May 31,2015 ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Holding a six-point lead in the final minute on Sunday, the Jacksonville Sharks needed one final stop and the defense delivered just that, as Greg Reid hauled in an interception on the final play of the game to seal Jacksonville's 41-35 victory at Honda Center. Jacksonville
(5-5) had the ball in Los Angeles (0-9) territory at the one-minute
timeout, as the Shark offense had an opportunity to either run out the
clock or take a two-touchdown lead. But after an offensive penalty
backed the Sharks up to 4th and 16 from the KISS' 21, Julian Rauch's
field goal attempt missed wide right. A Los Angeles defender fell on
the rebound, giving the KISS a chance to march down the field with 37
seconds left. With
37 seconds and one timeout to work with, Los Angeles worked the ball
down the field. The KISS took their final timeout with the ball at
midfield and 16 seconds left in the game. After Danny Southwick tried two deep passes into the end zone, the KISS quarterback then threw a quick pass to Jeffrey Solomon,
moving Los Angeles to the Sharks' 20-yard line with three seconds left
in the game. As time expired, Southwick fired deep into the end zone yet
again, but Reid was there to secure the interception and end the game. The Sharks had raced out to a quick 21-0 lead in Sunday's game, as Tommy Grady
hit Tiger Jones on a 40-yard deep strike for a touchdown on the second
play from scrimmage. On just the second play of Los Angeles' first
drive, Jack linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson
snared an interception and brought it back 25 yards for a score. The
Sharks' first defensive touchdown of the season gave Jacksonville a 14-0
lead in the game's first five minutes. After the defense forced a
turnover on downs, the Sharks scored again, as Joe Hills battled for a seven-yard touchdown catch that gave his team a three-touchdown edge in the first quarter. But
the KISS battled back, as Los Angeles scored on each of its two
second-quarter possessions, cutting the Sharks' lead to 28-14 late in
the second quarter. Jacksonville had a chance to score before halftime,
but Rauch's 30-yard field goal attempt missed wide right, and the Sharks
headed to the locker room with just a 14-point edge. Los
Angeles opened the third quarter with the ball and marched down the
field, cutting the Sharks' lead to just seven points after Southwick hit
Solomon for a five-yard touchdown. From there, the teams exchanged
scores and defensive stops late into the game. The Sharks led 35-28
heading into the final period, as the KISS forced a turnover on each of
Jacksonville's first two drives of the fourth quarter. But each time,
the Sharks' defense followed with a stop, forcing back-to-back turnovers
on downs. Jacksonville regained a two-touchdown lead with just less than four minutes remaining, as Derrick Ross raced for a 23-yard rushing touchdown, his third of the night. But the KISS responded quickly, as Laron Scott returned the ensuing kickoff into Jacksonville territory and Donovan Morgan
caught a touchdown on the first play of the ensuing drive, notching
what would be the game's final score with 2:30 left. That Morgan
touchdown cut the Sharks' edge to 41-35, setting the stage for the
game's conclusion. In
the victory, Grady completed 20 of his 33 pass attempts, throwing for
223 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Ross broke out
with one of his most productive games of the season, toting the rock 11
times for 61 yards and three touchdowns. At receiver, Jones led the
Sharks with nine receptions for 122 yards and a score, while Joe Hills caught seven passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. On
defense, Reid led all players with 8.5 total tackles and five pass
breakups, recorded a tackle for loss and snared the game-ending
interception. Terrance Smith and LaRoche Jackson added three and two pass breakups, respectively. Up front, Joe Sykes notched a pair of sacks, extending his franchise-record streak to nine consecutive games with at least one sack. For the KISS, Southwick went 27-of-46 for 245 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions. DeMarco Sampson led Los Angeles with 11 receptions for 104 yards, while Morgan caught 10 passes for 90 yards and two scores. On defense, Rayshaun Kizer made an impact in his first game with the KISS, recording team-high totals of eight tackles and two pass breakups. MEDIA AWARDS Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game -- Los Angeles WR DeMarco Sampson Riddell Defensive Player of the Game -- Jacksonville DB Greg Reid J Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game -- Jacksonville WR Tiger Jones Cutters Catch of the Game -- Los Angeles WR Donovan Morgan's one-handed touchdown catch in the third quarter AFL Highlight of the Game -- Jacksonville DB Terrance Smith's pass breakup while leaping over the wall
May 29,2015 By ADRIAN BEECHER In
life, opportunities present themselves in many different forms as we
live forward to achieve our dreams. One man will take another step in
the journey of achieving his goals in life this weekend as he makes the
first-ever professional football start of his career when he lines up
under center for the Las Vegas Outlaws (3-5) as they head into battle
against the Philadelphia Soul (8-1) this Saturday in Atlantic City, NJ in the DraftKings Boardwalk Bowl. This man is none other than 23-year-old Sean Brackett,
a 6-foot-1, 200-pound dual-threat quarterback out of the Ivy League's
Columbia University in the City of New York. During his time at
Columbia, he threw for 6,273 yards and 46 touchdowns while rushing for
11 more. In addition, he was a multi-time All-Ivy selection. Brackett
was a two-sport athlete in high school, excelling in both football and
basketball. He was named captain for two years during his time on the
basketball team and was the captain for the football team his senior
year in high school. When
he got to Columbia University, he left basketball behind to pursue his
football dreams. His family's strong ties and passion for the gridiron
helped lead Sean on the path of the pigskin rather than the hardwood. "Football's
been in my family," Brackett said. "My dad played. My brother played.
It's huge in my whole family. My uncle was the head coach the year
before I got to high school, so football is very big in the Brackett
household. This is what I've always wanted to do." Being
a four-year starter on the football team at Griswold High in
Connecticut helped groom him into the player he is today. Brackett
compiled nearly 10,000 total yards of offense in his four years at
Griswold, totaling 7,473 passing yards and 2,081 rushing yards, along
with 90 total touchdowns -- 33 of which came on the ground. Bracket's ability to run the ball and find holes in the defense shined through at a young age. "It's
always really came natural to me," Brackett said. "When I was growing
up playing in Pee-Wees, I was a running back until I was probably
nine-years-old when I switched over to quarterback. I've always had that
in my repertoire, so growing up it was always easier to be a
dual-threat guy." He credits much of his early success to his parents. "God
bless my mother, she would always bring us to every practice after
school. She actually was my middle school teacher, so she'd have to deal
with me and my brother all day. My dad was always involved with
coaching, so he's been one of my biggest coaches and that was always a
great thing." Football was not just a routine in the Brackett family; it was a way of life. "Go
to school, have practice, come home eat dinner, talk about practice,"
Brackett said of the daily routine in the household as a kid. "The other
thing was, my mom was always on me about academics. If I didn't have my
homework done I couldn't go to practice." With
how much the game of football means to Sean and his family, it's only
fitting that his first professional start will be just 280 miles away
from where the dream started for him. "It
worked out great," Brackett said. "I'm an East Coast guy. I have a lot
of my family and friends coming to the game. It worked out perfectly.
It's my first start in the League and probably one of the only games
where I can actually have family and friends in attendance. I'm really
excited" Sean's
big dream is to make it to the NFL one day, but right now he is
dedicated to focusing on living in the moment, being a team player and
sticking to the process to give his team the best chance to win "Right
now I just want to win. That's the biggest thing. I think winning
brings everything else that you want to come," Brackett said. "Everyone
has a big dream to play in the NFL, but I think if you can win in this
League, it will help bring you more opportunities. So right now, that's
all were focusing on. That's all I'm focusing on personally. That's all
were focusing on as a team, is going out there and winning games." Brackett
will have his hands full on Saturday, as he faces the top-passing
defense in the AFL. Philadelphia has 12 interceptions and a plus-11
turnover margin on the season. The Soul have also defended the end zone
exceptionally well, allowing opponents an average of 45.9 points per
game, while their offense scores nearly 60 points per game. However,
Brackett's ability to escape the pocket could pose a problem for the
Soul, as they sit in the bottom half of the League in rush defense and
allow more yards per carry than any other team in the AFL. One
thing is for sure, the Brackett family will get to see one of Sean's
dreams come to fruition Saturday night when he makes his first start and
fans will get their first full look at the young signal-caller from
Brooklyn, CT. Only time will tell the end of this story. Sean Brackett's next chapter will unfold live on CBS Sports Network with a 6 p.m. ET scheduled kickoff.
May 29,2015 CLEVELAND -- The Orlando Predators (6-4) won their third consecutive game Friday evening, defeating the Cleveland Gladiators
(5-5) on the road by a final score of 63-42. Orlando put together one
of its most complete performances of the season to date, leading by at
least two scores from late in the second quarter until the final
whistle.
On the day of his 30th birthday, quarterback Bernard Morris
directed an offensive unit that found the end zone on eight of its nine
possessions. The veteran signal caller completed 16-of-23 pass attempts
for 191 yards and four touchdowns, hooking up with wide receiver Kendal Thompkins five times for a team-high 81 yards and two scores.
The Predators offense also scored five touchdowns on the ground with a rushing attack that was led by fullback Michael Simons, who posted 24 yards and four touchdowns on six carries. Wide receiver Larry Brackins also chipped in a three-yard touchdown run to go along with five receptions for 63 yards.
Not
to be outdone, Orlando's defense registered three turnovers on the
night while holding its opponent to a season-low 42 points. Defensive
back Emanuel Cook logged 9.5 total tackles while adding two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Defensive end Meshak Williams contributed 2.0 tackles with one interception, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Linebacker Terence Moore also made his presence felt, turning in a 6.0 tackle performance that included a forced fumble and an interception.
Orlando
opened the game with a methodical seven-play, 43-yard drive that ended
in a seven-yard touchdown strike over the middle from Bernard Morris to wide receiver Lamark Brown.
Cleveland would move the ball into the red zone on its first possession
before being denied by the Predators defense. Seven plays into the
drive, Terence Moore came up with a big hit on wide receiver Collin Taylor, jarring the ball loose as Emanuel Cook recovered the fumble for the Predators. Orlando would convert the turnover into points as Michael Simons
took a handoff and scampered untouched 12 yards up the right sideline
for the score to give Orlando a 14-0 lead at the end of the first
quarter.
Cleveland got its first score of the night midway through the second quarter, as quarterback Shane Austin connected with wide receiver Dominick Goodman
from six yards out. The Predators quickly pushed the lead back to two
scores with an efficient four-play, 40-yard drive. Facing
2nd-&-Goal, Morris pitched the ball outside to Brandon Thompkins,
who dove over the goal line for the quick score. The Gladiators would
find the end zone with just under a minute remaining in the half off a
one-yard quarterback sneak by Shane Austin.
Orlando
made quick work of a short field after recovering an onside kick
attempt by the Gladiators at the eight-yard line. On the second play of
the series, Larry Brackins
took a handoff and plowed through would-be tacklers on his way to a
three-yard touchdown run. Three plays into the ensuing Cleveland drive, Terence Moore picked off a pass attempt by Shane Austin and Bernard Morris needed just one play to score as he launched a deep 44-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to Kendal Thompkins. The touchdown pass gave Orlando a 35-14 lead at the midway point.
Cleveland opened a low-scoring third quarter with its third touchdown of the night off a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Phillipkeith Manley. Orlando answered with a five-play, 36-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Michael Simons.
The Gladiators got on the board again moments into the fourth quarter, as Shane Austin completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Collin Taylor. Cleveland attempted an onside kick following the score, but Larry Brackins recovered for Orlando. Brackins advanced the kick near the goal line to set up another one-yard touchdown run by Michael Simons, giving the Predators a 49-28 lead.
Cleveland regained possession and found the end zone off an 11-yard pass from Shane Austin to wide receiver Andy Cruse. Michael Simons
responded for the Predators on the ensuing series, turning in his
fourth rushing touchdown of the night from a yard out for a 56-35 lead.
Orlando's defense forced its third turnover of the game on the next Cleveland possession, as Meshak Williams
batted a pass attempt at the line of scrimmage before coming down with
the interception. However, the Predators were unable to capitalize on
the turnover as Mark Lewis
had his field goal attempt blocked on the resulting drive. The
Gladiators would then make it a two-score game following a 22-yard
touchdown pass from Shane Austin to wide receiver Dominick Goodman.
The
Predators got the last score of the night a drive later, as Morris
dropped back and lofted a 14-yard touchdown pass over the top of the
defense to Kendal Thompkins to bring the game to its final score of 63-42.
Philadelphia Soul Press Release ATLANTIC CITY, NJ -- A big second half comeback gave the Philadelphia Soul
(9-1) a 51-43 victory over the Las Vegas Outlaws (3-6) in front of
6,514 fans in the first ever DraftKings Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City
at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night. "We
came out flat in the first half, but we went in and talked about it and
definitely turned it up for the second half," Soul head coach Clint Dolezel said. "It's nice to be able to pull through, but next game I expect to play all four quarters like that." J Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game Marco Thomas
led the Soul (9-1) receivers with eight catches for 125-yards and tied
his career high of five touchdowns. Lonnie Outlaw added three catches
for 17-yards and two touchdowns. Shaun Kauleinamoku had six receptions
for 87-yards, while Ryan McDaniel chipped in with four receptions for 48-yards. RussellAthletic Offensive Player of the Game, Dan Raudabaugh finished the night by completing 21-of-31 passes for 277 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Sean Brackett of Las Vegas completed 18-of-35 passes for 261-yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions Jomo Wilson led the Outlaws (3-6) receivers with eight receptions for 143-yards and two touchdowns, while Jason Willis added three catches for 42-yards and two touchdowns. James Romain led the team with 5.0 total tackles. Kent Richardson had 4.5 total tackles and one interception. Bryan Robinson added one sack. After
winning the toss, the Soul deferred and kicked off to the Outlaws to
start the game. The Outlaws got on the board within the first minute of
the game with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sean Brackett to Jason Willis. The Soul quickly answered with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Dan Raudabaugh to Marco Thomas to tie up the score 7-7. With 5:14 remaining in the first, Brackett threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Will Wright
to put the Outlaws back on top. With a little over two minutes left,
the Soul responded when Raudabaugh found Thomas on a 6-yard play, making
the score 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams went back and forth before scoring within the last minute of the second quarter. James Romain had a big pass interference in the end zone with a little over two minutes left in the half. Philadelphia kicker Tommy Frevert
completed a 29-yard field goal to give the Soul their first lead of the
game, 17-14. With only five seconds left, the Outlaws capitalized in
the end zone with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brackett to Willis,
making the halftime score 21-17. The Soul came out with a vengeance in the third quarter. Soul WR Lonnie Outlaw
came out strong in the second half by scoring back to back touchdowns.
With a little over two minutes in the third, Raudabaugh threw a 12-yard
touchdown pass to Outlaw, giving the Soul their lead back. The Soul
increased their lead with Outlaw's 3-yard touchdown reception, putting
them on top 31-21. With 2:54 left in the third quarter, Raudabaugh threw
a 4-yard touchdown pass to Thomas, making the score 37-21. Thomas
opened the fourth quarter with an 8-yard touchdown reception from
Raudabaugh with 13:26 to play in the game. The Outlaws bounced back with
an 11-yard touchdown reception from Clinton Solomin making the score
44-28. Thomas responded with a 24-yard touchdown reception which tied
his career high of five touchdowns in a single game. Brackett completed a
43-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to make the score 51-35 with 3:54 to
play. With only 35 seconds left in the game, Bracket connected with
Wilson again with a 14-yard touchdown pass making the final score 51-43.
MEDIA AWARDS Russell Athletic Offensive Player: Philadelphia's Dan Raudabaugh Riddell Defensive Player: Philadelphia's James Romain J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker: Philadelphia's Marco Thomas Cutter's Catch of the Game: Philadelphia's Kent Richardson third quarter interception Spalding Highlight of the Game: Philadelphia's Jake Metz onside kick recovery
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks
dealt with Game 7 pressure in the same way they've handled just about
everything during their incredible seven-year playoff run.
Like champions.
And after ending a remarkable
Western Conference finals with a blowout victory, the Blackhawks get
another chance to raise the Stanley Cup.
Toews scored two goals in the opening minutes, Corey Crawford made 35 saves and Chicago roared into the Stanley Cup finals with a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. Brandon Saad, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks, who will play for their third NHL championship in six seasons when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning beginning Wednesday night in Florida.
After
six games of tense hockey in an extraordinary series, Game 7 was an
incongruous rout. Toews was responsible for it, burnishing his
reputation for big-game brilliance with a rebound goal just 2:23 in and
another power-play score before 12 minutes elapsed.
"There was no
easy games," Toews said. "There was nothing given to us. There was no
moments in this series were there any lulls, where we felt Anaheim maybe
didn't play their best hockey and we got away with it. We felt like we
had to earn everything against that team. That was an incredible test
for both teams."
Anaheim lost a Game 7 at home for the third
straight season. The Ducks blew a 3-2 series lead each time, compounding
the heartbreak for a talented team that hasn't developed the postseason
poise possessed by Chicago and other champions.
"We took another
step this year, going a round farther, but ultimately that Game 7 we've
got to be able to finish," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "They played better than us tonight. I'm not telling you they are a better team than us. We didn't do enough to win."
The Blackhawks led 4-0 before Ryan Kesler scored late in the second period for the Ducks. Corey Perry scored for Anaheim with 8:24 to play, but Seabrook scored on a power play shortly afterward. Patrick Kane
had three assists for Chicago, which won three of the series' final
four games to seize another Western Conference title -- although the
Blackhawks refused to touch the Campbell Bowl during an awkward postgame
ceremony punctuated by fans throwing orange towels on the ice.
The
Blackhawks have defied conventional NHL parity to reach three Stanley
Cup finals and five conference finals in a seven-year stretch under
coach Joel Quenneville. That's because their stars are unmatched: From
Toews and Kane to Seabrook and Duncan Keith, nobody knows how to win like Chicago.
The
Blackhawks bounced back this season after their Game 7 loss to the
Kings in last spring's conference finals. Chicago outlasted Nashville
and swept Minnesota this spring before outlasting Anaheim in the
franchises' first playoff meeting.
"We've had some good
accomplishments in here and some things to be proud of," Kane said. "But
at the same time, who knows if these opportunities are going to come
around this often? We thought we were right there last year, but we
didn't get the job done, so it's great to come back a year later and
have that same opportunity and capitalize on it."
Keith had two
assists while completing the series with a jaw-dropping 230 minutes, 48
seconds of ice time for a team largely relying on four defensemen. Brad Richards,
who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 with Tampa Bay, had two assists
for Chicago while improving to 8-0 in Game 7s in his NHL career.
Three
days after Chicago staved off elimination with a 5-2 win at home, Toews
somehow managed to top his last appearance at Honda Center. He tied
Game 5 on Monday with two electrifying goals in the final minutes before
Anaheim won in overtime.
"He's an amazing hockey player,"
Quenneville said of Toews. "He just seems to excel in big moments, big
stages, and shows he's as good a leader as in any sport."
Captain Serious showed how much he thought of Game 7 pressure when he scored just 2:23 in. Niklas Hjalmarsson's
long shot rebounded straight to Toews, who scored his fourth goal of
the series when the Ducks inexplicably failed to mark him.
Anaheim immediately showed tension in its game, perhaps remembering its three-goal first period deficit in a Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Kings last spring. After Jakob Silfverberg
took a hooking penalty midway through the period, Toews capitalized
with a high shot through traffic, getting it through Saad's screen in
front. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves for the Ducks, giving up three goals on Chicago's first seven shots.
The
collapse came abruptly for Anaheim, which went a record-tying 14 games
into the postseason without a regulation defeat until losing the last
two games by a combined 10-5. Matt Beleskey
scored a power-play goal in the final minute for the Ducks, who
finished one game shy of their first Stanley Cup finals since 2007.
"Last year was a tough loss, (and) this year was even worse," Ducks forward Patrick Maroon
said. "We're one game away. We had them on the ropes. We're going up
3-2 in their barn. You saw what happened there. Then we're looking
better because we have home-ice advantage and can play in front of our
fans, and ... I don't know. I have no words."
Game notes
Getzlaf and Francois Beauchemin both played in their 97th postseason game with the Ducks, surpassing Teemu Selanne's franchise record. ... Tomas Fleischmann returned to Anaheim's lineup, and Emerson Etem was scratched. ... Chicago improved to 32-0 this season when leading after two periods.
*
- A player receives a "plus" if he is on the ice when his Club scores
an even-strength or shorthand goal. He receives a "minus" if he is on
the ice for an even-strength or shorthand goal scored by the opposing
Club. The difference in these numbers is considered the player's
plus-minus statistic.
