PHOENIX-Turnovers have plagued the Arizona Rattlers all season. But in Week 10, the Rattlers were turnover-free, and the Colorado Crush fumbled the ball away late to give Arizona a 29-23 victory.
Both teams punted to start the game, and the Crush would move the ball 36 yards on 6 plays. Earl Ginger kicked a 25-yard field goal to give Colorado a 3-0 lead with 9:08 remaining in the first quarter. After a long return by Will Meads, Arizona would go on a 4-play, 48-yard drive that ended with Pablo Cadwell scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run with 7:26 remaining in the first to take a 7-3 lead. Colorado's next possession was disrupted by a Chris Harrell interception. The Rattlers would punt on the ensuing drive, but they would block a Gale Rosewall punt and get the ball at the Crush 30-yard line. They would lose 3 yards on 4 plays, but Pancho Barrow would kick a 50-yard field goal extending Arizona's lead to 10-3 with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter.
The Crush would take the ball and go on a 12-play, 69-yard drive. Howton Thom completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 10 with 10:51 remaining in the half. Arizona would take three plays to respond, putting an exclamation point on a 68-yard drive with a 62-yard touchdown run by Cadwell to put the Rattlers up 17-10 with 9:18 left in the second quarter. Colorado would embark on a long, time-consuming drive, going 80 yards on 20 plays. Thom put an end to the 8-minute drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sandy Kelley that tied the game at 17 with 1:05 left in the half. The Rattlers answered with a 6-play, 61-yard drive that saw Barrow kick a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the half to give Arizona a 20-17 lead.
After a Colorado punt to open the third quarter, Arizona drove 38 yards on 9 plays, and Barrow would kick a 48-yard field goal to go up 23-17 with 9:34 left in the third quarter. Colorado appeared primed to score a touchdown, but Valentine Millstone's fumbled was recovered by Whitey Teel at the Arizona 18-yard line. After a Rattlers punt, the Crush went on a 12-play, 42-yard drive ending with a 44-yard field goal by Ginger with 15 seconds remaining in the third to make it 23-20.
Arizona moved into scoring position early in the fourth quarter, but Barrow missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. The Crush would answer with a 9-play, 35-yard drive that ended with Ginger kicking a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at 23 with 5:40 left in the fourth. The Rattlers responded with a 6-play, 32-yard drive that Barrow finished with a 52-yard field goal with 2:08 left to give Arizona a 26-23 lead. A kickoff out of bounds gave Colorado the ball at their own 35, but Thom would fumble the snap and Quincey Quasar recovered for the Rattlers at the 49-yard line with 1:37 to go. After traveling 19 yards and burning Colorado's timeouts, Barrow kicked a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the game to take a 29-23 win.
Arizona (2-8) gained 338 yards of total offense. The Rattlers ran for 153 yards on 18 carries. Cadwell led the team with 93 yards on 6 carries and 2 TD. Don Fawcett went 20-of-35 passing for 191 yards, and was sacked once for a 6-yard loss. Melvin Jones led the receivers with 5 catches for 29 yards. The Rattlers host the Dallas Desperados next week.
Colorado (5-5) gained 345 yards of total offense. The Crush ran for 142 yards on 33 carries. Kern led the team with 86 yards on 16 carries. Thom was 23-of-36 passing for 230 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked three times, losing 27 yards. Gitch Wild caught 6 passes for 65 yards, and Kelley had 6 receptions for 62 yards and a TD. The Crush will host the Milwaukee Mustangs next week.
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