Mustangs Gift Wrap Game for “Houston”
John Hoh
Sunday May 13, 2001
Somewhere along I-94 the plan fell awry. And after the wheels fell off in Madison, the Mustangs might be hard-pressed to return to Milwaukee and to return to the winning column. Next up for the Turf Equines is the San Jose SaberCats—unbeaten until the New York Dragons upset them. The ‘Cats will be looking to get back in the win column.
The Mustangs played this game close until the second quarter. After a Donnie Davis fumble, “Houston” recovered at the Mustang 2 yard line. Todd Hammel sprinted the 2 yards for the touchdown tally. This was the second of three consecutive ‘Bears scores—usually fatal in the Arena Football League.
Milwaukee drove in the fourth quarter trying to close to within five points, but could not convert on a fourth and short situation. “Houston” took over on downs and promptly regained the 19-point advantage. Soon after the Mustangs started their next possession, Milwaukee fumbled and Robinson from “Houston” scooped it up for an eight yard TD run, sealing the second victory of the year for the Thunderbears.
Milwaukee played all three listed roster quarterbacks. Craig Kusick entered in place of Donnie Davis, seemingly to give the team a lift. Later it was learned that Davis fractured his ankle. The poor pass protection afforded Davis was also given to Kusick as “Houston” tested his knee with hits. For the last series, to preserve their fragile quarterback situation, Rick Frazier sent in Kahlil Carter to QB. Carter is listed as number three on the Mustangs depth chart at quarterback.
Milwaukee will be looking to sign a quarterback in the coming week.
Again, turnovers were key. Milwaukee lost three fumbles, two of which led to touchdowns. The third led to no points as Sieredy’s field goal try was off the mark. Numerous times Milwaukee put the ball on the ground and were fortunate to recover their own fumbles.
Fourth and short also plagued the Mustangs—while it seems they can convert fourth and long. In the fourth quarter, a failure on fourth and one not only denied the Mustangs points but wasted a Kahlil interception of a Todd Hammel pass.
Todd Hammel made this homecoming to Wisconsin and return engagement against the Mustangs count. While he didn’t want to go into the game thinking about the Mustangs and their release of him last year, he certainly showed on the field why he still has magic in his arm—279 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus his two-yard sprint for a score. Milwaukee actually controlled time of possession and outgained the Thunderbears in yardage. Nevertheless, the aim of the game is to hold onto the ball and to score—two areas in which Milwaukee has been inconsistent all year.
Although Remy Hamilton broke his own team record with a 57-yard field goal in the middle of the first quarter, he missed two PATs. No doubt the low practice ceiling affects his game as much as it does the passing game.
Addressing his situation as head coach, which he pondered last week, Coach Frazier declined comment following the game. He simply stated he would return to work Sunday morning as usual. He did meet with general manager Chris Vallozzi for 30 minutes following the game, but no comments were forthcoming about the meeting. Coach Frazier did say before the game that the Mustangs had to step up their play. “When we need to make a play, we just don’t,” he said.
Before the game, Gary Compton stated that “Tonight is a crucial game. This is a “home” game for us. Now it’s an 11-game season. Donnie’s comfortable now and we’re comfortable with Donnie.”
After the game, Craig Kusick clichéd: “We need to stop the bleeding.” And, reflecting the abundance of questions and the lack of answers for the Mustangs, Kusick stated: “I don’t know how this is going to happen. We just need to regroup and come together. It is still a long season. We need to keep our spirits high and try to find a way to get it done.”
Milwaukee hosts San Jose at the Bradley Center this coming Friday. Who will play quarterback is still a question mark, as Kusick and Davis are injured and Kahlil Carter is deemed inexperienced by Coach Frazier. “Kahlil is a great athlete, but he is not what you want to face San Jose with at quarterback.”
John L. Hoh, Jr., is a free-lance writer from Milwaukee who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, as an avid Dolphins fan. He followed Arena Football since its inception, at one point watching tape-delayed games on low-powered WAV-TV in Waukesha. His happiest day was when Milwaukee was awarded the Mustangs franchise; his saddest when the Mustangs were contracted out of the league. John is married to his wife Maija (13+ years) and has a young son, Matthew. John pines for the return of the Arena Football League to Milwaukee.
