Defenders Drop a Wild One 44-50
March 17, 2014 - Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL)
Oklahoma Defenders News Release
Tulsa, OK-It was a battle of the unbeaten on Sunday afternoon as the 2-0 Oklahoma Defenders hosted the 1-0 defending league champion Wichita Wild at the Cox Business Center.
The Defenders came into Sunday's game fresh off a come-from-behind 56-49 win over the Dodge City Law last Saturday. The Wild started their season last week and defeated Lincoln 62-10.
The Defenders had a slow start this game; the first quarter was all Wichita. The Wild Quarterback connected three times to give the visitors a quick 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Defenders were stalled by a three-and-out on their first possession and an interception of Defenders Quarterback Brady May ended their second.
WR Jeff Hughley scores in the Second Quarter. Photos courtesy of Kevin Pyle/Brett Rojo.
The Defenders did not score their first points until 28 seconds had elapsed off the clock in the second quarter, when May found Jeff Hughley on a 19-yard pass for the Defenders first touchdown. Five minutes later, after a missed 40-yard field goal attempt by Wichita, May hit WR Hubert Anyiam on a 22-yard strike to cut the Wild lead to just seven points at 21-14.
The Wild connected on a 17-yard boot to extend the Wichita lead to ten points. The Defenders kicker Tommy Frevert split the uprights from 35 yards out to cut the Wild advantage back to seven points at 24-17. The Wild and Defenders would trade touchdowns to end the half, with Wichita sprinting 37-yards in for a score and Defenders QB May hitting Isiah Anderson from 21-yards out, to end the half with the Wild up 31-24.
After a relatively uneventful third quarter where the two teams would again trade scores, the Oklahoma Defenders showed the outstanding character they are getting to be known for when they managed to tie the score at 38 all when Kingjack Washington hauled in an 11-yard pass from May with 12:56 remaining on the clock.
The Wild scored again to give Wichita a nine-point lead at 47-38. Then, Brady May found WR Packy Jones on a 24-yard pass to cut the lead to three points at 47-44. An attempt to tack on the extra point and cut the lead to just two points was foiled by a mishandled snap. After recovering the onside kick by the Defenders, the Wild punched in another 20-yard field goal to seal the game for the Wild at 50-44.
DL Ki'Ounta Cathey & DL Faafetai Te'o team up on a tackle. Photos courtesy of Kevin Pyle/Brett Rojo.
While a loss is never a good thing, the character of the Oklahoma Defenders shone through as they battled the Wild for a complete game. Losing to a team that hung a pair of 60+ point drubbings last season is a phenomenal achievement given the maturity of the teams.
"We started a rookie quarterback tonight and he played well. I don't have any regrets from how this game turned out and I don't believe in moral victories. We just need to put this behind us and get ready for Sioux City," Rasmussen said.
His rookie quarterback, Brady May, was thrust into the starting role after Zach Rasmussen pulled up injured after the win in Dodge City on March 8. May threw 18 completions on 31 attempts for 202 yards and six touchdowns in the game, marred only by two interceptions.
Jeff Hughley had a great game on Sunday afternoon, notching two touchdowns and racked up 146 all-purpose yards. Packy Jones caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. Kingjack Washington rushed for 15 yards and caught the touchdown pass that tied the game early in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Defenders were led by Sam Proctor, who made eight unassisted tackles. Ronnell Lewis made six stops.
The next game for the Oklahoma Defenders will be this Saturday, March 22nd when they take on the Sioux City Bandits for the first time since 2012. The game will be at 7:05pm at the Cox Business Center.
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Champions Professional Indoor Football League Stories from March 17, 2014
- Defenders Drop a Wild One 44-50 - Oklahoma Defenders
- Havrilla Returns to Dodge City Law - Dodge City Law
- Haymakers Beat Edge in Final Seconds - Lincoln Haymakers
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