VooDoo Looks to End Three-Game Skid, Moves to the Superdome
April 24, 2013 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS (April 23, 2012) - The VooDoo will play its first ever home game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as the team plays host to the San Jose SaberCats this Saturday night.
The Superdome last hosted Arena Football in the early 1990s with the New Orleans Night, but the VooDoo will bring it back as the team begins its six-game stint in the historic building as the New Orleans Arena undergoes renovation.
Both teams are coming off of losses last week as San Jose (2-2) was turned back by Spokane 69-47, and New Orleans (1-3) fell just short of Pittsburgh 46-43. San Jose is led by quarterback Aaron Garcia, who is fifth in the league with 1154 passing yards. He also has thrown 24 touchdowns. Garcia had a decent statistical night against the Shock as he was 28-45 for 309 yards and six touchdowns, but he also threw five interceptions. Garcia has 13 interceptions on the year, which is more than both VooDoo quarterbacks combined. The VooDoo defense, which has struggled in recent weeks, will have to find a way to take advantage and get some turnovers their way.
VooDoo quarterback Kurt Rocco only saw one half of action last week due to an injury, but he put up serviceable numbers. Rocco was 7-13 for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Backup quarterback Zack Eskridge finished the game, but he had few chances to make an impact, only throwing for 29 yards. He was also sacked three times.
San Jose wide receiver Jason Willis is in the top ten in the league with 397 receiving yards. He also has scored eight touchdowns. Willis had a great night against Spokane as he amassed 123 yards on nine catches with three touchdowns. Receiver Jamarko Simmons was equally as good last week as he hauled in a team high 11 catches for 126 yards with a score.
The VooDoo receiving corps was a bit depleted by injury last week. Leading receiver Courtney Smith did not play against Pittsburgh, and Donovan Morgan suffered an injury in the first quarter. Second-leading receiver Derek Lee will need to take over the slack if either Morgan or Smith can't go this week. Lee has 16 receptions for 186 yards and six touchdowns on the year.
The VooDoo defensive backs have struggled at times and will have another set of prolific receivers to deal with. The unit has only picked up three interceptions, but they will be facing a quarterback who has double-digit picks. The SaberCats are just a shade better in the interceptions department with four, but the VooDoo signal callers have only thrown seven total interceptions. VooDoo DB Demarcus Robinson leads the team in tackles with 23, which also has him in the top ten league-wide, but he is yet to get an interception. SaberCats DB Clevan Thomas has only 16 tackles, but he leads his team with four interceptions (T-2nd AFL), something the VooDoo quarterbacks will have to look out for.
Both teams boast stellar kick return games as San Jose's Mervin Brookins and New Orleans' Brent Holmes are second and third respectively in kick return yards. Brookins has 488 kick return yards and one touchdown. Holmes has 469 yards and a touchdown. Brookins was essentially a one man show last week, but Holmes split duties with Quorey Payne, who had an electrifying 57-yard return for a touchdown last week. A good kick return game could be a big factor for these teams.
Both teams sit in third place in their divisions, and both teams are looking to snap their respective losing streaks (VooDoo - 3, SaberCats - 2). The teams will get their chance this Saturday night at 7 p.m. local time in the temporary Graveyard.
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