Graziani leads Avengers past Fury, 62-55
April 17, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback Tony Graziani threw for eight touchdowns and a career-high 359 yards to lead the Avengers past the Detroit Fury, 62-55, on Friday night at STAPLES Center before 11,125.
Graziani was 22-of-32 and three of his scoring tosses were to offensive specialist Chris Jackson, who finished with 10 receptions for 192 yards.
Los Angeles improved to 6-4 on the season, while Detroit fell to 4-6.
Graziani, who also ran for a touchdown, was selected as the "Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game." He has thrown for 64 touchdowns this season, against only one interception.
"Tony Graziani excels at playing against man-to-man coverage," Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss said. "What can I say? He played great and the pass protection was outstanding.
"With six more games, our back is against the wall," Hodgkiss added. "These are âmust win' games, even though we don't like to call them that. Nine wins might get us into the playoffs, but 10 wins is a must."
Los Angeles scored touchdowns on its first nine possessions of the game, until running out the final 19 seconds after fielding an onside kick attempt by Detroit.
The Fury received tremendous performances from fullback/linebacker Dawan Moss, who rushed for four touchdowns, and defensive specialist Ron Carpenter, who returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns.
"The things we need to fix are our kickoff coverage and pass defense," Hodgkiss said. "As a team, we needed to focus on our second half defense and âred zone' offense. In the AFL, there's no let up in the third and fourth quarters. There's lots of parity in the league and that makes it tough to compete."
The Avengers ran only 36 offensive plays in the game, but averaged a whopping 10.2 yards per snap. On the negative side, Los Angeles was called for 10 penalties and allowed 195 kickoff return yards (average of 24.4 yards).
After playing three consecutive home games, the Avengers will hit the road next weekend to face the Chicago Rush at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on Sunday, April 25. That contest will be televised on KNBC Channel 4 beginning at noon (Pacific).
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