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Mountain Lions Face Must Win As Omaha, And Jeff Garcia, Come To Visit

November 9, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Sacramento Mountain Lions News Release


Game: 8

Omaha at Sacramento

Hornet Stadium

Saturday, Nov. 13 2010

Kickoff: 8 p.m. (Pacific)

TV: VERSUS

Radio: KHTK (1140 AM)

2010 Mountain Lions Schedule

Date Opponent Time/Score

All Times Pacific

9/18 at Hartford L, 27-10

9/25 FLORIDA W, 24-20

10/2 at Omaha L, 20-17

10/15 LAS VEGAS L, 26-3

10/21 at Florida W 21-17

10/30 HARTFORD L, 27-26

11/6 at Las Vegas W, 27-24

11/19 OMAHA 8 p.m.

2010 UFL Standings

Team W-L Pct.

Las Vegas 5-2 .714

Omaha 3-3 .500

Florida 3-3 .500

Sacramento 3-4 .429

Hartford 2-4 .333

This Week's Games (Times Pacific)

11/11 Hartford at Florida, 4 p.m.

11/13 Omaha at Sacramento, 8 p.m.

Last Week's Results

Florida 31, Omaha 14

Sacramento 27, Las Vegas 24

Sacramento Mountain Lions

Public Relations

Russ Edmondson, Director

530-219-5289

russ.edmondson@ufl-football.com

Nick Cronenwett, PR Assistant

916-833-1417

nick.cronenwett@ufl-football.com

CRITICAL GAME FOR BOTH TEAMS

One spot in the UFL championship game remains, making this a playoff type contest for Sacramento (3-4) and Omaha (3-3). Las Vegas (5-2), which won the title last year, has already clinched a spot in the title game. The other four UFL teams are still alive in the race to Omaha for the championship game on Nov. 27. Tonight marks the regular-season finale for the Mountain Lions while the other four teams will be in action next week. A Sacramento victory will put its final record at 4-4 and ensure that the best Omaha can finish is 4-4. A loss tonight would eliminate the Mountain Lions from contention and end their season. Florida (3-3) will host Hartford (2-4) this week while Las Vegas has a bye. Next week, the final week of the regular season, will feature Florida at Omaha and Las Vegas at Hartford. The Mountain Lions have the tiebreaker over Florida but Hartford has the tiebreaker over Sacramento due to head-to-head match-ups. Tonight's game will be broadcast on VERSUS (Doug Flutie and Dave Sims) and be carried on the radio at KHTK 1140 (Jim Kozimor and Whitey Gleason).

LAST TIME THEY MET

Omaha beat Sacramento 20-17 in Nebraska on Oct. 2 before a sellout crowd of 23,416 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium. Omaha quarterback Jeff Garcia, a four-time NFL Pro-Bowler, directed his team on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeb Putzier. This score provided the deciding points. A 54-yard field-goal attempt by Sacramento's Fabrizio Scaccia, that would have tied the game, was no good with 1:46 left in the contest. Omaha led 12-0 late in the first half but the Mountain Lions then scored 17 consecutive points. Sacramento quarterback Daunte Culpepper, a three-time NFL Pro-Bowler, was 23-37 for 212 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Garcia was 19-36 for 283 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Taye Biddle and Rod Windsor both caught touchdown passes for Sacramento in the loss. The Mountain Lions defense held Omaha running backs Ahman Green (nine carries, 25 yards) and Maurice Clarett (five carries, 12 yards) in check. Sacramento's Cory Ross ran 12 times for 33 yards and caught seven passes for 46 yards. KEY MATCHUP NO. 1

Sacramento running back Cory Ross vs. Omaha outside linebacker Patrick Thomas. Ross tied his own league record with 10 catches against Las Vegas last week, marking the third time this season that he has caught 10 passes from Culpepper. He had 102 yards from scrimmage last week and scored a rushing and receiving touchdown. Thomas has been the Nighthawks' leader in tackles (or tied for the lead) in each of the last four games, recording 37 total tackles in those games.

KEY MATCHUP NO. 2

Sacramento safety Andrew Sendejo vs. Omaha tight end Jeb Putzier. Sendejo has become one of the top safeties in the UFL this season, recording 46 total tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. Putzier has three touchdowns among his 10 catches this season.

SACRAMENTO'S SCACCIA NAMED UFL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mountain Lions kicker Fabrizio Scaccia made a 43-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining to put his team up 27-24 in Las Vegas last week. Sacramento held on to win 27-24. Scaccia also hit a 45-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter. He is in his first UFL season and he also played professional football earlier this season for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. He spent six seasons in semi-pro football with the St. Lucie Bobcats and is a member of the Minor League Football Hall of Fame. Scaccia attended Indian River State College but didn't play football due to his semi-pro career.

CORY ROSS CONTINUES TO PILE UP BIG NUMBERS

Mountain Lions running back Cory Ross, a former star at the University of Nebraska, scored twice last week in a 27-24 victory over Las Vegas. He had 10 catches for 69 yards, tying his own league record for catches in a game, while rushing 14 times for 33 yards. He now has a UFL-high 50 receptions on the season for 404 yards and a touchdown. Ross, who led the UFL in rushing in 2009, has carried the ball 110 times for 310 yards and two touchdowns through the first seven games. Ross played in four regular season games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and got into another six games in 2007.

CULPEPPER ONLY UFL QUARTERBACK TO TAKE EVERY SNAP THIS SEASON

Mountain Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper has taken every snap this season, the only UFL quarterback to do so. His numbers heading into this regular-season finale are as follows: 162-272 passing for 1,733 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has thrown for at least 200 yards in the last six games and Culpepper has also rushed for two touchdowns this year. Culpepper played in the NFL for the last 11 seasons, reaching the Pro Bowl three times as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He also played in the NFL for Miami (2006), Oakland (2007) and Detroit (2008-09). Culpepper's best statistical season came in 2004 with the Vikings when he threw for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns with a passer rating of 110.9.

JEFF GARCIA COMING TO TOWN

Nighthawks quarterback Jeff Garcia, a Northern California native (Gilroy), made four Pro Bowls in the NFL and was also a four-time all star in the Canadian Football League prior to that. He played five years with the San Francisco 49ers before also playing for Detroit, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay in the NFL. He is one of only eight quarterbacks in NFL history to have thrown 30 touchdown passes in back-to-back seasons (2000, 2001) at least once in their career. Three of his Pro-Bowl seasons were in San Francisco while the fourth came in Tampa Bay in 2007.

COACHES

Sacramento coach Dennis Green was a head coach in the NFL for 13 seasons (Minnesota and Arizona) and this is his second year as a UFL head coach. He led the California Redwoods to a 2-4 record last year and he has the Mountain Lions in contention for the title game this season. The Redwoods moved from the Bay Area to Sacramento in 2010. The Nighthawks are coached by Jeff Jagodzinski. He coached Boston College to a 20-8 record from 2007-08 and has coached football at the college or pro level for 26 years.

Mountain Lions Roster Features Wealth of NFL Experience

Here are some eye-opening facts concerning the Mountain Lions current 52-man roster:

43 of 52 Mountain Lions have been through at least one NFL training camp

Only Mountain Lions to not have been through one NFL training camp: Liam O'Hagan, Fabrizio Scaccia, Rod Windsor, Kai Brown, Aaron King, Tyler Clutts, Maurice Crum, Aaron Woods, Tim Clark)

36 Mountain Lions have played in at least one NFL game (including preseason)

18 Mountain Lions have played in a NFL, regular season game

(Daunte Culpepper, Marcus Maxwell, Taye Biddle, Otis Amey, Cory Ross, Ronnie Prude, David Irons, Lendy Holmes, Marcus McCauley, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno, Martin Bibla, Darrell Strong, Nate Lawrie, AJ Schable, Antown Burton, Biren Ealy, Josh Savage)

12 Mountain Lions have played in 10 or more NFL, regular season games

(Daunte Culpepper, Otis Amey, Cory Ross, Ronnie Prude, David Irons, Marcus McCauley, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno, Martin Bibla, Nate Lawrie, AJ Schable, Josh Savage)

8 Mountain Lions have played in 20 or more NFL, regular season games

(Daunte Culpepper, Ronnie Prude, David Irons, Marcus McCauley, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno, Martin Bibla, Nate Lawrie)

5 Mountain Lions have played in 30 or more NFL, regular season games

(Daunte Culpepper, Ronnie Prude, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno, Martin Bibla)

3 Mountain Lions have played in 60 or more NFL, regular season games

(Daunte Culpepper, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno)

6 Mountain Lions have started in a NFL, regular season game

(Daunte Culpepper, Marcus McCauley, Dontarrious Thomas, Zeke Moreno, Martin Bibla, Nate Lawrie)

The current Mountain Lions have played in 445 NFL, regular season games.

The current Mountain Lions have made 142 NFL, regular season starts.

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