VooDoo Gain Ground in American Conference Playoff Picture with Win in Cleveland
June 16, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
CLEVELAND - The New Orleans VooDoo (6-7) pulled the improbable against the Cleveland Gladiators (6-7) by coming back from a 14-point second half deficit to get a 54-42 victory Saturday night at The "Q".
The VooDoo trailed 28-20 at halftime, and would succumb to a 14-point deficit with 3:48 left in the third quarter, but the defense came up big in the fourth quarter, as it has all season with a sack and forced fumble by defensive end Xavier Brown that was recovered by Michael Janac in the end zone to give the VooDoo the 47-42 lead with 5:05 left in game.
The turnover was one of five forced by the defense on the night, with three coming in the fourth quarter. Two of the turnovers in the game came by way of Alvin Ray Jackson interceptions giving him 11 on the season to lead the AFL.
New Orleans would never relinquish the lead, only adding to it with a quarterback Kurt Rocco to wide receiver Courtney Smith 33-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game to pad the advantage.
The VooDoo were led by quarterback Rocco with 296 yards passing, while completing 27 of 48 passes for 4 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions in his homecoming. Rocco also rushed for 2 touchdowns in the win.
Rocco's two favorite targets in the game were Josh Bush and Smith, each with 94 yards. Bush finished with 2 touchdown reception, while Smith had 1. Smith made the most of his playing time, with all of his receiving yards coming in the second half after wide receiver L.J. Castile was ejected late in the second quarter.
Cleveland was paced by veteran quarterback John Dutton, finishing with 270 yards while completing 23-of-33 passes with 3 touchdowns. His go-to receiver was former VooDoo receiver Carlese Franklin with 10 receptions for 131 yards. Franklin was traded to Cleveland close to a month ago, and made the most of his first meeting against his former team.
The VooDoo will look to string together back-to-back wins win they travel to the Orlando Predators (2-11) next Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
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