Game Preview: Week 2 – Thunder Host Tampa Bay Storm
Tuesday March 31, 2015
PORTLAND – The Portland Thunder continues its season opening, three game home-stand this Friday evening, April 3rd, against the five-time ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm, from Moda Center at 7:00pm PDT.
This will be the second ever meeting between the clubs, with the Thunder holding a 1-0 record over the Storm. Buoyed by their first win over the Jacksonville Sharks a week prior, a confident Thunder squad never trailed in a 61-42 win at Amalie Arena last season. Former Thunder backup QB Danny Southwick proved the difference maker in the game, stepping in for the injured Kyle Rowley. Southwick completed 24 of his 33 passes, for 307 yards and 8 scores.
Similar to last season, the Thunder will be coming into their matchup with the Storm on the heels of a victory. The Thunder defeated the LA KISS 42-37 in their 2015 AFL season opener last Friday. The Storm’s opening weekend was not as successful, suffering a loss to the 2014 American Conference Champion Cleveland Gladiators 60-44.
The Storm conceded 25 points off of turnovers in a game where they lead in nearly every offensive category. “When you’re playing a team that went to the ArenaBowl, you have to execute,” Storm head coach Lawrence Samuels stated after the loss. “We had our chances, we just turned the ball over. Turnovers killed us.”
While the Week 1 victory over the KISS was not the prettiest of affairs, it showcased several positions and intangibles the Thunder will lean on to gather wins throughout the rest of the 2015 season. Thunder QB Kyle Rowley seems to be developing an effective relationship with WR Jamar Howard. The tandem combined for three second half scores against LA, with Howard also accounting for 114 of Rowley’s 209 yards passing. Defensive linemen Marquis Jackson and Frank Trotter have also found themselves a partnership. Trotter commanded the middle, collecting a game high four pass break ups, while Jackson picked up a pair of sacks rushing from the edge.
As far as attitudes are concerned, the Thunder never wavered after conceding the game’s first score early in the first, and faltering on their first offensive possession just a few minutes later. There was an air of calm emanating from the Thunder bench, and it showed when the Portland defense shut down the KISS on four straight plays to bring momentum back to the home side.
A relatively inexperienced team, the Storm only returned 9 players from the squad that posted an 8-10 record a season ago, having filled out their roster with 10 rookies. QB Jason Boltus was easily the team’s most notable offseason addition, with the three year veteran already showing signs of All-Arena consideration. The Storm signal caller led all quarterbacks with 383 yards passing in Week 1, nearly 100 yards more than other.
Transactions: The Thunder made a trade Monday afternoon, acquiring former Arizona Rattlers DB Allen Chapman from the New Orleans VooDoo, in exchange for the 7th waiver claim position. Chapman (5-11, 185, Kansas St.) collected 43 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games as a rookie with the Arizona Rattlers in 2014, before being dealt to New Orleans just six days ago.
Chapman arrives following confirmation that Thunder DB Matt Pierce will have to undergo surgery for a hand injury suffered in the win over the KISS. OL Dwayne Morgan was also reassigned on Monday.
The Thunder will practice three more times this week, in the lead up to the game against Tampa Bay:
Tuesday – 3/31/15
Oregon Soccer Center
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Wednesday – 4/1/15
Oregon Soccer Center
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Thursday – 4/2/15
Oregon Soccer Center
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Friday – 4/3/15
WK 2: vs TBS, Moda Cen.
7:00 PM
About the Portland Thunder
The Portland Thunder continue their 2015 campaign next Friday against the Tampa Bay Storm, from Moda Center, starting at 7pm. Tickets and sponsorships for the 2015 season are now available. For more information, email us at info@portlandthunder.com or call 503-773-4235. For all the latest news and discussion on the Portland Thunder, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@pdxthunder).