Post by 50yardfan on Jul 6, 2010 8:56:48 GMT -5
Wyoming wins playoff preview with San Jose
trib.com/sports/college/article_f8bb607b-e4e3-5ace-af4e-e4645eb29d79.html
What a difference a week makes.
The Wyoming Cavalry took it to the San Jose Wolves on both sides of the ball Sunday, closing out the regular season in style with a 47-26 victory at the Casper Events Center.
The teams will meet again this Sunday in the Western Division playoffs of the American Indoor Football Association. The winner will advance to AIFA Bowl IV on July 24.
The impressive win came just one week after the Cavs (13-1) stumbled through a 43-39 loss to the Wenatchee Valley Venom.
"We did look a lot better than we did last week and that's the big thing we wanted to accomplish," Cavs quarterback Matt Strand said. "We just needed to come out and eliminate some of the mistakes that we made last week, and we did a pretty good job of doing that."
Outside of a Strand fumble on the opening drive, the Cavs offense bared little resemblance to the team that turned the ball over three times last week.
Wyoming grabbed the lead for good on a two-yard pass from Strand to Dante Dudley one play after the Wolves were stopped on fourth down. The Cavs added two more touchdowns –- both on passes from Strand to Dudley -– before the half to take an 18-4 lead into the locker room.
"We needed to come out and get our timing down and I thought we got that accomplished," Cavs coach Dan Maciejczak said. "The biggest thing is we got some good reps against a good football team."
While the Cavs offense produced 229 yards and Strand threw five touchdown passes, it was the defense that set the tone early for Wyoming.
The Cavs sacked San Jose quarterback Patrick Carras seven times in the first half, including a takedown by defensive lineman Rodney Wasche at the end of the half that knocked Carras unconscious.
"We basically knocked all the rust off, so to speak," Wasche, who finished with three sacks, said. "We refocused, had five good days of practice and came out and performed like we wanted to."
The defense also came up with an interception by Rodell Razor and essentially put the game on ice when Emery Beckles forced a fumble with a big hit and Antar Brame returned the loose ball 47 yards for a touchdown.
That play, at the end of the third quarter, pushed Wyoming's lead to 40-13.
"I thanked Emery for that one," Brame said. "We had great communication and it was a great hit. We're doing a lot better in the secondary now."
Added Beckles, who also caught a five-yard TD pass: "The hits always feel good, especially when you hit someone and your man picks up the fumble and takes it to the house."
Omar Jacobs relieved Carras in the second half and got San Jose (9-5) in the end zone three times, but the Cavs countered with two touchdowns from Jasonus Tillery, the TD pass to Beckles and the Brame score.
Even though the win was a much-needed pick-me-up for the Cavs after the loss to Wenatchee Valley, they know the team they face next week will have a different look to it as the Wolves rested some starters.
"That wasn't the team that they're going to put on the field next week and we understood that," Dudley said. "However, we wanted to establish a rhythm and get our timing back, and I think we did that."
The next step for the Cavs is maintaining that rhythm and timing this week as they try to get back to the AIFA title game for the third season in a row.
"We expect a heck of a football game next week," Maciejczak said. "But we got our timing back [Sunday] and that was huge for us."
trib.com/sports/college/article_f8bb607b-e4e3-5ace-af4e-e4645eb29d79.html
What a difference a week makes.
The Wyoming Cavalry took it to the San Jose Wolves on both sides of the ball Sunday, closing out the regular season in style with a 47-26 victory at the Casper Events Center.
The teams will meet again this Sunday in the Western Division playoffs of the American Indoor Football Association. The winner will advance to AIFA Bowl IV on July 24.
The impressive win came just one week after the Cavs (13-1) stumbled through a 43-39 loss to the Wenatchee Valley Venom.
"We did look a lot better than we did last week and that's the big thing we wanted to accomplish," Cavs quarterback Matt Strand said. "We just needed to come out and eliminate some of the mistakes that we made last week, and we did a pretty good job of doing that."
Outside of a Strand fumble on the opening drive, the Cavs offense bared little resemblance to the team that turned the ball over three times last week.
Wyoming grabbed the lead for good on a two-yard pass from Strand to Dante Dudley one play after the Wolves were stopped on fourth down. The Cavs added two more touchdowns –- both on passes from Strand to Dudley -– before the half to take an 18-4 lead into the locker room.
"We needed to come out and get our timing down and I thought we got that accomplished," Cavs coach Dan Maciejczak said. "The biggest thing is we got some good reps against a good football team."
While the Cavs offense produced 229 yards and Strand threw five touchdown passes, it was the defense that set the tone early for Wyoming.
The Cavs sacked San Jose quarterback Patrick Carras seven times in the first half, including a takedown by defensive lineman Rodney Wasche at the end of the half that knocked Carras unconscious.
"We basically knocked all the rust off, so to speak," Wasche, who finished with three sacks, said. "We refocused, had five good days of practice and came out and performed like we wanted to."
The defense also came up with an interception by Rodell Razor and essentially put the game on ice when Emery Beckles forced a fumble with a big hit and Antar Brame returned the loose ball 47 yards for a touchdown.
That play, at the end of the third quarter, pushed Wyoming's lead to 40-13.
"I thanked Emery for that one," Brame said. "We had great communication and it was a great hit. We're doing a lot better in the secondary now."
Added Beckles, who also caught a five-yard TD pass: "The hits always feel good, especially when you hit someone and your man picks up the fumble and takes it to the house."
Omar Jacobs relieved Carras in the second half and got San Jose (9-5) in the end zone three times, but the Cavs countered with two touchdowns from Jasonus Tillery, the TD pass to Beckles and the Brame score.
Even though the win was a much-needed pick-me-up for the Cavs after the loss to Wenatchee Valley, they know the team they face next week will have a different look to it as the Wolves rested some starters.
"That wasn't the team that they're going to put on the field next week and we understood that," Dudley said. "However, we wanted to establish a rhythm and get our timing back, and I think we did that."
The next step for the Cavs is maintaining that rhythm and timing this week as they try to get back to the AIFA title game for the third season in a row.
"We expect a heck of a football game next week," Maciejczak said. "But we got our timing back [Sunday] and that was huge for us."