Tampa Bay gained control of the contest early. Storm quarterback Adrian McPherson took five minutes off the clock in the game’s opening drive, capping it off with a touchdown. The rowdy Spokane Shock fans expected a quick answer. It didn’t come. Erik Meyer threw his first interception of the season, a ball that bounced around before being corralled by Storm DB Jean Fanor. Tampa Bay would take advantage of the blunder, taking a 14-0 lead late in the 1^st quarter. The Storm would never relinquish the lead.
 

                Spokane had a chance to strike back early in the 2^nd quarter. After stopping Tampa Bay on three downs, Terrance Sanders returned the Storm’s missed field goal to Tampa Bay’s 15 yard line. But the Shock offense was simply not clicking in the 1^st half. The Storm managed to keep Erik Meyer and the offense from scoring a touchdown, keeping their advantage in possessions. Still, the Shock had a chance to catch back up. Another impressive kick return by Sanders gave the Shock the ball with two seconds remaining in the first half at the 15 yard line. A potential touchdown was dropped by Kamar Jorden, and Spokane headed into the locker room with a sizable 28-7 deficit.
 

                When asked about the 1^st half miscues, Andy Olson responded, “In the 1^st half, we were awful, plain and simple. We came out flat.” Erik Meyer echoed similar sentiments, also telling reporters that the Shock were not ready for the game. Spokane played much better in the second half, however. After posting only seven points on the scoreboard in the first half, they managed to score 55 points in the second. With no room for error, the offense finally got in sync and was scoring with ease. But the damage from the first half had already been done. The Shock couldn’t manage to get a turnover or recover an onside kick late in the 4^th quarter, which ultimately spelled their demise.
 

                Adrian McPherson had an exceptional night against the Spokane Shock defense. His running ability is a real weapon for Tampa Bay. Although Spokane did a decent job bottling up McPherson, he still managed to score three rushing touchdowns and consistently kept drives alive with his feet. He would also throw for seven touchdowns. Terrance Sanders would say after the game, “That running quarterback really kept us off balance, trying to keep him contained and play coverage.”  Former Shock receiver Joe Hills also had a fine evening for the Storm, catching ten passes for 177 yards and five touchdowns. Spokane just couldn’t manage to come up with big plays when they were needed. Tampa Bay converted six of ten on 3rd down and was a perfect two for two on 4^th down conversions.
 

                Although the night was mostly controlled by Tampa Bay, Spokane dominated on special teams. Dynamic kick returner Terrance Sanders couldn’t be controlled, consistently breaking big returns into Storm territory. He averaged 29.6 yards per return, one of which resulted in a touchdown.
 

                If there is a positive to be found in the Shock’s first loss of the season, it’s that a true weakness was not exposed. It isn’t as though there were glaring issues in previous games that finally caught up with them. They simply didn’t come out with enough fire and determination to carry the day. But spirits remained high in the aftermath. Sanders believes that the Shock will rebound next time they meet, noting that, “They got the bragging rights on us, but the good news is, we get to see them again down in Tampa and we’re going to put a number on them. We’ll return the favor.” The Shock will continue their 2013 campaign this Saturday in Utah against a struggling Blaze team that has yet to find their identity. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PST.

Jeffrey Giuliani is a sports journalist from Renton, Washington. He is a senior at Western Washington Univeristy where he is studying journalism. Giuliani is currently the sports editor for his college paper, The Western Front and hopes to move on to a daily after obtaining his degree. This will be his third season covering the Spokane Shock for ArenaFan.