Game Preview: Week 8: Thunder Head to the South East, Take on Predators

Tuesday May 19, 2015

 PORTLAND – The Portland Thunder (3-4, 1-1 in Pacific) head to Orlando, Florida for their first ever match-up with the 4-4 Predators this Saturday from the Amway Center. Kickoff is set for 4:00pm. Fans can listen on Freedom 970AM starting at 3:30pm, and watch live on CBS Sports Network.

‘A special evening’ is the only way to categorize the Thunder’s 63-47 win last weekend over the KISS. On a night marked by two community galvanizing promotions (Thunder Tackles Cancer Night, Military Appreciation Night), as well as Darron Thomas’ first start of the 2015 season, Portland stormed out of the gates against LA, never trailing in a contest dominated by the Thunder passing game, along with their defensive front.

Thomas earned Russell Athletics’ Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 229 yard, seven touchdown performance, while the defensive front four of the Thunder combined for three sacks, bring their season team total to 10 through just seven games.

“They came out with a good attitude from the bye week,” stated head coach Mike Hohensee, following the win on May 16th. “There was a good feeling about this week, there wasn’t a lot of anxiety, like there was coming off the losing streak. They came back and worked hard, while accepting Darron moving to the forefront.”

Success against Orlando will further cement the Thunder’s growing place as a legitimate threat in the AFL. Reinforcements returning from injured reserve will also help that growth. DB Matt Pierce has been reactivated, and is likely to feature for the first time since Week 1, while LB Dexter Davis has also returned from injury, with several others being just a couple weeks from finishing their recoveries.

"Orlando is a bit of a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ team of late, but they have been in every game this season,” Hohensee continued. “They are extremely talented, and have won some big games so far. Their pass rush is solid, and they have forced a few fumbles over the last couple weeks, so they are definitely dangerous there.”

To Hohensee’s point, three of the Predators’ four losses were by less than one score, twice being one-point overtime losses. But Orlando will be coming into this weekend’s matchup on the positive end of their spectrum. A 21-point, fourth quarter turnaround against their rival, the Tampa Bay Storm, landed the Preds a miraculous 63-62 overtime win this past Saturday. Veteran QB Bernard Morris has filled the shoes of Randy Hippeard quite well since injury has forced the league’s leading passer to miss each of their last two outings. Morris is known for his mobility, and knack for extending plays, and he did just that against Tampa, rushing eight times for 86 yards. The Thunder will need a familiar performance out of their defensive front, which ranks second in the league against the rush, allowing an average of only 2.5 yards per attempt (13.3 yds. per game).

Thomas’ development as a passer was on showcase in last week’s win over the KISS, and will have “to be continued” as the former Oregon Duck stated following the win in order to ensure success against Orlando. Consistently staying after practice to work on routes, ball placement, and techniques with both QB Kyle Rowley and the Thunder receiving corps, Thomas is growing into the role of both the starting quarterback and leader of this offense. That chemistry with the offense saw Thomas complete passes to five different receivers last Saturday. Look for Darron to be the pivotal member of the Portland offense in this game, especially if he can continue to spread the ball to multiple targets.

Transactions:
- DB Matt Pierce has been moved from IR to the active roster, and is eligible to appear for the first time since Week 1.
- DB Okechukwu Okoroha has been placed on IR (Rotator Cuff).
- WR Maurice Williams has been assigned to the Thunder. The wide receiver from Pittsburgh joins Portland for his 4th season of AFL play. Williams (6-1, 195) previously played with Los Angeles, Jacksonville, Cleveland, and Orlando.

About the Portland Thunder
The Portland Thunder are back with a BOOM this 2015 AFL Season. Tickets and sponsorships 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).