Thursday, December 8, 2016

AFL: Five Alive! Force Run Over Fireibirds, 24-10

ATLANTA-Last week, Norm Damron threw for a single-game record 412 passing yards in defeating Tampa Bay. He didn't throw for nearly that much this week, but his two touchdown passes combined with a team single-game record of 220 rushing yards helped the Georgia Force win their fifth straight game over the Albany Firebirds 24-10 in a Week 11 AFL game.

The Force got it started right away with Damron gaining 32 yards on a scramble. Following an 11-yard run by Clem Foulks, Damron threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Prince David to put Georgia up 7-0 with 13:16 remaining in the first quarter. Both teams would punt, then Albany started driving towards a score, but Dom Wenning would miss a 48-yard field goal.

After another exchange of punts, Georgia drove 45 yards on 8 plays. Wilbur Ahamd finished it off with a 30-yard field goal to extend the Force's lead to 10-0 with 12:58 remaining in the first half. Both teams would twice trade punts, then the Firebirds went on a 4-play, 49-yard drive. Sinbad Gargaro completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jerreld Richmond to make it 10-7 with 4:30 to go in the second quarter. The Force responded with an 8-play, 71-yard drive, and Damron threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Gevan Crafton to make it 17-7 with 1:14 left in the half.

On Albany's first possession of the second half, Gargaro was intercepted by Raymond Clements at the Georgia 31-yard line. Ahmad would miss a 50-yard field goal attempt on the ensuing Force possession. The Firebirds followed up with a 9-play, 54-yard drive, finishing with Wenning kicking a 23-yard field goal to make it 17-10 with 3:46 remaining in the third.

Georgia would punt late in the third quarter to the Albany 12-yard line. After four plays, the Firebirds would punt the ball away and Crafton ran it all the way back for a 75-yard punt return touchdown, making it 24-10 with 12:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Firebirds managed to drive to the Force 4-yard line on their next possession, but were turned away on fourth down. Georgia went into running mode to kill the clock, and Albany's last gasp was snuffed out by a Lin Byers interception.

Georgia (7-4) gained 329 yards of total offense. The Force ran for a record 220 yards on 32 carries. Foulks led the team with 98 yards on 16 carries. Walter Halley ran for 80 yards on 11 carries. Damron went 14-of-25 passing for 126 yards and 2 TD. He was sacked twice, losing 17 yards. Six different players caught 2 passes each, with David and Crafton accounting for 26 yards and a TD each. The Force will visit the Grand Rapids Rampage next week in a battle of two of the hottest teams in the AFL, each having won six of their last seven games.

Albany (5-6) gained 340 yards of total offense. The Firebirds were held to 30 yards rushing on 15 carries. Abdul Fowler led the team with 17 yards on 7 carries. Gargaro went 31-of-46 passing for 345 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 35 yards. Tico Ponder was the leading receiver with 11 catches for 143 yards. The Firebirds host the Orlando Predators next week.

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