Aztecs 21 @ Shock 29
Javier Nogales

The Aztecs continued their six week road trip with a stop in the always unfriendly confines of The Shockzone.  The Aztecs looked to continue their improbable unbeaten run against their division rivals in what was likely to be a game decided on the ground.  Memphis, as expected, ran the ball on nearly every single down but it was the Aztecs who managed the only major of the first quarter as Granville Bashline scored on a sweep from 34 yards out for a 7-3 lead.  The second quarter saw Flash Quentin continue to rack up the yards on the ground as he found the endzone on a 1 yard plunge. The Aztecs responded when a 39 yard completion to Jason Zink was fumbled into the endzone and recovered by lineman Trent Rodgers. Halftime saw the visitors nursing a narrow 14-10 lead.

The third quarter was all Memphis as Flash continued his rushing display while the Aztecs passing game struggled mightily. A 23 yard Quentin score after a blocked Aztec punt combined with a Benson field goal moved the Shock up 20-14 heading into the fourth quarter.  The Aztecs continued to struggle through the air but another Bashline rushing touchdown moved the Aztecs to within two points at 23-21 with 9 minutes and change remaining. Unfortunately for Aztecs fans, the Shock defense continued to control Rodney White while Flash Quentin dominated on the ground.  The Aztecs could pull no closer and the Shock earned the first ever victory over the Aztecs by a 29-21 final score.

White finished his worst game as a professional with a very disappointing 72 yards and one interception on 3 of 20 passing.  Bashline carried the offense in a losing cause with 234 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries (10.6 ypc).


Aztec Player of the Game
RB Granville Bashline
22 rushes for 234 yards and 2 TD
Granville was the only thing that kept this game close.

Aztec Injury Update
The entire Aztec lineup was available for the game and there were no injuries to report.

Upcoming Aztec Game
The Aztecs look to rebound against another division rival as their brutal road trip continues in Albuquerque.

Aztecs 54 @ Henchmen 17
Javier Nogales

The month and half long Aztec road trip continued with a relatively short trip up to Houston to face the Henchmen and their new owner.  The Henchmen seemed to catch the Aztecs by surprise on their first drive as they ran the ball on each and every down of an 11 play touchdown drive that took more than 5 minutes.  This was the same formula the Henchmen employed in their victory the week before, leaving one to wonder how the Aztecs were caught so off guard.

The Aztecs offense finally got on the field and Rodney White showed signs of rust after sitting out last week when his first two passes were off the mark and his third pass was intercepted at midfield.  The Aztecs defense got their wake up call five minutes late but forced a 3 and out.  When White got back on the field he still looked shaky, with three more passes hitting the turf.  The Aztec defense forced another punt and then Rodney finally got his game going as he hit Durning twice and then Zink in the endzone for a 38 yard touchdown to knot the game at seven.

The teams traded punts again and then the floodgates finally opened for the Aztec offense.  In the second quarter Zink and Durning both added touchdown receptions and Stanton Loofburrow kicked a couple of field goals to send the Aztecs into halftime with a 27-7 lead.  The third quarter saw two more Loofburrow field goals and another Durning touchdown catch give the Aztecs 40 unanswered points and a nearly insurmountable 40-7 lead.  Durning and White connected for two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter before Aztec-for-a-week Todd Shell led the Henchmen on a scoring drive that produced the final tally of 54-17 for Mexico City.

White finished the day with 467 yards and 6 touchdowns, but also gave the ball up on two interceptions.  Durning (247 yards and 4 TD) and Zink (125 yards and 2 TD) were his favorite targets on the day and Granville Bashline put in another solid effort with 140 yards on 22 carries.


Aztec Player of the Game
WR Reggie Durning
9 receptions for 247 yards and 4 TD
Reggie was able to get behind Houston coverage for big plays on several occasions, posting five catches greater than 25 yards.

Aztec Injury Update
S Justin Stahl, S Art Hartford, and DE Patrick Olivarez all missed the game but are expected to return for week 7.
ILB Jay Cruickshank, CB Mike Worthy, and T Jesse Bain were all forced out of the game but are expected to play next week.

Upcoming Aztec Game
The biggest game of the season looms ahead as the Aztecs travel to Memphis with the division lead on the line.

Aztecs 27 @ Attack 22
Javier Nogales

Week 5 found the Aztecs continuing their six game road trip with a TUFF Bowl rematch against the Boston Attack.  The game started out on a sour note for the Aztecs as rookie sensation Rodney White came up lame in pregame warmups with a sore shoulder.  Team doctors recommended keeping him out of the game as a precaution so coach Davis turned to veteran Fred Kelly on short notice.  Backup quarterbacks appeared to be the order of the day as Zoltan Zephyr also got the call to open the game and took the majority of snaps in place of All-TUFF quarterback Quinn Gray.  Kelly and Zoltan both enjoyed some struggles in the first quarter but Kelly rebounded to engineer two second quarter drives capped with touchdown passes to Jason Zink and Brent Hadnot.  The Aztecs defense bent but didn't break during the first half, allowing just two Wally Attia field goals enroute to a 17-6 halftime lead.

After a third quarter that saw the teams swap field goals things started to get a little more lively.  With over 13 minutes left in the game the Aztecs marched the ball down the field, milking 3 minutes off the clock and adding another score on a beautiful 39 yard draw right up the middle by Song Ko.  As the extra point sailed through the uprights to give Mexico City a 27-9 lead the only sound you could hear in the building was Granville Bashline on the Aztecs sideline.  "Granville wants the damn ball!  Granville deserves the damn ball!  Give Granville the ******* ball!".

It didn't take long for the noise level in Veterans Memorial Stadium to pick back up as Quinn Gray led the Attack 80 yards in less than 2 minutes.  His 21 yard touchdown pass to TE Lewis Fonda pulled Boston within 12, but a failed conversion kept them down 27-15.  The Attack defense forced a very quick three and out that gave Boston the ball at their own 18 yard line.  Zephyr looked better than he has in the last three seasons with Memphis as he drove Boston down the field for another Fonda touchdown reception in only three and a half minutes.  The convert moved the Attack to within a touchdown at 27-22 with three minutes on the clock.

The Aztecs took over at their own 23 and called upon Bashline, still screaming for the ball, to prove his worth.  Bashline did nothing of the sort as he was stopped for a loss of three and no gain on two carries.  The Aztecs had to punt it away at the two minute warning but succeeded in forcing Boston to burn their final timeout.

With 80 yards and 2 minutes between them and victory Zoltan Zephyr was sent out to lead the Attack.  Two completions and 17 yards later Quinn Gray popped in the game long enough to hit Tramon Thomas out of the backfield for 16 more yards to setup Boston at the Aztecs 47 with 1:14 on the clock.  Zephyr returned to the field and found Albert Van near the sideline at the Aztec 34.  Van tried desperately to get out of bounds but Jose Simas (replacing the injured Barry Kelleher) closed quickly and kept Van in bounds and the clock running.  Zephyr missed Danny Liu deep along the sideline to stop the clock with only 28 seconds left.  Zephyr dropped back deep on the final play, looking deep along the left side where rookie Rick Forman (replacing an injured Mike Worthy) had blanket coverage on Howard Barone.  Zoltan looked back to the right and spotted Liu breaking free just as Aztec linebacker Jay Cruickshank finally broke free of a block and clobbered Zephyr from his blind side.
The Boston receivers raced back to the line but the clock ran out on Boston's chances at revenge before they could get another snap off.


Aztec Player of the Game
QB Fred Kelly
24-39 for 251 yards and 2 TD
Fred started the game on short warning and did a great job managing the offense against a very strong Boston defense.  He avoided any key mistakes and gave the Aztecs every opportunity to win this game.

Aztec Injury Update
CB Barry Kelleher missed the game with a sore back but is expected to return for week 6.
DE Patrick Olivarez didn't return after halftime with a strained groin and is doubtful for week 6.
S Justin Stahl re-injured his ankle in the third quarter and is also doubtful for week 6.
S Art Hartford came in to replace Stahl and injured his hand in the fourth quarter.  Hartford is also doubtful for week 6.

Upcoming Aztec Game
The Aztecs continue their road a little closer to home as they travel to Houston to face the Mean Machin... err Machin... err Henchman?  You know, the team with Todd Shell.

Aztecs 61 @ Vipers 16
Javier Nogales

Mexico City moved their record to 4-0 and extended their unbeaten streak to 14 games (including season X playoffs) with a convincing win in Sacramento.  The Vipers had been erecting macabre monuments to each of their victims prior to this game, but the stench of death came from their sidelines on this afternoon.  Rookie sensation Rodney White was once the driving force behind the Aztec victory as he went 27 of 39 for 531 yards and 6 touchdowns.  Reggie Durning finally showed Aztec fans why he was brought into to replace Art Kulwicki as he hauled in 6 passes for 139 yards and two scores.  White's favorite target, tight end Jason Zink, also put on yet another strong showing as he caught 8 balls to add 144 yards and 2 touchdowns to his league leading totals in both categories.  Granville Bashline got some playing time and put together 119 total yards on 23 touches.

The Aztecs defense swarmed all over the Vipers offense, racking up 14 sacks and creating four turnovers.  Former Aztec Jimmy Dix was at his absolute worst as he was sacked 9 times while throwing 3 interceptions on his way to a 45.6 quarterback rating.  Adam Siu and Justin Stahl both got their first interceptions as Aztecs while Sid Favor got his first sack as an Aztec and celebrated by adding three more.

The Aztecs continue their six game road trip with a visit to Boston for their stiffest test yet.  This TUFF Bowl rematch looks to be a great litmus test for both clubs.

Aztec Player of the Game
QB Rodney White
27-39 for 531 yards and 6 TD
A stellar game against a stiff defense has fans around the league taking notice of the rookie sensation.

Upcoming Aztec Game
The Aztecs travel to Boston for a TUFF Bowl X rematch that will prove a very stiff challenge.