The Cowboys started off poorly on defense as the Freemasons started from their own 24 and drove down the field with ease. QB Andre Woodson was temporairly knocked out of the game with an injury but backup QB Tony Romo entered and completed three straight passes while also taking a sack from Cowboys' rookie DE Derrick Harvey. Woodson returned in the redzone as the Freemasons had a goalline situation, but Woodson made a crucial mistake as Cowboys' FS Renaldo Hall - traded from the Freemasons in week eight - intercepted an errant Woodson pass in the endzone for a touchback. The Cowboys began their possession with a HB Julius Jones fumble that was recovered by the Freemasons, but head coach Josh Biddle challenged the ruling and it was overturned so the Cowboys kept the ball. WR Laurent Robinson and TE Randy McMichael made reception on a drive that ended with a FB Brandon Miree 4-yard touchdown reception to make the score 7-0 with 2:09 remaining in the first quarter. The Freemasons responded and put seven points on the board by means of an 81-yard drive ending with a HB Fred Taylor 7-yard touchdown run to tie the game at seven with five seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Cowboys responded with a big play when HB Wali Lundy - the backup who has had a very, very successful year - broke a 30-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-7 with 6:37 left in the first half. The Freemasons punted on their next drive and the Cowboys again put together a nice drive that involved a QB Rex Grossman first down run and a catch by WR Vincent Jackson to the Freemasons' 4-yard line. The Cowboys scored on a Vincent Jackson 4-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 21-7 with 4:47 remaining in the first half. The Freemasons went to the air to try to mount a comeback early, but QB Woodson began forcing things and another poor pass was intercepted by Cowboys' SS Roman Harper and returned 65 yards to the house for a Cowboys' touchdown, making the score 28-7 with 3:43 remaining in the first half. Woodson again was gunning on the Freemasons next drive and this time was intercepted by CB Jerametrius Butler. The Cowboys took a sack on their next drive, but still put three on the board with 28 seconds in the half on a K Shaun Suisham 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-7, which would be the halftime score.
At the half, the Cowboys benched their starting offense and QB Erik Ainge entered the game, along with HB J.J. Arrington. The Cowboys started off with the ball and after FB Brandon Miree was injured, the Cowboys punted. On the Freemasons first second half drive, Cowboys' DE Kenny Iwebema recorded a sack, forcing another punt. Cowboys' HB Wali Lundy again broke another huge play as he scampered 60 yards for a touchdown to make the score 38-7 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter. On the Freemasons' next drive, FS Renaldo Hill continued to show up his former team as he intercepted another Woodson pass - the Cowboys would add another three points with a Suisham 27-yarder to make the score 41-7 with 1:21 left in the third quarter. The Freemasons would put together a nice drive through the air to get on the board for the first time in the second half with a WR Jericho Cotchery 8-yard touchdown reception, followed by a HB Rudi Johnson reception for a successful 2-point conversion attempt, making the score 41-15. The Freemasons would score once more on a QB Andre Woodson one-yard touchdown run, and after the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Cowboys' WR Jaison Williams, HB J.J. Arrington broke a nice touchdown run that was canceled due to a TE Randy McMichael holding call. The Cowboys run the clock out to win 41-21.
Player of the game was HB Wali Lundy, who 145 yards on only 8 carries (18.1 yards per carry) with two touchdown runs of 30 and 60 yards. The Cowboys rushing unit combined for 283 yards with an 8.1 yards per carry average. QB Rex Grossman delivered another efficient, mistake-free performance as he finished 8-11 (72%) for 131 yards with 2 TD passes, 0 INT's, and a rating of 151.9. FS Renaldo Hill had a big impact on defense with two interceptions, including that drive-killing endzone INT on the first possession of the game for the Freemasons. He impressed against his former team as he apparently had a bone to pick.
The Cowboys defense recorded three tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions, one defensive touchdown, and 4 passes defensed. The tackles for loss were recorded by DT's Cory Redding and Corey Simon along with rookie MLB Jonathan Goff. The sacks were recorded by DT Cory Redding, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, rookie DE Derrick Harvey, and rookie DE Kenny Iwebema. The interceptions were recorded by FS Renaldo Hill with two, SS Roman Harper (returned for touchdown of 65 yards), and CB Jerametrius Butler. The passes defensed were recorded by SS Roman Harper with two, MLB Jonathan Goff, and OLB Stanford Keglar.
The Cowboys finish off the PFL campaign 7-9 with head coach Josh Biddle going 7-5 in his PFL return, winning his last six games as the Cowboys match their record from last season with plenty of draft picks to retool.
The Cowboys defensive line came out gunning as the Tsunami received the ball first - rookie DE Derrick Harvey made up for his lack of a sack last week and nailed Tsunami QB Alex Smith for a sack, forcing a Tsunami punt that was only to the Tsunami's own 45-yard line. K Shaun Suisham recorded a 44-yard field goal to make it a 3-0 Los Angeles with 4:57 remaining in the first quarter. The Cowboys defensive line again made it tough for QB Smith to find anything with DT Cory Redding recording two sacks on the drive alone, forcing a punt which went out of bounds at the Cowboys' 41. QB Rex Grossman dropped back and was nailed by the Tsunami defense and left the game hurt, but he would return on the drive and score on a 1-yard touchdown run after connecting with WR Laurent Robinson on a catch to the one-yard line - making the score 10-0 with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter. On the Tsunami's next drive, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila sacked Smith and another punt was returned by KR Jeremy BLoom to the Cowboys own 46. The Cowboys added seven more points on a pass from QB Grossman to WR Jaison Williams for a 5-yard touchdown reception to make it 17-0. The Tsunami's next drive was hurt with a DT Corey Simon sack, and then a QB Smith pass was intercepted by OLB Stanford Keglar (his second straight game with an INT), but then he was hit and fumbled the football and it was recovered by Tsunami OL Tait. CB Travis Fisher forced a fumble on the Tsunami's new drive and it was recovered by SS Roman Harper. WR Jaison Williams would then score his second touchdown of the day on a pass from Grossman for a 17-yard touchdown reception to make the score 31-0. After the Cowboys benched most of their offensive starters and the Tsunami punted, HB J.J. Arrington - seeing his first action of the year - scampered 24-yards for a touchdown to make it 38-0 at halftime.
The Cowboys ran to chew clock in the second half with nothing eventful happening on offense. The Cowboys defense recorded four more sacks and rookie MLB Jonathan Goff sealed the game with an interception on the Tsunami's final drive. Final score 38-0 Los Angeles.
Player of the game for Los Angeles was probably CB Travis Fisher, who finished with 3 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection. The Cowboys defense recorded 1 tackle for loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions, and 4 passes defensed. The tackle for loss was recorded by MLB Jonathan Goff. The sacks were recorded by DT Cory Redding with 3, DE Derrick Harvey with 2, DT Corey Simon with 2, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, and DE Kenny Iwebema. The forced fumbles were recorded by CB Travis Fisher (2) and the recoveries were by SS Roman Harper and CB Travis Fisher. The interceptions were recorded by OLB Stanford Keglar and MLB Jonathan Goff. The passes defensed were recorded by CB Travis Fisher, DT Corey Simon, CB Jemetrius Butler, and CB Terrence McGee. The Cowboys' defense also held the Tsunami offense to only 51 yards of total offense.
With this victory and the Redskins loss to their division rival Miramar Spartans, the Cowboys remain in contention for the final AFC wildcard spot. Based on NFL Tiebreak protocol, the following tiebreakers are utilized with interdivisional ties:
1) Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2) Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3) Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Tiebreaker #1 is tied between the clubs with 1 win apiece, and divisional records (#2) would also be tied. The third tiebreaker would yield an advantage for the Cowboys and would clinch them the tiebreak playoff spot if the Cowboys win their last game versus the Prince Hall Freemasons and the Redskins lose their finale against the Winston-Salem Punishers.
Regarding the playoffs, head coach Josh Biddle said "we are extremely pleased with the play of the team in the latter part of the season, we really didn't expect to even be in contention for the playoffs. We surely aren't counting on it since it is out of our power, we can only focus on winning our game. If it happens, that's great and we'll try to take advantage of the opportunity, but the Reskins head coach is a very good player and it seems to be a bit much counting on him to lose with the offense and receiving corps his team has. We'll see what happens. If we don't make it, this is a major step towards our contention next season".
The game started off on a good note for the Cowboys as a redzone drive by the Redskins was halted when SS Roman Harper stripped TE Vernon Davis of the ball and it was recovered by CB Travis Fisher on the Cowboys own 8-yard line. The Cowboys offense struck quickly as QB Rex Grossman found WR Vincent Jackson for a 92-yard touchdown reception to give the Cowboys a quick 6-0 lead after a missed extra point by K Shaun Suisham. On the Redskins second drive, SS Roman Harper struck again as he intercepted Redskins' QB Jay Cutler. The Cowboys added to their lead when QB Rex Grossman snuck into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 13-0 with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter. The Redskins got into field goal range on their next drive but K Andy Lee missed a 54-yard attempt to give the Cowboys good field position, and they capitalized with a K Shaun Suisham 48-yard field goal to make the score 16-0 with 15 second remaining in the 1st quarter. On the Redskins next drive, QB Cutler was injured and was replaced by QB John David Booty, but the drive ended in a punt for a touchback. The Cowboys' QB Rex Grossman was injured on the Cowboys next drive and was replaced by QB Erik Ainge - Grossman would miss two quarters of action. Ainge was hit by a Reskins defender on his first drive in and he coughed up the football, but a Cowboy fell on it to keep the drive going. Suisham would add a 39-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-0 with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter. The Redskins struck back though in big-play fashion after QB Cutler returned to the game - Cutler hooked up with WR Randy MOss for a 52-yard touchdown catch with 2:24 remaining in the second to cut the lead to 19-7. QB Erik Ainge was up for the challenge of answering and he topped Cutler by finding Cowboys' project WR Laurent Robinson open deep for a 74-yard touchdown reception (including 44 YAC) to extend the lead to 26-7 with 2:08 remaining in the second. The Redskins fought back again with a nice drive that ended in a TE Vernon Davis 4-yard touchdown reception with 14 seconds remaining to make the score 26-14, but again, QB Erik Ainge pulled a rabbit out of his hat and found TE Randy McMichael open after he beat the safeties for a 59-yard touchdown reception with 1 second remaining in the second to give the Cowboys a 33-14 halftime lead.
The Cowboys received in the second half and they made some noise with a 22-yard field goal to extend the lead to 36-14. The Cowboys defense stepped up again on the Redskins next drive when OLB Stanford Keglar intercepted a pass intended for TE Vernon Davis, and Cowboys' HB Wali Lundy took a handoff to the house for a 48-yard touchdown run to make the score 43-14 with 1:50 remaining in the third quarter. On the Redskins next drive, the Cowboys' defense took a blow as CB Terrence McGee was hurt for the remainder of the game. The Redskins scored early in the fourth quarter via a FB Trent Malone 2-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 43-21 with 6:47 remaining in the game. WR Vincent Jackson recovered the onside kcik and the Cowboys added three more when K Shaun Suisham made good on a 37-yard attempt with 3:43 remaining in the game to make the score 46-21. The Redskins would turn the ball over on downs on their next drive and K Shaun Suisham would seemingly put the game out of reach with a 46-yard field goal to make the score 49-21 with 2:29 remaining. TE Vernon Davis would score on a 28-yard touchdown reception, but the ensuing onside kick would be recovered by WR Laurent Robinson to end the game.
Player of the game for Los Angeles would either be SS Roman Harper, who finished with 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception (17 return yards), and 2 passes defensed or rookie QB Erik Ainge, who finished with 5-6 (83%) for 162 yards with 2 TD's, 0 INT's, and a perfect rating of 158.3 - including a whopping 27 yards per pass attempt and touchdown passes of 59 and 74 yards.
The Cowboys defense recorded 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 interceptions, and 11 passes defensed. The defensive unit did not record a sack, however, and rookie DE Derrick Harvey's consecutive games with a sack streak was halted at five games. The tackles for loss were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and CB Travis Fisher. The forced fumble was recorded by SS Roman Harper and the recovery was recorded by CB Travis Fisher. The interceptions were recorded by SS Roman Harper and OLB Stanford Keglar. The passes defensed were recorded by CB Terrence McGee with 3, SS Roman Harper with 2, OLB Stanford Keglar with 2, FS Renaldo Hill, CB Travis Fisher, MLB Jonathan Goff, and OLB Juwan Simpson.
The Cowboys have a shot to make the playoffs based on NFL tiebreak protocol if the Redskins lose out and the Cowboys win out. Based on NFL Tiebreak protocol, the following tiebreakers are utilized with interdivisional ties:
1) Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2) Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3) Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Tiebreaker #1 is tied between the clubs with 1 win apiece, and divisional records (#2) would also be tied. The third tiebreaker would yield an advantage for the Cowboys and would clinch them the tiebreak playoff spot if the lose-out/win-out scenario actually came to fruition.
The game started with a Knights possession and ended in a punt to the Cowboys' 24-yard line. The Cowboys struck quickly on their second play from scrimmage with HB Julius Jones beating a lone safety in coverage on his way to a 72-yard touchdown reception to help the Cowboys jump out to a 7-0 lead. The Knights fought back on their next possession as they put three points up on a K Art Carmody 48-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. QB Rex Grossman was temporairly knocked out of the game on the Cowboys' next drive and after rookie QB Erik Ainge overthrew TE Randy McMichael, the Cowboys settled for a 51-yard field goal from K Shaun Suisham to make it a 10-3 ballgame. The Knights punted on their next drive, as did the Cowboys, giving the Knights the ball at their own 17-yard line. Cowboys' DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila recorded a sack on the Knights' drive, forcing a Knights' punt that was returned to the Cowboys' own 49-yard line. On the COwboys next drop, WR Laurent Robinson dropped an open pass that would have been a sure 1st down, but TE Randy McMichael bailed the drive out with a great first down reception over the middle, allowing the Cowboys to tack on three more points with a Suisham 33-yarder, extending the lead to 13-3. On the Knights next drive, the bizzareness began as a fumble was recovered by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. QB Rex Grossman threw an interception into the hands MLB Anthony Waters, who was then hit by Cowboys' OG Mike Rosenthal, forcing another fumble, that was than recovered by Cowboys' HB Julius Jones. The Cowboys took advantage of this undeserved second chance when in Knights' territory on their 28-yard line and QB Rex Grossman completed a pass to open WR Mark Clayton at the Knights' 15-yard line - and with a step on the defender, took it to the house for a 28-yard touchdown reception to make the score 20-3. The Knights found themselves on their own 22-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the half, and with the Cowboys' defense playing off and back preparing for a pass, a long pass thrown by QB Adams intended for WR Dusty Leon was picked off by CB Terrence McGee, allowing the Cowboys to put a drive together and get one last field goal - a 54-yarder by Suisham, to go into halftime with a 23-3 lead.
The Cowboys punted on their first possession after the half, pinning the Knights at their own 8-yard line. The Knights drive ended on a sour note again with another fumble, which was recovered by Cowboys' rookie DE Derrick Harvey. The Cowboys would punt without capitalizing on this error, pinning the Knights at their own 10-yard line. This time, however, the Knights would strike back with a beautiful 90-yard touchdown from QB Adams to WR Dusty Leon, one in which the CB was beat by a step and that was that, lead now only 23-10 with one quick play. The Cowboys offense, which has really stepped up in the second half of the season, put together another decent drive that ended in another Suisham chip shot field goal of 19-yards to make it 26-13 with 5 seconds remaining in the third. On the ensuing kickoff, CB Travis Fisher stripped HB/KR Chris Johnson for a fumble and recovered it. The Cowboys finally had a case of the fumbles as HB Julius Jones fumbled on this drive and it was recovered by Knights' CB Shane Adkins. QB Adams was injured on this drive and he wouldn't return to the game. A sack by rookie DE Derrick Harvey, who is putting together a solid rookie campaign, helped to put the Knights in a bad position and they were unable to convert on a fourth down giving the Cowboys the ball, and they were able to put a drive together ending in a Suisham field goal to make it a three-possession game. Another fumble allowed another Knights possession which ended in another Cowboys' field goal to make it 32-10, which would be the final score at 32-10.
The Cowboys player of the game was CB Travis Fisher, who finished with 5 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass defensed. K Shaun Suisham was 6-6 in field goal attempts, helping to add insurance points when called upon.
The Cowboys' defense recorded 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 8 passes defensed. The tackles for loss were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila with two and DE Kenny Iwebema with one. The sacks were recorded by DE's Derrick Harvey and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. Forced fumbles were recorded by CB Travis Fisher, CB Jerametrius Butler, and FS Renaldo Hill. THe fumble recoveries were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DE Derrick Harvey, and MLB Jonathan Goff. The interception was recorded by CB Terrence McGee and the passes defensed were recorded by CB Terrence McGee with 4, CB Travis Fisher, CB Jerametrius Butler, CB Philip Buchanon, and OLB Juwan SImpson. The Cowboys' early lead made it very difficult for the Knights to get a solid passing game going due to the lack of balance necessary for a comeback and the Knights successfully put much of their defensive focus on standout TE Jacob Tamme and HB Chris Johnson. Tamme was held to two catches for 14 yards and Johnson was held to 6 catches for 34 yards, keeping him at bay and from getting any semblance of open field, where he has proven to be deadly both on kick returns and offensively.
The Knights' runningbacks - namely HB/KR Chris Johnson, struggled with the football in terms of holding on to it. HB Lester Ulrich fumbled once, and HB Chris Johnson fumbled twice on offense and once on kick returns for a total of three fumbles. They ran for excellent yard-per-carry averages, but the early defecit kept them from doing damage on the ground.
After the game, head coach Josh Biddle said, "It was a great game from our defensive unit today, though the football gods sure have helped us over the course of the past two weeks. [Jacob] Tamme is the best tight end in the league this season and our unit did a great job accounting for him and reducing the damage he can do to a defense and the scoreboard. I think [Chris] Johnson is the best returner in the league as well, and the Knights have clearly found ways to implement a speedster like him into their offense, and I commend our safeties and linebackers for limiting his impact and hitting him before he had open field since it would have been difficult to do much of anything if he found some room. Three in a row against that string of teams was very tough, but this team showed alot of promise. Next week, it's the Redskins."
The game started on an ugly note for the Cowboys offense as the MightySpartans' incredible defensive line recorded two quick sacks and forced a punt, one in which Cowboys' P Ryan Plackemeier pinned the MightySpartans on their own 4-yard line. The MightySpartans would punt right back, and the Cowboys would almost give the ball back after FB Brandon Miree fumbled on a run play but G MIke Rosenthal fell on the ball to keep possession. However, a good drive came to a close on a sour note as K Shaun Suisham missed a chip shot 37-yard field goal badly to give the MightySpartans relatively good field position. OLB Juwan Simpson recorded a sack for the Cowboys on the MightySpartans ensuing possession and forced another punt. The Cowboys would punt right back, but the first huge play for Los Angeles would occur after a Plackemeier punt was fumbled by MightySpartans' KR/PR Santana Moss and it was recovered by up-and-coming MLB Jonathan Goff deep in MightySpartans' territory. Cowboys' QB Rex Grossman made a nice pass to first quarter goat FB Brandon Miree for a 12-yard touchdown reception - one in which Miree amassed 10 yards after the catch, but K Shaun Suisham would miss the extra point to give the Cowboys only a 6-0 lead. The MightySpartans answered right back in the form of a WR Terry Glenn 19-yard touchdown reception and gave the MightySpartans a 7-6 lead, which would hold going into halftime. The Cowboys had an opportunity to get into field goal range prior to halftime, but an approximate 25-yard pass to a wide-open Mark Clayton was dropped to force a fourth down.
In the second half, the MightySpartans first possession ended in a punt, but the Cowboys would make a crucial mistake on their first second-half possession as HB Julius Jones fumbled the ball and MightySpartans' DT Trevor Pryce recovered deep in Cowboys' territory on their 15 yard line. The MightySpartans capitalized on the mistake in the form of a K Jay Feely 24-yard field goal to increase their lead to 10-6. The Cowboys were able to fight back through the air which a huge reception by WR Laurent Robinson. Deep in MightySpartans' territory, WR Laurent Robinson found an opening in the endzone and had a Grossman pass fall right through his hands, blowing a huge opportunity and leaving the Cowboys with only three points on a Suisham 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-9. The MightySpartans would punt on their next possession and the Cowboys would begin their effort to break away. Their next drive, stretching into the fourth quarter, would end in a TE Randy McMichael 24-yard touchdown reception with 6:11 remaining in the game to give the Cowboys a 16-10 lead. The MightySpartans next drive would falter with help in the form of a sack by undrafted rookie DE Kenny Iwebema. DT Corey Simon was injured during the drive, but ironically, his replacement DT Dewayne Robinson would recover a fumble by top PFL runner HB Kevin Jones forced by DT Corey Redding. The Cowboys were able to seal the game with less than a minute left when HB Wali Lundy scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 23-10 and make the game a two-possession game with little time remaining. A last ditch effort by MightySpartans' QB Tom Brady on a deep pass to WR Santana Moss was intercepted by CB Terrence McGee, ending a hard fought battle 23-10.
Player of the game for the Cowboys was QB Rex Grossman, who went 13-21 (61%) for 148 yards with 2 TD passes, 0 INT's, and a 114.7 rating. Grossman impressed in his second straight start, stepping up and making nice passes in the second half after a shaky first half. The player of the game overall probably was MightySpartans' DE Julius Peppers, who finished with 8 tackles (1 for loss) and 3 sacks. The defensive line of the MightySpartans recorded six sacks overall and harassed Grossman throughout the first half, though some halftime adjustments on the offensive line seemed to have alleviated some of the pressure. The wide receivers for both teams seemed to struggle at the worst times, with the MightySpartans dropping three passes and Cowboys receivers dropping four. The Cowboys running game was also solid with over 100 yards on the ground by way of HB Wali Lundy scampering for 60 yards on 9 carries with a rushing touchdown and starter HB Julius Jones running for 51 yards on 18 carries with a fumble lost.
The Cowboys defense played well, holding the MightySpartans to their lowest point total on the season. The unit recorded 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, and 8 passes defensed. The tackles for loss were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila with 3, DT Corey Simon with 2, and DT Corey Redding with 2. The sacks were recorded by OLB Juwan Simpson with 2, undrafted rookie DE Kenny Iwebema, and rookie 1st round draft pick Derrick Harvey - who has recorded a sack in each of his last four games. The forced fumble was recorded by DT Corey Redding and the recovery was by DT Dewayne Robertson. The interception was recorded by CB Terrence McGee and the passes defensed were recorded by CB Terrence McGee with 3, CB Travis Fisher with 2, MLB Jonathan Goff, FS Renaldo Hill, and SS Roman Harper. The defense held top 5 PFL rusher HB Kevin Jones to only 46 yards on 20 carries with a fumble.
The head coaches reportedly refused to shake hands after the game. Cowboys head coach Josh Biddle said "I'm happy with the way the team has progressed over the past few weeks. Things are finally coming together. The MightySpartans are one of the top PFL teams and they have an unprecedented pass rush that you won't find anywhere else in this league, so scoring on them is certainly tough. Rex really showed something today. We play the undefeated Knights next week, so that will be the ultimate test of the season. We'll see what happens".
The Scorpions came out hoping to go deep to cut the lead, but QB Culpepper was intercepted again by SS Roman Harper as he went deep to WR Hester. QB Grossman, however, would make a costly mistake after being hit as he threw - he was intercepted by Scorpions MLB Jonathan Vilma following a superb display of pressure from the Scorpions' front seven. Culpepper ran a touchdown in on a sneak to cut the lead to 24-17 with 3:26 remaining in the third. The Cowboys put a drive together following the touchdown, but missed a shot of a touchdown of their own when young, project WR Laurent Robinson dropped a TD pass as he beat the bump-and-run coverage but failed to hold on, leaving the Cowboys to kick a 31-yard Suisham field goal to make the score 27-17 with 1:34 remaining in the third. The Scorpions, looking for a rally, once featured Culpepper trying to do a bit too much as he went deep to big-play threat Hester again and this time was intercepted by CB Terrence McGee, who returned the interception 62 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 34-17. Hester would add a fourth quarter touchdown , Suisham would add a field goal for L.A. and then WR Demetrius Williams added a fourth quarter touchdown, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by WR Jaison WIlliams of L.A. to help seal the victory. On the Demetrius Williams touchdown drive, WR Braylon Williams was injured with under two minutes to go in the game and an injury timeout was used, leaving the Scorpions with two timeouts. HB Julius Jones put the game away after a 20-yard gain on the ground, staying in the field of play to run the clock out.
Player of the game for Los Angeles had to be QB Rex Grossman, who limited his mistakes and put up a nice 115.5 QB rating on 11-19 (57%) passing for 264 yards with 2 TD passes, 1 INT, and one touchdown run. TE Randy McMichael was great through the air as he finished with 5 catches for 144 yards with 1 TD reception and 75 YAC. Rookie 1st round WR Jaison Williams added 60 yards on 3 catches with 30 YAC, also grabbing the onside kick attempt to curb a Scorpions comeback.
Defensively, the Cowboys recorded 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown, and 10 passes defensed. The tackles for loss were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila with three, and DT Babatunde Oshinowo with one. The forced fumble was recorded by Oshinowo with KGB recovering it. The interceptions were recorded by SS Roman Harper with two and CB Terrence McGee with one - who returned his 62 yards for a touchdown. The passes defensed were recorded by CB Terrence McGee with two, CB Travis Fisher with two, MLB Jonathan Goff with two, OLB Stanford Keglar with two, OLB Juwan Simpson, and SS Roman Harper.
After the game, head coach Josh Biddle said "it's a great victory for our guys going forward - coach Rocky has the most championships in PFL history, so the guy flat out wins. It says alot about these players to come out and play as hard as they did. Maybe it's a sign of things to come."
The Cowboys face-off against the Big Blue MightySpartans (9-2, #4 rank) in week 13, their next challenging affair.
The Cowboys came out with a more conservative gameplan than usual, leading to HB Julius Jones' second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort - finishing with 113 yards on 16 carries (7 ypc) withi his first rushing touchdown of the season. WR Vincent Jackson added 99 yards receiving on 6 catches with a touchdown reception, leading the Cowboys receiving corps.
Defensively, the Cowboys continue to make some plays in pass defense, picking off QB Jamarcus Russell twice in a losing effort. Last week, the Cowboys' defense intercepted Punishers' QB Vince YOung twice, a QB who hadn't been intercepted in four straight games. Interceptions were recorded by CB Terrence McGee and relatively new acquisition FS Renaldo Hill, who took over for the departed FS Lenny Walls. Head coach Josh Biddle can't say enough about the play of McGee, who he had doubts about. The 5'9" corner contained 6'6" receiver Marcus MOnk to two catches for 20 yards and intercepted a pass intended for him. The defense also recorded three sacks, with DT Corey Simon recording his first sack as a Cowboy and rookie DE Derrick Harvey recording two - he has six sacks in his past two games. The young Cowboy defensive end is breaking out as a rookie and that only bodes well as the team gears up for next season.
The story of the game was QB Erik Ainge, who three three interceptions and finished 12-31 (38%) for 195 yards with 1 TD, 3 INT's, and a 31.7 QB rating. After standing by his rookie QB through his struggles early, coach Biddle stated that he would be pulling Ainge for Grossman for the Cowboys' stretch of games against top-tier teams. In successive weeks, the Cowboys (1-9) face the Scorpions (8-1, #4 rank), the Mighty Spartans (7-2, #5), the Knights (9-0, #2 rank), and division rival Rickards Redskins (5-4, #11) before ending the season against the Tsunami (4-5) and Freemasons (2-7). Ainge is expected to start against the Tsunami and Freemasons.
QB Erik Ainge, though dominant at times, had a roller coaster performance that seemed to show limitations on his arm strength. Ainge finished 16-31 (51%) for 259 yards with 3 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions, finishing with a rating of 72.5. WR Vincent Jackson, his favorite receiver, finished with 83 yards on 5 catches with 2 touchdown receptions, including a brilliant 50-yard touchdown on the two-minute drill prior to halftime.
Defensively, DE Derrick Harvey broke out and had a career day, consistently pressuring Punishers' QB Vince Young and finishing with 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. The team had two interceptions, which were recorded by CB Terrence McGee and SS Roman Harper. The Cowboys' defense played well despite two new additions to the starting lineup at linebacker, with young LB's Stanford Keglar and Juwan Simpson getting the opportunity to showcase their skills.
"We just got away from what was working; got too aggressive too fast" said head coach Josh Biddle at the post game press conference. "We looked great early, but then we made some big mistakes and the Punishers capitalized. It's a shame, because we shot ourselves in the foot. You can't win like that." Despite the inconsistency in his performance, Biddle said Ainge would start next week when the Cowboys take on the Clinton Ditch DrPeppers (5-4) on the road in week 11 PFL action.
Tomlinson started his work early on the Lakers' first drive of the game, in which he took a handoff 80 yards to paydirt. The Cowboys were up for the challenge in the first half as QB Erik Ainge led the Cowboys down the field efficiently , including a 1st half touchdown pass to TE Randy McMichael. The Cowboys went into halftime tied with the Lakers.
The second half was a different story, however, as the Cowboys defense couldn't stop the Lakers attack and the offense sputtered and stalled at crucial times - especially on third downs in which the Cowboys converted only 1 of 8 (12.5%). Ainge threw two interceptions in the game, both of which were deflected by a Lakers defender up into the air and picked off by another defender. Ainge was benched midway through the third quarter in favor of QB Rex Grossman to give him some playing time.
Though the Cowboys defense failed to contain the Lakers offense, they did continue to make some potential game-changing plays, which they did not do under their previous coach. After starting off the season with no interceptions in their first six games, the Cowboys have had at least one pick in three straight games and 7 in their last three. DT Dewayne Robertson intercepted a bullet pass thrown over the middle by Lakers QB Brady Quinn and OLB Juwan Simpson and CB Terrence McGee each forced a fumble (though only one fumble was recovered). McGee stripped the ball from Tomlinson but it was recovered by Lakers WR Sinorice Moss; earlier in the game, OLB Juwan Simpson stripped the ball from TE Ben Watson and it was recovered by FS Renaldo Hill. Simpson will be given a good look to see if he has any potential as a starter or role player in the Cowboys' defensive scheme as this was his first game where he saw substantial action.
After the game, head coach Josh Biddle said "their offense was tough, but I don't care how good the opponent is, you can't give up over two hundred [expletive] yards rushing and expect to win. The D better look themselves in the eyes and get their [expletive] acts together because come draft day and the offseason, the whole thing could get [expletive] blown up".
In week 10, the Cowboys (1-7) will head back to L.A. to host the Winston-Salem Punishers (4-3), the first place team in the AFC West.
The Cowboys did witness some very good play from the offense - the passing game, with the exception of two interceptions thrown by rookie QB Erik Ainge, was largely effective and the revamped offensive line gave Ainge plenty of time to throw. For the second consecutive game, the offensive line created a cocoon for Ainge and didn't surrender a single sack. Defensively, the Cowboys recorded three tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions (for their second consecutive game), and 7 passes defensed. Tackles for loss were recorded by DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, OLB Marlon Greenwood, and DT Babatunde Oshinowo. Rookie DE Lee Harvey recorded two sacks, and OLB Reggie Torbor recorded a sack. CB Philip Buchanon, CB Travis Fisher, and SS Roman Harper all recorded interceptions for the Cowboys. Passes defensed were recorded by CB Philip Buchanon with 3, SS Roman Harper with 2, CB Terrence McGee and MLB Brian Simmons with one each. The defensive pressure was tough on the Redskins QB John David Booty, knocking him out of the game twice; he returned to the game.
Ainge finished with mediocre numbers, throwing for 304 yards on 17-36 passing (47%) with a 72 QB rating. The run game was contained well by the Redskins defense. WR Vincent Jackson finished with 103 yards on 5 catches, including a 50-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. TE Randy McMichael had 4 catches for 65 yards with a touchdown reception, and WR Laurent Robinson added 73 yards on 4 catches.
The downfall for the Cowboys was their lack of kicking and their inability to stop the Redskins running game. K Shaun Suisham missed two field goals and an extra point, which hurt momentum. P Ryan Plackemeier, who handles kickoffs, also couldn't get the ball passed the 30 after a good opening kickoff, and even kicked out of bounds once. It was a pathetic showing on special teams. The Redskins running game dominated with primary back HB Jerious Norwood rushing for 133 yards on 30 carries (4.4 ypc). The big three offensive players for the Redskins also came through in the passing game: WR Randy Moss finished with 99 yards on 6 catches with a touchdown catch and 2 drops, TE Vernon Davis finished with 53 yards on 4 catches with a touchdown catch, and WR Chad Johnson finished with 40 yards on 4 catches with two touchdown receptions. The Cowboys will travel to Orange County to faceoff with their in-state rivals, the Orange County Lakers, who currently rank #6 in the PFL power rankings and recently upset the previously undefeated Maui Destroyers.
The re-built offensive line opened holes for runners and gave Ainge plenty of time. They didn't surrender a single sack.
WR/KR Jeremy Bloom returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown following the Paladins only score in the game.
The defense played surprisingly well, a concept that has seemed non-existent in Los Angeles through the early portion of the season. The defense recorded 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions, and 6 passes defensed. The tackles for loss were recorded by OLB Marlon Greenwood with two, DE Kenny Iwebema with two, DE Derrick Harvey, OLB Reggie Torbor, DE Jameel McClain, and DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. The sacks were recorded by DT Cory Redding with two, DE Derrick Harvey, OLB Marlon Greenwood, and OLB Stanford Keglar. The forced fumble was recorded by CB Philip Buchanon. INterceptions were recorded by CB Terrence Mcgee, CB Philip Buchanon, and CB Jerametrius Butler. Passes defensed were recorded by SS Roman Harper with two, CB Philip Buchanon, CB Jerametrius Butler, MLB Jonathan Goff, and FS Lenny Walls. SS Roman Harper recovered a fumble and returned it about 80 yards for a touchdown, but a challenge by Paladins coach jcquik overturned the call.
Oddly enough, the three interceptions by the Los Angeles defense were the first interceptions of the year for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys will host their division rival Rickards Redskins (4-2) in week 8.
It remains to be seen if these moves will propel the Cowboys franchise forward or set it backward, but there is hope in Los Angeles under the new regime. The dealing of McFadden - a player that fans felt would be the identity of the team - has baffled, and even angered some fans, yet others understand the reasoning and hope for the best. The Cowboys have a bye week next week.
The Cowboys also signed undrafted rookie free agent DE Kenny Iwebema, veteran LB Clark Haggans, sophmore LB Stanford Keglar, and WR/KR Jeremy Bloom. The team released OT's Mike Kracalik and Charles Spencer along with WR Kelly Campbell.