Warrior General Games

Published Sunday: April,27

NightHawks Put Pimps Out of Business

Saturday nights are usually profitable ones for the pimps of the world. On Saturday night in Portland though the Pimps quickly found themselves, at least offensively, out of business.

Tuscon Head Coach Nutt and Offensive Coordinator Dolhoz went into Saturday nights opener with a simple game plan. On offense they wanted to run the clock by running the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage, passing when they had to, and moving the chains keeping Portland's high powered passing game stuck on the sidelines as a mere spectator. The game plan worked perfectly with the NightHawks racking up 278 yards rushing on 57 attempts. Off season free agent signee Blah Dow led the attack with 163 yds on 32 attempts breaking a close game open in the 3rd quarter with a 2 yard touchdown run to put the NightHawks up 10-0. Dow's backup Lee Wilk out rushed the Pimps himself with 84 yards on 18 carries with Fullback Edwin Holt putting the final nail in the coffin with a 4th quarter 3 yard touchdown run. Wilk's gave some of the offense's success to the defense. "We felt we could run the ball going into the game. Our defense kept stuffing them and giving us the ball back". Tuscon Quarterback 1-true Farve-Fan gave allot of the credit to his offensive line. "They opened holes all night long. They gave us plenty of time to throw the ball too."

Defensively the game plan was simple. Stop the run and put pressure on Portland's quarterback to slow down their high powered passing game. They did that holding the Pimps to an anemic 11 yards rushing while sacking the quarterback 3 times and hurrying him twice. The NightHawks secondary did a solid job as well. Playing a tight man coverage the held Portland receivers to 144 yards receiving and more importantly to just 4.2 yards per reception. All-Pro corner D'rager came up with a crucial 2nd quarter interception stopping a potential Portland drive. "That was a big play by Roy" said NightHawk strong safety RipN Urheadoff, "We gave up some stuff underneath but never allowed them to get deep." NightHawks twin towers IB Stuffingholes and Jason Nagurski controlled the line of scrimmage all night long. Nagurski came up with two sacks with Stuffingholes came up with another. The pair racked up 7 tackles between them for a net loss of 17 yards. "We knew if we could get pressure with the interior of our line we could slow down their passing game" said Coach Nutt, "We knew from watching film that once we got him outside the pocket he wasn't the same quarterback".

If there was one negative to Saturday night peformance it was special teams where placekicker Cantphil Maleg was only 1 for 3 on field goals missing from inside 40 and inside 30 yards while making an 18 yarder. "It wasn't my best night" said Maleg, "Fortunately tonight it didn't matter but next time it might. Special teams Coach Jascol 24 didn't seem concerned, "We're confident in our kicking game. There was a pretty good wind out there tonight". Punter Frank Footman only averaged a deceiving 23.6 yards a kick on 5 punts but most were field position kicks designed to pin the Pimps inside their own twenty.

Coach Nutt seemed please with the win but knows the NightHawks will face tougher competition in the future. "We're going to celebrate this win tonight but we've got to let it go come film session tomorrow night. We face a tough Anchorage team next week and if we don't work hard this week to get better as individuals and as a team, we won't be celebrating next week".

Next week aside the NighHawks have earned a night on the town to celebrate. One things for sure, they won't have to worry about female companionship since they own the Pimps in this town.


***Stat of the Week***
Offensive Plays from Scrimmage
Tuscon 80
Portland 49

"That's a credit to both sides of the ball. That means our defense is shutting them down yet at the same time it means our offense is moving the chains and keeping their guys sitting over on the sidelines." Tuscon Head Coach Nutt on running 31 more plays than the Pimps

Owner/DC Pontiacnutt
At 36 years of age he's not what you'd expect of your typical Pro Football team owner. 10 years younger than the next oldest owner and 20 years younger than the league average he's the exception and not the rule. Age though is something Coach Nutt has never let get in his way during his rise to the top.

He played his college ball at the University of Alabama under Gene Stallings. He was an undersized linebacker with better than average speed on one of the stingiest defenses in the nation earning All-SEC honors his senior year.

After graduation he moved on to the NFL where he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 6th round of the 94 NFl Draft. Over a 2 year career he earned a starting role and led the team in tackles thru 13 games his final year before a devastating knee injury suffered against the St. Louis Rams in a late season game, ended his career.

Despite his playing days being over his desire for the game was still there. Having cultivated a strong relationship with Packers Head Coach Mike Holmgren during his short two year career he was hired on as a defensive Asst. Working directly under the tutelage of Holmgren he became one of the most widely respected NFl Asst. Coaches in the league. When the Packers won their last Super Bowl in 1996 Holmgren would later single out Coach Nutt's tireless work in the film room.

In 1999 by the time Holmgren left Green Bay for Seattle Coach Nutt felt the desire to return home to take over the family business. Using the business degree he earned in college he quickly turned a modest sized family business in custom cars into one of the most successful custom car businesses in the world.

The burning desire to be around football never left him though so when the chance came to purchase the new Tuscon Franchise he jumped at it. As the new Owner and DC of the NightHawks he brings the aggressive style of defense he learned under "Fritz" to his new team. "We will blitz and blitz often" said coach Nutt. He then added "We're here to do one thing and one thing only, and that's win the BBB Trophy in our first year. We plan on signing the best available players and signing them to the long term.


GM/OC Dolhoz

Coach Dolhoz at 38 years of age has spent a lifetime around football. He grew up the son of a highly successful High School football coach who over 41 years and several coaching stops accumulated 4 State Championships.

Despite being short, slow, and white he managed to letter 3 of 4 years for the UAM Boll Weevils, a traditionally black institution.

After graduating with a teaching degree he managed to garner the highly coveted position of a GA to the Ol' Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier. From there he moved on to his first job as a position coach at Northwestern University coaching running backs. He later coached Qb's at Michigan St. under Nick Saban before getting his first OC job at the University of Arizona. After several other successful stints as an OC that garnered the attention of the NightHawks front office, he was hired in his first stint as a professional Offensive Coordinator. When asked to describe his offensive philosophy? "Multiple,I design my offenses around the talent on hand and what the defense give us. When they give us the run we'll take it, when they crowd the line we'll throw the ball"


Special Teams Coach jascol24

At 31 years of age he's the youngest on the Staff. After playing Tight End in High School he garnered a Scholarship to The Ohio State University where he was moved to DE. He started his senior year and earned All-Big 10 2nd team honors. He then moved on to a GA position at Miami of Ohio before taking his first real coaching job as Special teams coach at Bowling Green University. Despite the rigors of the coaching profession he managed to obtain his real estate license, a job he uses to occupy his free time in the off season. His coaching philosophy is a team one. "If all 11 players on the field aren't working together as one then we can't be successful". Coach jascol24 has been married for 6 years.

Team Reporter/Player Ripn Urheadoff

Earned a journalism degree from the University of Alabama while playing cornerback. After graduation he went undrafted but was signed as a free agent by Tuscon and moved to SS. His writing philosophy? "I'm a big believer it just making $hit up as I go"

Tuscon Times
Published: Sunday, April,27 2008

NightHawks Hope to Cause Some Global Warming


Tomorrow the Anchorage Maulers head south for what the Tuscon NightHawks hope is a cold reception in the sunny Arizona desert. Both teams are coming off opening victories, the Maulers a 4th quarter 3 point victory over the Orangebloods while the NightHawks went on the road and threw a shutout at Portland. If NightHawk coaches hope to get that icy reception they better concoct a game plan to stop the Maulers high octane offense.

“It's obvious from looking at game film that they have a very balanced offense. You can't get much more balanced than what they had in their opener” said Coach Nutt. The Maulers gained 176 yards on 33 attempts while racking up 174 yards in the air on 33 pass attempts.

That folks, is balance.

“What they did last week is just that, they may come in here this week looking to throw the ball 60 times” mused OC Dolhoz “we have to be ready for whatever they bring”. NightHawks player of the week Jason Nagurski thinks the answer is pretty simple. “If we're able to get into the backfield and create havoc the way we did last week, it won't matter whether they run or pass”. That means NightHawk coaches have to come up with a scheme that will allow Nagurski and his mates to find their way into the Mauler backfield.

The Tuscon backfield last week showed a dominating ground game and will this week be facing a Anchorage defense that was so giving last week that hundreds of charities booked flights north hoping to reap the benefits. The Maulers gave up 126 yards on the ground and 181 in the air as well as 3 touchdowns. The NighHawks on the other hand were a bit one sided in their offensive production. “ We had good luck running the ball last week and struggled a little in our passing game admitted NightHawks qb 1-true Farve-fan, we looked at the film and saw the things we needed to correct and we've worked hard this week in practice to fix them”.

If the game comes down to a field goal it's a different matter. Tuscon's kickng game struggled last week while Anchorage kicker was perfect nailing a 43 yarder with a little more than 5 minutes left in the game to give the Maulers their victory. NightHawks kicker Cantfeel Maleg says not to worry though, “Coach jascol24 looked at last weeks game film and saw a flaw in my footwork so we took that info to the practice field and fixed the problem”.

A check of the forecast for game day calls for temperatures in the 70's, rather balmy weather for another ice age. Then again, when was the last time the weatherman got a forecast right?

Tuscon Times
Published: Tuesday April,29 2008

Nighthawks chances at victory go wide left

Homecooking turned out to be a bit bitter for Tuscon fans present at the NightHawks home opener. Tuscon kicker Cantphil MaLeg missed and 29 yard field goal with 57 seconds left in regulation sending the game into overtime. Anchorage won the flip and elected to take the ball in overtime and promptly drove the length of the field where Maulers kicker Steven Marshall booted a 39 yard field goal to send the home crowd home unhappy.

The contest started out promising with the NightHawks receiving the opening kick. David "the Deuce" Palmer returned the kick nearly 40 yards setting the Tuscon offense up in excellent field position. The NightHawks offense responded by putting together a 11 play 51 yard drive capped by a 9 yard touchdown pass from 1-true Farve-fan to Shayde Black.

Not to be out done the Maulers drove 60 yards on a mixture of run and pass to score on a 5 yard touchdown run. The extra point evened things out at 7-7.

Another nice 36 yard kickoff return by Palmer set the NightHawks offense up at midfield and they again responded by putting together a 10 play 50 yard drive capped off by Palmer 2 yd TD run. The extra point gave Tuscon a 14-7 lead.

Again the Maulers answered with a 12 play 55 yard drive again missing the run and pass to nauseating perfection. The drive was capped by a 6 yard touchdown pass and the extra point once again tied things up, 14-14.

Once again Palmer delivered returning the kickoff 40 yards to almost midfield. Once again the NightHawks offense put together a drive that reached the Maulers 17 yard line before stalling. The NightHawks brought in Cantphil MaLeg who missed wide left from 34 yards away.

The Maulers took over at the 3:49 mark of the 2nd quarter but were unable to put any sort of drive together giving the ball back to the NightHawks with 1:44 left in the half but the NightHawks elected to run out the clock.

The Maulers took the second half kickoff and drove to the Tuscon 24 yard line but were denied the lead when they missed a 41 yard field goal. The NightHawks took advantage of the miscue by driving the length of the field keyed by a 26 yard run by Dirty Sot. Blah Dow not to be denied found paydirt from 3 yards out to cap the drive. The exra point gave Tuscon a 21-14 lead.

It didn't stay that way long though as lightning struck on the next play from scrimmage as Maulers QB Ian Bartholomew hit wideout Roolz McNutt on a 59 yard TD. The extra point tied things up at 21.

The NightHawks not to be out done again put together a drive, most of it on the ground, that stalled at the Mauler 17 yard line. Once again they called on placekicker Cantphil MaLeg to break the tie but once again he missed wide left from 34 yards out.

The Maulers were unable to take advantage though as the NightHawks defense was able to force it's only 3 and out of the night. The offense answered with a 7 play 80 yard drive capped by Blah Dow's second rushing touchdown of the night, this one from 5 yards out.

After both teams traded punts the Maulers took over with 8:28 seconds left in regulation. They again put together a long drive of 13 plays going and 70 yards. The touchdown to tie things up came on another Maulers TD pass of 2 yds.

The NightHawks weren't quite finished yet. Palmer returned the kickoff 39 yards setting Tuscon up in excellent field position at midfield. After 2 incomplete passes the NightHawks came up with a huge 3rd down conversion on a pass from Cody Cheatham to JJ Blue. After reaching the 12 yard line with just over a minute left in regulation the drive stalled. Once again placekicker Cantphil MaLeg was called on to attempt a 29 yard field goal, again he missed wide left sending the game into overtime.

"We played an excellent game on offense tonight". "Some guys really stepped up big for us". "Palmer kept us in good field position all night long with his kick returns". said Coach Nutt "Unfortunately we had some letdowns as well, to many dropped passes, our defense gave up to many big plays on first down, our Strong Safety was caught out of position on the long TD pass, and we missed 3 very makeable field goals".

"I was reading run and came in on the TE thinking the linebacker would release him coming over the middle". "They'd ran that play several times for good gains earlier in the game". "Unfortunately that left our corner with man coverage on the outside and I couldn't recover in time to make the tackle." reflected Tuscon Strong Safety Rip Urheadoff.

NightHawks special teams coach jascol24 was unavailable for comment after the game but one would have to assume that the NightHawks are in the market to add another kicker to the roster after MaLeg's 1 for 6 start on the young season.

***Stat of the Game***

There are actually several to choose from...........

David "the Deuce" Palmer
179 yards in kickoff returns / 35.7 yards per return

Gonnalay youonyera$$
4 Pancake Blocks

Roy D'rager
9 tackles / 1 for loss

But ultimately I'll have to settle for.......

Cantphil MaLeg
O/3 on field goals.

NightHawks hope to Kick Orangebloods while they're down

Tuscon- When the Tuscon NightHawks make their way into Fighters Stadium tomorrow night they'll face a team licking it's wounds from two opening losses. After dropping their opener to the Anchorage Maulers on a last second field goal, a thought NightHawk fans are well acquainted with, they were blown out by the Dallas Strikers on the road.

The NightHawks themselves come into the game after a heartbreaking loss to the Maulers, hope to be able to contribute to the Orangebloods woes.

NightHawks kicker Cantphil MaLeg knows how important this game is. After going 0-3 in the loss to the Maulers, including a potential game winner at the end of regluation, he probably feels the pressure more than others on the team "I let the team down, no two ways about that. I'm working hard to correct the flaws in my kicking motion and I'll be ready to help my team win tomorrow night when called on" It may be his last chance as league rumors had the NightHawks making calls after the loss to potential replacements.

NightHawks fans were wanting to refer to their defense as the "No Name Defense", referring to the 72 undefeated Dolphins, after their opening game shut out win against the Portland Pimps. By the time their game against the Maulers was over though they had come up with plenty of names to call them, none of them good. "We definitely took a step back" said NightHawks Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Coach Nutt. "We had way to many missed assignments and blown coverages and allowed their Qb far too much time in the pocket". "Some of that might have been scheme" he continued, "but some of it was freelancing and not sticking to assignments". "We've come up with a gameplan we feel like we can be successful with, Out of State has a good passing game and some talent on defense so we won't be taking them lightly".

Offensively the Nighthawks seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Led by tailback Blah Dow the Tuscon rushing game has led the way offensively so far this season. His 265 yards rushing makes up more than half of the NightHawks 474 yards on the ground. "They hand me the ball and I follow my blockers, when I get past those fat boys I make my own way" joked Dow. Perhaps even better news for Tuscon was the marked improvement of the NightHawks passing game. After struggling somewhat in the opener they came up with several crucial first downs in the passing game against the Maulers. TE Jimmy Nickel says allot of that is due to building up more of a rapport with NightHawk Qb's. "You can throw all you want on the practice field, in pass skells, and scrimmages, but come gametime you have to find a rhythm with one another and a feel for what each others going to do based off what the defense is giving us and that takes time".

***Key Matchups***
NightHawks DL vs. Orangebloods OL
If Tuscons front 4, particularly NT Jason Nagurski and DT Wilson Smashmouth can control the run game and pressure and hurry Orangebloods QB Samuel Johanessen then it might be a long night for Out of State

If not then

NightHawks secondary vs. Orangebloods TE Brock Bryant and WR Roy Sweed.
There is no way to cover these two one on one so safeties Rip Urheadoff and Edward Majewski have to give them help over the top.

Tuscon kicker Cantfil MaLegg vs. himself
After his well documented struggles this season the question remains, even if he does get his mechanics worked out, is his confidence already shot?

My prediction: NightHawks rebound 28-10

Tuscon Times
Published: Tuesday, April 30, 2008

NightHawks Announce Free Agent Signings

Tuscon- The Tuscon NightHawks today announced the signings of 3 free agents to their active roster including Level 13 Tight End Eric Roy. Sources indicate that Roy is expected to battle for the starting role. Also signed were level 3 Fullback L-Train and level 4 DE Bhust Urass. Both are expected to provide immediate depth.

Eric Roy- Roy had 33 catches for 342 yards last season. He is also considered a solid blocker. Terms of the signing were not disclosed.

L-Train- Train, in his rookie year was picked up off waivers. He had 4 yards on 2 carries through 1 game this season. Terms of his signing were not disclosed.

Bhust Urass- Urass is an undrafted free agent signee. Draft Analyst Mel Kiper considered him one of the top DE prospects coming out of college but felt teams passed on him due to character issues. Terms of his signing were not disclosed.

The following statement was issued by GM pontiacnutt. "We welcome these 3 players to the NightHawks family and expect them to immediately contribute to what we're trying to accomplish here. We expect all 3 to immediately impact the depth chart and to contribute in our upcoming game against the Orangebloods".

Tuscon Times
Published, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Nighthawks beat the pulp out of the Orangebloods

Tuscon- Word coming out of Nighthawks headquarters this week was that Coach Nutt and his staff wouldn't hesitate to make any changes necessary to lineups or gameplans to prevent the breakdowns and miscues shown in the loss at their home opener. Whatever buttons they pushed were the right ones as the Tuscon offense came out firing on all cylinders and the Nighthawks defense put on a show of defensive firepower.

The Nighthawks passing game has shown improvement each game this year thank in part to hard work by both the players and the front office. They were the spark plug for the offense tonight with 241 yards of the 386 total yards put up by the Nighthawks. No one has enjoyed the resurgence of the Tuscon passing game more than the Nighthawks receivers. Tightend JJ Blue led the way tonight with a outstanding night totaling 5 catches for 152 yards including a 74 yard hook up with QB Cody Cheatham.

Not to be out done the Tuscon rushing game kept up it's productive pace adding another 147 yards to it's already productive total for the year. Once again led by star tailback Blah Dow's 22 rushes for 93 yards and a touchdown. New Fullback signee L-Train added his first touchdown as a Nighthawk on a 3 yard jaunt.

The Nighthawks could manage little more than a 1st down on their first possession of the night. The Tuscon defense was up to the task holding the Orangebloods to a 3 and out on their first possession. After a Out of State punt the Nighthawks made their way down the field on a methodical 14 play drive capped by a touchdown pass from 1-true Farve-fan to See-you in your end-zone. After Cantphil Maleg added the extra point Tuscon was up 7-0.

The Orangebloods then started a drive of their own picking up two first downs before a sack by Crushus Pocutus on 3rd and 5 put an end to their drive. The Nighthawks took over and again put together a well executed drive that finally stalled on the Out of State 24 yard line. Tuscon coaches then called on much maligned placekicker Cantphil Maleg who rewarded them by nailing a 41 yard field goal to put the Nighthawks up 10-0.

Again the Orangebloods were held to a 3 and out by a stingy Tuscon defense. After a nice punt return by special teams ace David “the deuce” Palmer set the Nighthawks up at the Orangebloods 44 yard line it took but 8 plays for the offense to again find paydirt on a Blah Dow 9 yard touchdown run. MaLeg's extra point made the score 17-0 Nighthawks.

On their game this spring night Tuscon's defense once more held the Orangebloods to a 3 and out on offense. After the punt the Nighthawks offense took over on their own 40 yard line. They again appeared to be driving for a score picking up 2 first downs to get into Orangebloods territory before coming up just short on a 3rd down pass play. Rather than attempt a long field goal Coach Nutt opted to punt the ball back to Out of State.

The Orangebloods appeared to be driving for a score before the half but were thwarted when Nighthawks CB Roy D'rager picked off Out of State Qb Jamie Patterson. The Nighthawks then opted to let the clock run out on the 1st half.


Whatever adjustments the Orangebloods coaches made at the half worked as they took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field to their only score, a Clayton Prater 6 yard touchdown run. The extra point left the Nighthawks holding a 17-7 lead.

The Nighthawks on their next possession were held to their first 3 and out of the night. The Orangebloods took possession looking to get back in the game and did manage to pick up an initial first down but on 3rd and 6 Orangebloods qb Samuel Johanessen was sacked again by Crushus Pocketus. Again though the Nighthawks went 3 and out punting the bal l back to Out of State. The Orangebloods managed a 1st down before being forced to punt the ball back to Tuscon.

It appeared that once again, whatever halftime changes the Orangebloods had made on defense would hold the Nighthawks to a 3 and out when on 3rd and 9 lightning struck. QB Cody Cheatham found tightend JJ Blue open on the right side for a 74 yard touchdown pass. With the extra point the Nighthawks found themselves up 24-7.

The Orangebloods were held to a 3 and out on their next possession that was keyed by a 1st down sack by IB Stuffingholes. Tuscon took the ball and drove down the field to the Orangebloods 19 yard line before the drive stalled. Placekicker Cantphil MaLeg was called on to attempt a 36 yard field goal but was wide right. The Orangebloods were unable to take advantage of MaLeg's misfire as the Nighthawks defense forced yet another 3 and out highlighted by Crushus Pocketus's 3rd sack of the night.

Again the Nighthawks drove the length of the field before stalling at the Out of State 1 yard line. Cantphil MaLeg's struggles continued though as he missed a 18 yard field goal when it hit the upright. The Orangebloods took over at their own 20 but found themselves going backwards thanks to IB Stuffingholes 2nd and 3rd sacks of the day. The Orangebloods were forced to go for it on 4th and 22 but were unsuccessful, turning the ball over on downs on their own 8 yard line. With time running out the Nighthawks took just 3 plays to find paydirt as L-Train punched it in from 3 yards out with just 2 second remaining on the clock.

Coach Nutt's post game comments:
“I'm thrilled with the way we played tonight and pleased with the gameplan the staff came up with and the changes they made to the scheme as the game went on. Offensively our passing game led the way for us with JJ Blue having a huge night. Both quarterbacks had success with 1-true Farve-fan having a very high percentage night. The line blocked well for the most part though we did give up a couple of sacks. I'll have to look at the game film to figure out whether they were missed assignments or coverage sacks. Our running game was again solid if not spectacular. What can you say about Blah Dow? He's at or near the top in rushing in our league. It was also nice to see new signee L-Train get his first score for our club. Defensively we shut them down for most the night forcing I don't know how many 3 and outs. Crushus Pocketus and IB Stuffingholes both had 3 sacks tonight and I'll take that every game. They (Out of State) made adjustments at the half and opened the second half with a score but we made a few adjustments and shut them down the rest of the way. We have another tough one next week but right now we're going to enjoy this one.”

***Stat of the Week***
138 total yards for Out of State
6.5total yards rushing for Out of State
156 yards receiving for JJ Blue
But I think I'll go with........
6 sacks and 7 QB hurries by the Nighthawks front 7.

Tuscon Times
Published: May 2, 2008

Nighthawks Torch the Blaze

Tuscon- Going into tonights game against the Blaze odds makers either had the game as even or had Tuscon a 1 point favorite. Anyone who hung around Nighthawks Plaza this week though knew how strongly the Nighthawks players disagreed with Vegas. “That's a load of bullshit” said Nighthawks defensive tackle Wilson Smashmouth, “I have no doubt in my mind that our defense will eat them alive”.

Maybe when Wilson's playing days are over he can make a killing setting odds in Vegas because his prediction couldn't have been more accurate. After allowing just 3 points, 92 total yards, 3 yards ( No that's not a typo ) rushing, .1 yards per rush ( Note the decimal point ) and a whopping 89 yards passing for a minuscule 3 yards per attempt it would be safe to say that somewhere out there tonight the Nighthawks players are full from gorging themselves on the Blaze offense.

The contest started out slowly with both offenses looking anemic. Both teams went 3 and out on their first possessions. Ditto for the Blaze on their second possession. It appeared as though the Nighthawks were headed for their second straight three and out when tight end Eric Roy slipped into the seam and took a 1-true Farve-fan the distance for a sixty yard touchdown play.

Both teams went three and out their next two possessions with the Nighthawks trying but failing to get something going through the air again. After the Blaze went three and out for their fifth time in the first quarter the Nighthawks again went to the air but this time 1-true Farve-fans pass was intercepted by Blaze corner Bradley Scott giving the Blaze possession on the Nighthawks 20 yard line. Tuscon fans were able to quickly breath a sigh of relief though when Nighthawks defensive tackle I B Stuffingholes forced a Blaze fumble that was recovered by fellow defensive tackle Jason Nagurski. After picking up a first down on the ground the Nighthawks again went to the air but were unsuccessful when two 1-true Farve-fan passes were dropped by open receivers.

After yet another 3 and out by San Diego the Nighthawks took possession with time running down in the first quarter and went on a 9 play 57 yard drive capped by Steven Nickel's 5 yard touchdown run. Another Blaze attempt at a first down went by the wayside as they were again held by a stingy Nighthawks defense to just three offensive plays before being forced to punt. The Nighthawks then drove 38 yards to the Blaze 15 before stalling. Placekicker Cantphil MaLeg was called on but suffered his tenth miss of the season, this one from 32 yards out.

Both teams traded three and outs when the Blaze took possession with a minute and forty two seconds left in the half and appeared to have a drive going when they drove from their own 28 to the Nighthawks 46. With just ten seconds left in the half and facing a second and ten Blaze quarterback ImupImdown was sacked by Tuscon defensive tackle I B Stuffingholes as time ran out in the half.

The Nighthawks opened the 3rd quarter with a 7 play 52 yard drive that hit paydirt when Cody Cheatham found Sam McNeil down the right sideline for the score. On the ensuing drive the Blaze actually netted a first down before being forced to punt. The Nighthawks tried but failed to get another drive going when a Cody Cheatham passed was tipped away from receiver Kieran Darksun on 2nd down. On 3rd down Cheatham's pass to tight end JJ Blue was dropped forcing a Nighthawks punt.

Feeling their oats after having achieved a first down on their previous drive the Blaze embarked on a eight play, forty six yard drive that culminated in a thirty eight yard field goal by Blaze kicker Alberto Del Greco. The Nighthawks netted only a single first down on their next drive before being forced to punt. The Blaze were unable to maintain their meager offensive momentum and after a punt by Kaboom the Nighthawks took over and 7 plays later the drive was capped by Steven Nickel's second touchdown of the night, a 1 yard plunge over the line into the endzone. The Blaze again were held without a first down mainly due to a sack of qb ImUp ImDown by Crushus Pocketus

Neither team could get anything going on their next possession. The Nighthawks ended the scoring on the night when they drove 7 plays and 42 yards before stalling on the Blaze 6 yard line. Cantphil Maleg was called upon once again and this time was successful connecting for the 3rd time this season, this time from 22 yards out.

Coach Nutt was expectedly pleased with his defense though his thoughts on the NightHawks passing game were less than glowing,“Hats off to the defensive staff and players for their effort and execution tonight. They dominated from the first tick to the last tock only giving up 3 points and a small hand full of first downs. Those big uglies on the defensive line were in San Diego's backfield all night long. There was a time or two where I thought one of them would get the hand off before the running back did. On offense our running game was dominating again. Mark Ingram Jr. made his Daddy proud for sure tonight as did Steven Nickels with his two scores. If there was one downside tonight I'd have to say it was our passing game. Two many dropped passes that killed drives. That's something that has to be corrected if we're going to win this league. If they can't learn to catch maybe we'll just teach them how to block”

“After showing improvement the last few games in the passing game we took an obvious step back tonight” said Tuscon OC Dolhoz, “We'll have to sit down and look at the film and then work it out on the practice field”.

Cody Cheatham one of the Nighthawks tandem of Quarterbacks seemed perplexed about the passing games shortcomings. “In practice everything clicks, we're in a rhythm, but sometimes come game time we have a hard time finding that rhythm”.

***Stat of the Game***

There were several worthwhile ones.......

92............the number of yards the Nighthawks gave up.

3..............the number of rushing yards the Nighthawks gave up.

270..........the number of yards rushing Nighthawk backs grounded out.

But I'll have to go with...........

12...........the number of 3 and outs the Nighthawks defense forced.

Cougars Record Could Be Deceiving

Tuscon- The Colorado Springs Cougars will come into beautiful KnightHawks stadium tomorrow night with a record that is anything but. Sitting at 1-3 the temptation is to think the Cougars aren't a serious threat to do any sort of damage to the hot Tuscon Nighthawks, winners of there last 2 in blowout fashion. Logic leads one to believe that the Nighthawks will win much the same way they have the last two weeks, running away with it in the end, going deep into the depth chart. In fact some Tuscon players have expressed similar thoughts, some in somewhat of a joking fashion such as fullback Steven Nickels did after word leaked out of Colorado Springs practices this week that players felt tough practices were “a result of them being disciplined for poor play” during their three straight losses. Nickels joked, “I'm glad they need discipline because we plan to bend them over and spank them real good.” Then you have tight end Eric Roy's comments in another publication this week, “Their linebackers like to cover tight on the tight end. Try to do that to JJ (teammate JJ Blue) or myself, and we'll both burn them hard.”

Is Coach Nutt concerned? “I'd have to say I was a little worried earlier in the week. The comments by themselves normally wouldn't mean to much to me but the practices on Monday and Tuesday weren't very crisp. The players seemed to be just going through the motions. So that together with the comments you mentioned and others that had been made, led to a coaches meeting on Tuesday evening after practice. We decided it was something that needed to be addressed so we met with the players first thing Wednesday morning as a group and again in position meetings and got their attention.”

“The coaches pointed out that their (Colorado Springs) starting talent was as good as most any other team in the league,” said mammoth defensive tackle Wilson Smashmouth, “that seemed to get everybody's attention.”

A closer look at the Cougars record thus far this season shows that 1 of their losses came against the number 1 rated team in the league the Silverymoon Faeries. Number 2 came against the Portland Pimps, a team the Nighthawks shut out in their opener 17-0. That Portland team has turned things around since then though and is riding a three game winning streak. Colorado Springs third loss came against the Anchorage Maulers, a team that handed the Nighthawks their lone loss of the season in a bitter overtime defeat.

So maybe it isn't so much that they're a bad team as much as they've played a tough early schedule. It seems entirely plausible logic, plausible that is until you look at their depth chart and notice their complete and total lack of depth. Most of the Cougars second line consist of either over the hill, past it's prime talent or talent that's never proven itself in a real game. “It makes you glad to have a front office like we have here.” says Nighthawks strong safety Rip Urheadoff, “At every position on this team if a starter goes down or gets tired there's a talented, proven, quality backup ready to step in and carry the load at that spot without us seeing a real drop in production.”

Matchups.

Quarterbacks

Despite a down week last week the Nighthawks tandem at qb of 1-true Farve-fan and Cody Cheatham have shown themselves to be at least somewhat capable and productive at this point in the season. Cougars qb Troy “the heisman” Smith on the other hand has only proven that he's capable of giving himself dorky, undeserved, nicknames.

Edge: Nighthawks

Running Backs

Nighthawks backs Blah Dow ( 2nd in the league in rushing), and Lee Wilks along with rookie phenom's David “the deuce” Palmer and Mark Ingram Jr. have formed the leagues leading rushing offense. Cougars running backs Paltor Wayton and Dawson Stone on the other hand can't form complete sentences.

Edge: Nighthawks

Wide Receivers

The Nighthawks receiving corp made up of See-you-in-the-end-zone, Shayde Black, Burlton Scott, and Sam McNeil have accounted for a modest 559 yards in an offense that relies on the run probably 65 percent of the time. The Cougars receiving corp on the other hand has accounted for slightly less at 526 yards in an offense that throws the ball 65% of the time. You do the math.

Edge: Nighthawks

Offensive line

The Tuscon group of big uglies leads the way for the leading rushing attack in the league and has provided very solid pass protection. The Cougars offensive line sux.

Edge: Nighthawks

Tight End
Eric Roy and JJ Blue, enough said.


Edge: Nighthawks

Defensive line

Let's see the NightHawks defensive line leads the league in sacks and stopping the run. The Cougars defensive line doesn't.

Edge: Nighthawks

Linebackers: The Nighthawks linebackers get to play behind the Nighthawks defensive line and the Cougars Linebackers don't.

Edge: Nighthawks

Secondary

The Cougars might should actually win this one. After all they've only given up 1 Td passing all year long and a very respectable 175.1 yards a game. Fact is though even at their best, at the strength of their team, they weren't as good as the Nighthawks. The Tuscon secondary has only given up 3 Td's thus far this season and a miniscule 144 yards a game allowed.

Edge: Nighthawks

Come to think of it maybe fullback Steven Nickel wasn't wrong. The Nighthawks should spank that ass.

Tuscon Times
Published: May 5, 2008

Nighthawks Leave Cougars for Roadkill

Tuscon: Stretching their winning streak to 3 and their overall record to 4-1 the Tuscon Nighthawks sunk their talons into the Colorado Springs Cougars and refused to let go till the game horn sounded. By the time that happened the score was 33 to 7.

“We did allot of really good things out there tonight,” said Nighthawks Head Coach P-Nutt, “ We had nearly 400 yards offense and scored 33 points, our defense was once again on top of their game dominating a very good offense. Our kicker got back on track field goal wise though he did miss an extra point late in the 3rd. Our Run/Pass ratio was about 50/50 tonight. I haven't seen the final stats yet but I know we had over 200 yards rushing which I'll take any game. Blah Dow, L-Train and Mark Ingram Jr. all had very nice days running the ball. Blah had another score for us which is something he seems to have a real instinct for. The passing game is still not where we want it to be. It did show allot of improvement over last week though. Despite that we're still having far to many dropped passes and poor communication between the Qb and receivers. I don't know whether the answers lie in scheme changes or personnel changes but that's something we're going to have to sit down and discuss as a staff.”

It appeared this game might be tight to begin with. After taking the opening kickoff the Cougars did manage to pick up a first down on their first play. 2 plays later though Ash-OLE-Stinky forced a fumble that although Colorado Springs recovered, it put them in a hole they were unable to dig their way out of. The Nighthawks were unable to capitalize on their first possession though going 3 and out on a short Blah Dow gain and two dropped passes.

Starting on their own 44 yard line the Cougars were able to drive the ball making it down to the Nighthawks 37 yard line before stalling. After a pooch punt gave the Nighthawks the ball at their own 25 yard line, Tuscon got their offense on track. Mixing the run and pass they were able to move their way down field and punch it in on a nice pass play from Cody Cheatham to Eric Roy covering 18 yards.

Colorado Springs again moved the ball but once again stalled on the Tuscon 43 yard line punting it back to the Nighthawks. Tuscon was unable to do anything with it going 3 and out and giving the ball right back to the Cougars who this time took advantage. Moving mostly through the air they managed to hit paydirt on a connection from qb Noel Beaver to Barrett Trotter to tie things up. The Nighthawks were unable to take advantage of a nice 47 yard kickoff return by David “the Deuce” Palmer going three and out and giving the ball back to the Cougars. After a quick 3 and out the Nighthawks got the ball back though and moved toward pay dirt, thanks in large part to a critical 3rd and 10 pass hook-up between 1-true Farve- Fan and Tightend Eric Roy of 16 yards. The Nighthawks then scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 28 yard Blah Dow scamper.

The Cougars next 3 and out was highlighted by a 1st down play where Bhust Urass forced two different players to fumble before a Colorado player was finally able to fall on the ball. Both teams traded 3 and outs on consecutive series to end the first half.

The Nighthawks got the ball to open the 3rd quarter and got busy moving downfield. Thanks in part to a key 3rd down connection from Cody Cheatham to Eric Roy of 11 yards, the Nighthawks managed to get into field goal position where placekicker Cantphil Maleg connected on a 38 yard field goal. On their next possession they again rambled into Cougar territory thanks in big part to another 3rd and 10 hook up between Cheatham and Roy. Cantphil Maleg again came on and was good for the second time in a row, this time from 24 yards out.

Two great defensive plays by the Nighthawks quickly had them back in business on offense again. The first, a sack by Crushus Pocketus on Troy Smith for a 5 yard loss. The second happened on the next play when I B Stuffingholes forced Chris “Big Black” Boykins to fumble on a hard hit. Quickly
Sacked recovered the fumble giving the Nighthawks the ball on the Cougar 36 yard line. Tuscon quickly found the endzone mixing the run and pass to perfection. See-You-In-the-Endzone made a nice catch on a pass from 1-true Farve-fan to close out the scoring.

“We shut them down pretty well after that 1 scoring drive.” said Tuscon defensive end Bhust Urass “We kept knocking the ball loose but couldn't get on top of it till that last one.” Quarterback Cody Cheatham thought the passing game improved, “It was nice to see the touchdown passes and we came up with some key 3rd down conversions through the air. We still had to many incompletions but we're working on that.”

***Stat of the Game***

It could be......

Four forced fumbles by the Tuscon defense.

Or.........

Blah Dow's 6.8 yards per carry.

But I'll go with........

4 pancake blocks by TE Eric Roy

Tuscon Times
Published: May 5, 2008

Tuscon:
Fresno Offense

Passing stats
524.5 yards total for the season
104.9 yards per game
73 completions in 183 attempts on the year
3 sacks allowed
19 hurries allowed
0 passing TD's on the season
10 Interceptions allowed this season

Run Stats
138 attempts on the season
27.6 attempts per game
250.5 total yards rushing on the season
50.1 yards rushing per game
0 rushing TD's on the season
3 fumbles on the season
1 fumble lost on season

Outlook: The NightHawks secondary should have little to no problem stopping the Jaguars passing game. If the front 7 continue to get pressure on the qb the way they have in recent weeks they may completely shut them down.

Their rushing game is nearly non existent. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see them finish with negative rushing yards.

As anemic as Fresno's offense is I would be surprised if this game doesn't end up a shutout especially as strong as Tuscon's defense is. The Jaguars will be lucky to reach triple digits in total yardage.

Fresno Defense

Rushing defense
1009.5 Rushing yards allowed
201.9 yards per game allowed rushing
10 TD's allowed on the ground

Pass defense
1289.5 yards passing allowed this year
257.9 yards a game allowed
8 touchdowns allowed thru the air this year

Outlook

If the Nighthawks passing game is ever going to have a breakout game this is it. This is the most porous passing defense they will face all season long.

The NightHawks rushing offense is already the best in the league rushing for 1102 yards on the season. They may well double that this game.

My prediction: NightHawks 56 Fresno 0

Tuscon Times
Published: May 5, 2008

NightHawks Trade For Level 9 Receiver

Tuscon: The NightHawks front office announced this morning that a trade had been finalized with the Northern Wolves of the USA AAA #2 Western Conference to obtain level 9 wide receiver Big Bomb and 100 thousand dollars in exchange for all star defensive tackle Crushus Pocketus.

“We're thrilled to welcome Bomb to the NightHawks family,” said Team Owner pontiacnutt, “Yet at the same time we're saddened to be losing Crushus. Its the nature of the business though that sometime you have to make moves like this to improve your team. Fortunately defensive tackle was an area of depth for us on this team, at the same time we had was we felt was a legitimate need at receiver. We thought that by making this move it would make us overall a stronger team. We'd have been crazy not to make the move”

Bomb had been used as a #2 receiver on the higher level Triple A team. Sources within the NightHawks organization say that once the trade is finalized by the league, he will become the #1 receiver for the NightHawks. The staff had made no secret in recent games of their desire to improve the Tuscon passing game. While further moves aren't expected they also haven't been ruled out by the team according to the same source.

Pocketus, who has piled up 18 tackles and 6 sacks so far this season with the NightHawks, approved the trade even though he said he regretted leaving the NightHawks and the fans in Tuscon. “They have a great thing going here and I wish them the best. I hate to leave in the middle of what we feel like is a championship run but I felt like it was the right move for my family financially.” Pocketus is expected to sign a new contract with the Wolves that with incentives and signing bonus are rumored to increase his current pay by 50%.

Bomb who was unable for comment also had to agree to the trade. His agent Big Brain did release a statement on the trade, “Big is thrilled at the chance to come to Tuscon and compete for a championship as a number 1 receiver. He hopes to help lead the NightHawks to the BBB Trophy.”

League approval of the trade is considered little more than a formality. It is expected to be completed by midnight tonight with Bomb being available to play in the upcoming game against the Raving Mad Dawgs.

Tuscon Times
Published: May 6, 2008

NightHawks Pick Up Second Shutout of Season

Tuscon: Ho hum.....What was expected to be not much of a game turned out to be just that. The NightHawks won in a rout over the pathetic Fresno Jaguars by a score of 37-0 in front of a sparse crowd at Jaguars Field. The NightHawks scored 6 in the first, 17 in the second, and 7 a piece in both the 3rd and 4th quarters to get the win.

The game started out very slow with neither team able to put points on the board till late in the first quarter. The NightHawks took the opening kickoff and seemed to have a nice drive going when 1-true Farve-fan attempted a pass to Duval Kamara only to have it picked off by Jaguars cornerback Dean Mean. Fresno was unable to capitalize on the turnover though, going 3 and out.

The NightHawks took over and drove the ball moving from their own 38 to the Fresno 8 before finding themselves facing a 4th and 5. Cantphil MaLeg was called on for the field goal but missed from 25 yards out. The Tuscon defense made quick work of the Jaguars offense, forcing a punt 4 plays later but again the NightHawks were unable to move the ball.

After stuffing the Jaguars offense deep in their own territory the NightHawks made things happen on special teams when David Palmer returned a 35 yard Fresno punt 28 yards to the Jaguars 29 yard line. 3 plays later quarterback 1-true Farve-fan found JJ Blue all alone over the middle for a 6 yard scoring strike. Cantphil MaLeg missed the extra point wide left and the NightHawks led 6-0 after the 1st quarter.

“It was an unexpected slow start but we didn't panic” said qb 1-true Farve-fan who had his best night under center for the Nighthawks going 30/50 for 292 yards. Blah Dow agreed saying of his qb “He was very calm in the huddle after the slow start and I think that helped settle down some of the younger guys.”

Whatever the reason was the NightHawks found their rhythm in the 2nd quarter. On their first possession of the 2nd quarter Tuscon moved drove the length of the field mostly through the air, not an normal occurrence for the NightHawks, and 1-true Farve-fan again found one of his tight ends, this time Eric Roy, for a 20 yard touchdown catch up the right side. Cantphil MaLeg this time hit the extra point giving Tuscon a 13-0 advantage.

Both teams traded punts with the Jaguars going three and out yet again before the NightHawks were able to but together another drive which covered 58 yards and was capped by a spectacular 37 yard touchdown pass from 1-true Farve-fan to JJ Blue. Once again the drive was all through the air. With the extra point the Jaguars found themselves down 20-0.

After both teams again traded punts Fresno got the ball back and once again faced 3rd and 10 from their own 25 yard line when Curtis Lemansky stepped in front of a Peyton Montana pass and returned it 2 yards to the Fresno 36 yard line. After picking up an initial first down the NightHawks faced a 2nd and half a yard from the Fresno 16 yard line with 27 seconds remaining on the clock. Instead of taking a couple of shots at the endzone they opted to instead kick the field goal which was good from 33 yards away by Cantphil MaLeg. “We didn't want to risk the chances of a turnover right before the half flipping momentum” said NightHawks Offensive Coordinator Dolhoz. The half ended with Tuscon leading 23-0.

The Jaguars took the second half kickoff and managed their longest drive of the game to that point, 20 yards, before being forced to punt. The NightHawks responded by moving the ball 62 yard on a mixture of pass and run. L-Train capped the drive with a 1 yard dive into the endzone. The extra point put the Jaguars up 30-0.

The 3rd quarter ended with a series of punts with more of the same early in the 4th. The NightHawks special teams again put them into position to score when they hurried the Fresno punter into shanking a punt setting the NightHawks offense up on a short field. It took just 6 short plays for L-Train to again hit paydirt this time following his guard and center in from 3 yards out. The closest the Jaguars came to scoring was matching their longest drive of the night, 20 yards, on their final possession of the night.

“You've got to tip your hat to the passing game tonight” said Coach Nutt, “1-true Farve-fan was at his best tonight hitting on a higher percentage of passes as well as throwing 3 touchdown passes. The tightends have consistently been our best receivers all year long and that was the case again tonight. The running game again had a solid night. The one thing both of them have in common is the offensive line. Our line play has been stellar all year long and tonight was more of the same. On defense I'm not even sure we gave up positive yards rushing. If we did it wasn't much. We did give them a soft zone to look at once we got up several scores so they were able to put together a little passing underneath late in the game but I believe they still ended up with less than 80 yards of total offense. This was Crushus Pocketus's last game with us provided the trade announced earlier today goes through as expected and he went out with a bang garnering another 2 sacks. Lemansky came up with his first interception with us and it ended up leading to a score. All in all a good night and something to build on going into a tough game next week against the Raving Mad Dogs.”

*** Stat of the Game***

It could have been......
the .5 yards rushing and 73 total yards given up by the Tuscon Defense.

or.....
3 touchdown catches by tightends JJ Blue and Eric Roy

or........
the 7 pancake blocks by offensive line hoss Gonnalay youonyera$$

but I think I'm going to have to go with.......
Quarterback 1-true Farve-fans 30/50 for 292 yards passing performance. As belittled as the passing game has been this season you have to give them credit when credit is due.

Tuscon Times
Published: Wednesday, May 8, 2008


NightHawks Defense Tames Mad Dawgs

Tuscon: Most folks dealing with a mad dog will have him put to sleep. NightHawks management wasn't quite so human choosing instead to sick their defense on him.

It was fairly obvious early on in this game who the big dog was on the field. No the Mad Dogs didn't lay down, not hardly. They battled all the way to the end of the game. What was obvious was that they had no answer for the Tuscon defense.

The Mad Dogs won the toss and chose to defer to the second half. Mark Ingram took the opening kickoff for Tuscon and returned it 35 yards to the NightHawks 46 yard line. Tuscon was unable to do anything on offense though and were forced to punt the ball back to the Dawgs who took over on their own 31 yard line. After picking up an initial 1st down they were stuffed on a first down run and had a pass deflected on 2nd down with ikkyu hosagawa turning in both defensive plays.

The NightHawks returned the favor picking up a first down on a 3 yard rush by Blah Dow and 7 yard hookup between 1-true Farve-fan and Shayde Black. The Mad Dawgs put an end on Tuscon's hopes for a drive though when they forced three straight incompletion's. The NightHawks forced a 3 and out on defense and quickly got the ball back. 2 huge pass plays to new wide out Big Bomb seemed to light a spark under the Tuscon offense. The first came on a second and ten when Farve-fan found Bomb up the right side for an 8 yard gain to set up a makable 3rd and short which Tuscon converted. The second showed NightHawks fans why the front office paid the price they did to get Bomb. On a first and 10 in Mad Dawgs territory Bomb went up over the Mad Dawg defender and made a one hand, over the shoulder catch and was immediately nailed by a Dawg defender. Despite the hard lick Bomb held on to the ball for a gain of 20 yards giving the NightHawks a first and goal at the Mad Dawg eight yard line. After a sack on Farve-fan stopped the drive, the NightHawks called on Cantphil Maleg who was perfect on a 31 yard field goal.

Trailing 3-0 the Mad Dawgs got the ball back wanting to immediately answer the Tuscon score. The NightHawks defense would have nothing of it though allowing the Mad Dawgs to net only 4 yards on the possession. Tuscon got the ball back and appeared as if it had found it's stride. After a 13 yard Blah Dow rush for a first down and another reception for Big Bomb for 8 yards it appeared that the NightHawks were again headed for paydirt, but on a 3rd and 6 Blah Dow was forced to fumble and the Mad Dawgs came up with the recovery on their on 31 yard line. “That was a killer, I just knew that momentum was going to swing their way right there. I guess I need to have more faith in our defense.” said Coach p-nutt with a smile.

Maybe he should, the NightHawks defense didn't give up a yard forcing another Mad Dawgs punt. After Zo Lawerence set Tuscon up at the Mad Dawgs 44 yard line with a 22 yard punt return the offense took over and used the running game to ground out a touchdown drive. Blah Dow capped things off with a 8 yard touchdown scamper giving Tuscon a 10-0 lead.

After both teams went 3 and out the Mad Dogs got the ball back and seemed to find the answer on how to move the ball. Mixing the pass and run to perfection the Mad Dawgs drove from their own 34 yard line to the NightHawks 29 where they faced and 2nd and 10. “We were playing pass all the way,” said NightHawks cornerback ikkyu hosagawa “ I was able to make my drop and read the quarterbacks eyes all the way.” That was all the advantage he needed as hosagawa stepped in front of Dog Tom's pass and intercepted it ending the threat and allowing the NightHawks to run out the half.

The second half opened with more of the same, both teams playing tough defense. It wasn't until Tuscon's 2nd possession that they were able to put together a drive moving from their own 39 to the Mad Dogs 19, mostly on the legs of Mark Ingram, before being forced to settle for another field goal giving them a 13-0 lead.

Both teams then traded multiple punts, unable to sustain drives. The NightHawks took over with 1:54 left in the 3rd quarter. Cody Cheatham went on a streak of 5 straight completions to move the ball in to field goal territory where the NightHawks settled for Cantphil Maleg's 3rd field goal of the night to give Tuscon a 16-0 lead.

At that point with the way the defense was playing 16 points seemed an insurmountable lead. Truth be told though things got a bit hairy in the 4th quarter and might have gotten very interesting if not for the top defense in the conference. The Mad Dogs fumbled the kickoff and Tuscon recovered in Mad Dogs territory and appeared in prime position to put another nail in the Dawgs coffin. The Mad Dawg defense hung tough though forcing a 3 and out and a punt. Again though the Dawgs were unable to mount any offense and were forced to punt the ball back to Tuscon. On second down Lee Wilk seemed to again light a fire under the Tuscon offense when he broke 5 tackles at the line of scrimmage and managed to ramble 15 yards for a first down. Keeping it on the ground and alternating between Wilk, and Blah Dow the NightHawks put the game away for good when Dow scored from 3 yards out. Dow's score was set up by a key 2nd down pass play where Cheatham rolled away from pressure and found Mark Ingram Jr. who had snuck out of the NightHawks backfield and down the left side for a 21 yard gain.

After the Mad Dogs returned the kickoff to their own 41 yard line they went to their 2 minute hurry up offense with qb Dog Tom calling pass plays at the line. Going strictly through the air the Dawgs moved from their 41 to the Tuscon 5 yardline. It appeared for sure that the NightHawks would lose the shutout. “As a defense you pride yourself on being able to prevent the other team from scoring. To lose a shutout like that late in the 4th quarter would have left a bad taste in my mouth” said Tuscon defensive tackle Jason Nagurski.

On 4th and goal from the 5 yard line Nagurski put an end to that catching nil nospmoht on the 2.5 yard line as he tried to score on a swing pass. The NightHawks took over but played things conservatively keeping the ball on the ground. After forcing a Tuscon punt the Mad Dawgs took over in great field position when finnnagin shminnagin shanked a punt that Mikeee Bones was able to return to the NightHawks 19 yard line.

The NightHawks defense again bowed it's back and refused to allow the score forcing incompletion's on 1st and 2nd downs. A 3rd down pass was deflected by Sex Tornado. The Mad Dawgs turned the ball over on downs on 4th down when a short screen pass out of the back field to a Mad Dawgs back was sniffed out by Trey Gomez who dropped the back 8 yards short of the first down.

The Tuscon offense again played things conservatively but were unable to move the chains. They were forced to punt the ball again and again the punt was shanked. The Mad Dawgs were in ideal field position at the Tuscon 31 yard line.

This time Mad Dawgs quarterback thought he'd try new Tuscon cornerback Cro Marty. It turned out to be a bad idea as Marty deflected away 3 straight Mad Dog passing attempts putting the Dawgs in a familiar 4th and 10 position. On 4th down Tuscon Strong Safety Curtis Lemansky stepped up and nearly intercepted the ball as he batted it away from Dawgs Wideout Action Pike. The Mad Dogs did manage to get the ball back but were able to only put together two completions as time ran out.

“It was a great game without a doubt,” said coach p-nutt. “We came into the game knowing what we wanted to do but to their credit they made us change things up a bit,” admitted OC Dolhoz “That's part of the game though, being able to make adjustments on the fly”.

On the defenses refusal to give up the shutout, “Things didn't go our way in the 4th quarter,” said corner Cro Marty “It seemed like they had field position the whole second half. We're there in the huddle though and Nagurski just looked a everybody and told us we weren't giving up any points.”

Of note: New additions to the roster Cro Marty and Big Bomb had very successful games. Marty finished with 6 tackles and 4 pass deflections. Big Bomb ended the night leading the passing attack with 5 catches for 50 yards.


***Stats of the Game***

We could go with...........
Cody Cheatham going 15/19 passing for 120 yards.

Or we could go with......
Gonnalay youonyoura$$ with his 8 pancake blocks

Or maybe.......
The 18 punts between the two teams

But I think I'll go with.........
The 11 straight quarters the NightHawks defense has held teams scoreless.

.....you have....way....too much time....