Virginia Destroyers Beat Defending Champ Locos 34-17
September 24, 2011 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Virginia Destroyers News Release
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA - The Virginia Destroyers put together dominant performances on both sides of the ball to beat the Las Vegas Locomotives 34-17 on Saturday night at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
Before a crowd of 12,167, the Destroyers won their inaugural home opener in impressive fashion against the two-time defending United Football League champion Locos. Veteran quarterback Chris Greisen and the running back tandem of NFL stars Dominic Rhodes and Adrian Peterson led the Destroyers to 343 yards of offense. Greisen completed 18 of 23 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Rhodes ran for 80 yards and caught six passes for 53 yards. Peterson rushed 11 for 61 yards.
Virginia led 31-3 after three quarters, but Las Vegas got two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from backup quarterback Brian Brohm to wide receiver Hakim Hill. The Locos put up 273 yards of offense, but more than half of them came in the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach.
The Destroyers (2-0) are the only unbeaten team in the UFL. The Locos fell to 1-1.
The Destroyers took a 3-0 lead on Delbert Alvarado's 31-yard field goal, and then Adrian Peterson capped a 73-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run to put the Destroyers up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. In that period, Virginia held the ball for more than 12 minutes and had nine first downs; the Locos held the ball for less than three minutes and had no first downs.
In the second quarter, Dominic Rhodes scored from 1 yard out to make it 17-0, and with 3:25 left in the half, Greisen did a pump fake and then threw a 35-yard strike that hit Aundrae Allison on stride in the back of the end zone to put the Destroyers up 24-0.
Greisen completed 13 of 17 passes in the first half for 152 yards. Rhodes rushed for 53 yards and caught 4 passes for 37 yards. Peterson rushed six times for 49 yards.
The Locos finally got on the board in the third quarter after the Destroyers muffed a punt when a blocker backed into return man Clifton Smith on a fair catch. An apparent touchdown pass by Chase Clement was called back on a holding penalty, and the Locos settled for a 45-yard field goal from Clint Stitser.
The Destroyers scored again late in the third quarter when Greisen hit Huey Whittaker for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Alvarado's PAT made it 31-3 in favor of Virginia.
The Locos finally reached the end zone midway through the fourth quarter when Hakim Hill caught a pass from Brian Brohm and powered his way into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass to cut Virginia's lead to 31-10.
Las Vegas scored again late in the fourth quarter when Hill made a spectacular catch in the end zone on a 6-yard pass from Brohm. Alvarado kicked a 34-yard field goal with two minutes left for a 34-17 lead.
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