2008 AFL Standings

Team Overall % Division % Philadelphia Soul 9 - 1 .900 3 - 1 .750 Dallas Desperados 8 - 1 .889 4 - 1 .800 Cleveland Gladiators 5 - 4 .556 3 - 2 .600 New York Dragons 5 - 4 .556 2 - 3 .400 Columbus Destroyers 2 - 7 .222 0 - 5 .000 New Orleans VooDoo 7 - 3 .700 2 - 1 .667 Orlando Predators 7 - 3 .700 2 - 2 .500 Georgia Force 4 - 5 .444 1 - 3 .250 Tampa Bay Storm 3 - 5 .375 2 - 1 .667 Chicago Rush 7 - 2 .778 5 - 0 1.000 Colorado Crush 4 - 5 .444 1 - 3 .250 Grand Rapids Rampage 3 - 6 .333 2 - 3 .400 Kansas City Brigade 1 - 8 .111 1 - 3 .250 San Jose SaberCats 5 - 5 .500 3 - 0 1.000 Arizona Rattlers 4 - 5 .444 1 - 3 .250 Los Angeles Avengers 4 - 6 .400 3 - 1 .750 Utah Blaze 1 - 9 .100 0 - 3 .000

Blaze 67, Brigade 50

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Blaze (1-9) picked up their first victory of 2008 on Saturday night against the Kansas City Brigade (1-8). Utah’s first win was witnessed by 12,208 fans at EnergySolutions Arena.

“It was great to see our guys fight for four quarters” said Blaze head coach/general manager Danny White. “We came out on the first series of the third quarter and threw an interception, and it could have been real easy for everybody to go in the tank at that point. Everyone just kept playing and stayed up the whole game.”

Offensive Player of the Game honors went to Blaze QB Joe Germaine (6-2, 238, Ohio State) who finished the night 24-of-30 passing for 337 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also recorded a nine-yard touchdown run. Blaze LB Kelvin Morris (6-3, 236, Clemson) was named Defensive Player of the Game after recording 8.0 total tackles and preventing a Brigade two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. DB J”Sharlon Jones (5-8, 188, Colorado State) was named Ironman of the Game after returning six kickoffs for 120 yards and recording 2.0 total tackles.

Kansas City tallied the first score of the evening with a 17-yard touchdown pass from QB D. Bryant (6-2, 205, Duke) to WR Ces’are Manning (6-1, 200, Indianapolis). The Blaze quickly struck back with an eight-yard touchdown strike from Germaine to WR Huey Whittaker (6-5, 228, South Florida). Blaze K Steve Azar (509, 195, Northern Illinois) missed the extra point, but Utah played a solid first quarter stopping Kansas City on downs, recording another touchdown, and forcing a Brigade fumble at the end of the quarter. The first quarter ended with the Blaze on top, 13-7.

Utah outscored Kansas City 20-14 in the second quarter to keep the lead at halftime, 33-21.

The second half started slow for the Blaze with a potential Germaine touchdown pass being intercepted by Brigade DB Travis Coleman (6-1, 195, Hampton) setting Kansas City up for a 31-yard WR Jerel Myers (5-11, 185, LSU) touchdown reception and a missed extra point. Utah answered back with a one-yard touchdown run by FB Kautai Olevao (6-2, 268, Utah) but failed to convert on their two-point conversion. The Blaze held Kansas City to a 58-yard field goal on their next possession and ended the quarter with a nine-yard Germaine touchdown run. The Blaze held on to the lead, 46-30, entering the final quarter of play.

The fourth quarter saw three scores from each team as Utah held off Kansas City, 67-50.

Avengers 66, Rattlers 59

LOS ANGELES, CA -- QB Tim Hicks was 19 of 36 for 328 yards and six touchdowns, two to WR Kevin Ingram, as the Los Angeles Avengers defeated the Arizona Rattlers, 66-59, in a Western Division battle on Satuday night at STAPLES Center. WR Timon Marshall had nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns while WR LaShaun Ward added four catches for 111 yards and two scores.

Rattlers QB Lang Campbell finished 22 of 34 for 277 yards and seven touchdowns. WR Siaha Burley had six catches for 95 yards and three touchdowns. WR Todd Devoe hauled in eight catches for 74 yards and two scores. WR Trandon Harvey had seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns and also contributed on special teams with eight returns for 158 yards and a score.

Soul remains undefeated

QB Matt D'Orazio scored eight total touchdowns and Eddie Moten picked off QB Clint Dolezel three times as the Philadelphia Soul defeated the Dallas Desperados, 57-28, on Monday night at the Wachovia Spectrum in the Broad Street Brawl.

Rush 65, Crush 52

Denver – The Chicago Rush used a 28-0 run late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter to turn a seven point deficit into a 65-52 win over the Colorado Crush Friday night at Pepsi Center.

Rush QB Russ Michna ran his record as a starter to 4-0, completing 24 of 35 passes for 280 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Rush (7-2) complete a season sweep of Colorado.

With the win, Chicago now holds a 3 ½ game lead in the Central Division over both Colorado (3-5) and Grand Rapids (3-5).

“This was a big win for us,” said Rush head coach Mike Hohensee. “I thought Russ played great again at quarterback and the defense made some big stops when we needed them.”

With the Crush leading 21-14 with six minutes left in the first half, Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo ruined Colorado’s surprise on-side kick attempt, recovering the ball and returning it 11-yards for a game-tying touchdown.

The Rush defense then forced Colorado into a 53-yard field goal attempt, which missed wide left, giving the ball to the Rush at its own 1-yard line with 2:21 remaining in the half.

Using the clock perfectly, the Rush moved 49 yards for the go-ahead TD, scoring on a one-yard run by Michna to take a 28-21 halftime lead.

Chicago kept up the pressure in the third quarter, scoring on its opening drive when Damian Harrell caught a four-yard TD pass.

Then, after the ensuing kickoff pinned the Crush deep in its own territory, Alfonzo intercepted a John Dutton pass and returned it back to the Crush 5-yard line. On the next play, Michna hit Donovan Morgan for a TD and a 42-21 Rush lead.

A Willie Quinne TD catch with 7:08 left in the third quarter snapped Chicago’s 28-0 run, however the PAT was no good, making the score 42-27.

A 34-yard field goal from Dan Frantz extended the Rush lead to 45-27 and set the stage for the Rush defense to force another turnover.

On Colorado’s next series DB Dennison Robinson intercepted a Dutton pass in the end zone. The interception was Robinson’s seventh of the season, matching his career high set last season. Five plays later, Harrell scored again to make the Rush lead 52-27.

Colorado cut the lead to 52-39 with 6:23 remaining, sandwiching TD catches by Brad Pyatt and Chad Owens around a Michna interception.

But the Rush responded with a 23-yard TD pass from Michna to Morgan and pushed its lead up to 59-39.

Voodoo 70, Blaze 56

QB Danny Wimprine was 22 of 33 for 265 yards and nine touchdowns as the New Orleans VooDoo defeated the Utah Blaze, 70-56, on Friday night at New Orleans Arena.

Crush 69, Gladiators 66

CLEVELAND, OH – It was not in the fourth quarter and they did not have to go 98 yards, but John Elway’s Colorado Crush did turn a seven-point first half deficit into their third win of the season, in a 69-66 nail-biter in Cleveland.

Summoning the echoes of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland fans were once again left with the stigma of number “7” Friday night at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The Crush utilized two DB Rashad Floyd interceptions to their offensive advantage in the second half and outscored the Gladiators 38-28 in the final two quarters.

“We have been in that position before many times,” Floyd said. “We had some bounces that did not go our way in the first half, but when we needed to make plays our guys rose to the occasion.”

Dutton finished another career night 33-of-48 for 314 yards, eight touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Those numbers were good enough to move him into seventh and eighth place all-time in career passing touchdowns and passing yards respectively in the AFL.

After exchanging touchdowns to start off the second half and the game tied 52-52, it seemed unlikely that the Crush were going to get another defensive stop. Considering the Crush defense was penalized seven times for 43 yards in the game, the chances of stopping the sixth ranked offense did seem slim.

That was, until Gladiator QB Raymond Philyaw threw two very similar interceptions on Cleveland drives, both inside the 15-yard line. Crush DB Rashad Floyd broke on both balls at the goal line and the Crush were able to convert the mistakes into 10 quick points. Philyaw finished the night 26-for-37, 316 yards and seven touchdowns.

“We have had some close games this season,” Colorado head coach Mike Dailey said. “And I was happy with the way we responded in the second half. The guys just kept coming and we were able to put some pressure on them towards the end and came out on top.”

After the momentum shift, the Crush was able to play mistake free and hold on to the three-point victory. However, Dutton did throw two interceptions of his own in the first half, but was able to keep the game within reach at half with the play of his three wide receivers.

“I threw a couple bad balls and got one unlucky bounce, but that is the way it goes sometimes,” Dutton said. “The defense really stood up in the second half and gave us a couple of chances to break the game open.”

WR Willie Quinnie added four touchdowns on nine catches for 64 yards. WR Ben Nelson led all receivers with 142 yards and two touchdowns and WR Brad Pyatt got to double digits with 10 receptions for 74 yards and two scores.

With all of the connections behind the bench and on the field, the game turned out to be a great venue to continue a little bit of the rivalry started over 20 years ago by the team’s two owners.

Two coaches and one fourth of the Gladiators active roster had been under the direction of Colorado coach Mike Dailey at some point in their careers. It seemed only natural that Dailey would take the first game in Cleveland from his former protégés.

Soul 64, Blaze 56

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- QB Matt D'Orazio was 28 of 37 for 300 yards and six touchdowns adding a rushing score as the Philadelphia Soul defeated the Utah Blaze, 64-56, on Saturday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. WR Chris Jackson has 13 catches for 138 yards and five touchdowns.

Blaze QB Joe Germaine finished 21 of 28 for 250 yards and five touchdowns. FB Rodney Filer had six rushes for 49 yards and three touchdowns. WR Huey Whittaker had six catches for 67 yards and three scores.

Dragons 63, Rampage 34

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- The Dragons defense was perfect in the first half and nearly unstoppable for the entire game as they helped New York to a 63-34 crushing of the Grand Rapids Rampage, Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum.

DB John Walker led the defense with three interceptions, two pass breakups and two tackles. Walker returned one interception back for a 15-yard touchdown. Also intercepting a pass was DB Levy Brown, who has five on the season. LB Idris Price and DL Henry Taylor also chipped in with fumble recoveries, while DB Billy Parker had three pass breakups.

"The fact that we were able to capitalize on the defensive turnovers was very encouraging," said head coach Weylan Harding. "Everybody did their one-eighth and made the plays that we needed to make. We're expecting (Walker) to do his part. If an opportunity arises, he's supposed to make those plays because that's what he's here for. I expect that from all of our (defensive backs). When you're number is called, you have to perform."

The Dragons defense held the Rampage to no points in the first half. Grand Rapids picked up its first points of the game with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter.

"We all had a heavy ball conscious week," said Walker, who said he last had three interceptions in a game in high school. "I was able to make plays with the opportunities, but give full credit to our DBs and D-line."

On the offensive side, QB Aaron Garcia was the star, going 26-of-42 for 311 yards, seven touchdown passes, one touchdown run and two interceptions. WR/LB Chris Anthony played Ironman today contributing on both sides of the ball. Anthony caught ten passes for 92 yard and four touchdowns. WR Keron Henry, WR Jason Willis and WR Terry Moss also caught touchdown passes from Garcia.

The Dragons led 35-0 at the half before Grand Rapids tried to catch up by scoring 21 points in the third quarter, but the Dragons countered with 21 points of their own in the third. In the fourth, the Rampage scored 13 points to the Dragons' seven.

"I still don't think we played that well," said Anthony. "We made a lot of mistakes in the second half."

For Grand Rapids, QB James MacPherson was 16-of-31 for 235 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. Wide receivers Jermaine Lewis and Kenny Higgins caught touchdown passes, along with OL Fitu Tu'ua.

The Dragons' next game is on Sunday, April 13 at 3 pm at the Nassau Coliseum.

VooDoo 72, SaberCats 43

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Tying a team record with their fifth consecutive win, the New Orleans VooDoo continued their fine form behind a staunch defense that has become their trademark and defeated the San Jose SaberCats 72-43.

A pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns and an efficient passing attack from Danny Wimprine

and company paced the VooDoo (5-1) to victory, which was also the team's fifth consecutive home win dating back to the 2007 home finale against Austin. Calvin Spears and Norman LeJeune each turned defense into offense, picking off Mark Grieb passes and returning them for six points.

Wimprine and his favorite receiver James Jordan continued to link up throughout the game as they have all season, with Jordan catching three of the quarterback's five touchdown passes. Wimprine completed 19 of 29 attempts for 222 yards with five scores and no interceptions and added a two-yard scoring run en route to earning player of the game honors.

Making their first trip to the New Orleans Arena since defeating Columbus in ArenaBowl XXI last July, the SaberCats (3-3) took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to take a 7-0 lead via a four-yard touchdown pass from Mark Grieb to Cleannord Saintil.

New Orleans answered right back with Wimprine lofting a perfect spiral to a wide open Javarus Dudley for a 47-yard touchdown to knot the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter. The 47-yard bomb was the longest scoring pass in VooDoo franchise history and the second-longest overall throw.

Spears, the Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Month for March, continued his highlight-reel season on the next San Jose possession, stepping in front of a Grieb pass and sprinting up the left sideline for a 49-yard touchdown return and a 14-7 VooDoo lead. Spears' sixth interception of the season broke the club-record for picks in a season in just the sixth game of the campaign.

The VooDoo kept San Jose out of the end zone on their next trip down the field with the visitors having to settle for an 18-yard A.J. Haglund field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-10.

Taking advantage of another defensive stand, Wimprine and the offense stepped back onto the turf and extended the home team's advantage to double-digits when the quarterback zipped a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jordan.

San Jose worked their way back down the field on their next possession with Grieb and Saintil connecting for the second time in the half, this time on a nine-yard scoring pass to make the score 21-17 in favor of the VooDoo.

The next New Orleans possession was keyed by a fourth-and-one completion from Wimprine to Jordan and another third-and-10 toss to Dudley. The drive culminated in a four-yard strike from Wimprine to Jordan, giving the VooDoo a 28-17 lead.

Linebacker Norman LeJeune got in on the act for the VooDoo defense, snaring a Grieb attempt and shedding a would-be tackler as he raced 32 yards with the interception to pay dirt and a 34-17 lead.

The defense forced another empty possession for the SaberCats with Lin-J Shell stopping Saintil just shy of the first down marker on a fourth down pass.

Wimprine and Jordan made the visitors pay, connecting on a nine-yard touchdown pass with just :09 left in the first half to push the margin to 41-17 in the home team's favor. The three scoring receptions of the first half pushed Jordans season total to 16.

Taking the second half kickoff and methodically marching down the field, the VooDoo extended their lead to 31 points at 48-17 as Wendall Williams capped a six-minute drive with a three-yard touchdown run.

The New Orleans defense picked up in the second half where they left off as Henry Bryant hurried Grieb into a bad throw that linebacker Umar Muhammad turned into a diving interception after the ball bounded off of a the receiver's hands.

Making the SaberCats pay the price for another turnover, Wimprine hit Tyronne Jones on an eight-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 55-17.

The SaberCats were able to finally stop the VooDoo's run of 34 unanswered points on their next possession when Grieb and Saintil connected on a three-yard touchdown toss on fourth down, making the score 55-24 at the end of three quarters.

After an unsuccessful San Jose onside kick, the VooDoo broke through the 60-point barrier when Wimprine ran around the left for a two-yard touchdown run and a 62-24 lead early in the final period.

Grieb and the SaberCats answered with a score of their own as the quarterback fired a 10-yard strike to Jason Geathers at the back of the end zone.

Alex Romero drilled his first career field goal, knocking a 36-yard kick all the way over the netting to extend the lead to 65-31.

A Grieb six-yard touchdown pass to fullback to Frank Carter cut the lead to 65-37, as Haglund missed his first kick of the season after converting 11 field goals and 38 extra points.

VooDoo Head Coach Mike Neu put Steve Bellisari into the game late in the fourth quarter to give the southpaw some action and the former Ohio State passer launched a long ball down the field that Williams ran under for a 45-yard touchdown and a 72-37 New Orleans lead.

Geathers hauled in a four-yard scoring pass from Grieb to make the score 72-43 with :45 remaining in the game.

The VooDoo will carry their five-game winning run with them to Dallas next Saturday when they are scheduled to face off with the currently unbeaten Dallas Desperados in a 7:00 pm kickoff on April 12.

Destroyers 51, Storm 49

COLUMBUS, OH – The Columbus Destroyers, presented by Germain, defeated the Tampa Bay Storm 51-49 Saturday night on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena in front of 14,256 fans. With the score 37-35 in favor of the Destroyers, linebacker Tremaine Neal came up with an interception in the end zone stopping a Storm fourth quarter drive with 1:56 left. On the ensuing Destroyers drive, Matt Nagy found Calvin Russell for a 33-yard touchdown to extend the Destroyers lead by nine points 44-35, with :45 remaining in the game.

Nagy took home the Offensive Player of the Game honors as he completed 22-of-32 passes for 223 yards and six touchdowns. Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Dietz threw for 290 yards and six touchdowns, completing 26 of 40 passes, along with the game changing interception.

Neal earned the Defensive Player of the Game honors as he tallied 5.0 tackles (3UT-4AT) and one interception. Destroyers’ fullback, Harold Wells, came away with the Ironman Award as he recorded 1.0 tackle on the defensive side of the ball for a 1-yard-loss. On the offensive side of the ball, Wells recorded a career high in receptions with five for 43 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball five times for a gain of one-yard.

Derek Lee led the Destroyers receiving corps for the sixth straight week, with 76 yards, tying season-highs in both catches (11) and touchdowns (4). Russell added four catches for 62 yards and his first-career touchdown catch.

After trading scores throughout the first quarter, the Destroyers (2-4) found themselves down 21-14 with 10:00 left in the first half. On the fifth play of the drive, coming from their own 17-yard line, Nagy dumped a pass off to Cody Douglas. The 6-foot-4, 330 lb. lineman rumbled down to the Tampa Bay 4-yard line, which set up a touchdown pass from Nagy to Harold Wells.

With the score 21-21, the Storm began the last drive of the half with 4:09 left. Tampa Bay marched down the field to the Columbus six-yard line. As time expired on the first half, Tampa Bay kicker Seth Marler missed a 22-yard field goal that bounced out of bounds before anyone could recover.

To open the second half, Mark Lewis converted a 21-yard field goal, after linebacker Leroy Thompson recovered a Storm onside kick, putting Columbus ahead 24-21.

After trading scores on the next couple possessions, the Storm reached into their bag of tricks, coming up with a successful “Statue of Liberty” play. Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Dietz faked a pass to the left side, and handed the ball off behind his back to fullback Marvin Brown for a 7-yard touchdown run.

With the score 37-35 in favor of the Destroyers, the Storm were threatening to regain the lead as they got down to the Columbus six yard line. Neal delivered the game-changing play that eventually led to the Destroyers’ victory. After the interception, the teams added two touchdowns a piece, one coming in the form of an 8-yard onside kick return by Columbus’ Nate Coggins, ending the game at 51-49.

Columbus returns to action next week when they travel to face the New York Dragons on Sunday, April 13. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (ET).

Desperados 58, Gladiators 51

DALLAS, TX -- QB Clint Dolezel was 18 of 27 for 220 yards and five touchdowns adding a rushing score as the Dallas Desperados defeated the Cleveland Gladiators, 58-51, on Saturday night at American Airlines Center. WR Marcus Nash had eight catches for 118 yards and five touchdowns.

Gladiators QB Raymond Philyaw finished 25 of 49 for 321 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. WR Robert Redd had 10 catches for 125 yards and one touchdown.

Crush 68, Avengers 54

DENVER, CO -- QB John Dutton was 32 of 50 for 334 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception and added a rushing score, as the Colorado Crush snapped a three-game losing streak and gave head coach Mike Dailey his 100th win, as they defeated the Los Angeles Avengers, 67-54, on Friday night at the Pepsi Center. WR Ben Nelson had 13 catches for 174 yards and five touchdowns.

Avengers QB Tim Hicks finished 21 of 39 for 295 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. WR Kevin Ingram has seven catches for 125 yards and three scores.

Force 70, Brigade 63

DULUTH, GA -- QB Chris Greisen was 18 of 28 for 263 yards and seven touchdown with one interception as the Georgia Force defeated the Kansas City Brigade, 70-63, on Friday night. WR Tiger Jones had six catches for 77 yards and three touchdowns while Carl Morris had seven catches for 152 yards and four scores. DB Cam Newton had two key plays in the game returning two interceptions of Brigade QB D. Bryant for touchdowns.

Bryant finished 31 of 45 for 332 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed for a score. WR Jerel Myers led all receivers with 16 catches for 168 yards and four touchdowns.

WEEK 5 Standings

2008 AFL Standings

Team Overall % Division % Dallas Desperados 5 - 0 1.000 2 - 0 1.000 Philadelphia Soul 5 - 0 1.000 1 - 0 1.000 Cleveland Gladiators 3 - 1 .750 2 - 0 1.000 Columbus Destroyers 1 - 4 .200 0 - 2 .000 New York Dragons 1 - 4 .200 0 - 3 .000 New Orleans VooDoo 4 - 1 .800 2 - 0 1.000 Orlando Predators 3 - 2 .600 1 - 1 .500 Tampa Bay Storm 2 - 2 .500 1 - 1 .500 Georgia Force 2 - 3 .400 0 - 2 .000 Chicago Rush 4 - 1 .800 2 - 0 1.000 Grand Rapids Rampage 2 - 2 .500 1 - 1 .500 Colorado Crush 1 - 3 .250 0 - 1 .000 Kansas City Brigade 0 - 4 .000 0 - 1 .000 San Jose SaberCats 3 - 2 .600 1 - 0 1.000 Los Angeles Avengers 2 - 3 .400 1 - 0 1.000 Arizona Rattlers 2 - 3 .400 1 - 2 .333 Utah Blaze 0 - 5 .000 0 - 1 .000

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.