Locos Travel To Orlando For Rematch Of Season Opener
September 28, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Las Vegas Locomotives News Release
Game: 2
Las Vegas at Orlando
Citrus Bowl
Thursday, Sept. 30. 2010
Kickoff: 3 p.m. (PST)
TV: VERSUS
Radio: KBAD (AM 920)
2010 Locos Schedule
Date Opponent Time/Score
9/18 FLORIDA L, 27-20
9/25 at Florida 3 p.m.
10/8 OMAHA 7 p.m.
10/15 at Sacramento 3 p.m.
10/23 HARTFORD 12:30 p.m.
10/28 at Omaha 5 p.m.
11/6 SACRAMENTO 8 p.m.
11/20 at Hartford 12:30p.m.
2010 UFL Standings
Team W-L Pct.
Omaha 1-0 1.000
Florida 1-1 .500
Hartford 1-1 .500
Sacramento 1-1 .500
Las Vegas 0-1 .000
This Week's Games
9/30 Las Vegas at Florida 3:00 p.m.
10/2 Sacramento at Omaha 5:30 p.m.
Last Week's Results
Omaha 27, Hartford 26
Sacramento 24, Florida 20
THE GAME
The Las Vegas Locomotives will face the Florida Tuskers for the second time in as many games, as the team travels to Orlando after their first BYE week. After the Locos defense showed up big at times in the first meeting, the offense will look to do their part to lead the team to its first victory of 2010. Kickoff time is 3 p.m. (PST). The game will be broadcast nationally on VERSUS. The Locos will also broadcast the game on FOX 920 (KBAD). Mitch Moss will call the play-by-play and Douglas Marsh will provide the color commentary.
THE SERIES
Although the league is only in its second season, a fairly extensive history already exists between the two teams. In 2009, the teams met three times, including twice in the regular season. The Tuskers swept the regular season series, beating the Locomotives 29-15 at Sam Boyd Stadium on Oct. 14 and taking a 27-24 decision in an Oct. 30 game that was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Locos concluded the regular season with a 4-2 record, while Florida finished with a 6-0 mark. The two teams met in the inaugural UFL Championship Game, where Las Vegas recorded a 20-17 win in overtime to claim the title. The Locos dropped a tightly fought season opener of the 2010 campaign 27-20 after leading the game 10-0 early on.
Series Results (Florida Leads 3-1)
Oct. 14 at Las Vegas L, 29-15 Samie Parker scores 2 TD on 6 receptions
Oct. 30 at Florida* L, 27-24 DeDe Dorsey rushes for 139yds, 1 TD
Nov. 27 at Las Vegas** W, 20-17 Isaiah Trufant's INT sets up FG in OT
Sept. 18 at Las Vegas L, 27-20 Bollinger throws for 300yds, 2 TD
*game played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg **UFL Championship Game
LAST TIME THEY MET
The teams met two weeks ago at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The Locos opened the scoring early, when linebacker Teddy Lehman intercepted a Brooks Bollinger pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown with nine minutes to play in the first quarter. Locos' kicker Parker Douglass added three points on a 32-yard field goal to give Las Vegas a 10-0 lead. Two scores by Dominic Rhodes - one through the air and one on the ground - gave the Tuskers their first lead of the game. Florida's Nick Novak nailed a 54-yarder to extend the Tuskers' lead. Bobby Rome tied the game at 17 when he caught Tim Rattay's one-yard pass with 8:20 left in the third quarter. A 24-yard field goal by Novak and a 68-yard connection from Bollinger to Calvin Russel put the Tuskers up 27-17. The Locos had two chances to get back in the game late. Oddell Thurman intercepted Rattay with two minutes left in the game. David Irons stopped Andrae Thurman short of a first down on a 4th and 7 with 26 ticks remaining on the clock.
BUILT TOUGH
Linebacker Teddy Lehman hurt his ribs in the first quarter of the Locos' season opener against the Florida Tuskers. The injury that sidelined him later didn't keep him from going back into the game and intercepting Tuskers' quarterback Brooks Bollinger on the first play of Florida's second drive. Lehman jumped in front of wide receiver Cortez Hankton, picked off Bollinger's throw and returned the ball for a touchdown to give the Locos an early lead. As his teammates were jumping on him in the endzone in celebration, Lehman tried to protect his ribs by turning away from them. Lehman sat out the remainder of the game, but an X-ray revealed no broken ribs.
DeDe IS BACK
The Las Vegas Locomotives added running back DeDe Dorsey to their roster Tuesday. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound back scored three rushing touchdowns for the Locos in 2009 and added another score through the air. Dorsey brings NFL experience to the Locos. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006, before being waived prior to the start of the season. The Indianapolis Colts claimed Dorsey back off waivers, and he played in 17 games as a special teamer. The running back saw time on special teams in the Colts' 29-17 Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears. Dorsey was an important piece of the Locos' offense on the team's way to the inaugural UFL championship. He ran for 303 yards on only 47 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. He also caught 18 passes for 98 yards and a 5.4 yard average per reception. On November 18, 2007, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Dorsey blocked Mike Barr's punt in third quarter and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. The blocked punt was the Bengals' first since 1995, and the team's first blocked punt for a touchdown since 1989. Dorsey became only the third player in Bengals' history to single-handedly block a punt and recover it for a touchdown.
UFL ACKNOWLEDGES MISTAKE ON ILLEGAL BLITZ RULING
The United football league acknowledged that replay official Carl Taganelli misinterpreted the illegal blitz rule in the Locos' season opener against the Florida Tuskers. The Locos stacked the box and sent nine players to stop the Tuskers' ground attack on a 3rd and 1 from the Las Vegas two-yard line. Linebacker Brandon Moore forced a fumble and safety C.J. Wallace came up with the ball. The play was nullified by the illegal blitz ruling and the Tuskers went on to score the go-ahead touchdown one play later. "What happened was Las Vegas had eight or nine guys with a hand on the ground instead of the four they're allowed to have," said UFL vice president of officiating operations Larry Upson in an interview with Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review Journal. "But this rule only applies on pass plays, and this was clearly not a pass play."
MORE ROSTER CHANGES
Added to roster
In addition to bringing back DeDe Dorsey, the Locos added offensive lineman Andrew Crummey and cornerback Coye Francies. Crummey was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. The 6-foot-4, 300lb guard/center also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently the Carolina Panthers. He was a three-year starter at right guard at Maryland and earned All-ACC honors in his final two seasons with the Terps as well as All-America accolades in his senior year. Francies was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played in six games with the Browns, recording four tackles and breaking up one pass. He played college football at San Jose State.
Deleted from roster
The Locomotives suffered a blow to their secondary when safety Nick Turnbull injured his left knee early in the Locos' season opener against the Tuskers. The 6-foot-2 defensive back was put on injured reserve. Turnbull was an important part of the Locos' 2009 championship-winning squad. He recorded 31 tackles in the inaugural six-game regular season and was tied for the league lead with two interceptions. He started in last year's championship game and recorded four tackles and one interception for 13 yards. The Locos also cut running back Alex Henderson and guard Tavares Washington.
FASSEL RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON
After winning the inaugural UFL championship with the Las Vegas Locos in 2009, head coach Jim Fassel returns for a second year with the team. Under his guidance, the Locos finished with a 5-2 record in the Premiere season and defeated the Florida Tuskers 20-17 in the championship game. As head coach of the New York Giants, Fassel resurrected the career of quarterback Kerry Collins and received acclaim for his playoff guarantee in the 2000 season, during which he led the Giants to an improbable Super Bowl appearance. Fassel has a long record of offensive successes and has tutored other prominent quarterbacks including Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Jeff Hoestetler and John Elway. Prior to becoming the Giants head coach, Fassel was the team's offensive coordinator and served in the same capacity with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. Fassel was also the offensive coordinator to the Baltimore Ravens for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He began his coaching career as an offensive coordinator at the University of Utah and Stanford University before being elevated to head coach at Utah. Fassel took a break from coaching when he was hired as color commentator on NFL Sunday Night Game broadcasts for the Westwood One Radio Network and also served as a color analyst on ESPN. The recipient of numerous awards including the 2000 NFL Coach of the Year by the Sporting News, NJ Sports Writers Association and the Victor Awards Pro Football Coach of the Year, Fassel has also been honored for his work off of the field. He received the Catholic Big Brothers of the Year Award (1998), the Fresh Air Fund Man of the Year (1999) and the Long Beach State University Distinguished Alumnus Award (2001).
SOONER THE BETTER
With the addition of linebacker Teddy Lehman, the Las Vegas Locos now have five players on their roster that played college for the Oklahoma Sooners. Lehman was with the Sooners from 2000-2003 and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in his senior season. The other Locos that played for Oklahoma include defensive back Lewis Baker, linebacker Brandon Moore and offensive linemen Brandon Braxton and Brandon Walker. Moore and Lehman joined forces during their time at Oklahoma and were part of a strong linebacker unit.
EXPERIENCED LINEBACKING CORPS LEADS THE WAY FOR HUNGRY LOCOS DEFENSE
The Locos defense is led by an experienced linebacker unit in the 2010 season. The three initially projected starting linebackers combine for 16 years of NFL experience and Teddy Lehman adds five more years to the mix. Lehman and Brandon Moore anchored the Locos defense last year and this year Las Vegas adds another six years of NFL experience with Las Vegas native Ed Hartwell. Former Kansas City Chief and Cleveland Brown Kris Griffin is projected to start alongside Hartwell and Moore, and the addition of Lehman gives the Locos a lot of depth at the position.
PLAYER NFL YEARS GAMES TOT-SOLO SACK FF INT
Brandon Moore 6 (49ers) 88 244-176 15 5 1
Ed Hartwell 6 (Ravens, Falcons) 77 400-277 7 5 1
Teddy Lehman 5 (Lions, Bills) 45 150-105 1 2 2
Kris Griffin 4 (Chiefs, Browns) 46 40-34 0 0 0
LOCOS ROSTER FEATURES NFL EXPERIENCE
The Locos feature 24 players that have NFL experience. The team includes eight players that were drafted by NFL teams, with Teddy Lehman being the highest draft pick. He was picked up by the Detroit Lions as the 37th overall selection in the 2004 NFL draft. The Locos players average 3.8 years of NFL experience.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
With the addition of DeDe Dorsey, the Las Vegas Locos are returning 30 players from the 2009 championship-winning campaign. The returners include 16 players that recorded at least one start last season.
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