Mustangs fall to Rattlers, 52-37

Saturday June 23, 2012

Milwaukee battles hard, but is unable to pull off the upset

MILWAUKEE, WI (June 22, 2012) – The Milwaukee Mustangs (5-9) fell 52-37 to the Arizona Rattlers (11-3) Friday evening despite being within one score of the top-ranked team in the AFL’s power rankings nearly the entire game.

Andrae Thurman led the way receiving for Milwaukee with five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Dwayne Eley, Jr. added six catches for 94 yards and a score. Marcus Everett intercepted his seventh pass of the season in the loss.

Arizona won the coin flip and drove down the field, scoring on a one-yard fourth down touchdown reception by Markee White to take the early 7-0 lead. Milwaukee wasted little time responding with a quick 38-yard strike from Gino Guidugli to Eley, Jr. After Nick Davila and White connected on another 10-yard touchdown reception, Guidugli was picked off in the end zone by Virgil Gray to turn the ball over to Arizona.

But the Mustangs’ defense rose to the challenge. After the Rattlers advanced all the way down to the one-yard line, Everett intercepted a Davila pass in the middle of the end zone to give the ball back to Milwaukee. The Mustangs capitalized on the turnover with a 23-yard field goal by Jose Martinez to cut the Rattler lead to 14-9 midway through the second quarter.

The Rattlers bounced back on their next possession with a Davila quarterback sneak to increase the lead to 11 points before back-to-back freak interception plays took place.

First, a Guidugli pass that ricocheted off of the referee was intercepted by Tyre Glasper to give the Rattlers the ball with under a minute left in the half. But on the very next play, Davila’s pass bounced off of the boards and was intercepted by Ryan McFoy to swing momentum back to Milwaukee.

It did not take long for the Mustangs to score, as Guidugli and Thurman hooked up on a 37-yard touchdown catch to narrow the gap to 21-16 with 29.7 seconds left in the half. Though Chris Gould would knock home a short field goal before the buzzer sounded, Milwaukee only trailed Arizona 24-16 at the break.

Milwaukee came out of the locker room firing, scoring quickly on a 22-yard touchdown reception by Thurman. But an onside kick was recovered by Glasper and returned for the score to put Arizona ahead by eight points once again, 31-23. The Mustangs came stampeding back, scoring on a 16-yard pass from Guidugli to Jared Jenkins to cut the deficit to only one point before the Rattlers tacked on a one-yard Odie Armstrong scoring scamper to take a 38-30 advantage at the end of three quarters.

After Milwaukee turned the ball over on downs, Arizona took a commanding 45-30 lead when Davila connected with Trandon Harvey on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Justin Lawrence rumbled into the end zone to pull the Mustangs back within eight, but Davila rushed into the end zone for the second time to put the Rattlers up 52-37. Virgil Gray’s second interception of the ballgame ended the Mustangs’ final drive and Arizona left Milwaukee with the victory.

AWARD WINNERS

Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Arizona DB Virgil Gray
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game: Arizona QB Nick Davila
JLS Ironman of the Game: Milwaukee LB/WR Marcus Everett
AFL Playmaker of the Game: Arizona WR Markee White
Cutters Catch of the Game: Kerry Reed’s one-handed catch in the first quarter
Spalding Highlight of the Game: Jared Jenkins’s touchdown catch over the boards in the third quarter
National Guard MVP of the Game: Arizona QB Nick Davila

ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE MUSTANGS:

The 2012 Milwaukee Mustangs are thrilled to honor and represent the Arena Football League as they celebrate their silver 25th anniversary this season. The rich heritage of the Milwaukee Mustangs continues the tradition of hard-hitting arena football action in Milwaukee. The Mustangs are looking forward to the 2012 AFL season and you should be too. Tickets and Sponsorships are on sale now! For more information visit mkemustangs.com or call 414-224-4000 today! Please make sure to follow the Milwaukee Mustangs and Fillies Dance Team on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.