Horsemen falter in second half, fall to Tupelo
May 6, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Kentucky Horsemen News Release
The Lexington Horsemen (3-2 overall, 3-0 division) dropped their second game in a row on April 24 as they fell to the Tupelo FireAnts 67-56 in Rupp Arena. After a spirited first half that ended with Lexington holding a 31-21 advantage, the FireAnts steadily chipped away at the Horsemen's lead in the third quarter, eventually tying the game at 41 on a Will Hall 1-yard run, followed by a 2-point conversion. With the game knotted at 41 at the start of the fourth quarter, Tupelo grabbed the lead with a 12-yard pass from Hall to David Mooneyham with 9:33 to go. Lexington quickly responded with a drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Dusty Bonner to Chad Spencer, tying the game at 48 with 6:45 remaining. However, Tupelo reeled off three consecutive scores to surge to a 64-48 lead with 1:52 on the clock, and held on to win the game.
Bonner finished the day 28 of 44 with 217 yards passing and six touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions on the day. Martez Johnson led the ground attack with 36 yards rushing on 12 carries, and also hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Bonner in the third quarter. Chad Spencer put in another fine effort receiving, catching eight passes for 57 yards and four touchdowns. Dougie Allen also had eight catches for 62 yards for the Horsemen.
Defensively, DB William Mulder paced the Horsemen with 8.0 total tackles on the night, while LB Chris Gayton chipped in with 5.5. DB Nate Green picked up another interception, bringing his total on the year to four, and LB Shan Housekeeper picked off a second-quarter Hall pass and ran it in from 9 yards out for a touchdown. DL Sylvester Peoples was a presence in the Tupelo backfield for much of the night, tallying 2.0 tackles for loss, including a 9-yard sack of Hall.
K Justin Hutton finished the night 2 of 3 in field goal attempts, hitting from 26 and 37 yards, and was 6 for 6 in PATs on the night.
HORSEMEN STATISTICAL LEADERS
Several Horsemen are among the league's statistical leaders this season. Dusty Bonner is currently third in the league in pass rating with a 108.5 figure, trailing only Utah's Danny Ragsdale and Fort Wayne's Antione Taylor. Bonner is also fourth overall in passing touchdowns (22) and sixth in passing yards per game (184.4). WR Chad Spencer is currently third in the league in receptions per game (7.75), and is tied for second in the league in receiving touchdowns, with 11. WR Dougie Allen, just as he did last season, is piling up the all-purpose yards, and is currently eighth in the NIFL with 587 total all-purpose yards on the year.
K Justin Hutton currently ranks tenth in scoring among kickers with 38 points on the season, and is sixth overall in PAT kicking, having made 26 of 29 attempts for an 89.7 percentage on the season.
Defensively, DB Nate Green is currently fourth in the NIFL in interceptions, having returned four picks for 60 yards and a touchdown. DL Sylvester Peoples is tied for fifth in the league in sacks, with 4.0 on the year.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT: WICHITA FALLS THUNDER
The Wichita Falls (TX) Thunder (1-4) come into Rupp off of a 60-47 loss to the Lake Charles Landsharks. The Thunder have struggled to put points on the board this season, averaging only 30.0 points per game (while giving up 46.0). Their lone win came two weeks ago, when they knocked off the Waco Marshals 39-32 in Waco.
The Thunder are led by WR Pierre Johnson, who currently ranks eighth in the NIFL in receiving yards, with 383 on the season. Johnson also leads the team in scoring, with 10 receiving touchdowns, and in all-purpose yards, averaging exactly 100 yards per game.
Defensively, the Thunder are led by LB Vince Kelly, who leads the team in tackles (27.0) and tackles for loss (3.5). The Horsemen will also have an eye on DB Larry Wright, who leads the team with six pass breakups.
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
Peoples lands tryout with Packers, Panthers of NFL; Horsemen celebrate Freedom Night for Thunder game
Horsemen DL Sylvester Peoples travels to Atlanta, GA today to participate in a three-day minicamp with the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Peoples, who is currently fifth in the NIFL in sacks with 4.0, will be evaluated and given further information about his NFL future on Sunday. He will not attend the Wichita Falls game.
The Horsemen will be hosting Freedom Night on Friday to salute the men and women of the armed forces before the game. Anyone who shows a military I.D. gets a lower-arena ticket for $7. Additionally, one lucky winner in attendance will take home a brand-new washer & dryer, sponsored by ADI.
The Horsemen game will be broadcast live at 7:30 PM EST on WLAP 630-AM. Jim Tirey and Ryan Lemond will have the call.
National Indoor Football League Stories from May 6, 2004
- Drillers ready for first place Houma this Saturday in Beaumont - Beaumont Drillers
- Bluecats âCatch the Busâ to face Believers - Evansville BlueCats
- Horsemen falter in second half, fall to Tupelo - Kentucky Horsemen
- Diesel vs. Beef â Round 2 - Tri-City Diesel
- Bluecats add All-American OL - Evansville BlueCats
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