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Talons Put out Fire

July 19, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tulsa Talons News Release


Louisville, KY – Craig Strickland's four touchdown passes and one of the Tulsa Talons' better defensive efforts of the season led to a 43-37 road victory over the Louisville Fire on Saturday night in Freedom Hall.

The Talons (12-3) defeated the Fire (5-11) for the third time in as many meetings and also broke a two-game losing streak in road games. Tulsa, which clinched its second straight National Conference Central Division championship last week, visits the Bossier City Battle Wings next Friday night in their regular season finale.

Strickland added another touchdown as he scored on a 24-yard run down the near sideline in the third quarter. The Talons' career-passing leader was named Most Valuable Player of the Game for the seventh time this season.

Tacoma Fontaine scored twice in the fourth quarter, giving him 31 touchdowns on the season. Fontaine caught a 12-yard pass from Strickland for a 30-17 Talons lead with 12:30 left in the game.

Following a Fire touchdown, Fontaine's second touchdown kickoff return of the season, a 55-yard sprint, gave the Talons a 37-23 with just under six minutes left in the game. Al Hunt threw a key block on the return by Fontaine, who has also scored this year on a missed field goal return.

Tulsa's defense gave up touchdown runs of six and 45 yards by Louisville quarterback Pookie Jones in the second and third quarters, respectively, but didn't give up a passing touchdown until Jones connected with Torrey Day on a 10-yard scoring strike with 7:20 left in the contest.

Another big defensive play came when Jones was sacked for a safety on the Fire's first offensive play of the third quarter, giving the Talons a 16-10 lead. Tulsa's defense held Louisville to just 17 points through the first three quarters.

After a scoreless first quarter, Strickland threw TD passes to Mitch Allner and Aleric Clark for a 14-7 Tulsa lead in the second quarter. Allner caught a 23-yard pass that tied the game, 7-7, with 11:21 left in the quarter. Allner, the 2002 af2 Offensive Player of the Year, earned his fifth Ironman of the Game award of the season.

Clark then broke free and caught a 35-yard bomb with 3:12 left before halftime, a play that put the Talons ahead to stay.

Jones threw three TD passes in the fourth quarter as Louisville tried a late comeback. But the Talons knocked down the Fire by recovering an onside kickoff, and then Strickland threw a 15-yard TD pass to Al Hunt for a 43-30 lead with 41 seconds left in the contest.

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