Wranglers Win but Lose Dillard
Mick Cornett
Monday April 16, 2001
The
Oklahoma Wranglers had so many good receivers in their preseason camp that there was serious speculation Bobby McGowens would not make the team. But a couple of injuries changed the roadmap and by opening day McGowens was not only ‘on the team,’ he was a starter at wide receiver and linebacker. In the third quarter of the opener, McGowens made the play of the night. And when it was over, the pressroom selected him as the ‘Ironman of the Game,’ which goes to the best performer of the two-way players.
Oklahoma won the game 38-28 but it was a melancholy victory as the Wranglers also lost defensive specialist Barry Dillard to an injury. Dillard suffered a torn right Achilles tendon and is out indefinitely, perhaps for the season. The loss of Dillard overshadowed everything else that occurred on the field including:
Oklahoma’s defense played well—Even without Dillard, the secondary did a good job against the AFL’s all-time leading passer Todd Hammel. Houston suffered a key injury as well when top receiver Ben Bronson left the game in the third quarter. He did not return. Hammel never had a lot of time to throw as Oklahoma’s defensive front applied adequate pressure.
After a shaky first half, Oklahoma’s offense was solid. Head coach Bob Cortese took the blame for the slow start saying he was forcing Lopez to throw the ball downfield to Cooper when they should have settled for shorter patterns. Once that adjustment was made, the offense started to click and Cooper wound up with eleven catches for 144 yards. Lopez lost one fumble but did not throw an interception.
Five different Wranglers scored touchdowns and Cooper wasn’t one of them. Brian Goolsby and Travis McDonald scored on running plays. Lopez tossed scoring passes to Antonio Chandler and Shawn Foreman. And the defense scored when McGowens intercepted the pass and ran it back.
The play by McGowens was easily the play of the night. Houston had a four-point lead and started the drive on its own two-yard line. Hammel, who’s originally from Durant, Oklahoma, found former OU standout Anthony Fogle on a deep route and it appeared Fogle was going to score. But Kusanti Abdul-Salaam ran across the field and knocked Fogle out of bounds at the four. Then Hammel tried to loft a scoring pass into the endzone. McGowens jumped and intercepted the ball.
McGowens is a great athlete and once he gets a few strides, he’s very difficult to bring down. Hammel had the best shot, but McGowens made him miss and sprinted into the endzone with the go-ahead touchdown. Oklahoma never trailed again.
Week Two--Saturday, April 21, Oklahoma plays the Chicago Rush in the Myriad. Game time is 7:30. This will be the season opener for Chicago, who received a bye in week one.
Mick Cornett was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2001.
The opinions expressed in the article above are only those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, opinions, or official stance of ArenaFan Online or its staff, or the Arena Football League, or any AFL or af2 teams.
