Recap
The Portland Thunder debuted Monday to a nearly sold out crowd of 8,509 at the Moda Center for the Rose City’s first Arena football game in this millennium. Facing a tough test, the Thunder squared off with the San Jose Sabercats, a tough defensive test. Going into the game, one of the major storylines became the quarterback situation for the Thunder. With Darron Thomas, former Oregon Duck, ostensibly the starter, the team said it would be splitting playing time between Thomas and Nathan Enderle.
The game started off strong for the Thunder. Darron Thomas led the Thunder on a long drive that went nearly six minutes before he snuck in for six. While things started well for the Thunder, the game deteriorated rapidly for Portland. San Jose quarterback Russ Michna threw three touchdowns in his first four passes and the Sabercats jumped out to a 20-7 lead. The uncertain QB situation manifested itself in the second quarter as Nathan Enderle came in and quickly scored a touchdown of his own on the ground.
The two Thunder quarterbacks each slung a passing touchdown (including a particularly nice one from Enderle to Jeffre Solomon for 32 yards) in the first half as well but San Jose continued to keep pace with the Thunder. At the half, the Cats held a 37-27 lead.
However, at this point, the game quickly shifted in favor of San Jose. In a sport renowned for its offense, the Thunder looked inept in the second half. Held scoreless in the third quarter, the Thunder defense surrendered another two touchdowns to San Jose, falling 50-27 by the end of the quarter. Throughout the quarter, Thomas remained at quarterback, despite looking largely ineffective, hurried in the pocket and throwing an interception.
The fourth quarter saw Enderle retake the reins as quarterback. He looked more relaxed in the pocket and found a stronger rhythm, ending the Thunder scoring drought with 5:47 to play in the game. Nonetheless, at this point, the Thunder were down 57-34, effectively out of reach. San Jose added one more score, making the game 64-34, which is where it would end.
Analysis
While the number of points scored against the Thunder is certainly a concern, it is strongly a byproduct of offensive struggles. Without a doubt, the Thunder suffered from the amount of pressure getting to the quarterbacks, who had a hard time staying upright. After the game, quarterback Darron Thomas acknowledged these problems.
“It’s still football but at the end of the day, today was our first game and I know I had a big wakeup call with the pressure and I had to get the ball out quick. That’s what I am going to work on next week, getting the ball out quick.”
Perhaps some of the largest troubles come from the still brewing quarterback controversy. Neither Thomas nor Enderle seemed to know a set plan of when each would be playing, making it difficult for the offenses to establish rhythm. Enderle himself acknowledged these difficulties.
“I think it’s always tough when you switch your quarterbacks. It’s tough to get in the rhythm, not only for the quarterbacks but for the guys around them. Everyone quarterback has their own way of calling plays and running things in the huddle.”
On the passing front, the quarterback controversy appears to tilt towards Enderle. Darron Thomas completed just 11 passes in 27 attempts, and threw for one touchdown and one interception. Enderle, on the other hand, completed 10 of 19 passes and two touchdowns.
Despite the loss, there were bright spots for the Thunder, particularly Duane Brooks, who had an outstanding day on special teams, as well as hauling in 7 catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns, earning the spot as the team’s leading receiver. On defense, Bryce Peila stood out, hauling in an interception and leading a defense that was hampered by early game injuries.
The bright spots offer a glimpse of potential for the new Arena Football team in Portland but there are certainly kinks to work out before the Iowa Barnstormers come to town to face the Thunder on March 24th at the Moda Center.
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