The San Diego Fleet’s resounding 31-11 victory over the San Antonio Commanders on Sunday has resulted in The Alliance of American Football Player of the Week honors for two Fleet players.
Running back Ja’Quan Gardner, who rushed for 122 yards in the win, was named Offensive Player of the Week while linebacker A.J. Tarpley’s 27-yard interception return for a touchdown earned him the Defensive Player of the Week nod.
10.2 yards per carry and a Pick 6️⃣!Congratulations to the #SDFleet Players of the Week @_JGWentworth_32 and @AJTarpley! pic.twitter.com/4CulVvenJD
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet)
February 26, 2019 Gardner rushed 12 times for an Alliance single game record 122 yards (10.2 yards per carry) in the win. He also became the first player in Alliance history with back to back 100 yard rushing performances (104 yards in Week 2). And his 83-yard touchdown run was the longest play from scrimmage in the Alliance's first three weeks. It came with 8:09 to play in the third quarter and gave the Fleet a 28-8 lead.
.@_JGWentworth_32 went 83 yards for the longest TD in @TheAAF history!Week 3 @DrinkAmethyst Play Of The Game | Happiness Is In What You Drink pic.twitter.com/9cpXRw0Z5X
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet)
February 27, 2019 Tarpley’s touchdown gave San Diego a lead they never relinquished. It came with 10:56 to play in the second quarter and put the Fleet ahead 14-8 following a successful two point conversion. He also had five tackles -- one for loss -- and a pass defensed.
The Fleet travel to Memphis to face the Express in a Week 4 game on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT). The game will be streamed on B/R Live.
Memphis was down 9-0 at halftime last week, and the Express received a jolt of energy when quarterback Zach Mettenberger entered the game, but it wasn’t enough. The former LSU Tiger threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns, but the defense couldn’t hold on in the fourth quarter, falling to the Orlando Apollos 21-17 Saturday night.
Mettenberger’s first touchdown pass came on a 30 yard corner route in the right end zone to wide receiver Devin Lucien to make the score 9-6 Orlando. His other touchdown came on a 40 yard go route to Gerrard Sheppard down the left sideline to put the game in reach at 21-17 in the fourth quarter.
Take a look at it again -- The first passing TD in Express history was a beauty from #MettShow to @D_Lucien15!-- | #AllAboard pic.twitter.com/XdrhGYFqBq
— Memphis Express (@aafexpress)
February 25, 2019 Mettenberger showed complete command of the offense and used his strong arm to push the ball downfield, adding a different dimension to the offense that was missing the first two weeks. Not only did Mettenberger make accurate throws downfield, but he showed good mobility in the pocket by avoiding sacks on both of his touchdown throws. Mettenberger averaged 10 yards per attempt Saturday night. It appeared clear Mettenberger would be the guy going forward, and head coach Mike Singletary confirmed that early Monday.
Stats don't lie, and the Fleet's defensive line has become the Alliance's best in a hurry. Only two teams have double digits in sacks. Only two teams have 20 or more quarterback hurries. But one team is in the top two in both. And when sacks and hurries are combined, the San Diego Fleet are second to none . . . by a lot. The Fleet are second in sacks with 11, two behind San Antonio. But the Fleet are dominating the Alliance in hurries with 26, and only the Fleet’s Saturday opponent, the Memphis Express, is even close with 20. The Fleet’s combined 37 sacks/hurries are six better than No. 2 San Antonio and 10 better than No. 3 Salt Lake.
What a sack by @pittboy52! ------ #AllHandsOnDeck pic.twitter.com/FByzKejjYK
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet)
February 25, 2019 And that goes a long way to explaining why the Fleet have allowed only 38 points and three total touchdowns through three games.
So let's hope Coach Martz can have his team ready to go play on a short week and on the road, where his team only managed 6 points the last time they had to travel. But that was with a different quarterback and before San Diego discovered its identity on offense as the best running team in the league. With a win on Saturday, the Fleet can take sole possession of first place.
Saturday's Week 4 matchups. -- #JoinTheAlliance-- | @brlive & @nflnetwork-- | https://t.co/m6ssSzpAg2 pic.twitter.com/Paw0NT7bEf
— The Alliance (@TheAAF)
February 27, 2019 #Allhandsondeck
