Randy Hippeard has been a surefire quarterback throughout the season. He had 50 touchdowns against five interceptions entering Friday’s tilt with the Jacksonville Sharks at Amway Center. If there was one thing the Predators could count on, it was Hippeard moving the offense and protecting the ball.
On the first drive of the game, that confidence was shaken some.
The Sharks got after Hippeard and got him out of the pocket and got him looking over his shoulder. He fired a pass from about 20 yards out toward the end zone and saw it get intercepted by Greg Reid.
That set the tone for the Predators and the offensive struggles they would have throughout the game. The Sharks had come to play and even their record. The Predators continued to be somewhat listless and lethargic, getting stronger as the game went on but ultimately unable to play catch up in a 59-56 loss, the Predators’ second straight defeat after starting 7-0.
“We turned the ball over too many times,” coach Rob Keefe said. “We didn’t get the ball back. Regardless of how bad I think the refs are in this league, you’ve got to fight through it. It’s embarrassing, quite frankly, that we don’t wake up until the fourth quarter. They started fast out of the gate on us and we weren’t able to match their intensity until the fourth quarter when time ran out.”
The Predators could not seemingly get out of their own way. Hippeard threw two interceptions and put the Predators in a hole from the very beginning and then again in the third quarter.
Orlando again struggled with penalties, particularly on defense, committing 14 penalties for 122 yards. That covers the field two and a half times over nearly. Keefe said it was an embarrassment and a poor reflection on him as a coach that the penalties continued to be a problem.
And several of those penalties came in the end zone as the secondary struggled to corral Joe Hills.
“You have to get physical,” Keefe said. “All three of them had an opportunity to guard him. I think on three fourth downs, he was aided by the refs. I think the back judge is the worst ref in this league. If they want to fine me, fine me. But someone needs to say it. I think the Arena Football League deserved better than that. If they are going to make us work that way, we’ll play against the refs if we have to.”
Penalties aside, the speedy Sharks receiver grabbed 15 catches for 173 yards, scoring eight times to become virtually all of their offense. He seemed to find his way open as he seems to do in every game he plays in this league. Orlando could not track him down despite sending multiple defenders his way.
The Predators though were chasing that extra possession, getting just one stop the entire game. That was the only time the secondary was able to deflect passes in the end zone without committing a penalty. There was no reason for Keefe to be frustrated there.
The Predators cut the lead to one possession but could not get the onside kick on two occasions to make up that extra deficit. In the end, the Predators ran out of time, scoring a touchdown on a pass to Greg Carr on the game’s final possession. Another sign of the team’s lack of urgency and execution throughout the game.
“They came enthused, but at the end of the day it’s just us,” Thompkins said. “We really beat ourselves. We made a few mistakes that was key. We didn’t execute when we needed to. it was basically what we did.”
Brandon Thompkins led the way for Orlando with 11 catches for 131 yards. He scored two touchdowns and added another touchdown on a kickoff return when he took the ball after it bounced off the bottom of the net and outraced the kickoff coverage coming after him.
The Predators played a lot underneath, trying to get Thompkins in space and use his speed. Orlando was fine for most of the game getting down the field. The critical mistakes on the interceptions and penalties continued to put the Predators in a hole.
And unlike previous games, Orlando’s defense was not able to make the one big play to bail the team out.
Instead, the team could not get over the hump. Hills kept on scoring. The Sharks kept on controlling the clock and the deficit kept growing. The Predators could not make up the ground they needed in the end.
And now Orlando has two losses and its first bit of real adversity in the season to deal with. The team is getting its comeuppance while playing with fire earlier in the season.
The directive to right the ship should be a simple one — good or bad calls coming their way.
“Just execute every time we are on the field,” Thompkins said. “That’s how you win games. Execute in every aspect of football. We’ve just got to execute.”
Sun Belt adds fifth bowl affiliation
The AutoNation Cure Bowl may have some more competition for its bowl bid.
The Sun Belt announced earlier this week that it has gained a fifth bowl affiliation with the Tucson Bowl, creating some added competition for Orlando’s third bowl game.
Sun Belt Adds Fifth Primary Bowl Partner with @AZBowlGame vs. @MountainWest
STORY: https://t.co/uPC99z5ivX#FunBelt pic.twitter.com/KVGe0IFM13
— #FunBelt (@SunBelt) May 26, 2016
The Sun Belt assigns bowl teams to its various bowl affiliates and now has a West Coast bowl game for the West Coast teams.
Last year, the Sun Belt struggled to get enough teams to fill its bowl tie ins with a 6-6 Georgia State team coming to Orlando for the inaugural Cure Bowl.
The Sun Belt is once again scheduled to send a team to the Cure Bowl taking place December 17.
Florida Cup to UCF?
Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel reports the UCF Board of Trustees will discuss whether they should bring the Florida Cup soccer tournament to Bright House Networks Stadium next January.
The Florida Cup has pitted German soccer teams against Brazilian teams and has been hosted at Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the last few years. It has become a pretty well-attended event considering it is preseason soccer at a small venue.
According to Russon’s report though, UCF director of athletics Danny White believes bringing the event to UCF’s campus would bring in “significant” revenue to the university.
It is an interesting prospect for sure. The tournament last year featured Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Clube Atletico Mineiro. Top players like Chicharito played in the tournament.
The event will take place somewhere in Central Florida. It will be interesting to see if UCF can get the event moved to its campus.
