Pittsburgh Power fall to San Antonio Talons

Pittsburgh Power wide receiver Mike Washington was the main offensive weapon scoring four touchdowns on the game. The Power fell to the San Antonio Talons 42-37.

The Pittsburgh Power had an opportunity to tie for first place in the division, however the offensive line did not allow much time for quarterback Jordan Jefferson and they fell 42-37.

The Power started out on defense and quarterback Nick Hill, the third of the season for the Talons drove his team down the field. Quickly though, the drive stalled and the Power forced a turnover on downs thanks to a deflection from Sergio Gilliam.

On offense, Pittsburgh tried to move the football, and Jefferson looked more polished, but were held to a Josh Czajkowski field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

Hill and the Talons stepped up though driving down the field. Despite a big hit, Hill would find Dwayne Eley Jr. for a 23 yard touchdown. Hill was shaken up on the play but remained in the game.

Following a Jefferson fumble, San Antonio took over and Hill found their leading receiver Jomo Wilson for a nine yard pass and score to give his time a 14-3 lead in the early stages of the second quarter.

That was when the Jefferson to Mike Washington tandem began to pay dividends as the two combined for a five yard score. The Power momentum continued when the Talons fourth down pass attempt was intercepted by Chris Leflore. This was a big opportunity for the Power.

It was all for naught though as the first play from scrimmage was a fumble from fullback Kirby Griffin giving the Talons the ball back in even better field position than before the interception. The drive ended in a five yard pass from Hill to Wilson.

The Power got the last score of the half as Jefferson connected with Washington again from 15 yards out and the Power trailed 21-17 at the half.

Pittsburgh got the ball to start the half and for a third time Jefferson connected with Washington, a 32 yard pass. Then with the lead the defense held tough and Christian Wise made an interception reaching over the boards. It appeared as though the Power would get their second straight win, but it was not to be.

The Power moving backwards had a fourth down and Jefferson got some rare protection from the offensive line and threw a deep pass intended for Perry Baker. It was thrown perfectly, however Baker did not jump knowing he was wide open. Because of this, the defender was able to catch up to the Power wide receiver and harmlessly deflect the ball. Two plays later Hill found Eley Jr. for a 20 yard touchdown and momentum was on San Antonio’s side up 28-24.

The Power failed to convert on fourth down as Jefferson was sacked and Hill found Burl Toler for a 21 yard score to blow the game open. Following another Pittsburgh turnover on downs, the Talon drive started on the Power three and three rushing plays, Chad Cook ran the ball in to take a 42-24 lead and pull away.

In the middle of the next drive Shane Austin replaced Jefferson at quarterback and ran the ball himself from 17 yards out cutting the lead to 42-31.

The Talons missed a field goal giving the Power some hope, and Austin found Washington for an eight yard touchdown pass. That was Washington’s fourth touchdown of the day, but with 18 seconds time was running out. The onside kick did not work and the Power fell to 1-4 on the season.

They will next face the Orlando Predators Saturday with the kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The first 5,000 fans will receive earbud headphones.