Week 2 AFL Recaps
Published on April 12, 2010 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release
WEEK 2 RESULTS:
Friday, April 9, 2010
Spokane 68, UTAH 34 (5,032)
ALABAMA 63, Jacksonville 49 (4,007)
CHICAGO 59, Cleveland 56 (8,075)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT 73, Orlando 67 (3,515)
TULSA 63, Dallas 59 (6,108)
Bye: Arizona, Iowa, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Tampa Bay
WEEK 3 SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 16, 2010
Dallas @ Tampa Bay 7:30 pm
Orlando @ Jacksonville 8:05 pm
Iowa @ Milwaukee 8:30 pm
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Cleveland @ Oklahoma City 8:05 pm
Alabama @ Utah 9:05
Bossier-Shreveport @ Spokane 10:00 pm
Chicago @ Arizona 10:30 pm
Bye: Tulsa
WEEK 4 SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 23, 2010
Utah @ Chicago 8:00 pm
Tulsa @ Arizona 10:30 pm
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Oklahoma City @ Iowa 8:05 pm
Tampa Bay @ Milwaukee 8:00 pm
Bye: Alabama, Bossier-Shreveport, Dallas, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Orlando, Spokane
WEEK 1 RECAPS
FRIDAY, APRIL 9
CHICAGO RUSH 59, Cleveland Gladiators 56 (Attendance: 8,075)
Chicago, Ill. - The Chicago Rush continued to show they are worthy of the No. 1 ranking in the polls this weekend by squashing a potential Cleveland comeback in the final seconds of the game. The scores were nearly evenly traded throughout the entire game with neither the Rush nor the Gladiators leading by more than a single touchdown at a time. The Rush were the first to score when QB Russ Michna found an open WR Samie Parker - the first of nine catches for Parker on the evening. Cleveland got on the board not two minutes later, when QB John Dutton threw a 15 yard pass to WR Ben Nelson. Both Chicago and Cleveland scored one more touchdown in the quarter, ending it tied at 14. Scores were traded throughout the second quarter as well, sending both teams into the locker room at halftime with 28 points on the board. Every quarter ended in a tie, an indicator this game was going to come down to the wire. The third was an offensive game of cat and mouse - twice, Cleveland scored a touchdown and the Rush tied it back up in the 15 minutes of regulation play. Chicago's defense helped to turn the tide of the game, however, when Chris Martin intercepted a Dutton pass to get the ball back in Chicago's hands. WR Nichiren Flowers would run the ball in for a score a few minutes later, giving the Rush a 49-42 lead going into the 4th. Chicago pulled ahead 56-49 with 3:19 left in the game when Parker ran in his third touchdown of the evening, but Chicago's defense couldn't stop Cleveland from scoring once more. Dutton found Nelson for a score with 45 seconds remaining in the game. It appeared to be headed to overtime, but Michna marched his offense down the field and set up a 12 yard field goal by Chris Gould for the win. Michna ended the evening throwing 22-17-0 for 315 yards and eight touchdowns. Dutton threw 37-52-3 for 379 yards and six touchdowns. The Rush move to 2-0 on the season, while Cleveland sits at 0-2.
ALABAMA VIPERS 63, Jacksonville Sharks 49 (Attendance: 4,007)
Huntsville, Ala. - The Vipers notched their first win of the season this weekend, defeating the Jacksonville Sharks 63-49. The game started out evenly matched with the two foes trading scores throughout most of the first half. Jacksonville took a leap ahead in the second, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to give them a 28-14 lead at halftime. The second half didn't start much better for Alabama as the Sharks scored yet another touchdown, pulling ahead by a convincing 21 points. The Vipers weren't daunted, and scored five consecutive touchdowns - three in the air, one rushing and one 40 yard interception return by Ahmad Hawkins. Dan Alexander, the league's leading rusher, ran in a touchdown with a little more than two minutes left in regulation to put the Vipers ahead 49-35. The Sharks got within a score, 42-49, when QB Aaron Garcia found WR James Clark, but the tying opportunity was never presented to Jacksonville. WR Larry Shipp carried in a pass from QB Kevin Eakin a few moments later, and despite another score by Jacksonville late in the game, Alabama was able to successfully overcome the halftime deficit to pull out with a win. Eakin threw 22-of-41 for the night with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Garcia threw 18-of-29 with two interceptions and five touchdown passes. Alexander made another 13 rushing attempts, gaining 40 yards and four touchdowns. Currently, Alexander has 23 total rushes for 57 yards and a whopping nine touchdowns on the season. Alabama WRs CJ Johnson and Shipp pulled in two touchdown passes a piece, with WR Jason Willis leading the Sharks with two catches.
Spokane Shock 68, UTAH BLAZE 34 (Attendance: 5,032)
Salt Lake City, Utah - After being handed a tough loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Iron last week, the Spokane Shock desired to redeem themselves - and redeem they did. The Shock pulled away with a decisive 34 point victory over division rival Utah in Utah's first game of the season. Spokane came out swinging, intercepting Utah's first drive of the game. DB William Mulder snagged a rogue QB Michael Affleck pass, setting up the opportunity for Spokane's first score of the game. The Shock would score twice in the first half, one rushing and one passing. Spokane's QB Kyle Rowley found WR Huey Whittaker at the 5:27 mark for a score, giving the Shock a 14-0 lead. Spokane's defense wasn't ready for KR Brandon Hampton though, as he ran the kick off back 54 yards for a score to bring Utah within seven. He would repeat this attack again in the second, returning a kick-off 56 yards after Spokane took a 20-7 lead. Utah never managed to pull any closer than six points to Spokane's lead. This was the first outing for Utah's rookie QB Affleck. Affleck went 4-12 with one interception before being replaced by veteran QB Brett Elliot. Elliot threw 10-for-17 and two touchdowns. Both of Elliot's touchdowns were carried in by WR Aaron Boone. Boone made eight catches for 40 yards. Spokane also adjusted at the position of QB, replacing Kyle Rowley with Erik Meyer late in the second half. Rowley threw 21-of-29 with six touchdowns. Meyer added another eight completions on 11 attempts and one touchdown. Whittaker led the Shock with 12 receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. WR Raul Vijil led in scoring with seven catches for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Spokane will host the Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings next week, while Utah welcomes the Alabama Vipers.
SATURDAY, APRIL 10
TULSA TALONS 63, Dallas Vigilantes 59 (Attendance: 6,108)
Tulsa, Ok. - The Talons played in front of a home crowd for the second week in a row and continued their winning streak, pulling out a 63-59 victory over the highly anticipated expansion Dallas Vigilantes. Both teams played aggressively and were marked by tough defense. The Talons' Greg Nyenhuis and Terrance Carter both forced fumbles that were converted into touchdowns, helping to lead a comeback charge when the Talons were down. The first quarter started off with a Dallas score, but Tulsa evened it up at 7 not long after. Dallas took charge heading into the second, pulling ahead by two scores. The Talons stayed down by at least one touchdown for the majority of the first half, but it was the second half that Tulsa owned. Things were looking grim for Tulsa coming back from halftime, as Dallas scored a touchdown only a few minutes in to take a 38-21 lead. But Tulsa wouldn't let up, slowly chipping away at the lead. Things took a turn for the worse for Dallas in the fourth, when Carter sacked Vigilantes QB Shane Stafford, forcing a fumble and setting up a Talons score with a minute left to play. Down 56-59, Jamar Ransom picked up the fumble and ran 12 yards to the one yard line, and Tulsa QB Justin Allgood ran in for a score on the next play. With the ball back in Dallas' hands and a chance to score, James Sadler stripped the ball and sealed the four point victory for the Talons. Allgood ended the evening 10-for-23 with 182 yards and five touchdowns. Stafford threw 31-of-47 for 374 yards and five touchdowns. WR Donovan Morgan was Tulsa's highest scorer, making four catches for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Tulsa will observe their first bye of the season in Week 3, while Dallas is set to visit the five-time AFL champion Tampa Bay Storm.
BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLEWINGS 73, Orlando Predators 67 (Attendance: 3,515)
Bossier City, La. - The Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings rolled to an amazing victory over long-time AFL member Orlando Predators this weekend, defeating the Preds by six. Both teams performed on the offensive end superbly. Bossier QB Raymond Philyaw threw 26-33-0 for 324 yards and nine touchdowns, while completing his first 14 straight passes of the game. Orlando QB Nick Hill went 36-of-46 for 381 yards, zero interceptions and four touchdowns. Hill currently leads the league in total offense per game, averaging 398 yards. But it was the Philyaw to WR PJ Berry connection that added the excitement to the game. Berry made a whopping 14 catches for 201 yards and six touchdowns. Scores were nearly evenly traded throughout the first half, with most of Orlando's touchdowns coming on the ground - a rarity in the arena football game. The highlight of the game came in the final minutes of the first half when Berry returned a missed field goal, running the ball 56 yards for a score and evading tackles down the sideline. Bossier-Shreveport led 48-33 at the half, but Orlando wouldn't quit in the face of adversity. Orlando was the first to strike in the second half, conjuring up images of last week's loss for the BattleWings, who dropped a two possession half time lead in the second half. Bossier-Shreveport was set on not letting that happen again and scored four more times before time expired. The last score of the game was, unsurprisingly, a Philyaw pass to an open Berry for a 36 yard touchdown to put the BattleWings ahead 73-67 for good. Bossier-Shreveport's next task at hand will be visiting the Spokane Shock, who are coming off a 34-point victory over Utah. Orlando will be visiting in-state and division rival Jacksonville Sharks in search of their first win of the season.
*HOME TEAM LISTED IN CAPS
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