www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=274277&pub=1&div=SportsMudCats roll in home finale
6/1/2008 8:49:10 AM
Daily Journal
BY JOHN L. PITTS
Daily Journal
TUPELO -The Mississippi MudCats wanted a quick start Saturday night against the Carolina Speed to avoid the kind of late-game heroics they needed the last time the teams met.
Mission accomplished.
Tommy Jones threw seven touchdowns, five in the first half, as the MudCats left the Speed in the slow lane, winning their regular-season home finale 59-17 at BancorpSouth Arena.
"We emphasized all week that we needed to get off to a good start," said MudCats coach Brian Brents, whose team improved to 10-1. "We're playing for home-field advantage. We love having the chance to play in front of these fans."
The easy win also marked the return of defensive standout Derrick White to the MudCats' roster after a brief stint with Arizona of the Arena Football League. With White, a linebacker, bringing pressure from the corner all night long, the MudCats gave up the fewest points they've yielded all season.
They even held on a goal-line situation with the game out of hand, stuffing four consecutive running plays -including a nifty open-field tackle of quarterback Rodney Milbourn by 264-pound Jason Clark at the 1.
"We brought a championship-level effort on the defensive side tonight," said defensive lineman Naton Stewart, who registered a safety in the first minute of the game on a quarterback sack. "That's the kind of effort we're going to need every night from here on."
The last time these teams met, on April 19, the MudCats needed an improbable last-minute comeback to win 37-33.
Saturday night, the MudCats led 46-4 at halftime, after roaring to a 39-0 lead early in the second quarter. It matched the best start for the team this season, a 39-0 lead against Fayetteville in the season-opener.
While the defense kept the Speed off balance, Jones and the offense were clicking nicely. He and Josh Smith connected on four scoring passes (28, 25, 5, 28) and Lemans Casimier (7, 20) caught two in the first quarter. Reliable veteran Darryl Carter caught a 32-yard score in the fourth.
Unofficially, Smith was 21-of-36 for 291 yards, with three interceptions -the last returned 50 yards near the game's end for a Speed touchdown by Laroche Jackson.
Carolina QB Rodney Milbourn had a miserable night, going 5-for-20 while he was dogged by White, Stewart, Clark and others. One of Milbourn's passes ended up in the hands of MudCats' linebacker Eric Bingham, who returned it 13 yards for a TD just before halftime.
The MudCats face three road games over the next month, starting with Friday's visit to winless Florida. The team's playoff opener, if they can keep ahead of Columbus (8-3) in their division, will be here on the weekend of July 4.
Game notes
Fans, especially youngsters, were invited onto the field after the game and quickly mobbed their heroes, who patiently signed autographs. The team did not meet with its fans after their last home game on May 17. "A misunderstanding," said Brents. "We love having the chance to meet with our fans when the games are over." ... One of Carolina's touchdowns was handed to it by the MudCats, as the visiting team moved 30 yards - aided by a handful of penalties on the hosts - while running just two plays for seven yards. ... A brief altercation in the stands in the first half was quickly cooled off by BCS Arena personnel. It may have stemmed from a domestic dispute.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/1/2008, section B , page 1
