Hartford Colonials Preview

Published on November 9, 2010 under United Football League (UFL 1)
Florida Tuskers News Release


BERLIN, CT - The whistle blew for all to hear, piercing the chilly autumn air and signaling the start of practice.

As players moved into their respective groups, Hartford Colonials Head Coach Chris Palmer set the tone for Tuesday's two-hour workout at Sage Park.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Palmer shouted to no one in particular. "In case you guys don't know, this is a playoff game."

Thursday's game between the Colonials and Florida Tuskers at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando most certainly will have a playoff feel, especially to Hartford. The kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

The Colonials (2-4) need a victory to stay alive for a berth in the UFL Championship game Nov. 27 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. Defending champion Las Vegas (5-2) has already clinched a spot in the title game.

A win by Hartford over Florida (3-3) could set the stage for a potential "playoff game" for the Colonials when Las Vegas visits Rentschler Field on Nov. 20. And depending how Omaha (3-3) fares in its final two games, the Hartford-Las Vegas game could serve as a preview of the UFL Championship the following week.

"It's good to be in the hunt. But at the same time thinking about what can happen later does us no good if we don't take care of what's in front of us right now," Colonials running back Lorenzo Booker said.

What's behind the Colonials are four losses by an average of 5.5 points. That includes a 33-20 loss to Florida on Oct. 9, a game in which Hartford committed a season-high four turnovers, yet had a chance to win in the closing minutes. Trailing 26-20 with 2:24 left, Hartford had the ball on its own 34 but was stopped on downs before Florida sealed the victory with a late touchdown.

"We have unfinished business with Florida," Colonials linebacker Kenny Ingram said. "The first time we played them, we left a lot of corrections out on that field that we need to do. So this week is just about finishing unfinished business."

In the first game against Florida, Booker carried six times for 45 yards. Since then he has emerged as Hartford's leading rusher and one of the premier backs in the UFL. Booker has rushed for 295 yards on 49 carries over the last three games, including a UFL single-game record 147-yard performance in a 27-26 win over Sacramento on Oct. 30.

"We've got to look at the tape [of the first game against Floridaendbracket) and look at all the mistake we made, and we still had a chance to win the game," Booker said. "So we feel like if we cut out the mistakes, we'll be in a heck of a position to get another win. We haven't had back-to-back wins this season. I'd like to see what it feels like to win two in a row."

The Colonials, coming off a bye week, rallied to beat Sacramento 27-26 in Week 7. Hartford erased an early 14-0 deficit and trailed in the fourth quarter before pulling out the win on Taylor Mehlhaff's 22-yard field goal as time expired.

The victory ended a four-game losing streak by the Colonials and kept their championship hopes alive. It marked Hartford's second victory over Sacramento this season, which would have significant importance if the Colonials and Mountain Lions finished tied for second with Florida.

The way the schedule is set up the final two weeks, all three teams would finish 4-4 if Hartford wins its last two games and Omaha loses its final two. If that happens, the Colonials would advance to the UFL title game via the tiebreaker.

The UFL tiebreaker procedure states: "In the event of a three-way tie, a head-to-head tiebreaker will first be used to eliminate a team. For example, if three teams finish tied with a 4-4 record, they will be measured head to head within that group of three teams."

The tiebreaker would favor the Colonials because they'd have a 3-1 combined record against Sacramento and Florida. Sacramento is 2-2 and Florida would be 1-3. So Thursday's clash against Hartford is significant to the Tuskers.

"It's a huge game for us to get back into the thick of things," Colonials quarterback Ryan Perrilloux said. "So we're going to come out and play hard. It's going to be a big game for both of us. It's going to be a dogfight until the end."

The game will be broadcast on HDNet, which is carried on DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse. Fans also can view the game live at www.ufl-football.com

The Colonials play their final regular season game Nov. 20 against Las Vegas at Rentschler Field at 3:30 pm. For tickets, call 860-913-2300 or visit www.hartfordcolonials.com

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United Football League Stories from November 9, 2010


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