VooDoo Trounce San Jose 67-54
April 13, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
The New Orleans VooDoo cast a spell over the visiting San Jose SaberCats on Friday the 13th at The Graveyard, winning the game 67-54. The win pushes the VooDoo back over the .500 mark at 4-3, while dropping San Jose to 3-3.
Steve Bellisari, filling in for an injured Andy Kelly, gave the New Orleans Arena crowd of 16,721 plenty to cheer about in his first career AFL start with the southpaw throwing seven touchdown passes on the night and running for another to pace the New Orleans offense. Bellisari completed 17 of 28 passes for 267 yards with no interceptions, earning offensive player of the game honors.
Bellisari's favorite target was undoubtedly wide receiver James Jordan. The duo connected on four touchdown passes, with the Jordan setting a new career high with 144 receiving yards on six catches.
The VooDoo defense also came to play, forcing four San Jose turnovers and giving the offense a number of short fields which they turned into 28 points. They also held the potent San Jose scoreless for the entire third period as New Orleans opened an insurmountable 24-point lead.
Defensive lineman Henry Taylor turned in a fantastic performance as he was in the SaberCat backfield all night, forcing San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb into a number of hurried throws. Two of those throws wound up as Tremaine Neal (Ironman of the game) interceptions, and Taylors sack/forced fumble in the third quarter went a long way to earning him defensive player of the game spoils.
San Jose opened the scoring on the opening drive of the night, with fullback Phil Glover scoring on a three-yard run to put the SaberCats up 7-0.
The VooDoo responded quickly as Bellisari's second pass as a starting quarterback went for 43 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver James Jordan.
New Orleans' defense dominated the next possession, pressuring Grieb on all four downs before forcing a interception by Roc Haith on fourth down, who returned to pick to the San Jose one-yard line.
Bellisari scored on a one-yard plunge three plays later to give the home team their first lead of the night.
Glover scored again for the SaberCats, this time from two yards out, to knot the score at 14-14.
Bellisari and Jordan hooked up again as the receiver got behind the defense and Bellisari hit him in stride for a 38-yard scoring strike.
The VooDoo defensive front kept up the pressure early in the second quarter as Henry Taylor hit Grieb as he threw, forcing a pass that went directly into the hands of linebacker Tremaine Neal.
The VooDoo turned this turnover into seven more points, with Henry Bryant punching it in for a touchdown from one yard out.
Grieb answered the continued VooDoo pressure, throwing his first TD pass of the night as he hit James Roe from 23 yards away.
Bellisari and Jordan hooked up again for the third time in the half as the QB found the receiver wide open in the end zone for a 17-yard score.
Roe found the end zone again, hauling in a one-yard floater from Grieb on fourth down to cut the lead back to one score with just under one minute to play in the half, sending the teams to the locker room with New Orleans on top 35-28.
VooDoo Kicker Eric Houle opened the second half scoring, booting a 30-yard field goal on the first possession after halftime.
Taylor pressured Grieb once again on the next possession, forcing an errant throw that led to a diving interception by Neal.
On the next play, the opportunistic VooDoo offense struck again as Bellisari hit Kenny Henderson on a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Taylor continued his harassment of Grieb, finally making contact with the quarterback as he sacked him and forced a fumble. Melvin Williams pounced on the ball for the fourth turnover of the night.
The VooDoo immediately scored their fourth TD of the night off of turnovers, as Bellisari threw a 26-yard strike to Jacques Rumph and opened up a 24-point lead.
Grieb found Ben Nelson early in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass to cut into the New Orleans lead.
Houle's second field goal of the night, this one from 31 yards out, extended the VooDoo lead.
San Jose answered with another TD pass from Grieb to Roe, as the duo connected for the third time on the night to cut the lead to 55-41.
Neal caught another valuable pass - this time on offense - as Bellisari hit him in the end zone for a 10-yard TD.
Grieb and Nelson teamed up once again for another score late, connecting on a 1-yard TD pass.
Bellisaris seventh and final touchdown pass of the night, a seven-yarder to Jordan, iced the game for the home team as they pushed the lead back to 20 points with 1:00 to play.
Grieb hit Nelson for a third TD for the receiver late, but the game belonged to the home team.
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