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A whopping nine games were decided by seven points or less this week. Five of those games featured scoring within the last two minutes, and three games were decided in overtime. An exciting week in the CFL!
A few select games worth some additional attention:
[bd25f172]Anchorage[/bd25f172] (1-2) continued their rudderless decline in a losing effort to [bd25f172]Santa Cruz[/bd25f172] (1-2) by a margin of 23-21. Considering that they're still not playing most of their starters, it is astonishing that Anchorage made this one close at all. They'd likely be 2-1 right now with Lane Manuel under center. But credit must be given to SC's QB Ian Levine, who took advantage of the situation (unlike Memphis last week) and pulled out a win.
'Twas a back-and-forth affair between [bd25f172]Atlantic City[/bd25f172] (2-1) and [bd25f172]Baltimore[/bd25f172] (1-2), featuring three lead changes in the 4th quarter. Two of those lead swaps happened during the last 87 seconds of the game, with the finishing score being a 32-yard John Snell FG with :19 left on the clock to provide the winning margin, 27-26 for Atlantic City. This outcome was a bit of a surprise, given that Baltimore dominated in most statistical categories, including Total Yards, Time of Possession, 3rd-down conversion, and the all-important turnover battle. Still, some key special teams plays helped Atlantic City get field position at crucial times, and Baltimore committed thrice the number of penalties as Atlantic City.
[bd25f172]Denver[/bd25f172] (2-1) again needed to rely heavily on special teams play, most notably an 89-yd punt return by Curtis Plotkin, to stay alive in their battle with the Lin-less [bd25f172]Boise Stampede[/bd25f172] (0-3). Denver actually got plenty of offense, with 443 total yards, but repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with 14 penalties for 128 yards. They were fortunate to be able to take the game into OT, where they eventually won on a 39-yd Gary Hutchins FG. Boise showed a bit more spunk than most expected after the loss of their leader, and Corey Durant filled in admirably under center. Boise, it should be noted, has now begun the season with three consecutive OT losses. That's probably a record, but I'm too lazy to look it up.
[bd25f172]Durham[/bd25f172] (1-2), a preseason favorite to win their division, finally got rid of the goose egg in their "Win" column with a tight, OT win over conference rival [bd25f172]Detroit[/bd25f172] (2-1) by the score of 20-17. Detroit got their first lead of the game with 2:09 left in the 4th quarter via a Titone-to-Sauceda 13 yd TD strike, putting them up 17-14. Durham would not be denied, however, and quickly moved down the field to score on a Victor Hoke 45-yd FG. Hoke would strike again in OT, this time from a much more comfortable 22-yd kick, to secure the win.
[bd25f172]Fargo[/bd25f172] (2-1) knocked [bd25f172]Seattle[/bd25f172] (2-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten by a 27-20 score at Seattle. Fargo QB Brett Hedges was a bit sharper today than all-world Seattle QB Charles Dever, racking up 342 passing yards and 2 TDs. Dever was in the process of leading Seattle on a 4th-quarter drive to tie the game when his 8 yd pass to FB Paris Kimmel turned into their only turnover of the day when Kimmel lost the ball, effectively ending the game. That was Kimmel's first fumble in over two seasons, but that's what you get when your name is "Paris."
The resurgent [bd25f172]Honolulu Bloodthirsty Beatles[/bd25f172] (3-0) won yet again, this time knocking off the [bd25f172]El Paso Rockets[/bd25f172] by a score of 35-26 at El Paso. Randolph Kranz has been absolutely on fire this season, and this game was no different as he tossed 5 TD passes to account for all of Honolulu's scoring. He was extraordinarily efficient in this game, as evidenced by his 19 for 24 passing, Honolulu's 10 of 12 performance on 3rd-down conversions, and this drive chart:
[coded25f172]Honolulu Drive Chart
Quar Began Poss From Plays Yards Result
1 12:48 1:55 OWN 40 4 21 Punt
1 2:35 2:21 OWN 29 3 9 Punt
2 14:53 0:58 OPP 2 3 2 Touchdown
2 6:29 5:02 OWN 34 9 66 Touchdown
2 0:11 0:11 OWN 24 1 5 Half
3 15:00 6:31 OWN 20 13 80 Touchdown
3 3:29 5:07 OWN 36 10 64 Touchdown
4 10:54 6:05 OWN 20 10 80 Touchdown
4 0:14 0:14 OWN 11 1 -1 Game
[/coded25f172]
So, from the 2nd quarter on Honolulu's possessions either resulted in the end of the half or a TD. Damn. Not bad for a team many picked to languish near the bottom of the RoF.
Most thought [bd25f172]Arizona[/bd25f172] (1-2) had the win locked up over [bd25f172]Long Beach[/bd25f172] (1-2) when they capped off their seven minute, 80-yd drive in the 4th quarter with a TD and left Long Beach with a 7-pt deficit and only :29 seconds on the clock. Buyt the allegedly nonexistent 4th-quarter comeback routine kicked in for Long Beach:
[coded25f172]Possession to Long Beach.
1-10-LBE32 (00:29) LBE 4 McMillan pass completed to 89 Salzman for 49 yards.
Tackled by ARI 29 Bottoms.
LBE called time out.
--
1-10-ARI19 (00:22) LBE 4 McMillan pass completed to 89 Salzman for 17 yards.
Tackled by ARI 29 Bottoms, assisted by ARI 41 Clancy.
LBE called time out.
--
1-02-ARI02 (00:11) LBE 4 McMillan pass completed to 34 Terrell for 2 yards and a touchdown!
Penalty: ARI - Defensive Holding. Penalty was declined.
Extra point by LBE 8 Swallow was good.
[/coded25f172]
The game thus went into OT and nearly resulted in a tie, but Freddie Matthias pulled this one out with a 25 yd TD strike to Rusty Connors with 1:58 left to play. Arizona 30, Long Beach 24.
WFC powerhouses [bd25f172]New York[/bd25f172] (1-2) and [bd25f172]Charleston[/bd25f172] (2-1) met in what turned out to be a rain-drenched, low-scoring affair at Charleston. The Knights pulled this one out 13-10 by virtue of a Tobias Paschal 42-yd FG with just :28 left in the 4th quarter. Kim Pace continues to have a bewilderingly tough year, with 0 TD passes vs. 6 INTs, but today he did enough to get the upset win.
[bd25f172]Hartford[/bd25f172] (2-1) appears to be in mid-season form after dropping a shit-kicking on [bd25f172]Shreveport[/bd25f172] (1-1-1) to the tune of a 42-7 romp. Most of Hartford's damage came from James Oberg, who threw for 353 yds and 5 TDs. Shreveport was down just 14-7 and driving when QB Douglas Hartman suffered a hyperextended knee and had to leave the game. And that is when the wheels flew off for Shreveport. Expect Hartman to miss the next two weeks or so.
[bd25f172]Tampa Bay's[/bd25f172] (3-0) big offseason acquisition, QB Josh Urrutria, is paying big dividends so far as they've won their first three games, including this one vs. [bd25f172]Albany[/bd25f172] (1-2). The 26-17 final score doesn't really do justice to the Torpedoes' dominance in this one, who may have matured as a team a bit faster than most expected.
And finally, [bd25f172]Tucson[/bd25f172] (3-0) beat conference rival [bd25f172]Sacramento[/bd25f172] (1-2) by the score of 30-17. The Toros dominated in this one, racking up nearly 300 [id25f172]more[/id25f172] total yards than the Dragons. Only a late, meaningless 85-yd INT return by Paul Stith made the score respectable for Sacramento. Butch Fulton was the lone offensive bright spot for Sacramento, gaining 114 yds on 19 carries. Tucson set team records with 251 rushing yards and just 58 passing yards allowed. [id25f172]Awesome![/id25f172]
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Ring of Fire Division Champions - 2009, 2011-2026, 2028-33
Western Conference Champions - 2011-2013, 2016, 2017, 2019-2022, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2033
CFL Champions - 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025
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