kickoff back for another touchdown and pulled CenTex to within a point as the teams went to halftime with the score 28-27.
Dennis Hopovac's 35 yard field goal broadened the Thunder lead to 31-27 but that was the only score in the third quarter. Cooper's difficulties continued as he threw another interception at the CenTex goal line but newly acquired Thunder defensive back Marcus Stiggers returned the favor when he picked off of a Gloyd pass in the Thunder end zone.
The game was begging to be taken at this point and the Stiggers interception gave the Thunder much needed energy, a slice of momentum and the opportunity to toss the now pesky CenTex team out of the building. Faced with a third and ten from his own five yard line, Cooper threw a beautiful 45 yard dart that caught Fernandez in stride for his third receiving touchdown of the game to give the Thunder a 37-27 lead.
The Thunder defense which had played heroically began to buckle from the strain of carrying the team all night. A CenTex touchdown pass to Wade Kendrick made the score 37-34 but the recovery of the ensuing onside kickoff may have been the biggest play of the game. One play later Gloyd found Coleman all by himself for a 29 yard score to give CenTex a 40-37 lead with 8:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Like a pair of boxers trying to impress the judges at the end of a match, the two teams exchanged body blows in a flurry. The sizzling hand of Cooper (who finished 17 of 36) returned and a 5 yard pass to Jason Deml on Cooper's sixth passing touchdown of the game) made the score 44-40 with 6:40 left to play. Gloyd then needed one play and a wide-open Kendrick to make it 47-44. The Thunder grabbed the lead back at 50-47 on a two-yard run by Ricky Madison with 4:39 left.
CenTex then milked the clock and went on an 11 play drive culminated by Gloyd's touchdown in the waning moments. Throughout the final drive, Gloyd was more workmanlike than spectacular and simply took what the defense gave him. The winning touchdown run symbolized the evening for CenTex because nothing about it was artistic or stylish but it was effective.
"It was a game where special teams hurt us but that will be addressed immediately," Esprit said. "Considering the circumstances, I was proud of the way our defense played and once we get everybody on the same page, we'll get better."
Fernandez was named the Thunder�s offensive MVP, while LB Chris Glenn (4.5 TFL) was named Randy White�s BBQ defensive player of the game and KR Kevin Lenford (5-113) was named the Coach Joe�s Sports Grille Special Teams Player.
The Thunder hosts the Fairbanks Grizzlies next Saturday at 6 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (972) 731-6968 or visiting www.friscothunderifl.com BACK FROM AAFL, GLENN MAKES IMPACT ON DEFENSE
By Michael Boren Frisco HS RACC TV
FRISCO, Tex. (March 22, 2008) -- Team Texas would have had an awesome linebacking corps.
Chris Glenn made his debut Saturday with the Thunder against the Centex Barracudas, coming back to the team after the demise of the All-American Football League.
The William Jewel product briefly participated in the Thunder's pre-season training camp until being selected by Texas in the AAFL's supplemental draft.
He made an immediate impact: three first-half sacks en route to an Intense Football League record 4.5 tackles for loss.
Still, Glenn said he was nervous coming into Saturday night's game since he was used to playing outdoor football, but that he got into the rhythm of indoor play rather quickly.
"Once I got in the swing of things, football is football, so it wasn't that bad," said Glenn.
He said the Thunder was already more connected than Team Texas ever was.
"Those players didn't get much of a chance to bond with each other. This team really is forming together," Glenn said. "There's a lot of camaraderie that the other team may not have had."
Appreciative of the opportunity to play, Glenn simply wants to be a team player for the Thunder.
"I want to contribute where I can, make the tackles when I need to make my tackles [and] make my responsibilities," said Glenn.
newsletter
NOTEBOOK
MORE HAPPY RETURNS FOR LENFORD: Outshadowed by the efforts of CenTex's Omar Coleman was another solid effort by Kevin Lenford on returns. One week after being named the Intense Football League'ss special teams player of the week, Lenford actually had better numbers against CenTex than he did against Alaska, returning five kickoffs for 113 yards and three missed field goals for 97
ROTATING RECEIVERS: With Richard Morris (4 catches, 34 yards, 1 TD) having his quietest day of the season, Guy Fernandez stepped up with three touchdown catches. Each of the Thunder wide receivers has been the high point man in the receiving corp in at least one game this season. Jason Deml had a 4 TD game against San Angelo, Morris had two 4 TD games after that.
SHUTOUT: The Thunder defense posted its second quarter of the season by blanking CenTex in the third period. The other scoreless quarter by an opponent was San Angelo in the fourth period of the season opener.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: Frisco Mayor Mike Simpson was in attendance and was a halftime guest on the SportsKing's audio and video web casts ... Kudos to Thunder Dance Team Member Megan Bryson for filling in at the last minute to perform the National Anthem.
COACHES SHOW MONDAY NIGHT AT 8 PM Come by Coach Joe's Sports Grill at 8 p.m. for the weekly coaches featuring Troy Esprit and Thunder players as they break down Sunday's victory and preview next Sunday's game against Alaska.
Be a part of the show -- we'll have an audience Q&A in the audience and online. Use the Yahoo IM Sports.Kings to submit a question.
• Discuss this story on the Intense Football League message board...
Intense Football League Stories from March 25, 2008
- Thunder announces time change for April 13 game - Frisco Thunder
- Barracudas Bring Bite To Bell County Expo Center - CenTex Barracudas
- Cudas Upset Thunder 54-50 - Frisco Thunder
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
