Yard Dawgz defeat turnpike rivals again
May 2, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz News Release
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - May 1, 2004 - The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz held off the Tulsa Talons, 62-60, Saturday night, improving to 3-1 in front of 13,434 fans at the Ford Center.
It was the second win in as many tries for Oklahoma City over the defending ArenaCup champions. The Yard Dawgz claimed a 70-63 overtime win at Tulsa in their inaugural game. Oklahoma City is one game behind the 4-0 Wichita Stealth in af2's Southwest Division. Tulsa fell to 2-2 on the year.
Saturday's game turned during a wild flurry of miscues at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. The Yard Dawgz led 35-34 when Oklahoma City's Timon Marshall fumbled on a kickoff return. Bjorn Barre recovered in the end zone to give Tulsa its first and only lead of the game, 40-35.
Oklahoma City quarterback Craig Strickland fumbled at his own 1-yard line on the first play of the Dawgz's ensuing series, but the Talons couldn't take advantage. Lost yardage on a Rashad Hall fumble and two penalties backed the Talons off of Oklahoma City's doorstep, then Chuck Little sacked Michael Wall, forcing a fumble that Johnell Jones recovered near midfield.
Al Hunt's 13-yard catch and run three plays later put the Yard Dawgz back on top, 42-40. The ensuing kickoff bounded off the crossbar and into the arms of the opportunistic Jones at the Tulsa 7-yard line, setting up Strickland's one-yard touchdown run for a 48-40 lead with 13:50 left in the game.
Tulsa cut the lead back to two points on three occasions in the closing minutes, but Marshall recovered the Talons' last-ditch onside kick with 32 seconds left, and the Yard Dawgz ran out the clock. Marshall accumulated 243 all-purpose yards, including a 55-yard kickoff return for touchdown and a key fourth-down run for a first down in the closing seconds to clinch the victory.
Strickland completed 17-of-27 passes for 273 yards and six touchdowns to earn Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game honors. Hunt totaled 110 receiving yards and three TDs along with two tackles and a pass breakup on defense to be named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game. Oklahoma City's James Landers helped pressure Wall all night long to get the nod as ADT Defensive Player of the Game.
For Tulsa, Wall totaled 253 yards on 21-of-35 passing. Mitch Allner and Robert Reed each caught three of Wall's eight touchdown passes. Allner led all receivers with 134 yards on nine catches.
A pair of defensive stops bookended a first half dominated by the offenses. After the Talons netted no yards on their first three plays from scrimmage, the Yard Dawgz needed just one play to get on the scoreboard. Marshall beat Rickie Davis and hauled in Strickland's 45-yard bomb in stride for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Tulsa struck back with a 1-yard touchdown reception by Allner, but Marshall rambled 49 yards on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Strickland's 15-yard scoring strike to Peters for a 21-14 Yard Dawgz advantage. On its next possession, Tulsa gambled on 4th-and-goal from the Oklahoma City 9-yard line and was rewarded when Wall nailed an open Barre to tie the game at 21. The Talons forced three incompletions and two holding penalties on Oklahoma City's last possession of the half, and Pete Martinez missed a 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
Two big kickoff returns and two long touchdown passes produced 21 points in the first five plays of the second half. Marshall took the opening kickoff of the half 55 yards for a touchdown, but Allner answered with a 31-yard kickoff return to midfield. Wall hit a wide-open Reed for a 23-yard score on the next play, but Oklahoma City reclaimed the lead when Hunt used a Marshall kickout block to go 42 yards for a 35-28 Yard Dawgz advantage.
A 45-yard catch by Allner and Hall's fumble recovery gave Tulsa back-to-back touchdowns and the lead, but the momentum-turning defensive stop and kickoff recovery put the Yard Dawgz in the driver's seat for the win over their interstate rivals.
arenafootball2 Stories from May 2, 2004
- Twisters Start Fast, End Slow Against Blitz - Arkansas Diamonds
- Vipers take over first by beating Memphis, 43-33 - Tennessee Valley Raptors
- Blitz Trounce Twisters, 49-21 - Bakersfield Blitz
- Yard Dawgz defeat turnpike rivals again - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
