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AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Rattlers Show Fight, Fall To Force 69-65

March 4, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


PHOENIX - If Saturday's 69-65 defeat at the hands of the Georgia Force showed one thing about this year's Arizona Rattlers team is that the 2007 squad has no quit.

It would have been easy for the Rattlers to slither away after falling behind 20-7 in the first quarter and trailing 41-24 at the half. However, Arizona outscored Georgia 41-28 in the second half and came within a whisker of winning their first season opener since the 2005 season.

"The first game...we were a little sloppy, but I was proud of the way we came back and battled through," said receiver Cosmo DeMatteo. "Hopefully we can bounce back from this. I know we've got a couple guys dinged up, so we've got to get healthy for Danny White and the Utah Blaze coming into town."

Georgia got things going early in the game as former Arizona Cardinal Chris Greisen's 17-yard touchdown pass to Tony Bergeron - followed by a failed extra point attempt - put the Force up 6-0. The Rattlers responded with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Pope that gave Arizona a 7-6 advantage. It would be the home team's only lead of the night as the Force responded with two consecutive scores, sparked by a James Whitley interception that gave Georgia that all important first stop of the game.

Though the Rattlers showed their stuff in the second half, the team realizes it can't wait that late to make plays.

"We've got to get on track earlier," linebacker Grant Steen said. "I wouldn't say we came out flat, but we weren't precise enough in what we were doing."

The Rattlers trailed by 17 points as late as the 6:19 mark in the third quarter before making a key defensive stop. Following a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sherdrick Bonner to Randy Gatewood, Erin Damond picked off a Greisen pass to end the quarter. Arizona struck quickly in the final stanza, on a 20-yard Bonner to DeMatteo touchdown connection to bring the Rattlers to within three points at 55-52.

Though the Rattlers would continue to strike and close to within a trio of points once again at 62-59 with 4:26 remaining in the game, the Force had one final drive up their sleeves - a 10-yard touchdown pass from Greisen to Chris Jackson.

Arizona put one last drive together, but DeMatteo's 3-yard scoring reception with 15 seconds remaining in the game left the Rattlers just a snake bite short.

Far from short, however, was Gatewood, who with his 149 yards on 14 catches and four-touchdown performance passed Hunkie Cooper to become the Rattlers all-time leader in receiving yards (8,732). Ever the competitor, the honor was bittersweet for Gatewood, considering the game's outcome.

"It was good to set the mark and have the fan support, but anytime you lose it's different," he said. "I was pulling for the win, but sometimes you don't always make it. We'll go back to the drawing board and we'll see what happens next week."

Next week for the Rattlers means the return of former head coach Danny White, all-time great Cooper and a number of players on the Utah roster that once donned the copper, black and teal. With the Blaze on the team's horizon, the Rattlers know that Saturday night's loss needs to be in the past come Sunday.

"We've got to flush it quick," Steen said. "We can't let it linger."

Rattlers stats summary:

Bonner passed for 361 yards on 32 completions (52 attempts) with eight touchdowns and an interception. DeMatteo led all Arizona receivers with 171 yards, while Gatewood's four touchdowns paced all Rattlers. Bo Kelly had the team's lone rushing touchdown - a 3-yard run at 7:52 in the third quarter. Joe Todd led the Rattlers defense with 10 tackles (9 solo).

Players of the Game:

Offensive - Chris Greisen, Georgia

Defensive - James Whitley, Georgia

Attendance:

10,345

Snake Bites:

The evening featured the return of Harvey Wallbanger, who roamed the U.S. Airways Center turf after every score.

Head Coach Gene Nudo was ejected early in the game after disputing a call that would have resulted in a Force touchdown. The call was soon reversed and the Rattler retained possession of the ball.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 4, 2007


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