Post by AZ Adrenaline Junkie on Jun 17, 2008 15:00:34 GMT -5
Playoff-bound Adrenaline adjust to repetitive schedule
By David Hirigoyen
The Daily Courier
Monday, June 16, 2008
PRESCOTT VALLEY - Monday night's game was the 12th of the season for the Arizona Adrenaline. Half of those games have now come against the New Mexico Wildcats.
That's life in the American Indoor Football Association when you play in the West Division of the Western Conference.
A 14-game regular season: Three opponents in New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
"That's really hard," Adrenaline head coach Andrew Moore said. "We weren't supposed to be playing that. But we've just got to roll with the punches, take what we get and just make sure we go out and dominate."
After a 63-27 thrashing of the Wildcats on Monday at Tim's Toyota Center, Arizona has done just that, improving to 9-3 and heading to the playoffs after two more regular season matchups.
And in the playoffs, the first opponent will be division foe Wyoming. So planning for a team every other week or so could come in handy.
"It's a blessing and a curse at the same time," Arizona defensive lineman Don Drew said. "The blessing: you get to read your opponent a little bit better. But the curse is they get to read you a little bit better.
"You constantly have to change your gameplan and scheme for something else because they just saw something from you. You've got to continually do that and that's what you have to do in the playoffs as well."
Monday's game was a perfect example of this.
The Adrenaline had won the first four meetings with New Mexico in dominating fashion until they tripped up a week and a half ago on the road.
The problem: they ran into a new quarterback in B.J. Hall who accounted for six touchdowns in a 42-38 Wildcat win.
Hall had a much tougher time this go-around in Prescott Valley.
"Our defense played really well," Moore said. "We made some adjustments. The big difference last week is our D-line wasn't getting any pressure on Hall and he's an excellent quarterback. I told them from the start, if we get pressure on him it's over. And we did a great job doing it."
The Adrenaline sacked Hall three times, had him on the move and pressured him into three interceptions - two by Antar Brame and one be Sully Beard that went for a touchdown.
"Pressure on the quarterback was huge," Drew said. "Not only that, but we had great coverage in the secondary. We didn't allow them to make big plays and that's where we messed up last week against them."
New Mexico pulled off a couple scoring plays that Arizona would like to have back, like a 30-yard pass from Hall to Clarence Davis weaved through the defense or a pass to Darren Haliburton that Beard almost picked.
But most of the big plays came from the home team, including six TD passes from Chad DeGrenier.
DeGrenier getting the start at quarterback involved a bit of trickery in Round 6 between the two clubs.
"It's real hard because they tend to get your tendencies," Moore said. "All week we were trying to let everybody know that Ronnie (Simpson) was the starter because word travels fast so it could get back to New Mexico so they could prepare for Ronnie and not prepare for a pocket thrower like Chad.
Moore even had Simpson taking the snaps in warm-ups, then DeGrenier went to work finding his playmakers Quincy Jackson (4 scores), Maurice Bryant (2) and David Penland (1).
But the highlight play of the night came from 5-foot-11 Robert Jones.
Late in the first quarter after New Mexico scored to go up 7-6, Jones fielded the kick in along the back wall and went up the middle.
The Wildcats swarmed him at about midfield but Jones kept his legs churning and emerged in a Barry Sanders-style run, taking it to the house. Arizona never trailed again.
"It's Monday night, man," Jones said. "It's every kid's dream to play on Monday night.
"They've gotta wrap up because if not, I'll keep on moving and I'm in the end zone."
Jones was having fun, even if it was their semi-weekly showdown with New Mexico.
"Right now, towards the end of the season, they've got their 30-man (roster) and they stay with it," he said. "But this league is you could be here today, you could be gone tomorrow. Sometimes we play different ballplayers. Some of the guys stick around but if they're not doing the job then they'll get somebody else. So I just go out and play ball and every game is competitive."
AZ 63, NM 27
Scoring by Quarters:
New Mexico 7 6 8 6-27
Arizona 14 15 13 21-63
First quarter
AZ-Bryant 4 pass from DeGrenier, 9:00 (kick failed) - 6-0
NM-C. Davis 30 pass from Hall, 10:15 (Nava kick) - 6-7
AZ-Jones 57 kick return, 11:23 (Miyahira run) - 14-7
Second quarter
NM-Haliburton 6 pass from Hall, 1:00 (kick failed) - 14-13
AZ-Bryant 11 pass from DeGrenier, 13:25 (Penland run) - 22-13
AZ-Penland 40 pass from DeGrenier, 14:45 (Miyahira kick) - 29-13
Third quarter
AZ-Jackson 30 pass from DeGreneir, :55 (Miyahira kick) - 36-13
NM-Haliburton 11 pass from Hall, 6:00 (C. Davis pass from Hall) - 36-21
AZ-Jackson 4 pass from DeGrenier, 9:12 (run failed) - 42-21
Fourth quarter
AZ-Jackson 2 run, 3:20 (kick failed) - 48-21
AZ-Beard 35 interception return, 4:54 (run failed) - 54-21
NM-White 50 interception return, 11:00 (run failed) - 54-27
AZ-Jackson 2 pass from DeGrenier, 13:30 (Jackson pass from Jones) - 62-27
AZ-Miyahira rouge, 14:00 - 63-27
By David Hirigoyen
The Daily Courier
Monday, June 16, 2008
PRESCOTT VALLEY - Monday night's game was the 12th of the season for the Arizona Adrenaline. Half of those games have now come against the New Mexico Wildcats.
That's life in the American Indoor Football Association when you play in the West Division of the Western Conference.
A 14-game regular season: Three opponents in New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
"That's really hard," Adrenaline head coach Andrew Moore said. "We weren't supposed to be playing that. But we've just got to roll with the punches, take what we get and just make sure we go out and dominate."
After a 63-27 thrashing of the Wildcats on Monday at Tim's Toyota Center, Arizona has done just that, improving to 9-3 and heading to the playoffs after two more regular season matchups.
And in the playoffs, the first opponent will be division foe Wyoming. So planning for a team every other week or so could come in handy.
"It's a blessing and a curse at the same time," Arizona defensive lineman Don Drew said. "The blessing: you get to read your opponent a little bit better. But the curse is they get to read you a little bit better.
"You constantly have to change your gameplan and scheme for something else because they just saw something from you. You've got to continually do that and that's what you have to do in the playoffs as well."
Monday's game was a perfect example of this.
The Adrenaline had won the first four meetings with New Mexico in dominating fashion until they tripped up a week and a half ago on the road.
The problem: they ran into a new quarterback in B.J. Hall who accounted for six touchdowns in a 42-38 Wildcat win.
Hall had a much tougher time this go-around in Prescott Valley.
"Our defense played really well," Moore said. "We made some adjustments. The big difference last week is our D-line wasn't getting any pressure on Hall and he's an excellent quarterback. I told them from the start, if we get pressure on him it's over. And we did a great job doing it."
The Adrenaline sacked Hall three times, had him on the move and pressured him into three interceptions - two by Antar Brame and one be Sully Beard that went for a touchdown.
"Pressure on the quarterback was huge," Drew said. "Not only that, but we had great coverage in the secondary. We didn't allow them to make big plays and that's where we messed up last week against them."
New Mexico pulled off a couple scoring plays that Arizona would like to have back, like a 30-yard pass from Hall to Clarence Davis weaved through the defense or a pass to Darren Haliburton that Beard almost picked.
But most of the big plays came from the home team, including six TD passes from Chad DeGrenier.
DeGrenier getting the start at quarterback involved a bit of trickery in Round 6 between the two clubs.
"It's real hard because they tend to get your tendencies," Moore said. "All week we were trying to let everybody know that Ronnie (Simpson) was the starter because word travels fast so it could get back to New Mexico so they could prepare for Ronnie and not prepare for a pocket thrower like Chad.
Moore even had Simpson taking the snaps in warm-ups, then DeGrenier went to work finding his playmakers Quincy Jackson (4 scores), Maurice Bryant (2) and David Penland (1).
But the highlight play of the night came from 5-foot-11 Robert Jones.
Late in the first quarter after New Mexico scored to go up 7-6, Jones fielded the kick in along the back wall and went up the middle.
The Wildcats swarmed him at about midfield but Jones kept his legs churning and emerged in a Barry Sanders-style run, taking it to the house. Arizona never trailed again.
"It's Monday night, man," Jones said. "It's every kid's dream to play on Monday night.
"They've gotta wrap up because if not, I'll keep on moving and I'm in the end zone."
Jones was having fun, even if it was their semi-weekly showdown with New Mexico.
"Right now, towards the end of the season, they've got their 30-man (roster) and they stay with it," he said. "But this league is you could be here today, you could be gone tomorrow. Sometimes we play different ballplayers. Some of the guys stick around but if they're not doing the job then they'll get somebody else. So I just go out and play ball and every game is competitive."
AZ 63, NM 27
Scoring by Quarters:
New Mexico 7 6 8 6-27
Arizona 14 15 13 21-63
First quarter
AZ-Bryant 4 pass from DeGrenier, 9:00 (kick failed) - 6-0
NM-C. Davis 30 pass from Hall, 10:15 (Nava kick) - 6-7
AZ-Jones 57 kick return, 11:23 (Miyahira run) - 14-7
Second quarter
NM-Haliburton 6 pass from Hall, 1:00 (kick failed) - 14-13
AZ-Bryant 11 pass from DeGrenier, 13:25 (Penland run) - 22-13
AZ-Penland 40 pass from DeGrenier, 14:45 (Miyahira kick) - 29-13
Third quarter
AZ-Jackson 30 pass from DeGreneir, :55 (Miyahira kick) - 36-13
NM-Haliburton 11 pass from Hall, 6:00 (C. Davis pass from Hall) - 36-21
AZ-Jackson 4 pass from DeGrenier, 9:12 (run failed) - 42-21
Fourth quarter
AZ-Jackson 2 run, 3:20 (kick failed) - 48-21
AZ-Beard 35 interception return, 4:54 (run failed) - 54-21
NM-White 50 interception return, 11:00 (run failed) - 54-27
AZ-Jackson 2 pass from DeGrenier, 13:30 (Jackson pass from Jones) - 62-27
AZ-Miyahira rouge, 14:00 - 63-27