Kats sink claws into Firebirds(Full Story) Firebirds devoured by Kats
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Two turnovers in the second half helped the Nashville Kats defeat the Albany Firebirds, 66-51, in a key Arena football League Eastern Division game before a crowd of 12,802 at the Nashville Arena Friday night.
The Firebirds fell to 3-5, and Nashville improved to 5-3 to pad its cushion over Albany in the standings with six games left in the regular season.
After a seesaw first half that included eight lead changes, Nashville got the upper hand in the second half by taking advantage of two Firebirds' fumbles.
After falling behind, 35-30, Albany started the second half on a bad note when the kickoff took a crazy carom off the end zone nets.
Nashville recovered at the 10 and went ahead, 38-30, on a 24-yard field goal by Jorge Cimadevilla.
The Firebirds came back to tie the game and later took the lead, 45-44, on the first play of the fourth quarter.
But after the Kats went ahead, 52-45, Albany quarterback Mike Pawlawski fumbled a snap that was recovered by Nashville at the Albany 10.
Three plays later, Andy Kelly, who finished 28-for-37 for 305 yards and eight touchdowns, hit Cory Fleming for the fifth of his six touchdown catches to give the Kats a 59-45 lead with 7:08 left.
Albany answered with Eddie Brown's fourth touchdown catch, a 35-yarder from Pawlawski with 3:17 left, but Nashville put the game away with a 45-yard drive, culminating in Fleming's 25-yard touchdown catch with 1:00 left.
Brown had nine receptions for 111 yards, and passed Freddie Gayles on the Firebirds' all-time receptions list.
Greg Hopkins had his best game as a Firebird with six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Michael Baker caught six passes for 65 yards.
The 6-foot-2 Fleming used his height advantage over the Firebirds' defensive backs, especially 5-11 Charlie Davidson, to make many of his receptions.
Leading, 45-44, Albany appeared on the verge of getting the ball back with Nashville facing a third-and-10 at its own seven, but Kelly found Lonnie Turner for a 43-yard score, and Fleming caught a two-point conversion pass in the back of the end zone to give the Kats a 52-45 lead.
On the Firebirds' next possession, Brown caught a nine-yard pass to break Gayles' record, but Pawlawski fumbled two snaps in a row, the second of which was covered by the Nashville defense.
Kelly hit Fleming, who leapt high over Davidson for the catch, from nine yards out three plays later to give Nashville a two-touchdown lead.
Neither team could stop the other in the first half. Chad Dukes recovered a Nashville fumble on the first play of the third series of the game, and the Firebirds ran out of time and had to settle for a 32-yard field goal attempt by Tom Whelihan, which he missed, with three seconds left in the half.
There were eight lead changes in the first half, and the Firebirds trailed, 35-30. Whelihan missed one point-after kick, and the Firebirds were held to a field goal following Dukes' fumble recovery.
Kelly, who was named league player of the week last week after passing for nine touchdowns in a 68-62 victory over Anaheim, passed for four touchdowns in the first half Friday, three of which went to Fleming.
Pawlawski stayed right with Kelly, though, hitting Hopkins for a 32-yard touchdown and Brown for a 15-yarder and a one-yarder.
Pawlawski also ran for a 17-yard score, juking Fleming at the 10-yardline to run into the end zone and give the Firebirds a 30-28 lead with 53 seconds left in the second quarter.
Nashville answered with a 45-yard drive that ended with a one-yard run by fullback Terrance Samuels with 16 seconds left as the Kats went ahead, 35-30.
