Shock Drop Conference Matchup 70-38 against Rattlers
May 18, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, WA (May 18, 2014) - The Spokane Shock (5-4), led by two quarterbacks, fell to the Arizona Rattlers (9-0) by a final score of 70-38 on Sunday evening.
Rashaad Carter started the game at quarterback for the Shock before being replaced by Donovan Porterie in the second quarter after going 2-5 for 41 yards with one interception. Trailing 28-7 when he entered the game, Porterie finished the night 17-29 with 161 yards and two touchdowns while adding three rushes for 14 yards and one touchdown.
The Rattlers offense got going early, scoring on only two plays in their opening drive, capped off by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Nick Davila to Kerry Reed. After a slow start to their opening drive, the Shock responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Carter to tie the game up at 7-7. Another quick drive for Arizona followed, ending in a 29-yard touchdown pass reeled in by Rod Windsor to put the Rattlers up 14-7. The Shock offense sputtered out on the following drive, with offensive lineman Duke Robinson dropping a would-be first down on a fourth down and short situation. The Rattlers closed out the first quarter with another touchdown drive when Davila and Windsor connected from nine yards out, putting Arizona up 21-7 after the first quarter.
After a Carter interception ended the Shock's first possession in the second quarter, Davila and the Rattlers offense took back over, eventually scoring their third consecutive touchdown on a 6-yard pass to Reed. The 28-7 deficit prompted a quarterback change for Spokane, putting Porterie in for the ensuing drive. After a mostly-strong opening drive for the rookie, an interception in the end zone would keep the Rattlers lead at three possessions. However, the Shock defense would come up big on the next Arizona drive, with linebacker Terence Moore picking off Davila and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Rattlers lead to 28-14. Moore's second interception of the night came on the next drive, again picking off Davila but this time with no return. Unable to capitalize on the turnover, Porterie would fumble the ball on the first play of the next drive, which was returned 27 yards for a touchdown by defensive lineman Isaac Remington. Looking to cut into the Rattlers 35-14 lead, the Shock put together a strong drive to the Arizona one yard line before a second Porterie fumble on a quarterback sneak was returned 49 yards for a touchdown by defensive back Jeremy Kellem, putting the Rattlers up 42-14. The Rattlers closed out the first half leading 49-14 with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Davila to Windsor on an untimed down.
A relatively uneventful third quarter saw both the Shock and the Rattlers score one touchdown a piece. Arizona struck first in the second half with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Davila to Tyson Poots to stretch their lead to 56-14. Mike Washington followed with the first of his three total touchdowns on the night, snagging a short pass from Porterie and shrugging off a defender on his way to a 16-yard touchdown to make the score 56-20.
The Shock managed three more scores in the fourth quarter, two of which were produced by Washington. After Davila and Windsor connected for a 25-yard touchdown, Porterie found Washington for a 7-yard score to make the score 63-26. On the ensuing kickoff, Washington recovered the ball in the end zone after Talyor Rowan bounced it off the bar, giving the Shock a touchdown and making the score 63-32. An exchange of touchdowns in the games final minutes produced the final score of 70-38.
Spokane's defense was led by Moore, who finished the game with a team-leading five tackles and two interceptions. Defensive backs Paul Stephens and Bryant Nnabuife also contributed four and three tackles to the effort, respectively.
The Shock return to Spokane for the first of two straight home games with a matchup against the Pacific Division rival San Jose SaberCats on Friday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. PDT. Tickets can be purchased for as low as $14 by visiting SpokaneShock.com.
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Arena Football League Stories from May 18, 2014
- Shock Drop Conference Matchup 70-38 against Rattlers - Spokane Shock
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