PIFL Announces Players of the Week
June 11, 2013 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) News Release
KNOXVILLE, TN - The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) announces that Louisiana Swashbucklers QB Chris Mitchell, Alabama Hammers DL Benji McDowell, and Albany Panthers DB AntwontisCutts are the Week 14 Players of the Week. After having back-to-back weeks in which the PIFL named Co-Offensive Players of the Week, for the first time in league history a pair of players has been named the Co-Defensive Players of the Week. It's only befitting considering Week 14 featured this season's lowest combined scoring total (202) for a single-week with at least six teams in action.
For the second time this season, QB Chris Mitchell (6'3 208, Alabama St.) earns Offensive Player of the Week honors after having previously winning it in Week 11. In the Swashbucklers 58-20 victory over Knoxville this past weekend, Mitchell led all quarterbacks for the week in yards (265) and passing touchdowns (7) in addition to completing 15-27 passes. Out of his nine starts this season, he only has one game in which he has thrown two or more interceptions while even having a stretch of 108 pass attempts without an INT.
Featuring three of the league's top pass rushers, it's only fitting that the Alabama Hammers get a defensive nod this week with DL Benji McDowell (6'2 285, Lenoir-Rhyne) earning Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week 14. In their 45-29 dominating win over Richmond, the Hammers defense combined to sack quarterback Warren Smith six times in addition to creating four turnovers. McDowell led the way wrapping up four sacks and creating two forced fumbles. His four-sack evening puts him a top the PIFL leaderboard in sacks with 11.0, just ahead of teammates LB Jake Trantin (10.0) and DL Darian Barnes (8.0).
Having previously filled in on a part-time basis, WR/DB AntwontisCutts (6'2 170, Fort Valley St.) was forced into full time-time duty at DB due to the injury of WR Antwone Savage. Cutts picked up Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week 14 picking off two passes in the Panthers 35-15 defensive slugfest win over the Lions. Featuring a combined total of seven interceptions, Albany got the upper-hand winning the turnover battle 5-3 thanks in large part to Cutts and teammate Damian Daniels who each had a combined two INT's. Columbus was held to just fifteen points the second lowest point total in one single-game in PIFL history, back in 2012 Albany held Knoxville to the lowest point total at ten.
Featuring the final full three-game schedule of the 2013 season, Week 15 is a "Win and We're In" kind of week. The first-place Hammers (9-2) will look to lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this week when they travel to Knoxville to take on the Nighthawks (2-9). Then a little later both Albany (6-4) and Lehigh Valley (6-5) will try and sew-up a playoff spot with a win. Richmond (6-5) will try and erase their current two-losing skid when they host the Swashbucklers (5-5). With a win, the Raiders earn their second playoff berth in consecutive seasons.
To watch all the action log to www.proifl.com and be sure to keep-up with the PIFL on Facebook.
Professional Indoor Football League Stories from June 11, 2013
- Hammers DL McDowell Named PIFL co- Defensive Player of the Week - Alabama Hammers
- PIFL Announces Players of the Week - PIFL
- Panthers to Offer New Promotion - Albany Panthers
- Lehigh Valley Takes on Defending Champs for a Second Time - Lehigh Valley Steelhawks
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