New Orleans win 4 straight!

DENVER, CO -- The New Orleans VooDoo overcame a four-point fourth quarter deficit with less than two and a half minutes remaining and DB Lin-J Shell recorded an interception in the end zone as time expired to pull out an exciting come-from-behind win over the Colorado Crush 54-51 in front of 10,350 fans at the Pepsi Center. New Orleans won their fourth straight to improve to 4-1 and keep a one-game lead over second-place Orlando in the Southern Division.

This is the third four-game winning streak in club history and the first since 2005. Colorado falls to 1-3.The VooDoo will look for their second five-game win streak in team annals when they host the defending ArenaBowl Champion San Jose SaberCats next Saturday at 6 p.m in the New Orleans Arena.

“This was a classic Arena Football game,” said VooDoo Head Coach Mike Neu. “We talked about it at halftime trying to eliminate some of the penalties in the second half.

Our guys kept fighting and we finally got a break at the end, where they did a nice job creating that turnover. It was a nice win all the way around for us against a good football team in what has traditionally been a tough place to play.”

QB Danny Wimprine ran in for a one-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left on a quarterback sneak to give the VooDoo the 54-51 lead.

“It’s one of those situations deciding to take a penalty or let some time run off or not, said Neu. “There are too many times where I’ve seen an incompletion or turnover in that situation. It was one of those situations where we wanted to score and have the lead.”

QB Danny Wimprine completed 26 of 44 passes for 314 yards with six touchdown passes and one TD run to take Offensive Player of the Game. James Jordan had nine receptions for 106 yards with four touchdowns to tie a career high.

Shell took Defensive Player of the Game honors with 7.5 tackles and two passes defensed to go with his pick.

The VooDoo began the game by taking the opening kickoff and starting at their own two yard-line. VooDoo QB Danny Wimprine completed five of six passes, including a five-yard fade for a touchdown to WR James Jordan to give the VooDoo a six point lead after K Alex Romero missed the extra point attempt.

Colorado was denied the end zone on three downs in the red zone and Crush K Clay Rush kicked a 29-yeard field goal as the VooDoo held a 6-3 lead.

Jones took the next kickoff out to the VooDoo 22-yard line, but the VooDoo weren’t able to take advantage of the field position as Wimprine was intercepted by DB Rashad Floyd on a key third down play.

Colorado QB John Dutton then immediately found WR Willie Quinnie for a touchdown pass.

On their next offensive drive, Wimprine drove the VooDoo down the field and found G Isaiah Ross for a screen pass for a touchdown to give the VooDoo a 13-10 lead after the extra point.

Crush KR Jason Harmon returned the kickoff to midfield and then Dutton took advantage of a couple of penalties on the VooDoo and eventually found WR Ben Nelson for a four-yard touchdown pass to give the Crush a 17-13 lead.

Wimprine and the starting VooDoo offense took over possession at their own 5 yard-line with 9:25 left in the second quarter. Wimprine drilled a 18-yard completion to WR Tyronne Jones, then after two incompletions under pressure, Colorado DB Zach Norton was called for a pass interference play to put the VooDoo at the Crush 17. Wimprine then dumped off to FB James Lynch for a four-yard screen and then found WR Javarus Dudley for a nine yard first down. Wimprine then found Jordan for a four yard touchdown for their second connection of the game to give New Orleans a three-yard lead.

The VooDoo put heavy pressure on Dutton on New Orleans’ first play, but DL Henry Bryant was called for a personal foul/illegal contact penalty. Two downs later, DB Keon Raymond was called for a pass interference call. Dutton then dumped off to TE Chris Watton for an 11-yard dump off. Eventually Dutton would find Nelson for a five-yard touchdown to take the lead back.

The Crush then attempted an onsides kick which Jordan held onto and Wimprine immediately found Jones for a 13-yard touchdown.

The Crush were unable to score on their final offensive drive of the half with 45 seconds left as the VooDoo defense forced three incompletions, including a third down pass by Dutton broken up by JLB Norman LeJeune. The VooDoo were unable to score on the half’s final drive but entered the locker room with a 27-24 lead.

The second half began with Dutton driving the Crush down the field into VooDoo territory, eventually finding WR Brad Pyatt for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Crush a 31-27 lead, but Pyatt received an unsportsmanlike conduct call that was assessed on the kickoff.

Wimprine and the VooDoo offense completed a key fourth down 32-yard bomb to Jordan to put the VooDoo back in the lead with a 34-31 lead.

The VooDoo then put the ball deep in Crush territory on a first down holding play. After allowing a seven-yard completion, DB Lin-J Shell successfully defended a deep pass and Quinnie dropped a key third down pass, forcing the Crush to go for it. Dutton completed the fourth down pass to Pyatt. Dutton then found FB Robert Thomas for a screen pass to put them at the VooDoo 12 yard line. After finding Pyatt for a four-yard out, before finding Pyatt for a an eight-yard touchdown which would give the Crush a 38-34 lead.

On the next possession, WR DeAndrew Rubin fielded a kick off the iron to midfield deftly. Wimprine took the ball down the field methodically with FB James Lynch eventually pounding the ball in from three yards out to give the VooDoo a 41-38 lead.

Colorado took the ball at the 14yard line after the kickoff that concluded play in the third quarter and Dutton drove the Crush into VooDoo territory, eventually finding Nelson for a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Crush a 45-41 lead with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter.

Rush then successfully kicked off for a touchback, putting the VooDoo in disadvantageous field position at the five-yard line, but Wimprine then found Jones for an 18-yard play on third down to keep the chains moving and then completed passes to

Jordan and Lynch to get the ball to the four-yard line. After a one-yard run by the signal caller and a batted down incompletion, he found Jordan for a three-yard touchdown. Romero missed the extra point though, so the VooDoo took a 47-45 lead.

Colorado took advantage of a long kickoff return by Harmon and then Dutton drove the Crush down the field and found Pyatt for a three yard touchdown. But the VooDoo defense stopped the crush on a two point conversion attempt, giving the Crush a 51-47 lead.

Jones was then stopped at the two-yard line on the kickoff return. Wimprine threw a first down incompletion intended for Jones facing pressure. One second down, Dudley was found at the walls for a first down. Wimprine then threw and incompletion on the ensuing first down play, before finding Jordan for a 14-yard first down along the boards.

Wimprine’s first down throw in Crush territory was incomplete before he fired a 20-yard laser to Jones at the one-yard line. Wimprine then barreled in for a touchdown and Romero banged through the extra point attempt to give New Orleans a 54-51 edge with 36 seconds left.

Harmon took the kickoff return back to the 17-yard line. Dutton then found Quinnie for a 15-yard strike on the middle of the field to the VooDoo-20-yard line. The snap was then fumbled by Dutton at the snap and recovered by Colorado’s Thomas. Dutton then found Nelson for a 13-yard completion along the boards. On a first down play at the VooDoo seven, Dutton adeptly threw the ball away, then finding Nelson for a three-yard completion to move up to the four with seven seconds left on the ticker. DB Lin-J Shell then picked the ball off in the end zone to secure the ball for the VooDoo.