VooDoo Hope to Bounce Back at Home vs. Tampa Bay
June 12, 2013 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS - The VooDoo return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to play host to their South Division rivals the Tampa Bay Storm this Saturday night.
The VooDoo (2-9) are hoping to bounce back after falling just short at Philadelphia last weekend in the hopes of extending their home winning streak. Tampa Bay (7-5) is also looking to rebound after losing a close one against Orlando last weekend. New Orleans will seek to avenge a 63-32 loss in Tampa Bay on May 4.
The VooDoo will have their best offensive weapons on hand for this game. Quarterback Kurt Rocco missed the first game due to injury, so he will get his first look at the Storm this season. Rocco was solid in the loss to the Soul and threw seven touchdowns for the third time this season. He has also done a good job taking care of the ball, as he has gone two straight games without throwing an interception. Rocco has 1,835 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Rocco will also have leading receiver Donovan Morgan, who was also sidelined with an injury in the first meeting with Tampa Bay. Morgan is just 48 yards shy of 1,000 yards receiving despite missing three games. He has also piled up 127 or more yards in each of the last four games. He and Courtney Smith led the way last week with six catches and have been one and two all season. Smith also had six catches in the previous meeting with Tampa Bay.
The Storm bring a dual threat at quarterback in Adrian McPherson who leads the league in rushing yards with 400 and touchdowns with 29. McPherson also ranks fourth in the league with 3,009 yards passing. The Storm's signal caller has also been very careful with the ball, only throwing three interceptions this season. Against the VooDoo, he posted his best passer rating of the season at 157.55. McPherson has had help from receiver Joe Hills, who is fourth in the league with 1,202 yards. Hills has three straight games with 100 or more yards receiving. Fellow receiver Greg Ellingson also has solid numbers with 71 catches for 987 yards. Hills was not a major factor in the team's first matchup because he did not play.
Defensively, Tampa Bay defensive back Chris Smith is tied for fourth in the league with seven interceptions. He also leads the team in tackles with 52. As a team, New Orleans has eight interceptions, but they have 18 sacks as a team (four more than Tampa Bay). The VooDoo's Marlon Favorite has the most with 4.5 sacks.
Both the VooDoo and Storm have solid return games. Tampa Bay's Michael Lindsey is ranked third in the league with 1,032 yards. New Orleans return man Quorey Payne has 690 yards, which is seventh in the league. Saturday night's game in the "Mausoleum" kicks off at 7:00 p.m. local time.
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