Post by 50yardfan on Jul 26, 2010 9:04:19 GMT -5
Despite an early lead, Strand & Co. can't complete upset
trib.com/sports/pro/article_53544c70-6d0c-5535-9d46-be2e08ca7e4a.html
BALTIMORE, Md. -– As "We Are the Champions" blared over the loudspeakers inside 1st Mariner Arena, Wyoming Cavalry wide receiver Brooks Charlton sat in the stairwell to the visitors' locker room and couldn't help but think that he should have been on the field celebrating with his teammates rather than reflecting on another title that got away.
"This one hurt more than any other," Charlton said of the Cavalry's 57-42 AIFA Bowl IV loss to the Baltimore Mariners, Wyoming's fourth straight loss in a championship game. "We came out with a game plan and I really thought we were going to turn this corner."
Early on, it seemed as if the Cavalry would finally end a successful season on a high note. Quarterback Matt Strand staked Wyoming to an early 16-0 lead with a pair of 27-yard touchdown strikes to Jasonus Tillery and Dante Dudley before Baltimore, which was making its first appearance in a championship game, stormed back.
Leading 16-14 with 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Strand made a mistake that would prove to be one of the many turning points in a back-and-forth game. On third-and-goal from the Baltimore 2-yard line, Strand threw a pass that deflected off the back wall and into the arms of Mariners defensive back Armar Watson. Strand and the Cavalry initially believed the ball had hit the ground, but the officials conferred and determined that Watson had in fact made the interception.
"To me, the turning point is when we get down to the goal line and we don't come away with points," Wyoming head coach Dan Maciejczak said. "We made some mistakes and they didn't. That's been the story for them all season."
The Mariners, who became the first undefeated team in league history, made a living off of turnovers during the regular season and Sunday was no different. Watson's pick in the end zone was the first of three on the day for the Baltimore native.
"We didn't want to let this one slip away," Watson said.
It almost did.
After a dominating third quarter, the Mariners took a 39-30 lead into the fourth. J.R. Cipra's 29-yard field goal with less than 11 minutes to play gave the Mariners a 43-36 lead, but Strand and the Cavalry answered with a five-play, 45-yard drive that was capped with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tillery. As it has done all season, Wyoming, which doesn't carry a kicker on its roster, went for two. The try failed and Baltimore maintained a one-point lead.
Isaiah Grier's 2-yard touchdown run extended the lead to eight with less than 5 minutes to play. Facing third down and 13 from the Wyoming 17, Strand launched a deep ball down the center of the field toward Tillery, but it was underthrown. Baltimore's Richard Johnson picked it off.
"Our options are always open," Maciejczak said of Strand's interception. "We make reads and we go get the ball."
Strand's counterpart, Baltimore quarterback E.J. Nemeth, passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. His 16-yard pass to Scorpio Brown with 32 seconds remaining sealed the win. Brown finished with eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Just as they did in last year's championship game loss to Reading, the Cavalry took a lead, but not the momentum, into halftime.
"We felt it should've been more," Strand said. "We were down at the 2-yard line with a first down and we came away with no points on that."
The Cavalry's defense played well, but failed to produce a game-changing play. Martini Hilliard recorded a team-high 7.5 tackles, while Emery Beckles had Wyoming's only interception.
"I don't think they were really any better than anyone else we faced," said Strand, who passed for 245 yards. "They just took advantage of our mistakes. They weren't anything exceptional."
Charlton echoed those sentiments.
"They weren't better than us," he said. "We should've won today."
trib.com/sports/pro/article_53544c70-6d0c-5535-9d46-be2e08ca7e4a.html
BALTIMORE, Md. -– As "We Are the Champions" blared over the loudspeakers inside 1st Mariner Arena, Wyoming Cavalry wide receiver Brooks Charlton sat in the stairwell to the visitors' locker room and couldn't help but think that he should have been on the field celebrating with his teammates rather than reflecting on another title that got away.
"This one hurt more than any other," Charlton said of the Cavalry's 57-42 AIFA Bowl IV loss to the Baltimore Mariners, Wyoming's fourth straight loss in a championship game. "We came out with a game plan and I really thought we were going to turn this corner."
Early on, it seemed as if the Cavalry would finally end a successful season on a high note. Quarterback Matt Strand staked Wyoming to an early 16-0 lead with a pair of 27-yard touchdown strikes to Jasonus Tillery and Dante Dudley before Baltimore, which was making its first appearance in a championship game, stormed back.
Leading 16-14 with 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Strand made a mistake that would prove to be one of the many turning points in a back-and-forth game. On third-and-goal from the Baltimore 2-yard line, Strand threw a pass that deflected off the back wall and into the arms of Mariners defensive back Armar Watson. Strand and the Cavalry initially believed the ball had hit the ground, but the officials conferred and determined that Watson had in fact made the interception.
"To me, the turning point is when we get down to the goal line and we don't come away with points," Wyoming head coach Dan Maciejczak said. "We made some mistakes and they didn't. That's been the story for them all season."
The Mariners, who became the first undefeated team in league history, made a living off of turnovers during the regular season and Sunday was no different. Watson's pick in the end zone was the first of three on the day for the Baltimore native.
"We didn't want to let this one slip away," Watson said.
It almost did.
After a dominating third quarter, the Mariners took a 39-30 lead into the fourth. J.R. Cipra's 29-yard field goal with less than 11 minutes to play gave the Mariners a 43-36 lead, but Strand and the Cavalry answered with a five-play, 45-yard drive that was capped with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tillery. As it has done all season, Wyoming, which doesn't carry a kicker on its roster, went for two. The try failed and Baltimore maintained a one-point lead.
Isaiah Grier's 2-yard touchdown run extended the lead to eight with less than 5 minutes to play. Facing third down and 13 from the Wyoming 17, Strand launched a deep ball down the center of the field toward Tillery, but it was underthrown. Baltimore's Richard Johnson picked it off.
"Our options are always open," Maciejczak said of Strand's interception. "We make reads and we go get the ball."
Strand's counterpart, Baltimore quarterback E.J. Nemeth, passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. His 16-yard pass to Scorpio Brown with 32 seconds remaining sealed the win. Brown finished with eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Just as they did in last year's championship game loss to Reading, the Cavalry took a lead, but not the momentum, into halftime.
"We felt it should've been more," Strand said. "We were down at the 2-yard line with a first down and we came away with no points on that."
The Cavalry's defense played well, but failed to produce a game-changing play. Martini Hilliard recorded a team-high 7.5 tackles, while Emery Beckles had Wyoming's only interception.
"I don't think they were really any better than anyone else we faced," said Strand, who passed for 245 yards. "They just took advantage of our mistakes. They weren't anything exceptional."
Charlton echoed those sentiments.
"They weren't better than us," he said. "We should've won today."