PHOENIX-The Arizona Rattlers blew the game wide open in the second half and defeated the Colorado Crush 44-20 in a Week 11 AFL game.
The Crush started with the ball and drove towards a score, but Earl Ginger missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. On the Rattlers' first possession, Braxton Teal fumbled the ball and Stan Dinn recovered for Colorado at the Crush 41-yard line. The Crush again looked poised to score, but Howton Thom was picked off by Hudson Riggs in the end zone. The Rattlers would punt the ball away, then Lloyd Barisch intercepted Thom and ran it back 33 yards for a touchdown to give Arizona a 7-0 lead with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cursh would punt on their next drive, then the Rattlers drove 71 yards on 10 plays. Kadeem Raburn finished it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Sidney making it 14-0 with 10:27 left in the second quarter. On the next Colorado play, Whitey Teel sacked and stripped the ball away from Thom at the Crush 23-yard line. But Burt Hamrick's 28-yard field goal attempt was partially blocked and fell short. After trading punts, Colorado finally got on the board after a 6-play, 47-yard drive. Thom threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Joe Foss, but Ginger missed the extra point, and the Crush trailed 14-6 with 1:06 left in the half.
Arizona opened the second half with possession, and started to pull away. The Rattlers ended a 5-play, 44-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal by Hamrick to take a 17-6 lead with 13:12 left in the third quarter. Colorado was forced to punt, and Otto Pugh returned the kick 31 yards to the Crush 45-yard line. Five plays later, Melvin Jones scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 24-6 with 9:18 remaining in the third. The Crush took two plays to respond, as Thom fired a 75-yard bomb to Gitch Wild for a touchdown. The 2-Point Conversion failed, and Colorado trailed 24-12 with 8:15 remaining in the third quarter. Arizona then went on an 8-play, 35-yard drive that ended with a 49-yard field goal by Hamrick that made it 27-12 with 5:11 left in the third.
Colorado's next drive ended with a punt that Pugh returned 29 yards to the Arizona 49-yard line. Teal then ended the 6-play, 51-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run extending the Rattlers' lead to 34-12 with 13:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the Crush turned it over on downs, Arizona went 38 yards on 4 plays. Hamrick would kick a 46-yard field goal to make it 37-12 with 7:41 left in the fourth. Colorado would answer with a 6-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Thom hooking up with Wild for a 36-yard touchdown pass. The Crush got the 2-Point Conversion and trailed 37-20 with 5:12 to go in the fourth quarter. An onside kick failed, and the Rattlers went on a 7-play, 46-yard drive. Stomp Navarro finished it with a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 44-20 with 1:16 to go in the game.
Arizona (5-6) gained 400 yards of total offense. The Rattlers ran for 169 yards on 32 carries. Navarro led the team with 60 yards on 6 carries. Raburn was 17-of-33 passing for 227 yards and a TD. He was sacked twice, losing 14 yards. Jones (48 yards) and Sidney (19 yards, TD) each caught 4 passes in the game. Next week, the Rattlers will host the Iowa Barnstormers.
Colorado (6-5) gained 408 yards of total offense. The Crush ran for 56 yards on 18 carries. Aaron Yarnell led the team with 26 yards on 8 carries. Thom was 24-of-46 passing for 383 yards, 3 TD and 3 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 31 yards. Wild was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 189 yards and 2 TD. Next week, the Crush host the Chicago Rush.
No comments:
Post a Comment