Shock Blitzed by Bakersfield 28-44

Shawn and Lori Mosqueda
Thursday May 17, 2007

Shawn's Take:

Momentum and tempo – two key ingredients of a football game were most definitely the heart of the first half of the game.  In the first half, the Blitz looked dazed and confused, making countless mistakes as a direct result of a Shock defense that was totally on fire.  The defense gave the offense great field position many times, resulting in a 21 – 0 lead over the Blitz in the first quarter.  

The Blitz, ranked number one in pass defense, put pressure on Shock QB Andrico Hines all night, which didn't help the injury riddled offense.  I'm not quite sure what happened in the second quarter, but the Shock defense let up and allowed the Blitz to get back in the game with three touchdowns.

In the second half, it was as if the officials from Super Bowl XL took possession of the first half officials so they could abuse the Shock just like they did Seattle back in 2005.  The officiating definitely disrupted the tempo and momentum of the Shock for the remainder of the game.  Unfortunately, instant replay is not allowed in this league.  Otherwise, I am sure there would have been a totally different outcome to this game. 

The Shock's DB Alex Teems gave one hard brain rattling hit in the end zone in the second half.  The hit was loud and hard enough to get the crowd excited.  We asked Alex about that hit, “I have not given that hard of a hit since college. It felt good I guess, but it would have felt better if we had won.”

To make matters worse, the Shock suffered more injuries to the offensive line.  Both OL/DL Jerome Stevens and WR Antwone Savage left the game with injuries. 

Head coach Adam Shackleford responded to the loss,”We had too many mistakes.  I think we had  3 turnovers within the 5 yard line.  We can't win football games when we make those kinds of mistakes... We got pretty beat up tonight.  We lost two receivers and Jerome Stevens.  Even though Andrico had very little time to get rid of the ball, I think he battled very well tonight...We just need to get healthy.”

The Shock simply had too many cards stacked against them, causing a sloppy offense in the second half and  no chance of getting back into the game.

Lori's Take:

Shawn, thank you for covering the angle on the officials.  I'm too irritated about what I witnessed tonight so I'll stick to reporting the stats.  Believe or not, the officials did allow a few of the Shock players to make some good plays.

Shock DS Rob Keefe was quick to put the Shock in great field position after catching a botched field goal attempt by the Blitz.  DL Katon Bethay scored shortly thereafter, with a one-yard run for a touchdown.

The Shock defense then forced a Blitz fumble, which was recovered by the Shock.  Soon after, QB Andrico Hines connected with WR Andre Rector for a 22-yard touchdown reception.  LB Kelvin Morris also wowed the crowd with a six-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, holding the Blitz scoreless in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, WR Antwone Savage scored the last Shock touchdown of the game, catching a 15-yard pass from QB Andrico Hines.  Savage also shinned when he picked off an attempted Blitz field goal and ran the ball down into Blitz' territory.  Unfortunately, the Shock were unable to monopolize on the great field position.

DS Rob Keefe stepped in as wide receiver in the fourth quarter after the Shock lost Antwone Savage to an injury.  He played beautifully, leading the team in receptions for the game.  However, his talent on both sides of the field was not enough to allow for the come-back-from-behind victory that the fans were treated to in the inaugural season of the Shock.

The next home game is on May 26, 2007 against the Central Valley Coyotes.  Fans, keep your fingers crossed that Vijil, Savage, Mackey and Stevens are all healthy and fired up to lead the Shock to victory.