ALBANY, NY-The Dallas Desperados had a chance to claim sole possession of first place in the AFL Central Division, but the Albany Firebirds had other ideas as they edged the Desperados, 22-20 in a Week 7 contest.
The Desperados started out the game with a bang. On the second play of the game, Elson Gregson took off for a 69-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead with 13:56 remaining in the first quarter. Albany went three-and-out, but Heinie Voorhees was intercepted by Wayne Davison, who returned it 25 yards for the Firebirds to the Dallas 34-yard line. After a 4-play, 28-yard drive, Dom Wenning kicked a 23-yard field goal with 9:52 to go in the first to make it 7-3. Both teams would then trade punts twice as the first quarter moved on.
Late in the first, Dallas embarked on a 9-play, 71-yard drive that culminated with Voorhees scrambling in for a 2-yard touchdown run to go up 14-3 with 12:45 left in the second quarter. The Firebirds responded with an 8-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Sinbad Gargaro connecting with Garry Farr for a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-10 with 9:23 to go in the half. Dallas would punt, and Albany would move the ball 46 yards on 8 plays. Wenning ended the drive with a 51-yard field goal with 2:40 to go in the second quarter to make it 14-13. Greg Hall would miss a 49-yard field goal with 55 seconds left in the half, and Wenning would miss a 55-yarder with 14 seconds left to end the half.
Albany's first possession of the second half saw Gargaro get intercepted by Ardell Edmonds at the Dallas 41-yard line. The Desperados would give it back, however, as Horace Evers fumbled and Stanford Barbee would return it 9 yards to the Firebirds 44-yard line. Albany then drove 56 yards on 5 plays, ending with Gargaro hitting Teddy Harley for a 24-yard touchdown. The Firebirds failed to make the 2-point conversion, and were up 19-14 with 10:52 to go in the third. Both teams would trade punts, and Voorhees was picked off by Albany's Butler Stonewall at his own 28. Other than punt, the punt teams would dominate the third and early part of the fourth quarter.
With 9:41 left in the fourth quarter, Dallas faced a 4th-and-4 at the Albany 13, and Voorhees was not even close, getting stuffed at the 12. Albany then fired off a 7-play, 73-yard drive, ending with Wenning kicking a 32-yard field goal with 6 minutes to go to go up 22-14. The Desperados would respond with a 8-play, 57-yard drive that saw Voorhees throw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Evers with 3:18 remaining. Dallas would miss the 2-point conversion, and were down 22-20. After Albany punted, Dallas had the ball at its own 20 with 1:11 left in the game, but couldn't move the ball at all, and Albany snapped their two-game losing streak. Conversely, Dallas saw their two-game winning streak end.
Albany (4-3) gained 331 yards of total offense. The Firebirds ran for 100 yards on 29 carries. Abdul Fowler led the team with 41 yards on 5 carries. Gargaro was 16-of-36 passing for 259 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked three times, losing 28 yards. Farr led the team with 5 receptions for 63 yards and a TD. Tico Ponder caught 4 passes for 106 yards. Next week, the Firebirds will visit the New York Dragons, who blew them out 31-3 in Week 5.
Dallas (4-3) gained 398 yards of total offense. The Desperados gained 160 yards rushing on 26 carries. Gregson led the team with 116 yards on 11 carries and a TD. Voorhees went 19-of-43 passing for 229 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked once for a 6-yard loss. Evers caught 5 passes for 46 yards and a TD. J.J. Hawes caught 5 passes for 63 yards. Dallas will visit the Chicago Rush next week, the Desperados defeated them 20-16 in Week 5.
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