Nort Spews
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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March 13, 2019 - News Release
SERIES NOTES: This is the first meeting between teams... Mike Martz faced Tim Lewis twice in the NFL when the former was a head coach and the latter a defensive coordinator... St. Louis churned out 448 yards in a 33-21 win at Pittsburgh on Oct. 26, 2003; then fell, 44-24 at the New York Giants on Oct. 2, 2005 (despite 476 yards).
GAME-WINNING KICK KEEPS FLEET PERFECT AT HOME
The San Diego Fleet (3-2) advanced its home winning streak to three at SDCCU Stadium last Saturday, this time with a game-winning, 44-yard field goal by K Donny Hageman at the clock expired for a 27-25 victory over the Salt Lake Stallions (1-4). The victory marked the first in Alliance of American Football history determined by a time-expiring score... The Fleet built a 24-11 lead with 9:26 remaining in the game when the third interception of the night for CB Kameron Kelly resulted in a 22-yard touchdown return. It also marked the second defensive score of the contest for San Diego, which took a 12-11 lead with 3:06 left in the third quarter on a 41-yard fumble return for a touchdown by FS Jordan Martin.
Down but not out, QB Josh Woodrum guided his offense to a pair of touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes, followed by a go-ahead, two-point conversion to put Salt Lake back up, 25-24, with just 51 seconds remaining. In only his second start of the season, Fleet QB Mike Bercovici led a game-winning drive that was fueled by a 45-yard reception to WR Dontez Ford that put San Diego in field-goal range. Bercovici finished 22-for-43 for 304 yards -- a Fleet singe-game record -- with one touchdown and one interception. Woodrum accumulated 380 passing yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
BUILT FORD TOUGH
After two weeks of team-leading performances, WR Dontez Ford (Pittsburgh) now ranks fifth overall in the Alliance with 253 receiving yards. After a relatively quiet first three weeks, Ford broke out with a season-high three receptions for 71 yards against the Memphis Express in Week 4. In a Week 5 victory over the Salt Lake Stallions, Ford made his presence as a deep threat known when he connected with QB Mike Bercovici for a 45-yard reception with :47 remaining and the Fleet trailing, 25-23. This deep pass along the Fleet sideline set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. The spike in Ford's production is partially due to his change in roles, as Mike Martz moved him into the starting 'X' beginning in Week 5. He finished his fifth game with three recep- tions for a season-high 94 yards, averaging a team-high 21.1 yards per catch.
HERE'S THE KICKER...
With the game-winning, 44-yard field goal by K Donny Hageman (San Diego State) last Saturday, the Fleet became the first team in Alliance history to win on a time-expiring score. Hageman had misfired on his first attempt against the Stallions before nailing his final three tries from 39, 34 and 44 yards. The 25-year-old converted his first seven tries of the season before missing a 52-yard attempt in Week 4 at Memphis and is currently 11-for-13 (.846) overall. Hageman was the only Fleet player to records points (6) in the opener at San Antonio (Feb. 9) - and he had signed with the Fleet just three days prior to the start of the season. In the Week 2 win over Atlanta (Feb. 17), the former Aztec finished a perfect four-for-four on his attempts, connecting from 46, 43, 26 and 33 yards despite periods of rain and slippery field conditions. Prior to joining the Fleet, Hageman was training with former Chargers kicker John Carney while waiting for an opportunity. As a senior at SDSU in 2015, the 25-year-old was named "Mountain West's Best Under Pressure" by Sporting News.
BOATS NOTES (FROM WEEK 5)
- The San Diego Fleet is the first AAF team to begin the season 3-0 at home
- CB Kameron Kelly made AAF history by becoming the first player with three takeaways in a game
- FS Jordan Martin and CB Kameron Kelly became the first pair of teammates to ever post defensive touchdowns in the same game
- This was the Fleet's first win in which it did not have 100 yards rushing (27)
- The 304 yards of total passing by QB Mike Bercovici was not only a Fleet team record, but the fourth-most in the AAF this season
- After totaling 226 yards in Weeks 2 & 3, RB Ja'Quan Gardner has posted just nine combined rushing yards over his last two games
- The 31 total rushing yards were a season-low for the Fleet. Its previous season-long was 99 yards in its season opener
- The 658 combined passing yards by the Fleet and the Salt Lake Stallions were the most in league history
- The 745 combined total yards were the second-most in league history (828 yards; Orlando vs. San Antonio, Week 2)