VooDoo Continue Home Stand as Cleveland Comes to Town

Thursday May 30, 2013

 NEW ORLEANS (May 29, 2013) – The New Orleans VooDoo begin the back nine of the season with a home date with the struggling Cleveland Gladiators this Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

New Orleans (1-8) and Cleveland (2-7) come in to this weekend’s game with similar struggles as they both have suffered multiple double digit losses this season. These teams last met on June 16, 2012 in Cleveland as the VooDoo knocked off the Gladiators 55-42.

Last Saturday against Chicago, the VooDoo out-gained the Rush in most offensive categories but were unable to match the Rush’s prolific second quarter. Both VooDoo quarterbacks saw playing time last week and both had similar results. Starter Kurt Rocco threw four touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. Bill Stull, who played the entire second half tossed three scores but was picked off once. Both quarterbacks have had their positive moments, but both have also struggled with consistency. Stull and Rocco combine for 1,849 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

Cleveland quarterback Brian Zbydniewski is eighth in the league with 2,001 passing yards, but he also has 14 interceptions. Zbydniewski has thrown 34 touchdowns and also has struggled with consistency as his passer rating has bounced around, and his completion percentage is 57.4. Opponents have also sacked him 20 times this season. Rocco and Stull combine for 21. Both teams’ passer ratings average in the mid-80s, so the team with consistent quarterback play could be the difference in this game between two struggling teams.

The teams’ receiving squads match up relatively well. The VooDoo’s Donovan Morgan has strung together two straight games of 140 yards or more receiving. He leads the team with 46 catches for 648 yards and 13 touchdowns. Courtney Smith is right behind Morgan with 42 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Cleveland’s Thyron Lewis leads the Gladiators with 752 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 48 receptions are second to Dominick Goodman, who has 65. Lewis has also posted two straight triple digit yardage totals. The signal callers from both teams will have to rely on these squads to get that elusive victory.

The turnover bug has been an Achilles heel for both of these teams. Cleveland has turned the ball over 20 times this season, while the VooDoo have given the ball away 32 times this season. The team that wins the turnover battle will likely win the game. Turnovers have been a main factor in many of the VooDoo’s losses as they gave up six against Chicago. The Rush turned those takeaways into five scores, which was the difference in that loss.

Both teams also boast solid kick return games. Goodman’s 593 yards is right behind the VooDoo’s Brent Holmes, who has 601. The VooDoo’s Quorey Payne has also been busy as he recorded a team high 11 returns for 191 yards last weekend, totaling 575 yards on the year. All three players rank in the league’s top ten list for kick returns.
The teams square off Saturday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. inside the “Mausoleum” on Poydras Street.

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About the New Orleans VooDoo
The New Orleans VooDoo will play in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, an SMG managed facility directly across the street from the New Orleans Arena. Single game tickets for VooDoo regular season home games are on sale now by calling 504-875-3900. For more information call (888) 277-5526 for Vice President and Director of Operations, Jason Coffel. The game is on Rush Radio 99.5, WRNO and on the worldwide web at www.wrno.com as well as on Cox 4 in the New Orleans area, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. The week following each COX game fans can watch replays on CST. To shop all things VooDoo, visit www.voodoostuff.com and get your gear today.

About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased their fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. CBS Sports Network will broadcast an AFL National Game of the Week on Saturday nights for the entire regular season and postseason through the semifinal round. The ArenaBowl XXVI Championship Game will air on the CBS Television Network on August 17, 2013.