West We Go: VooDoo Look for Road Victory in Spokane

Published on May 9, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release


SPOKANE, Wash. (May 10, 2012) - The New Orleans VooDoo (3-4) will travel cross country this Friday, May 11, to play the Spokane Shock (3-4) at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Kickoff is slated for 10 p.m. CT with the game originating live on Cox 4 and "Rush Radio" 99.5 FM WRNO.

"Last week's loss was a tough one; we learned from it as a team and have put it behind us. We've had a good week of practice and are eager to get back on the field," said VooDoo Head Coach Pat O'Hara. "Spokane has a lot offensive firepower and is very sound on defense and special teams. We have a tough task ahead of us playing them at their place this week."

The VooDoo will seek to get back in the win column after a tough 41-37 loss last week to the defending ArenaBowl champion Jacksonville Sharks. New Orleans capitalized on Jacksonville's mistakes early on and led 37-14 late in the third quarter before mayhem broke loose, allowing the Sharks to steadily mount a comeback. The Sharks took the lead for good with 4:23 remaining in the game.

Despite the loss, the VooDoo coaching staff felt there were some positives. "After watching film, I feel like we made some strides in pass coverage and getting after their quarterback," added O'Hara. "But we have to get better in all phases of the game. The AFL has a lot of parody; it's anyone's game out there, and the scores from around the league every week show that."

VooDoo quarterback Kurt Rocco continues to build upon his impressive sophomore campaign, coming into Friday night's contest ranked fourth in the AFL with an average of 302.3 yards of total offense per game. In the loss at Jacksonville, Rocco found receiver Quorey Payne three times in the first half for a touchdown. Payne finished the game with 6 receptions for 74 yards to go along with his 3 touchdown receptions - all coming on third or fourth down.

On the defensive side of the ball, New Orleans continued their opportunistic approach by picking off passes from both Jacksonville quarterbacks that saw action. Defensive backs Jorrick Calvin and Demarcus Robinson each recorded interceptions in the game with Robinson's going to the house for 6 points. Calvin's marked his third consecutive game with an interception. Through 7 games this season, the VooDoo defense has allowed just 383 points, ranking third in the League while also leading the AFL in turnover margin (+11).

"Maurice Blanding does a great job with our defense and helps put our players in positions to make plays," said O'Hara. "Our offense, defense, and special teams will need to have a solid performance on Friday night to keep pace with a very talented and hungry Spokane squad."

The Shock own the all-time series, 1-0, with the only match up coming in New Orleans last season with Spokane easily emerging, 75-54. The loss was marred by a season-high 15 penalties for 105 yards, a missed field goal, a fumble, and three turnovers on downs.

The VooDoo will try and avenge that loss on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. CT.

VooDoo on Television: Cox 4 (New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Acadiana areas)

VooDoo on the Radio: 99.5 FM WRNO "Rush Radio"

VooDoo Broadcast Team: Brandon Rizzuto (play-by-play), Jon Norris (color)

VooDoo on the Internet: www.wrno.com

VooDoo live game feed: www.ustream.tv/AFLVooDoo

VooDoo live statistics: http://livestats.prestosports.com/neworleansvoodoo

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