Riders Bash Cats Black and Blue Win 41-37
July 17, 2005 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Peoria Rough Riders News Release
The Peoria Rough Riders refused to be denied their biggest win of this season 41-37 on the strength of a punishing defense led by Jason VanLoo to keep their playoff hopes alive for the regular season finale next Saturday against Ohio Valley.
VanLoo led the defense with 12 tackles, three for a loss, one sack, an interception and a night full of hurries and mayhem in the BlueCats backfield. He was a punishing tackler who ripped through the BlueCats offensive line and disrupted the rhythm of Evansville's smooth Quarterback Ramon Robinson. In all, the Peoria defense completed four sacks of Robinson. They forced him to at least that many underhanded flips out of bounds before being sacked. Defensive Ends Algie Atkinson and Clint Alexander combined for a third quarter safety. Mike O'Brien added a sack. And the defense combined for 6 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and recovered a fumble that led to the first Rough rider score of the night.
Things didn't look good at first when the game began as Peoria's first drive sputtered and died after 4 plays. But, on Evansville's first play from scrimmage Ramon Robinson coughed up the ball after being sacked and Larry Thompson scooped it up giving Peoria a first and ten at the Evansville 6. A misdirection handoff to J.R.Taylor took the ball the rest of the way into the endzone one play later.
The Rough Rider defense snuffed out the second Evansville drive of the night. Linebacker Jason VanLoo combined with Defensive End Algie Atkinson to stop Dale Jennings for a gain of two. Then VanLoo stopped Evansville on two successive runs stuffing Jennings for no gain on 4th and one on their own 23.
Four plays later Rough Riders QB Walt Church faked a handoff to the right and danced back to his left lofting a soft backside screen to Tony Pryor who rambled ten yards into the Endzone to make it 13-0. Russsell's extra point attempt failed.
Evansville answered with two 2nd quarter scores and went on top 14-13 at 11:01 of the 2nd quarter when Kick returner Dodie Wilson electrified the crowd with a twisting 54 yard kick-off return. This was the first return for a score on the year for the Rough Riders. It put the riders back on top 20 to 13. Russell added a big 31-yard field goal and the momentum was back on the Riders side.
The BlueCats fought back once again to take the lead 27-26 when Jason VanLoo and Algie Atkinson met at the quarterback in the Evansville endzone in the third quarter for a safety that put the Riders up 28-26. The BlueCats had nine lives on this evening and kept coming pulling ahead of the Riders 37 - 34 with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter.
It was VanLoo that made the big play again. Evansville's Ramon Robinson threw a bullet into the flat that bounced high in the air off of his receiver. The Riders VanLoo ripped the ball out of the air and the Rough Riders had had the ball on the Evansville 5 yard line. After a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 15 Walt Church scrambled for 12. A handoff to Brandon Robinson took care of the final three yards and the Rough Riders went ahead for the final time 41-37 for what proved to be the winning margin.
United Indoor Football Association Stories from July 17, 2005
- Raptors end season with loss - Tennessee Valley Raptors
- Riders Bash Cats Black and Blue Win 41-37 - Peoria Rough Riders
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