Spokane Shocks Dallas

Published on May 15, 2011 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Dallas Vigilantes News Release


SPOKANE, WA- Turnovers and mental mistakes seemed to be the Dallas Vigilantes' (6-3) Achilles' heel in tonight's bout at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, as the Spokane Shock (4-5) ended Dallas' four-game win streak with a 71-49 victory. Vigilante quarterback Dan Raudabaugh went 15 of 22 for 162 yards and four touchdowns, but a costly fumble by Raudabaugh seemed to be the catalyst for an onslaught of Spokane points.

"Spokane played a great game; there's no question about that," Vigilante head coach Clint Dolezel said. "But we definitely could have and should have been there, stride-for-stride, with them. We didn't execute on some protections, and we didn't make plays when we had the chance to in the secondary. We just didn't play well tonight. We went on the road and laid an egg."

The first quarter began with Dallas jumping on top of the defending champs early. After a Raudabaugh fumble on the first play of the game, which was recovered by receiver Tiger Jones, the Vigilante signal-caller led a four-play, 45 yard drive to the end zone that was capped off with a 23- yard strike to Jones. After the Vigilante score, it wouldn't take long for back-up Shock quarterback Bill Stull, who started the game in place of a healthy Kyle Rowley, to find receiver Raul Vijil on an eight-yard strike for six, but six points would be all the Shock would get on the possession, as Vigilante sack-leader Dusty Bear rammed through the Shock offensive line to block the PAT attempt.

Vigilante receiver Matt Fields also added to Vigilantes' fast offensive start. Raudabaugh found Fields for a five-yard pass in the back of the end zone at 12:27 in the first, Raudabaugh's second touchdown of the night.

After an 11-yard touchdown scramble by Stull, leaving the quarterback injured for the rest of the night, Vigilante defensive back Chris LeFlore found a seem in the ensuing kickoff, taking the ball down to the Shock's three-yard line. From there, Dallas fullback Derrick Ross knew what to do, smashing through Spokane on a three-yard draw. The Ross TD put the Vigilantes up by seven, 20-13, with five seconds to go in the quarter.

Shock quarterback and ArenaBowl XXIII MVP Kyle Rowley took the helm for the injured Stull to begin the second quarter and would lead the Shock on a four-play 31-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown run by fullback Clay Harrell. But Spokane wasn't done. In a bout of déjà vu, Raudabaugh fumbled the ball for the second time while dropping back to pass, but instead of a prompt Vigilante recovery, Shock defensive lineman Lance Witherspoon scooped up the ball for a five-yard touchdown return, putting Dallas down, 27-20, with 11:35 to go in the first half.

"I take complete responsibility for that fumble," Raudabaugh said. "New footballs are sometimes slicker than others, but I have to do a better job of holding on to the rock." More bad news for Dallas would follow. After a fourth down stop by the Spokane defense, Rowley led the Shock on a six-play, 34-yard drive to put Spokane up, 40-26, with five seconds to go before halftime.

Rowley and the Shock opened up the third quarter with a five-yard touchdown pass to receiver Greg Orton, increasing the Spokane lead to 48-26. Seconds later, the Shock defense helped Spokane reach the 50-point mark with a Khreem Smith sack for a safety.

"We gave their defensive line everything tonight," Vigilante offensive lineman Tony Washington said. "We just weren't focused. I will give Khreem credit; he had a good game. But when this line comes ready to play, we can block anybody in this league. That's why we're so frustrated right now."

After another Shock touchdown as a result of the safety, Dallas finally got back on to the board, with Raudabaugh finding receiver DeAndrew Rubin on a 16-yard catch-and-run down the sideline. The Dallas momentum, however, would be short-lived, as Rowley found Orton in the end zone again, this time on a six-yard strike.

In the next Dallas possession, Vigilante quarterback Luke Drone took over in relief of Raudabaugh. With 8:56 left to go in the fourth quarter, Drone and Rubin would hook up for Rubin's third score of the game off of a 35-yard catch-and-run by the elusive receiver.

But keeping with the theme of the night, Spokane found another way to take the wind out of the Vigilantes' sails, this time with an onside kick recovery for a touchdown by Shock linebacker Antwan Marsh, good for four yards.

The Vigilantes never quit fighting, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as Spokane would defeat Dallas in front of its home crowd, 71- 49.

Next up for the Vigilantes is a grudge match with the Chicago Rush (6-3) for the Central Division lead. Dallas will head over to Chi-town for a 4 p.m., May 22 battle, where the Rush is 3-1 at home.

"Chicago has a great pass rush, too," Dolezel said. "We're going to have to lick our wounds, learn from our mistakes, and get back to work this week."

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