Written by Garin Turner
Week four of the inaugural AAF season is in the books. Here’s a full breakdown of all the action!
Memphis Express vs San Diego Fleet
The first game of the four-game weekend saw the Memphis Express pick up the victory against the San Diego Fleet 26-23. Memphis overcame a 14-3 first quarter deficit to pull out the win.
The win was the first for Memphis (1-3). The Fleet (2-2) scored first on a 57-yard punt return by cornerback Ron Brooks. After a touchdown pass from Philip Nelson to Dontez Ford for six yards, the Fleet held a 14-0 lead. After another San Diego touchdown, the Express came back which started with 12 unanswered points.
After two field goals, the Express finally found the end zone when quarterback Zach Mettenberger scored on a 1-yard run. The Express followed that with a six-yard touchdown pass from Mettenberger to Terence Magee with 6:08 left in the game. The Express took the lead for good on a 45-yard field goal with 2:46 left in the game by Austin MacGinnis.
Mettenberger finished with 174 passing yards with two scores, one in the air and one on the ground. Running back Zac Stacy finished with 39 yards. Corey Vereen had two sacks for the Express. Drew Jackson had 13 tackles and an interception.
Nelson had 110 passing yards and a touchdown. Alex Ross also had a touchdown pass and 80 yards passing. Terrell Watson had 43 rushing yards for the Fleet. Ford had 71 receiving yards.
Orlando Apollos vs Salt Lake Stallions
The second game saw the Orlando Apollos (4-0) continue its winning ways defeating the Salt Lake Stallions (1-3) 20-11. The Apollos are the only undefeated team in the league.
After a field goal driven first half, the Apollos lead 6-3 at the half. It wasn’t until 6:06 left in the third quarter that the first touchdown was scored. Apollo quarterback Garrett Gilbert connected on a 11-yard pass to Donteea Dye Jr.
The Stallions came back with a touchdown of their own when running back Joel Bouagnon ran for 14 yards to make it a 14-11 game with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. The Stallions wouldn’t score again. Akeem Hunt put the game away with a two-yard run in the fourth.
For the Apollos, Gilbert finished with 244 yards passing and a touchdown. De’Veon Smith had 51 yards on the ground and Charles Johnson had 105 receiving yards. Andrew Ankrah had two sacks.
The Stallions leading rusher was Branden Oliver with 71 yards. Bouagnon added 30 yards and the score. Quarterback Josh Woodrum finished with 161 passing yards.
Briningham Iron vs San Antonio Commanders
In the third game of the week, the San Antonio Commanders (2-2) gave the Birmingham Iron (3-1) its first loss of the season with a final of 12-11.
After a 3-3 game at the half, the first touchdown of the game finally took place with 1:51 left in the third quarter when San Antonio running back Trey Williams scored from 12 yards out to give the Commanders a 9-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Commanders added a 20-yard field goal by Nick Rose for a 12-3 lead with 4:01 left in the game. With 1:44 left in the game, Trent Richardson scored on a 1-yard run. After a failed onside conversion attempt, San Antonio ran the clock out to preserve the win.
For the Commanders, quarterback Logan Woodside had 106 passing yards. Kenneth Farrow II had 142 yards on the ground. For the Iron, Luis Perez threw for 202 yards and Brandon Ross ran for 64 yards.
Atlanta Legends vs Arizona Hotshots
In the final game of week four, the Atlanta Legends (1-3) won its first game of the season, on the road against the Arizona Hotshots (2-2) 14-11.
The first points of the game came on a safety when wide receiver Rashad Ross was trying to make something out of nothing and was tackled in the end zone to give the Legends a 2-0 lead.
The first touchdown of the game came in the second quarter when Denard Robinson scored from 9-yards out to give Atlanta an 8-0 lead. After an Arizona field goal, the Legends took an 8-3 lead into the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Hotshots scored its first touchdown on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ross from John Wolford with 5:27 left in the game to bring the score to 11-11. The winning field goal came with 1:07 left in the game when Younghoe Koo connected on a 44-yarder.
Aaron Murry came off the bench after Matt Simms got hurt in the first quarter and threw for 254 yards. The Legends had a balanced rushing attack. Murray added 54 yards on the ground while Brandon Radcliff had 48 and Robinson had 43.
Wolford had 185 passing yards for the Hotshots. Jhurell Pressley had 110 rushing yards. Ross had 74 receiving yards. Erick Dargan had 11 tackles for the Hotshots.
