VooDoo Head West to Close Out Road Trip
May 15, 2013 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS (May 14, 2013) - The VooDoo travel to Spokane, Wash. to take on the Shock in search of a win to close out their three game road trip this Friday.
The VooDoo (1-6) are trying to snap a six game losing streak, while the Shock (5-3), who were once 5-0, have lost three straight. New Orleans ranks at the bottom of the South Division, while Spokane sits in third place in the West Division. The teams last met a year ago in Spokane as the Shock edged the VooDoo in overtime 62-68.
Spokane brings to the field one of the league's better offenses. The Shock are in the top five in the AFL in three offensive categories, including scoring offense (2ND), passing offense (3RD), and total offense (4TH). The Shock rolled up 82 points in the loss to Orlando last week and also boast the league's leading passer in Erik Meyer (2,318 yards, 57 touchdowns). Meyer has also taken good care of the ball as he only has two interceptions on the year. Last week Meyer was solid, going 22-31 for 263 yards and seven touchdowns.
VooDoo quarterback Zach Eskridge returned to action last week in place of the injured Kurt Rocco, but he threw three interceptions in the 62-16 loss to Iowa. Quarterback Bill Stull also checked into the game and has made the best of his opportunity to play. Stull leads the team in passer rating (80.4) and completion percentage (56.9) in his three appearances. VooDoo quarterbacks will get their best chance as they will face a Spokane defense that ranks last in the league in pass defense, giving up 330 yards per game.
Spokane relies heavily on wide receiver Adron Tennell, who is third in the league with 870 yards and also leads the league with 72 receptions. Tennell was limited to just 76 yards on seven catches in last week's game, but he managed to score four touchdowns and also leads the league with 26. New Orleans opts to spread the ball around because this corps has battled injuries all season. Courtney Smith leads the pack with 34 receptions for 391 yards and seven touchdowns. He too was held in check last week with just five catches for 49 yards.
The VooDoo will need to take advantage of Spokane's defense, which ranks at the bottom in yards allowed. The Shock are also 10TH in the league in scoring defense, so New Orleans can look to exploit that in their efforts to regain some offensive footing. The VooDoo will have to deal with the league's co-leader in interceptions in Spokane defensive back Paul Stephens, who has six. New Orleans will have to hang on to the ball if they hope to improve their minus-14 turnover margin (14TH AFL). Spokane is fourth in the league at plus-10.
Both teams will be looking for a win to snap their respective losing streaks, so something has to give in this match-up.
The teams square off Friday night at 7:00 p.m. PDT (9:00 p.m. locally) in the Veterans Memorial Arena.
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