game previews:
Las Vegas (1-2) at New York (0-3) Saturday, 7:00 pm EST
UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Dragons will be looking for their first win of the season when they play host to the Las Vegas Gladiators on Saturday evening.
The Dragons, who lost their last game at Grand Rapids, 66-63, are 3-14 in the regular season since winning four in a row to close the 2001 season. They dropped seven games in a row before winning last season's finale at Toronto in overtime, 66-65.
New York was in position to win last week, leading by eight points following Steve Papin's 53-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 2:12 left. The Rampage scored twice in twice in the final 30 seconds, however, including a 47-yard field goal with five seconds left.
QB Aaron Garcia went 30-for-41 with 380 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. He connected with Mike Furrey 10 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns and with Papin nine times for 109 and two scores.
Garcia, who played for the Gladiators in 1997 and 1998, holds the league record for most touchdowns in a game (11) and in a season (104) while playing for New York in 2001.
The Gladiators are coming off an overtime win over Tampa Bay on Monday night, 61-55. Sedrick Robinson, who had a 56-yard kickoff return earlier in the game, scored from two yards out in the extra session for the win.
Quarterback Jay McDonagh, who set a team record with 381 yards passing in Week 1, only threw for 189 yards last week but fired three touchdown strikes and ran for two more scores. McDonagh threw for six touchdowns and ran for another the last time he faced off against the Dragons.
This will be the fifth matchup between the two teams and the first since the Gladiators moved from New Jersey to Las Vegas. The series is currently tied at two games apiece with the Gladiators winning the last meeting, 76-50, on July 6, 2002.
Buffalo (2-1) at Georgia (2-1) Saturday, 7:30 pm EST
DULUTH, Georgia (Ticker) -- If the Buffalo Destroyers are going to extend their winning streak to three games, they are going to have to do it without the services of starting quarterback Jeff Loots when they travel to the Gwinnett Center to face the Georgia Force on Saturday.
Loots, who was placed on injured reserve after separating his left shoulder during Buffalo's 49-45 win over Arizona last Friday, is expected to miss two weeks. Loots was eighth in the league in passing yards with 673 and had thrown for 13 touchdowns.
In Loots' absence, backup Tim Carey will get the starting nod. Carey, a four-year AFL veteran, completed his only pass attempt last week in relief. His 25-yard completion came during the Destroyers' winning drive in the game's final minute.
Wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White has been named Ironman of the Game in both of Buffalo's wins. He has caught seven passes for 146 and four touchdowns and has contributed eight defensive tackles.
The Force will be looking to win back-to-back home games for the first time in club history after their 51-49 win over the defending champion San Jose SaberCats last week. Last week's win came as time expired when quarterback James Brown connected with Darryl Hammond in the back of the endzone.
Brown, who started in place of injured Donnie Davis, went 23-for-37 for 219 yards and four touchdowns to lead the team to victory.
Hammond, who is in his record 13th season in the league, caught six passes for 58 yards and three scores in last week's victory. He had been held to only one touchdown over the first two games of the season.
This will be the second meeting of these two teams. Georgia claimed the first with a 54-33 triumph on July 6, 2002.
Tampa Bay (1-2) at Grand Rapids (3-0) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (Ticker) -- One of only four remaining undefeated teams, the Grand Rapids Rampage seek to match their best start since their 2001 championship season when they host the Tampa Bay Storm on Sunday.
Trailing the winless New York Dragons last week for most of the contest, Grand Rapids rallied from a 24-point deficit to tie the score on a touchdown by quarterback Clint Dolezel with just 27 seconds remaining.
After a New York penalty gave the club a field-goal chance with no time left on the clock, Brian Gowins nailed a 47-yarder to keep the Rampage undefeated.
Dolezel finished 16-for-26 for 250 yards with six touchdowns and an interception. On the season, he has 15 touchdowns versus a pair of interceptions and stands seventh in the league in passing yards with a 260.3 average.
Offensive specialist Steve Smith, who caught a team-high 26 TDs for Grand Rapids in 2002, has picked up where he left off last season, recording 19 catches for 240 yards and eight touchdowns.
Tampa Bay, which has lost its last two games, has struggled on defense since its opening-week win over Carolina. After limiting the Cobras to 20 points, the Storm has given up an average of 56 points.
Quarterback John Kaleo has the offense clicking, leading Tampa Bay to an average of 55.3 points and 256.3 passing yards per game. He has tossed 17 touchdowns, including seven to the team's top receiving threat Freddie Solomon.
Dallas (2-1) at Detroit (2-1) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
DETROIT (Ticker) -- Despite suffering a tough loss to the Orlando Predators last week, the Dallas Desperados will travel to Detroit this weekend seeking the best start in franchise history.
Only three weeks into the season, Dallas has quickly established itself as one of the most competitive teams in the Arena League. Quarterback Jim Kubiak is one of the big reasons for the change.
Against one of the league's premier teams last week, Kubiak had an MVP-type game, completing 22-of-36 pass attempts for 272 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. Currently, he is fifth in the league with a passer rating of 120.0.
This week, he will be going up against the Desperados' former offensive coordinator, Tom Luginbill, and starting quarterback, Andy Kelly.
Luginbill left the team at the end of last season to become both the offensive coordinator and the director of player personnel for Detroit. One of his first moves was to acquire Kelly, who led Dallas into the playoffs as an expansion franchise.
So far, things have not been so rosy for both men. The Fury rank 12th out of 14 teams in scoring offense (48.0) and 11th in total offense with 254.7 yards per game.
Yet, the team has won its last two games behind a stellar defense that has surrendered just 37.5 points in those victories.
One of the key contributors to that defense has been Rob Carpenter. Currently, he is tied for fifth in the league in tackles (18.5), has an interception and forced a fumble.
Los Angeles (3-0) at Chicago (0-3) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Avengers look to remain undefeated when they visit the lowly Chicago Rush at Allstate Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Los Angeles is off to its best start in franchise history and is just one of four unbeaten teams left in the league. The team is coming off a thrilling 59-53 overtime victory in Colorado.
Quarterback Tony Graziani threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins in the extra session for the Avengers, who own a two-game lead atop the Western Division.
Graziani finished 21-of-34 for 232 yards and four TDs as Los Angeles has established itself as the No. 1 scoring offense in the league (64.0 points per game). The team is also perfect this year in the red zone.
Chicago, which only had five losses as Eastern Division champs last season, is hoping to avoid its fourth in a row and fifth straight regular-season defeat dating back to last year.
The Rush fell to Indiana, 28-23, last week despite holding a 227-140 advantage in total yards. It marked the first time in franchise history where they failed to reach the 40-point plateau in three straight weeks.
QB Chad Salisbury went 29-of-44 with a pair of TDs and two interceptions. Offensive specialist Antonio Chatman, a finalist for the 2002 Rookie of the Year, has caught 27 balls for 290 yards and just one TD this season.
Chicago boasts the second-ranked defense in the circuit (212.7 yards per game) but has yet to record an interception after leading the league last year with 22.
