Inside the AFL Week 2 Box Scores
Courtesy of Mike Rose at Handicapperspicks.com

Week 2 of the 2010 Arena Football betting season will forever go down as the week of the underdog. All but one of the five managed to cover the spread with Alabama (+3’), Tulsa (+10’), and Bossier-Shreveport (+2’) all winning outright.

Cleveland Gladiators 56 Chicago Rush 59

This week’s NFL Network broadcast started off with a flurry. The Rush found the end zone on their first offensive snap of the game when QB Russ Michna connected with WR Samie Parker on a 42-yard pass and catch to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Gladiators responded quickly when QB John Dutton and WR Ben Nelson hooked up on a 15-yard scoring strike to tie it up; 14 points were put on the board less than three minutes into the game. The clubs exchanged scoring blows throughout the rest of the first half. Cleveland blew its shot to take the lead at the break when Dutton threw his first INT of the game. Both clubs put 28 points on the board after the first 30 minutes of play. The clubs exchanged leads throughout the 3^rd quarter, but they entered the final 15 minutes of regulation tied at 42 apiece. The Rush grabbed the lead on two occasions before scoring the final points of the game when K Chris Gould split the upright from 12-yards out to move the Rush to 2-0 on the season. Michna was stellar in this one completing 22 of 27 passes for 315 yards to go along with eight TDs and no interceptions. Dutton threw for 379 yards and six TDs, but his three picks ultimately proved to be the Glads downfall.

Jacksonville Sharks 49 Alabama Vipers 63

QB Aaron Garcia and the visiting Sharks held a 28-21 lead at the break. After extending the lead to 14 (35-21) at the start of the 3^rd quarter, the Vipers defense stepped up and kept the Sharks off the board long enough to take a 42-35 lead. With the Sharks already scoring on special teams and Garcia picking the “D” apart through the air, HC Dean Kokinos decided to onside kick the rest of the way. The move paid off handsomely for the home team. The Vipers defense continually kept the Sharks out of the end zone with a smaller field to work with and also recovered a number of onside kicks. When it was all said and done, Alabama outgained Jacksonville 284-190 with QB Kevin Eakin throwing for 244 yards and four TDs. FB/LB Dan Alexander rumbled for 40 yards and four TDs on 13 carries, and the defense forced three Jacksonville turnovers. One of the few teams in the league that utilizes its ground attack, the Vipers dominated the time of possession battle 43:08 to 15:52.

Spokane Shock 68 Utah Blaze 34

In the most lopsided final score of the week, the Shock toyed with the Blaze to bounce back from the Week 1 home defeat they absorbed against Milwaukee. QB Kyle Rowley completed 72 percent of his passes for 224 yards and six scores with WR Huey Whittaker hauling in 12 (2 TD) of them for 95 yards. The Shock took a 35-14 lead with them into the break with the home team Blaze scoring the 14-points by way of special teams. Both Blaze QBs Mike Affleck and Brett Elliott were non factors in this one throwing for a combined 164 yards and two TDs. Spokane gained 310 overall yards and were only faced with having to convert three third downs throughout the games entirety. Utah has plenty to shore up on both sides of the ball if it expects to compete in this league any time soon.

Dallas Vigilantes 59 Tulsa Talons 63

Head coach Mitch Allner and his Talons sit atop the Southwest Division standings along with Bossier after it disposed of the heavily favored Dallas Vigilantes on Saturday night. The four point win was the former AF2’s second win over an original AFL mainstay this season. The team exhibited the passion and tenacity required to upend a loaded squad like Dallas even though the Vigilantes dominated the stat sheet outgaining the Talons 361-188 while holding onto the pigskin for nearly 16 more minutes. Both QB’s Shane Stafford and Justin Allgood tossed five TDs a piece, and their main targets, Derek Lee and Donovan Morgan, had big games. Once Dallas grabbed a 17-point lead (45-28), the Tulsa defense stepped up to force three fumbles to close out the game and secure the impressive outright victory. Tulsa didn’t play well, but it stepped up in the fourth quarter and proved to the rest of the league that it’s an outfit with a never say die attitude.

Orlando Predators 67 Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings 73

The highest scoring game of the week wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates. In a game where defense proved to be highly optional, the Battle Wings raced out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back. The teams then traded scores on nine consecutive possessions. The only stop occurred with one second left before the break. Orlando decided to kick a FG, but the move blew up in its face after WR P.J. Berry returned the miss 56 yards for a score. Both QBs were sensational in this one, or the defenses were just simply awful; pick your poison. Bossier QB Raymond Philyaw tossed nine TD passes, of which six went to the aforementioned Berry (Off Player of the Game). Orlando QB Nick Hill had a fine debut throwing for an obscene 380 yards and four TDs. Look for both of these offenses to continue posting lofty point totals in the coming weeks.

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