League News Update 4-2

Here's the scores for Week 2 of 2007, the fourth year of the franchise in the NFA. It's still going strong.

Boston Liberty (1-0) at Dakota Vipers (1-0)
18 to 17
Both the NFC East and the NFC North are difficult divisions to play in this year. With the Stallions coming off a Super Bowl appearance in 2006 and the Liberty still on the upside after winning the title in 2004, both teams are major playoff contenders in the NFC. Now the Dover Deer are starting to show signs that they might be playoff worthy. Needless to say, the competition in the NFC East is reaching a fever pitch. Last year the Deer, Stallions, and Liberty all posted better than .500 season winning percentages. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw the same thing happen again. Likewise, the NFC North, with the exception of the struggling Edmonton Beavers, has traditionally been one of the most competitive divisions in football. With the rise of the Springfield Knights this year and the still competitive Vipers and Timberwolves coming off of playoff runs cut short by surprise losses to the Bulls and Stallions respectively, I think this will be the most tightly contested division in the league this year. In this environment it's only natural that the Dakota Vipers  and the Boston Liberty are used to playing big games against tough opponents. As the predicted Game of the Week, this one did not disappoint. Dakota started strong with a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. Boston responded in the second with two field goals, leaving the halftime score at 10-6 in favor of the Vipers. Dakota scored a TD in the latter half of the third quarter, setting the stage for a Liberty comeback. Boston remained persistent throughout the fourth quarter, converting two drives into field goals. Then, with 21 seconds left in the game, the Liberty went from being down 12-17 to being up 18-17 with a huge 27 yard touchdown pass from backup QB Ty Holmes to second string wideout Dwight Whitfield. After a failed 2 point conversion, Boston kicked the ball off and was able to stave of the Vipers for the victory. The Vipers defense tore up Liberty QB Ty Holmes with 7 sacks.  However, Dakota turned the ball over 4 times, 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles prevented them from completing drives that would've sealed the victory. Boston was able to kill Dakota's momentum when it mattered, resulting in a tight game that the Liberty were eventually able to swing in their favor. The Vipers put together 208 yards of total offense while the Liberty amassed only 142 total yards. Ultimately, this proved to be a hard fought defensive struggle with the Boston Liberty barely coming out on top. This one was definitely worthy of Game of the Week status.

Tucson Kings (0-1) at Mexico Bulls (1-0)
6 to 14
Not really a surprising result here. Mexico has been playing pretty average lately, but in the NFC South it was enough to get a playoff berth last year. Meanwhile Tucson has been struggling to get the players it needs to put together another 8-8 year. Mexico got its offense going early with all 14 points coming before the half. Turnovers also factored big in this one with 4 coming from Mexico and a whopping 6 coming from Tuscon. With Mexico QB Stephen Garner out for this season with an injury, I think the Bulls are going to face more competition from similarly average division rivals. I don't think they'll last too long if they continue to turn the ball over like they did here. Predictably, Mexico walks away with the win.

Edmonton Beavers (0-1) at Iowa Rangers (0-1)
10 to 16
In a game between two struggling teams at the bottom of very tough divisions (NFC North and NFC East, see the writeup for the Dakota and Boston game for more details), this is probably one of the best shots either will have all year at winning. Iowa just jumped out on top first and kept pace with Edmonton, allowing them to pull out the win. It looks like it's going to be another long rebuilding year for both the Beavers and Rangers.

Kentucky Stallions (1-0) at Dover Deer (1-0)
29 to 28
While the Dover Deer may be third to the Stallions and Liberty in the NFC East, I think this game shows it's not for lack of trying. Last game we saw the Deer unleash some explosive scoring in the 4th quarter to top the Hartford Lightning and they almost held on for the victory in this one. This time it was they who failed to stem a Kentucky comeback that began with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first of which came with about 8 minutes to play. It certainly looks like Dover's offense is a force as they posted 392 total yards as compared to Kentucky's 235 in this one. However, Dover turned it over twice and the Stallions played mistake free, allowing them to come out with the win. The top 3 teams in the NFC East finished last season above .500 thanks to the tie these two teams came to when they met the second time last season. It's not hard to see why with this result. Expect to see a battle for the wildcard spot all year between these two teams.

Lincoln Tribe (0-1) at Boise Bison (1-0)
3 to 30
Fresh off a victory against the Captains, the Bison beat another AFC North team. It was clear early on that Lincoln was going to have a hard time competing. Boise looks to be the top team in the NFC West this year. With both Santa Fe and Tuscon near the bottom of the league totem pole, Wyoming is really the only competition Boise has. After this strong start to their season it's certainly looking like Boise is going to be a playoff contender this year.

Salt Lake Scorpions (0-1) at Jackson Dragons (0-1)
18 to 41
It certainly looks like Jackson has recovered from their unexpected loss to division rival Tiburon last week as they roll past the Scorpions in a game that amounted to 59 total points scored. Jackson had a better mix of run and pass, which helped them swing the momentum in their favor when they needed it. The Scorpions just never recovered. Granted Salt Lake isn't looking like anything special this year, but the disparity in this one is still surprising. Jackson is going to need stronger defense if it's going to compete against its division rivals. Both these teams are still rebuilding after rough seasons last year.

Montana Grizzlies (1-0) at Atlantic Tide (0-1)
3 to 31
The Grizzlies and Tribe may be on an even playing field during their divisional matchups, but the Tide are certainly still above them. Although it appears Atlantic City is losing its momentum this year, the team is still strong enough to roll through its lower end AFC schedule. The Grizzlies didn't score until there was a minute left in the game. Almost a shutout.

Hartford Lightning (0-1) at West Virginia Wizards (0-1)
15 to 6
This turned out to be an interesting divisional matchup in the AFC East. Last year West Virginia won the division; it doesn't look like the same will happen this year. With the Concord Hawks making a strong showing and the Atlantic Tide staying above average, the Wizards are going to have to compete better than this. Now it looks like the Lightning want a piece of the action. I'm still not sure what to make of the AFC East this year, but if this game showed anything, it's that it could go to anyone right now. This was a hard fought game with lots of field goals.

Springfield Knights (1-0) at Tiburon Sharks (1-0)
24 to 16
Springfield has been on a roll so far, winning all their preseason games and demolishing the Crocs last week with a 39 point margin of victory. While Tiburon showed themselves to be competitive in winning last week's game against the division rival Jackson Dragons, this was a pretty predictable result. Springfield keeps rolling with consistent scoring. They're going to need all the momentum they can get to stay on top of the always tight NFC North. After finishing in 3rd last year, it looks like Springfield has the team this year to beat out both the Timberwolves and Vipers.

Oklahoma Twisters (1-0) at Topeka Oilers (0-1)
23 to 20
Oklahoma has been looking good lately and while the score was a little tight, the outcome was predictable. The Oilers put up a good fight for an average team, but were just short of taking control. At the half the Oilers led 20 to 17, but two field goals in the third and fourth quarters respectively sealed a Twister victory. Props to Oklahoma kicker, Donny Anderson, for two long field goals in the second half resulting in the win, 45 and 52 yards each. Look to see another battle between Puerto Rico and Oklahoma for control of the AFC South this year.

Yukon Yeti (1-0) at Concord Hawks (1-0)
45 to 20
Both Yukon and Concord are two of the better teams in the AFC this year and if Boston hadn't played Dakota this week, I'm fairly certain this would've been the game of the week. Offensively, both teams put up impressive performances with only a 15 yard difference between their total yard output. Yukon's win came down to three factors: a top tier performance from star QB Torry Mathis, better balance and more versatility when it came to running and passing, and two big interceptions thrown by Concord QB Craig Burns. Mathis posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 while throwing for 3 touchdowns and rushing for one. Mathis also showed a lot of mobility. Although he threw for 262 yards compared to Burns' 369, Mathis rushed for 46 and kept the defense second guessing their ability to contain him, leading to more offensive opportunities. This leads into the second factor, versatility. Yukon's stout run stopping defense allowed only 17 rushing yards from Concord, all of which came from HB Bernie Warren. In contrast, Yukon saw rushing contributions from HBs Tim Peterson and Marcus Green for a combined total of 61 yards, and QBs Torry Mathis and Ben Harris for a combined total of 62 yards. Being able to post 123 rushing yards was a big part of keeping Concord's defense off balance all day while all Yukon had to do was stop big plays from developing amid its secondary. While Yukon did have some difficulty from preventing Concord QB Craig Burns from connecting with veteran (12 years pro) wideout Otis Clausen and TE Daryl Pritchett for over 100 yards each, they were able to come away with two big interceptions that reversed momentum and stopped Concord from putting together any game contesting drives. Yukon CBs Ted Watts and Patrick Andrews came away with an interception apiece with Watts being able to turn his into a TD. Yukon's offense was firing on all cylinders during this game with a dynamic short passing attack leading to receiving touchdowns for WR T.J. Oliver and FB Charles Burnett. This opened up the field for deeper balls, caught by WR Mack Pleasant and TE Derek Pruitt for a touchdown each. Throughout the game Yukon remained in command, putting on a dominating performance. It should also be noted that Concord Kicker Vinnie Cook spent 2004 at Yukon before being replaced by draft pick Ronnie Johnson, the current Yukon kicker. Similarly, WR Alex Gilbert for Concord was a strong rookie prospect for Bar Harbor before he was traded to Concord and a WR that Yukon always had some difficulty covering. Gilbert posted 74 yards and a TD for Concord's passing attack. Despite the statistical appearance of an even game, the box score reveals the Yukon was always several steps ahead of Concord with a dynamic offense and a strong running defense. This may be one of the best performances we see from Yukon all season. Here are some detailed stats from the game...
Passing:
Yukon QB Torry Mathis: 158.3 passer rating, 262 yards passing, 3 TD, 16/18, 88% completion rate, 14.5 average yards per pass, 3 sacks
Yukon QB Ben Harris: 128.1 passer rating, 23 yards passing, TD, 3/4, 5.7 average yards per pass
Concord QB Craig Burns: 88.0 passer rating, 369 yards passing, 2 TD, 2 INT, 32/47, 68% completion rate, 7.8 average yards per pass, 1 sack
Rushing:
Yukon HB Tim Peterson: 58 yards, 9 attempts, 6.4 average yards
Yukon QB Torry Mathis: 46 yards, 6 attempts, 7.6 average yards, TD, Fum (out of bounds)
Yukon QB Ben Harris: 16 yards, 1 attempt
Yukon HB Marcus Green: 3 yards, 2 attempts
Concord HB Bernie Warren: 17 yards, 15 attempts, 1.1 average yards
Receiving:
Yukon WR Mack Pleasant: 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD
Yukon TE Derek Pruitt: 3 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Yukon WR T.J. Oliver: 2 receptions, 11 yards, TD
Yukon FB Charles Burnett: 2 receptions, 13 yards, TD
Yukon WR Roscoe Terrell: 2 receptions, 25 yards
Yukon WR Richard Cummings: 2 receptions, 31 yards
Yukon HB Marcus Green: 1 reception, 7 yards
Yukon TE Neil Parker: 1 reception, 16 yards
Yukon WR Lamaar Craig: 1 reception, 10 yards
Concord WR Otis Clausen: 10 receptions, 134 yards
Concord WR Daryl Pritchett: 7 receptions, 107 yards, TD
Concord TE Chris Williams: 5 receptions, 53 yards
Concord WR Alex Gilbert: 5 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Yukon Defense:
LB Terrell Edwards: 9 tackles, 2 TFL
CB Ted Watts: 7 tackles, INT, 25 yard TD
CB Andre Harry: 7 tackles
MLB Lionel Nipper: 6 tackles, 3 TFL
LB Warrick Walton: 5 tackles
FS Jon Baker: 4 tackles, 1 TFL
CB Patrick Andrews: 38 yard INT
Kicking:
Yukon K Ronnie Johnson: 38 yard FG
Concord K Vinnie Cook: 2 FG
Game Stats:
YY: 396 total offense CON: 381
YY: 123 rushing yards CON: 17
YY: 273 passing yards CON: 364
YY: 18 first downs CON: 21
YY: 4/5 (80%) 3rd down conversions CON: 10/14 (71%)
YY: 8:49 time of possession CON: 11:11
2 turnovers by CON
Box Score
1Q:2Q:::3Q:4Q
7::21:::7::10
0::10:::3::7
Player of the game: YY QB Torry Mathis

Little Rock Crocs (0-1) at Spokane Ospreys (0-1)
21 to 34
Spokane was able to hit hard and early in this AFC West divisional matchup. The first three Osprey drives resulted in touchdowns. After finishing the first quarter with a 14 point lead, the Ospreys kept pace with Little Rock and prevented a comeback. The running game really worked for Spokane as they put together 180 yards to Little Rock's 93. This was a pretty predictable result for the first of two AFC West divisional matchups that occurred this week.

Bar Harbor Captains (0-1) at Santa Fe Bandits (1-0)
31 to 28
This was an unusually high scoring game for teams with weakly ranked offenses. In fact, Santa Fe and Bar Harbor came into this game after the first week of play with the lowest rushing yards in the NFA. Running was a big factor in this game, with Bar Harbor starting rookie Lennox Stanley over last year's rookie prospect, Darren Poole, and expecting him to run a more aggressive QB scramble version of the west coast offense. Former NFL player and Bandit QB Jake Plummer deferred to a more balanced attack, favoring wideout Bam Weaver and sticking to conventional running plays. Indeed, Santa Fe started with a strong running game on first drive. After a few short gains, Santa Fe broke a double digits run followed by a short pass to the left side, putting them in field goal range. Another pass up the middle put the Bandits in the red zone, priming the offense for the score. However, the Captains run defense came up with a big stop to force a 27 yard field goal by Whitfield. The first play on drive for the Captains was a double digit run to the left side by Luther Hodges. Unfortunately, miss-communication on the next play resulted in a big loss by Hodges, negating the yardage from the previous play and forcing the Captains to eventually punt. A follow up miss-communication in the Captain's secondary resulted in a 42 yard pass to a wide open Bam Weaver who broke to the right side for the touchdown, giving Santa Fe a 10-0 lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Bar Harbor only stuttered briefly, soon finding a groove and working their way into the red zone by the end of the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Bar Harbor QB Lennox Stanley scrambled to the right side for the TD, putting the score at 7-10. After some back and forth play, Santa Fe was able to score with 1:45 to play in the second, nailing a 50 yard field goal to put the Bandits up by 6. Looking to respond with their two minute offense, the Captains converted a 30 yard TD pass to Jay Boone with 0:38 to play in the half. The Bandits were almost able to respond, but were not able to spike the ball soon enough to kick a deep field goal. Despite a slow start, Bar Harbor was able to come into halftime with a 14-13 lead. After a failed Bar Harbor drive, Santa Fe got the ball back deep in their own territory. With 3:40 to play in the 3rd quarter, Bar Harbor MLB Terrance Bryant picked off Jake Plummer, setting up the Captains for an easy score. After two failed goaline plays, Captain QB Lennox Stanley was able to sneak by the defense for the TD, putting the Captains up after the PAT 21-13. It seems this TD sealed the momentum of the game ensuring it would shift in the Captain's favor for the next few drives. Sure enough, Bar Harbor made a quick stop and were able to work their way into the redzone again, resulting in a 28 yard field goal with 0:45 to play in the 3rd quarter. After another successful defensive stop, the Captains were pinned on their own 4 yardline. On the first play of the drive, Lennox Stanley made a last second dump to the right side, finding Antwaan Peterson, who, after breaking a tackle, ran all the way down the field, resulting in a 96 yard touchdown to close the third quarter. It appeared the Captains had the game sealed with an 18 point lead. However, The Bandits were able to put together a two minute drive together to start the 4th quarter, closing it with a Jake Plummer QB sneak. The two point conversion was successful, but the onside kick was not, putting the score at 31-21, Captains. After only progressing about 30 yards on their drive, the Captains were forced to attempt a 50 yard field goal. Dwayne Payton's kick feel short, putting the Bandits in a position to drive down the field under 2 minutes and down 10. A holding penalty with 0:54 called back a Bandits TD, delaying the touchdown until 0:47 when Jake Plummer snuck a pass to the left side, putting Santa Fe within 3. The failed onside kick led to a Captains possession, allowing them to run down the clock for the 31-28 victory. Santa Fe came remarkably close with their two 4th quarter scores and the successful two point conversion. Still a win is a win for Bar Harbor. Rookie QB Lennox Stanley had the privilege of adding both his first rushing TD and his first passing TD to the books of what could possibly be an illustrious career at Bar Harbor given their renewed focus on QB versatility. I think this game shows how unpredictable things are in the early going. I would've called this game along the lines of a 24-7 victory for the Captains. Bar Harbor moves on with the win against Santa Fe this week to face a similarly struggling team and divisional rival Lincoln Tribe.

Carson City Comets (1-0) at Portland Flyers (1-0)
38 to 7
In this other AFC West divisional matchup, the Comets were able to predictably come out on top. Portland was able to strike on their first drive, resulting in a early 7-0 lead, but from there on out, they couldn't get anything going. At the half Carson City was ahead 10-7. The second half was a scoring fest from the Comets which finished off the underdog Flyers. Portland's offense really struggled against Carson City's playoff caliber defense.

Wyoming Wildcats (0-1) at Madison Timberwolves (0-1)
6 to 31
Wyoming had a rough start and it was apparent pretty quickly that Madison would run away with this one. After a 28-0 score in favor of the Timberwolves at the half, there was no question this game was a blowout. While the statistics for this game look very even, it just looks like Madison was always able to get better field position. Even though this game should've been closer, it just goes to show how competitive the NFC North is as the Timberwolves were easily able to knock off last year's leader of the NFC West.

Puerto Rico Piranhas (0-1) at Hawaii Warriors (1-0)
31 to 17
After finishing the first quarter ahead 10-0 the Warriors faltered and gave up 31 unanswered points, leading to the Piranha victory. That isn't to say Hawaii's offense wasn't productive, it produced 365 yards while Puerto Rico only put together 272. However, 2 big turnovers made a world of difference. Strong defense for the Piranhas made an impact and upheld the status quo of the AFC South.

Next week we've got two matchups to watch. The first is the defending champion Yukon Yeti on the road in Boise against the red hot Bison. The Bison has already knocked off Yukon's division rival Captains and Tribe in the first two games of the season, but will they be able to do the same to the Yeti? Both teams are undefeated to this point and somebody has to lose. In a big divisional clash, the Madison Timberwolves play in North Dakota against the Vipers. With the Knights currently on top of the division, we'll have to see which of these two teams looks up to securing another playoff berth. Other than those two contentious games, it looks like the week will be pretty uneventful with most matchups looking fairly predictable.

See you around.