AFL Week 6 Recap

Another week of arena football has passed, and below are a few of our observations.

• Georgia rallied from a 35-14 defecit to edge out Kansas City, 70-63. Chris Greisen threw for 7 touchdowns and 263 yards, while Carl Morris had 4 receiving touchdowns and 152 yards. The Force scored 4 consecutive touchdowns to take the lead in the third quarter after being down by 21 points. The 70 points is a season high for Georgia and they also won the game despite being outgained by 48 yards.

• After losing 3 straight games, the Colorado Crush picked up a 67-54 home win over the Los Angeles Avengers. John Dutton passed for 8 touchdowns and 334 yards. Six different receivers caught at least 2 passes for the Crush, with Ben Nelson's 13 receptions for 5 touchdowns and 174 yards being the most productive. Colorado forced 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles and scored on six straight possessions during a 40-6 run that lasted from the last minute of the second quarter to the eight minute mark of the fourth quarter.

• The Los Angeles Avengers have dropped four games in a row after being regarded as the best team in the league after the second week. They were outgained by 62 yards, committed four turnovers and their time of possession was only 20 minutes, compared to the 40 minutes by Colorado. Tim Hicks played in place of starter Sonny Cumbie, who rested due to fatigue and discomfort. Hicks passed for 295 yards and five touchdowns, but threw two costly interceptions that allowed the Crush to pull away in the second half.

• New Orleans is establishing themselves as the team to beat in the Southern Division. With another victory, this time against San Jose, they are now 5-1. The VooDoo are a perfect 4-0 at home, and have defeated opponents by an average of 22.5 points. New Orleans tooka a decisive 41-17 halftime lead and scored three touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of the first half. They lead 55-24 after the third quarter.

• Danny Wimprine tossed 5 touchdowns and no interceptions to bring his season total to 29 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He has the fewest interceptions out of any quarterback who has started every game this year. Wimprine completed 19 of 29 passes for 222 yards in the victory over San Jose.

• Philadelphia won a close game over the winless Utah Blaze, 64-56. The Soul trailed 14-7 late in the first quarter before scoring 23 unanswered points to take a comfortable 16-point lead. They held a narrow lead thorughout the rest of the game and were able to run out the clock, ending Utah's comeback attempt. Both quarterbacks played a near flawless game, with Matt D'Orazio throwing for 6 touchdowns and 300 yards and Joe Germaine passing for 5 touchdowns and 250 yards. A Soul fumble recovery for a touchdown and a safety were the only non-offensive scores and ended up accounting for the final margin of victory.

• Columbus defeated Tampa Bay, 51-49, for their first home win. The game was tied 21-21 at halftime, and the Destroyers scored two straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 44-35 lead that they would hold on to. Columbus forced two defensive stops which helped them protect their second half lead. The Destroyers won despite being outgained by 97 yards. Matt Nagy passed for 223 yards, with 76 going to receiver Harold Lee on 11 receptions. Brett Dietz completed 26 of 40 passes for 290 yards in the loss.

• The New York Dragons had a commanding 35-0 halftime lead and routed the Grand Rapids Rampage, 63-34. The Dragons were up 49-0 midway through the third quarter before the Rampage finally got on the scoreboard. New York forced 2 fumbles and 4 interceptions. Aaron Garcia tossed 7 touchdowns and completed 26 passes for 311 yards. Chris Anthony cauht 10 passes for 92 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Jason Willis had 9 receptions for 113 yards and 1 touchdown. New York forced 8 defensive stops and shut out the Rampage for the first 35 minutes of the game.

• Dallas won another close game, 58-51, over Cleveland. Clint Dolezel threw 5 touchdowns and completed 18 passes for 220 yards. Marcus Nash caught all 5 touchdown passes and had 8 receptions for 118 yards. Will Pettis returned 5 kickoffs for 105 yards, a 21 yard average return. Dallas had an interception return for touchdown and a kickoff recovery for touchdown. Remy Hamilton missed his first kick this season, an extra point in the third quarter. He was 7 of 8 on extra points and made his only field goal attempt. Raymond Philyaw completed 25 passes for 321 yards and 5 touchdowns. Robert Redd had 10 receptions for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, Otis Amey caught 4 passes for 56 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Willis Marshall had 8 receptions for 117 yards.

• In the first overtime game this season, Orlando defeated Chicago, 57-56. The Predators trailed 35-27 entering the fourth quarter and converted on a game-tying touchdown drive as time expired in regulation. Orlando made a two-point conversion in the overtime period for the 1-point victory. The Predatord had 5 turnovers, including 4 interceptions but still rallied for the exciting win. Shane Stafford threw 6 touchdowns and had 27 completions for 255 yards. Ron Johnson had 10 receptions for 72 yards and T.T Toliver caught 9 passes for 111 yards. For Chicago, Sherdrick Bonner completed 18 passes for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ryan Dennard caught 7 passes for 99 yards and 3 touchdowns. Damian Harrell caught 5 passes for 67 yards. Chicago had a 18.7 yard kick return average while Orlando had a 22 yard kick return average.

Side Note: Kristy Lee Cook is the sister of Colorado quarterback John Dutton. She is one of the 8 remaining contestants on American Idol. Please show your support by voting for her to advance to the next round if you like her singing performances. Thank you.

By Chad Fukoka
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer

> Check out Chad's Arena Football Rules & AFL Basics article and see how your team is doing in the 2008 AFL standings as AFL teams continue to battle for a chance to play in Arena Bowl XXII!