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Week 9 (6/21/99): Albany @ Buffalo |
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'Birds nearly perfect
BUFFALO - Until late in the fourth quarter, the Albany Firebirds scored a touchdown every time they had the ball Monday
night.
What the heck, they even scored one when they didn't have the ball.
In an almost flawless display of offensive efficiency, the Firebirds rolled over the winless Buffalo Destroyers at the Marine
Midland Arena, 54-34.
Albany improved to 7-2, and has the best record in the Arena Football League heading into Saturday's game against 6-3 Iowa
at Pepsi Arena.
Firebirds offensive specialist Eddie Brown torched the Destroyers for the second time this season, catching 11 passes for 195
yards and four touchdowns to become the second player in league history to reach 200 career receiving touchdowns. He has
202.
If Brown plays against Buffalo enough times, he should break his team record for receiving yards in a game (198), which he set
against Orlando in 1996.
In Albany's 51-41 victory over Buffalo earlier this season, Brown had 15 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns, as well
as a running touchdown.
He couldn't have done it without quarterback Mike Pawlawski, who rebounded from a sub-par game in a victory over New
Jersey last week to complete 19 of 33 passes for 263 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Five of Pawlawski's last
six attempts were incompletions, after the game was out of reach.
Two days after the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars had to play almost two hockey games in the same building before an
outcome was delivered in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Firebirds dispatched the Destroyers in little over one half of
football.
Albany took control by outscoring Buffalo in the second quarter, 27-0, and the Firebirds defense held the Destroyers to 14
points over the middle two quarters after Buffalo scored touchdowns on each of its first-quarter possessions.
The Firebirds scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions, but it was a defensive touchdown that gave them their first
lead of the game.
Albany's Greg Hopkins made a diving catch in the end zone to tie the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter, and lineman
Joe Jacobs recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone on Buffalo's next play from scrimmage.
Don Silvestri missed the extra point, but the Firebirds scored two more touchdowns before halftime.
After stopping Buffalo on downs, Pawlawski needed one play, hitting Brown for a 36-yard touchdown.
Then the Destroyers failed on first-and-goal from the three, as quarterback Kevin Mason was sacked by John Sikora for a
three-yard loss, and fullback Tony Burse fumbled into the end zone trying to dive over a tackler for a touchdown. Albany's
Chris Lawson recovered.
From the five-yard line, Pawlawski hit Brown for nine yards, then found Hopkins for five and 16.
After an incompletion from the 15, Pawlawski hit Brown wide open in the lefft side of the end zone for a 34-14 halftime lead.
Pawlawski picked up right where he left off to start the second half, driving the team 46 yards on five plays with just one
incompletion. He hit Brown for a 10-yard touchdown and a 41-14 lead.
Albany took a 48-21 lead late in the third quarter on a three-yard pass from Pawlawski to Hopkins, and increased it to 54-21
on an 11-yard pass from Pawlawski to Brown.
Notebook
With 11 receptions, Brown also became the second player in league history to catch at least 600 passes, after Orlando's Barry
Wagner. Brown has 604. . . .
Defensive specialist Derek Stingley became the Firebirds' all-time leading tackler, passing Darryl Hammond.
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