Rattlers come back to beat Tulsa 61-51
Saturday July 24, 2010
Tulsa, Okla. – The playoff bound Arizona Rattlers earned another come-from-behind victory thanks to a dominating second-half defense as they dropped the Tulsa Talons for the second time this year, 61-51, in front of the Talons’ home crowd at the BOK Center.
Rookie WR ROD WINDSOR put a stamp on his remarkable record-breaking season by setting another all-time AFL record, his fourth league record this season, to become the single-season leader in receiving yards. The record-breaking play came on his game-clinching 21-yard touchdown grab in the waning minutes of the game to put the game out of reach and secure the victory.
Windsor finished with four catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns after having just one catch for seven yards at halftime. The rookie has already set league records for receptions, receptions by a rookie, and receiving yards by a rookie and is now tied for receiving touchdowns by a rookie. He has also set team records for receptions, receptions by a rookie, receiving yards, receiving yards by a rookie, and is currently tied with Hunkie Cooper for most rushing touchdowns by a receiver. On the season, Windsor has a mind-blowing 178 catches for 2,138 yards and 44 receiving scores (51 total).
The Rattlers (10-5) trailed by four at the half and by 11 early in the third but stifled Tulsa’s offense most of the second half, causing four turnovers and forcing the Talons (9-6) quarterback Justin Allgood into hurried, difficult throws. The defense was led by LB KELVIN MORRIS who made an acrobatic interception on Tulsa’s final drive and recovered a third-quarter fumble in the end-zone for his first touchdown as a Rattler to give the team its first lead since early in the second quarter. LB JOHNIE KIRTON recovered a fumble for the defense and scored his third rushing touchdown of the season as well.
The defense, which allowed an average of 65.2 points a game in the team’s first five games, has averaged an incredible 49.3 points a game over the last 11 contests. In that five game span to begin the season, the Rattlers beat the Talons 77-76 on Windsor’s miraculous 27-yard catch and run with no-time left on the clock.
WR JJ MCKELVEY had a monster game as Tulsa’s defense keyed in on Windsor. McKelvey had 14 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns and made one big catch after another, including a few on key third-downs and even one a crucial fourth-down play.
QB NICK DAVILA had another solid game throwing for 296 yards on 25-of-36 passing (69.4%) and seven touchdowns. His first scoring strike, a fourth-down rocket toe McKelvey, set him past Rattlers legend Sherdrick Bonner for most passing touchdowns in team history. Davila has now passed for 4,497 yards and 95 touchdowns.
With the win, the Rattlers have won double-digit games for the first time since going 11-5 in 2005. While the team has clinched a playoff berth, the only certainty is that the first round game will be on the road against Chicago, Milwaukee, or Spokane. With a win next week against the Iowa Barnstormers (6-10), the Rattlers will clinch the third seed in the National Conference and will face the Midwest Division winner (Chicago or Milwaukee). The three seed would leave the door open for Arizona to host the Conference Finals game and possibly even the Arena Bowl on August 20th.
Join the Rattlers next week as they return home triumphant to face the Barnstormers at US Airways Center, where they are 5-2 on the year.
GAME NOTES
The Rattlers stingy defense has allowed eight or fewer points in the fourth quarter in five of the past six games… QB BILLY FARRIS made some nifty moves and converted a 2-point conversion after a bad snap on the extra point… The offensive line tandem of KYLE YOUNG, ATLAS HERRION, DEVIN CLARK and FB JOHN BOOKER continued to shine against one of the best pass rushes in the league and did not allow a sack for the eighth straight games… The offensive line has allowed just one sack in the team’s last 11 games… The offense scored over 60 points for the first time in four weeks… Kirton, in his first week back from the IR, made a tremendous 22-yard catch and run, bowling over multiple Tulsa players and making a few impressive jukes… The Rattlers are now 2-0 all-time against the Tulsa Talons…
GAME STATISTICS
Passing
Arizona – Nick Davila, 25-36, 296 yards, 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
Tulsa – Justin Allgood, 20-36, 181 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception.
Receiving
Arizona – JJ McKelvey, 14 catches, 127 yards, 3 touchdowns.
Tulsa – Carlese Franklin, 6 catches, 89 yards, two touchdowns.
Rushing
Arizona – Johnie Kirton, 2 rushes, 0 yards, 1 touchdown.
Tulsa – Justin Allgood, 4 carries, 40 yards, 1 touchdown.
Defense
Arizona – Kelvin Morris, fumble recovery, interception, touchdown.
Tulsa – Chris Royal, 2 interceptions.
