NASHVILLE-The Nashville Kats turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter in Albany Firebirds territory, and suffered a 24-22 defeat in a Week 2 AFL contest.
Albany received the opening kickoff, and plugged away at the Kats, going 70 yards on 13 plays. QB Sinbad Gargaro put an end to the drive by scrambling 8 yards for a touchdown to give the Firebirds a 7-0 lead with 8:40 to go in the first. Both teams would trade punts to end the first quarter.
The Kats would punt again in the second quarter, but would rise up and get an interception by CB Hamilton Berger at the Albany 21-yard line. But the Kats could not capitalize on the pick, and Daniel Stevenson would miss a 42-yard field goal at the 10:36 mark of the second quarter. The Firebirds would subsequently take advantage, going 68 yards on 9 plays. FB Abdul Fowler would plow in from 5 yards out to put Albany up 14-0 with 6:58 left in the half. Nashville would have to punt again, but Red Hull placed a perfect coffin corner kick at the Albany 2-yard line. Three plays later, LB Parker Kincaid would sack Gargaro in the end zone for a safety with 3:31 left in the half to cut the deficit to 14-2. After the Kats received the safety punt, they would drive 58 yards on 7 plays. This time, Nashville QB Brewster Brickhouse would scramble in from the 9 to make it 14-9 with 48 seconds to go in the half. Albany would quickly move down for Dom Wenning to attempt a 50-yard field goal with five seconds left, but he missed it, and the half ended with the Firebirds nursing a 5-point lead.
Albany caught a break on the second half kickoff, and recovered the ball on the Nashville 29-yard line. Three plays later, Fowler swept around the left side and ran 21 yards for a touchdown. The extra point put the Firebirds up 21-9 with 14:02 left in the third quarter. Both teams would trade punts, and Nashville then drove 55 yards on 4 plays. Brickhouse hit Isaiah Falk for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 8:28 to go in the third to make it 21-16. The Firebirds would then take the ensuing kickoff, and drive the ball 58 yards on 7 plays. Wenning would connect on a 46-yard field goal with 5:18 to go to extend the Firebirds lead to 24-16. The Kats would start their next drive from their own 10, and would move the ball 90 yards on 11 plays. Oliver Osler would end the drive with a 2-yard run. The Kats missed the 2-point conversion attempt, and found themselves still trailing 24-22 with 14:47 remaining in the game.
Albany would punt on its next drive, and Nashville took over on its own 44. The Kats were forced to punt, but Albany's Jimmy Loggeman would fumble the return, and Nashville's Kirk Guthrie recovered at the Firebirds 20-yard line. However, Albany would get the ball back on an Austin Carle interception returned to his own 17-yard line. The Firebirds would punt again, and the Kats looked to get into scoring range again, but Brickhouse fumbled and Firebirds LB Stanford Barbee recovered at the Albany 27-yard line. The Firebirds would attempt to run out the clock and put the game away, but Fowler fumbled at the Nashville 39, and S Lee Roy Jarrod recovered for the Kats with 2:31 remaining. The Kats could not convert on fourth down at their own 46, and after burning their timeouts, could not move fast enough down the field following an Albany punt.
Albany (1-1) gained 352 yards of total offense. The Firebirds gained 123 yards rushing, Fowler leading with 66 yards on 9 carries, with 2 TD. Gargaro ran 8 times for 33 yards and a TD. Gargaro went 20-for-34 passing for 246 yards and 1 INT. He was sacked twice, losing 17 yards. Garry Farr caught 4 passes for 86 yards. Tico Ponder caught 4 passes for 32 yards. Next week, the Firebirds open their home slate against the Tampa Bay Storm.
Nashville (0-2) gained 333 yards of total offense. The Kats gained 102 yards rushing, with Osler leading with 52 yards on 15 carries with a TD. He also led the team with 4 receptions for 56 yards.
Brickhouse ran the ball 5 times for 22 yards and a TD. He also went 17-for-27 passing for 247 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked twice, losing 16 yards. Falk caught 3 passes for 59 yards and a TD. The Kats go on the road next week to face the Grand Rapids Rampage.
No comments:
Post a Comment