Post by MGB01 on Jun 7, 2005 20:05:18 GMT -5
DETROIT-Ryan Clement threw four touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Darnell McDonald with 1:50 left to propel the Detroit Mustangs to the biggest win in their short history, a 28-27 win over the Chcago Enforcers in front of their largest ever, 36,259 at Ford Field Sunday.
The crowd was electrified from early on in the first quarter, when Clement connected with Charles Jordan for 28 yards on 4th and 5 from the Enforcer 38. After Omari Hand jumped offsides, Clement hit Jordan again for touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with 6:50 left.
The Enforcers had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the pesky Mustangs after Kerry Cooks intercepted Clement in Mustangs territory up 10-7 midway through the second quarter, but Ricky Ray's pass slipped off the hands of Bryan Fletcher and the Enforcers settled for a 36-yard Mike Nugent field goal to take a 13-7 lead. But the Mustangs came right back as Cedric Washington galloped for a career-best 70 yard-run, and Clement hit a fade to McDonald on the next play for the go-ahead TD.
Justin Miller's 71-yard punt return for a touchdown gave the Enforcers a 27-14 lead in the fourth quarter, it was the Enforcers' first since Brian Poli-Dixon against the Glory in 2003. Three minutes later however the Mustangs cut to within 27-21 on a nine-yard flip from Clement to Ben Utecht.
Ex-Enforcer Justin Gage, who the Mustangs snagged away in the 2004 expansion draft, had only one catch against his former club Sunday, but it was a big one, a 38-yard bomb on 3rd and 21 to keep the eventual game-winning drive going. Also in a bit of riverboat gambling, Al Lugenbill decided to go on 4th and goal from the 12, where Cedric Houston bulled over for the first. The touchdown pass came three plays later.
The Enforcers drove down to the Mustang 34 with less than a minute to play on a 16-yard pass from Ray to David Terrell--his lone catch of the game, but were out of business just as quick as Ray missed on his next two passes, and after being sacked by Bryan Hickman, missed an open Terrell, although replays showed he likely would have been short of a first down. Ray finished 15 of 26 for 263 yards and a touchdown, that came early in the first quarter--a 21-yard hookup with Kelley Washington.
Asked why he elected not to go for two points after Avery's touchdown run in the third quarter, Mark Criner shrugged it off in the postgame and instead gave the Mustangs props: "They came to play today, Lugenbill's got a hell of a team. I don't think we did anything outright badly or anything, it was a great game between two division rivals and one team won. We had our chances in the second quarter and the end of the game and they held us, give them credit"
For the Enforcers, it was their earliest in-season loss since 2002, when they lost 21-17 to the Lugenbill-coached Los Angeles Xtreme at the LA Coliseum. It also snapped a nine-game regular-season win streak and eleven overall going back to a 32-17 loss in Pittsburgh last June 20.
The crowd was electrified from early on in the first quarter, when Clement connected with Charles Jordan for 28 yards on 4th and 5 from the Enforcer 38. After Omari Hand jumped offsides, Clement hit Jordan again for touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with 6:50 left.
The Enforcers had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the pesky Mustangs after Kerry Cooks intercepted Clement in Mustangs territory up 10-7 midway through the second quarter, but Ricky Ray's pass slipped off the hands of Bryan Fletcher and the Enforcers settled for a 36-yard Mike Nugent field goal to take a 13-7 lead. But the Mustangs came right back as Cedric Washington galloped for a career-best 70 yard-run, and Clement hit a fade to McDonald on the next play for the go-ahead TD.
Justin Miller's 71-yard punt return for a touchdown gave the Enforcers a 27-14 lead in the fourth quarter, it was the Enforcers' first since Brian Poli-Dixon against the Glory in 2003. Three minutes later however the Mustangs cut to within 27-21 on a nine-yard flip from Clement to Ben Utecht.
Ex-Enforcer Justin Gage, who the Mustangs snagged away in the 2004 expansion draft, had only one catch against his former club Sunday, but it was a big one, a 38-yard bomb on 3rd and 21 to keep the eventual game-winning drive going. Also in a bit of riverboat gambling, Al Lugenbill decided to go on 4th and goal from the 12, where Cedric Houston bulled over for the first. The touchdown pass came three plays later.
The Enforcers drove down to the Mustang 34 with less than a minute to play on a 16-yard pass from Ray to David Terrell--his lone catch of the game, but were out of business just as quick as Ray missed on his next two passes, and after being sacked by Bryan Hickman, missed an open Terrell, although replays showed he likely would have been short of a first down. Ray finished 15 of 26 for 263 yards and a touchdown, that came early in the first quarter--a 21-yard hookup with Kelley Washington.
Asked why he elected not to go for two points after Avery's touchdown run in the third quarter, Mark Criner shrugged it off in the postgame and instead gave the Mustangs props: "They came to play today, Lugenbill's got a hell of a team. I don't think we did anything outright badly or anything, it was a great game between two division rivals and one team won. We had our chances in the second quarter and the end of the game and they held us, give them credit"
For the Enforcers, it was their earliest in-season loss since 2002, when they lost 21-17 to the Lugenbill-coached Los Angeles Xtreme at the LA Coliseum. It also snapped a nine-game regular-season win streak and eleven overall going back to a 32-17 loss in Pittsburgh last June 20.