Post by rkb on Jun 29, 2008 14:22:46 GMT -5
www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=275502&pub=1&div=Sports
MudCats finish strong
6/29/2008 9:57:21 AM
Daily Journal
By John L. Pitts
Daily Journal
In a season of wild finishes and improbable comebacks for the Mississippi MudCats, add one more.
The 'Cats, trailing by 13 points late in the third quarter on the road, rallied for a pair of touchdowns and a 43-41 win against the Fayetteville (N.C.) Guard on Saturday night.
Aries Nelson, making his second start, threw six touchdowns as the MudCats finished the regular season 13-1. They'll return home to open the playoffs next Saturday against the Columbus Lions.
"This is as good as it could get," said interim head coach William McCarthy, now 2-0 at the team's helm. "We didn't want anybody to be able to say that last week's win was a fluke. A lot of people around the league thought we were just going to fall apart."
McCarthy was promoted after the team’s top three coaches and starting quarterback quit on June 19. The new-look team won 36-21 at Augusta last weekend.
He faced the biggest challenge of his brief tenure, though, when Fayetteville took a 41-29 lead on Wilmont Perry's second scoring run of the game.
While the MudCats' defense tossed a fourth-quarter shutout, Nelson threw touchdowns of 6 yards to Darryl Carter and 40 yards to Josh Smith, the second TD with 3:13 remaining.
Earlier, Nelson had thrown four TDs (3, 30, 26, 21) to Maurice Avery.
"We definitely have found some plays Aries is comfortable with, he did a much better job of staying calm in the beginning and he hit the open receivers," McCarthy said. "He did everything we asked of him."
The loss at home spoiled a slim playoff chance for Fayetteville.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/29/2008, section 0 , page 0
MudCats finish strong
6/29/2008 9:57:21 AM
Daily Journal
By John L. Pitts
Daily Journal
In a season of wild finishes and improbable comebacks for the Mississippi MudCats, add one more.
The 'Cats, trailing by 13 points late in the third quarter on the road, rallied for a pair of touchdowns and a 43-41 win against the Fayetteville (N.C.) Guard on Saturday night.
Aries Nelson, making his second start, threw six touchdowns as the MudCats finished the regular season 13-1. They'll return home to open the playoffs next Saturday against the Columbus Lions.
"This is as good as it could get," said interim head coach William McCarthy, now 2-0 at the team's helm. "We didn't want anybody to be able to say that last week's win was a fluke. A lot of people around the league thought we were just going to fall apart."
McCarthy was promoted after the team’s top three coaches and starting quarterback quit on June 19. The new-look team won 36-21 at Augusta last weekend.
He faced the biggest challenge of his brief tenure, though, when Fayetteville took a 41-29 lead on Wilmont Perry's second scoring run of the game.
While the MudCats' defense tossed a fourth-quarter shutout, Nelson threw touchdowns of 6 yards to Darryl Carter and 40 yards to Josh Smith, the second TD with 3:13 remaining.
Earlier, Nelson had thrown four TDs (3, 30, 26, 21) to Maurice Avery.
"We definitely have found some plays Aries is comfortable with, he did a much better job of staying calm in the beginning and he hit the open receivers," McCarthy said. "He did everything we asked of him."
The loss at home spoiled a slim playoff chance for Fayetteville.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/29/2008, section 0 , page 0