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Talons Burn Blitz, Clinch Playoff Spot

June 21, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tulsa Talons News Release


The Tulsa Talons scored on nine of 11 possessions against the af2's best passing defense and cruised to a 62-49 victory over the Bakersfield Blitz before 5,196 fans on Saturday night at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Quarterback Craig Strickland threw for 262 yards and five touchdowns as the Talons extended their af2 record for consecutive regular season home victories to 25 games. The win also avenged last week's 45-40 road loss at Bakersfield and clinched Tulsa's fourth straight playoff berth.

Tulsa improved to 10-2 on the season and has won three of four meetings with Bakersfield. The Blitz (5-7) saw their franchise-record four-game winning streak ended with the defeat.

Strickland won his sixth Player of the Game honor of the season and fifth in six weeks. Al Hunt earned his first career Ironman of the Game award with six receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown along with five tackles.

Travis Masters claimed his first ADT Defensive Player of the Game award with career highs of four tackles, 1.5 quarterback sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Equally important was the play of Tulsa's offensive line, which kept Strickland from being sacked, generated 294 yards of total offense and held Blitz defensive tackle Ricky Leung'Wai, the af2 leader in quarterback sacks, to just 1.5 tackles and no sacks.

Bakersfield's only lead came on its game's opening possession when York Frierson's two-yard run gave the Blitz a 6-0 lead. Bakersfield created its second tie of the game, 28-28, with 11 seconds left in the second quarter on Chad Elliott's 18-yard pass to Eric Mahanke.

Tulsa put the game away with three unanswered touchdowns. Mitch Allner caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Strickland and Tulsa took a 35-28 halftime lead into the locker room. Allner has scored 604 points in his af2 career and needs three more points to break the record held by Wayne Thomas of the 2000-02 Birmingham Steeldogs.

Strickland threw a 32-yard TD pass to Tacoma Fontaine with 12:59 left in the third quarter then hit Hunt with an eight-yard strike for a 48-28 Talons lead with 5:29 left in the third quarter.

The Talons had three players posting over 100 all-purpose yards. Allner led the way with 122 yards, followed by Aleric Clark with 112 and Fontaine with 103. Bakersfield lost despite career bests from quarterback Chad Elliott and wide receiver Ryan Sloth. Elliott threw a season-high six touchdown passes and tied a career record with 356 passing yards. Sloth posted career highs of 11 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Mahanke and Kusanti Abdul-Salaam also caught a pair of touchdown passes.

Tulsa can clinch its second straight National Conference Central Division title with a road victory over the division rival Arkansas Twisters. The Talons toppled the Twisters, 59-46, at home on May 31st and have to play three of their final four games on the road. Bakersfield returns home for consecutive home games against Peoria and Wichita.

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