Valor Drop Season Opener, 59-51, in Baltimore

Friday April 26, 2019

Nelson, Epps combine for record numbers in one-possession loss to Brigade

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Valor (0-1) were defeated, 59-51, by the Baltimore Brigade (1-0) Friday night at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md. Valor quarterback Arvell Nelson threw for 391 yards and tied a career high with eight passing touchdowns, earning Offensive Player of the Game.

Valor wideout Dezmon Epps, playing in his first career Arena Football League game, registered a Valor franchise-record 201 receiving yards to go along with four receiving touchdowns, tying the team’s all-time high. Fellow Washington wide receivers Josh Reese and Jared Dangerfield each caught seven passes, combining for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

VALOR NOTES & QUOTES

• In his first career AFL game, wide receiver Dezmon Epps recorded nine receptions, 201 receiving yards (Valor franchise record) and four receiving touchdowns (tying the Valor franchise record).
• Valor quarterback Arvell Nelson’s eight passing touchdowns tie a career high and mark his 11th career game with 7+ passing touchdowns.
• Three Valor wide receivers caught multiple touchdowns: Epps (4), Reese (2) and Barnett (2).
• With 11:53 remaining in the first quarter, Reese surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards on his 10-yard touchdown catch.
• After trailing, 28-19, with just under three minutes to go in the first half, the Valor managed to take a 31-28 lead into halftime thanks to a nine-yard touchdown from Nelson to Barnett, a turnover on downs forced by the Valor defense and a 46-yard touchdown by Epps.
• Linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson led the Valor with five total tackles (four solo).

VALOR HEAD COACH BENJI MCDOWELL

On the game in general

“For us, it didn’t really even come down to the last couple minutes. It was the turnovers. You can’t win when you turn the ball over like we did in the third quarter. You have to be smarter. We had lot of good stuff happen tonight. We just have to continue to keep doing the good stuff and stay away from the bad. It was the first game. It wasn’t terrible. Everything that was bad, we can correct.”

On rookie wide receiver Dezmon Epps

“He’s a very fast, shifty guy. He has a great work ethic and he just wants to get better every day. It’s the same thing we saw in camp. I’m glad it translated into the games. He went against some good defensive backs, so we just have to keep him level and let him know they’re going to have a plan for them next week and he has to counter that.”

VALOR QUARTERBACK ARVELL NELSON

On rookie wide receiver Dezmon Epps

“I saw that from the first day he stepped on the field. He’s got some young legs and he can stretch the field. We just try to get him the ball in certain situations and take advantage of his skillset. We did that today. He played a heck of a game.”

VALOR DEFENSIVE BACK SVANTE DAVENPORT

On what went wrong for the Valor late in the game

“We lost our concentration at times. We made some key mistakes – that’s about it. Too many mistakes when the game is on the line and we paid for it.”

On how the defense played as a whole

“We played OK, but we have to get better. We have to communicate and be on the same page.”

NEXT TIME OUT

The Valor return to action next Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., taking on the Albany Empire at Times Union Center in Albany, New York in a rematch of last season’s 2018 AFL Semifinals.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON VALOR

The AFL’s Washington Valor, 2018 ArenaBowl Champions, are owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates seven professional sports teams: the Valor, AFL’s Baltimore Brigade, NBA's Washington Wizards, NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go, NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming, WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. Monumental Sports & Entertainment is also co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid, and owns and operates Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also manages MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and EagleBank Arena on George Mason University's campus. In conjunction with the District of Columbia and Events DC, MSE is a partner in a new sports and entertainment facility in Southeast DC on the St. Elizabeth’s East campus that opened in September 2018.