It Was a One-Sided Affair
The Milwaukee Mustangs returned home to the confines of the Bradley Center Thursday evening but came up short in their battle with the Orlando Predators losing 35-30 in a defensive battle not normally seen in Arena Football. In a league normally known for its ability to put points on the board, Thursday’s match-up was more about key defensive stops and ferocious hits.
Though the Mustangs led in time of possession and number of offensive plays by the end of the first quarter, the Predators would grab the lead at 7-6. Garrett Lindholm had a huge first quarter for the Mustangs as he kicked two field goals and made a touchdown saving tackle on a kickoff. Orlando though would score the only touchdown of the quarter as Nick Hill hit Antoine Tolliver for an 18 yard score. The defenses came up big for both squads in the second quarter as neither team was able to get into the end-zone.
Calvin Rogers would do something for the Mustangs that they were unable to do all of the first half when he intercepted Nick Hill and took it all the way to the “house” to give the Mustangs a 13-7 lead. The Predators would regain the lead when Jamarr Ward would pound his 6’4 370 pound frame in from one yard to put Orlando in front by one. After a Mustang field-goal, Robert Quiroga scored on a play when at least four Mustang defenders pulled up and failed to tackle him thinking he would go out of bounds after catching a pass from Nick Hill. Instead of going out of bounds, Quiroga skated alongside the boards and scampered in for a score. As the 3rd quarter came to an end, the Predators had increased their lead to five at 21-16.
Milwaukee would take the lead in the 4th quarter when they finally cracked the end-zone on offense when future AFL Hall of Famer Damian Harrell snagged an RJ Archer pass for the score. With the two point conversion, the Mustangs would gallop out to a 24-21 lead. Orlando would answer on a TT Toliver touchdown, but the nail in the coffin would come thereafter when with just over 5 minutes left in the game, RJ Archer would throw his 3rd interception of the game for the Mustangs. That would lead to Predator wide-receiver Bobby Sippio snatching a pass for a touchdown and a 35-24 advantage. The Mustangs would try to mount a comeback as Archer’s pass to Marcus Everett with just under a minute cut the lead to 35-30 (after an unsuccessful two point conversion). A failed on-side kick by the Mustangs led to the Predators running out the clock and leaving the Bradley Center with the victory.
The highlight on the evening for the Mustangs stemmed from their play on the defensive side of the ball in which they only allowed the Predators 252 yards of total offense while creating 3 turnovers and a number of defensive stops. For as good as the defensive was, the offense was just that bad. “The defense carried us as far as they could” said Mustang quarterback RJ Archer. “Its frustrating we weren’t able to score more than 35 points.” A dejected Mike Landsee was obviously perplexed after the game. “The defense took the second best offense in Arena Football and shut them down.” “I thought this was a game we could come out on offense and produce.” The Mustangs, now 3-7 on the year head to Philadelphia and a game with the Soul next week. When asked about how he felt the Mustangs would match-up in their rematch against the Soul, the head coach simply said; “Who’s gonna show up? That’s the question.”
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