Firebirds Drop Second Straight; Eddie Brown Surpasses 12,000 Career Receiving Yards
March 2, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Albany/Indiana Firebirds News Release
Colorado quarterback John Dutton found WR/DB Charlie Davidson in the corner of the endzone with 49 seconds left in the game to propel the Crush to its first victory in franchise history over the Indiana Firebirds, 38-35, in front of 11,096 fans Sunday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Dutton completed 25-of-37 pass attempts for 279 yards and five touchdowns on his way to being named MVP of the contest. His favorite target on the afternoon was WR/LB Joe Douglass, who caught eight balls for 103 yards and two touchdowns on his way to Ironman of the Game honors.
Quarterback Craig Whelihan made his first start as a Firebird, completing 19-of-35 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. Rookie Terrance Blackwell led the âBirds in receiving with seven catches for 64 yards.
The Firebirds broke the scoring column on their first drive of the game after Craig Whelihan led the âBirds 40 yards down the field to the Colorado five yard line setting up a 19-yard field goal from kicker Clay Rush, giving the Firebirds an early 3-0 advantage.
The Crush got on the board in the final seconds of the first quarter when quarterback John Dutton completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to WR/LB Damon Bowers, giving Colorado a 7-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Dutton found Bowers on a crossing pattern and he was able to break a couple of would-be Firebird tacklers, bowling his way into the endzone for the score.
On the ensuing kickoff, Indiana's Evan Hlavacek gave the âBirds great field position when he returned the ball into Colorado territory to the Crush 23-yard line. On a third and four play from the nine yard-line, Whelihan's pass sailed over his intended receiver, setting up Rush's third field goal attempt of the first half. Rush promptly came on to hit a 23-yarder as the âBirds regained the lead 9-7 early in the second quarter. On the first play of the drive Whelihan found Eddie Brown who made a sliding catch for a ten-yard gain. With the reception, Brown surpassed 12,000 receiving yards for his career. The milestone was reached on the heels of receiving a commemorative football prior to the game for becoming only the second player in Arena Football League history to score over 2,000 points for his career. After trading touchdowns throughout the second quarter, the Crush were able to penetrate Firebirds' territory with less that a minute remaining in the first half. On a second and goal play from the two yard-line, Crush FB/LB Joey Dozier was met at the line of scrimmage by Donnie Caldwell and Shawn Forman who teamed up to drive Dozier back for a two-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, Colorado kicker Geoff Groshelle came on to hit a 19-yard field goal, giving the Crush the lead at halftime of a low-scoring affair, 17-15.
Colorado was able to extend their halftime lead on their first possession of the second half after converting on key third and fourth down plays. On fourth and three from the Colorado 20 yard-line, Dutton found Douglass for a ten-yard gain, prolonging the drive. After a couple of pass deflections by the Firebirds' defense, the Crush faced a third and eleven play from the Indiana 20 yard-line. Once again the Crush converted on the play when Dutton found Douglass in the back of the endzone for a Crush score. The reception was Douglass' second touchdown on the afternoon.
Blackwell put the âBirds in position to re-gain the lead after recovering a Dutton fumbled snap at the Colorado two yard-line. However, the Crush defense was up to the challenge and stopped the âBirds on four consecutive plays, taking over on downs.
Trailing midway through the fourth quarter, Whelihan and the âBirds orchestrated an impressive four-play 46-yard drive to pull within three points at 31-28 with ten minutes left in the game. The drive was capped of by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Whelihan to Leroy Thompson. The touchdown catch was Thompson's first on the season and only the third of his career.
After an impressive defensive stand by the Firebirds, Colorado decided to go for it on fourth and eight from their own seven yard-line. The Firebirds' defense stood firm and once again denied the Colorado offense, taking over on downs. The âBirds quickly took advantage of the turnover, scoring on their second play from scrimmage when Whelihan found Donnie Caldwell on a slant pattern, giving the âBirds their first lead since the first quarter.
The Crush had over three minutes to work with trailing by only four points. The Crush used up nearly the entire clock on their way to the game winning score, leaving the Firebirds 49 seconds left.
The âBirds had one last opportunity to tie or potentially win the game with less than one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. However, after dropping back to pass, Whelihan lost the ball during his throwing motion. After the ball bounced in and out of a number of players hands, Colorado's Adrian Lunsford eventually came up with the ball, sealing the win for Colorado.
The Firebirds travel to Orlando next Monday to face the Predators, who are the lone unbeaten team in the Arena Football League entering week six. The game will simulcast on ESPN 950 AM and WPZZ 95.9 "The Point" with kickoff scheduled for 7:30
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 2, 2003
- Firebirds Drop Second Straight; Eddie Brown Surpasses 12,000 Career Receiving Yards - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
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