Warbirds' second-half burst buries Cincinnati, 63-30
May 10, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Dayton Bulldogs News Release
DAYTON, Ohio â It was a coming out party of sorts for Joe Cooper.
Remember Joe Cooper? The Ohio State University linebacker who was a 4-year starter and 2-year team captain?
Of course, and Monday night Cooper played for the first time in the National Indoor Football League. He led a stingy Dayton defense and helped the first-year Warbirds to a 63-30 pounding of arch rival Cincinnati.
It was the second-lowest point total the Warbirds (5-2) have held an opponent this season and it was a key win over the Marshals (4-3) for sole possession of second place in the Atlantic East Division of the NIFL.
Cooper nearly single handedly held the Rayshawn Askew, the league's leading rusher (520 yards, 86.7 yards a game) and leading scorer (30 TD) to just 27 net yards. Dayton's defense held Cincy as a team to 36 yards on the ground.
"The credit has to go to the defense tonight," said Dayton head coach Matt King. "They were tough in spite of playing Saturday night in Montgomery and having that long bus trip back. I give credit to the medical training staff who have done a great job in keeping guys healthy."
Overall, the Warbirds had five interceptions including two by Arden Banks, giving him a total of seven on the season. His 49-yard pick and scamper for a score with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter gave Dayton a 48-16 lead.
"We cut him earlier this year, then brought him back," said King, "But he works so hard and has really been good for us." King said the only distraction was the team's sack leader, Ryan Terry, going down to an injury in the first half.
"We lost him early in the game, but it's only a minor ankle injury and he should be back for the next one.
"Can you imagine what the line play would have been with him the entire game," said King, whose other linemen, Brandon Tisdale and Tyrese Lawless picked up the slack with two tackles for a loss of 5 yards and a half tackle for a 1 yard loss, respectively.
Cooper, who was signed by the New York Jets on April 26, 2002, played for Calgary and Montreal in the Canadian Football League and the St. Louis Rams. "He's only 25, so I see him helping us a lot," said coach King.
Against Cincinnati, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Cooper had a total of 7 tackles, eight of them assists. He had two tackles for a total of 8 yards in losses and 3 quarterback hurries in his inaugural game.
"We had him take on their best runner (Askew) and just go one-on-one all night with him," King added, of the battle between the two. Cooper won big because Askew, who had 97 yards and 4 TDs in the first meeting between the two teams, was held to a minus-5 yards in the second half.
Askew's normal 4.0 yards a carry average was only 1.7 in this game despite scoring on 1 and 5 yard runs.
"He's a fast and big hitter," said King of Cooper, who has not yet practiced with the team. "Can you imagine what he'll do when he works with the team?"
Offensively, the Warbirds got their usual performance out of quarterback Steve Bellisari who had two rushing touchdowns and passed for four more. He had 15 carries for 79 yards and passed for 138 yards.
Pepe Pearson and Keith Brooks got into the rushing act. Pearson had 12 carries, 48 yards and a score and Brooks toted the ball 6 times for 35 yards and one touchdown.
On the receiving side, Brandon Pedraza, out of Youngstown State, matched his season total of two touchdowns on receptions of 19 and 11 yards.
One thing is for sure, Cooper adds a lot more scarlet and gray to the Warbirds mix as he joins other former Buckeyes Bellisari, Pearson and receiver Maurice Lee.
The Warbirds make one of their most important road trips of the season Saturday when they travel to St. Charles, Missouri, to meet the division-leading River City Rage (6-1).
Dayton's next home game in the Nutter Center is Saturday, May 21, against the arch-enemy, the Cincinnati Marshals. Game time is 7 p.m.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from May 10, 2005
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- Warbirds' second-half burst buries Cincinnati, 63-30 - Dayton Bulldogs
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