UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE DEBUTS IN OMAHAAND SACRAMENTO IN WEEK 2 OF 2010 SEASON
The United Football League’s second season is underway and on Friday night, the much-anticipated debut of the Omaha Nighthawks will take place at Rosenblatt Stadium against the Hartford Colonials (1-0) (HDNet, 8pm EDT). On Saturday night, professional football returns to Sacramento, California, for the first time in 16 years when the Mountain Lions (0-1) play host to the Florida Tuskers (1-0) (Versus, 11pm EDT).
The Las Vegas Locomotives (0-1) have this week’s bye.
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IT’S ALL ABOUT CLOSE, COMPETITIVE GAMES
The Week 1 matchup between the Florida Tuskers and the Las Vegas Locomotives continued a positive trend in the UFL – close, competitive games. Six of the last 10 games in the league, dating back to the 2009 Premiere Season, have been decided by a touchdown or less. Three such games have been authored by the Tuskers and Locos, whose last three meetings have been decided by 3, 3 and 7 points.
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ATTENDANCES RISING
The 14,384 fans attending the home opener of the Hartford Colonials on Saturday afternoon was the highest regular season attendance in UFL history. That figure beat the 14,292 from October 8, 2009 when the California Redwoods visited the Las Vegas Locomotives. Only the 2009 Championship Game drew more fans. The Omaha Nighthawks have their sights set on a new attendance record this coming weekend.
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THE BEST OF THE BEST FROM WEEK 1
Earning UFL Player of the Week honors for Week 1 were Hartford Colonials quarterback JOSH McCOWN (offense), Las Vegas Locomotives linebacker BRANDON MOORE (defense) and Florida Tuskers kicker NICK NOVAK (special teams).
McCown led the Colonials to the first-ever win in franchise history on Saturday afternoon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, throwing for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 27-10 victory over the Mountain Lions.
McCown completed 11 of 21 passes with no interceptions and connected with running back Lorenzo Booker on an 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass, which turned into the longest pass play in UFL history (previous best: Brooks Bollinger to Jayson Foster, 62 yards, Florida at California, 11/19/09).
Defensive honors went to Las Vegas Locos linebacker BRANDON MOORE, who in his second season with the Locos marked his team’s opener against the Florida Tuskers by recording 7.5 total tackles (6 solo), a sack and a tackle for loss in a 27-20 defeat.
On his UFL debut, Florida Tuskers kicker NICK NOVAK kicked a UFL-record 54-yard field goal to give his team a 17-10 second quarter lead in Florida’s 27-20 win over the Las Vegas Locos to earn the Special Teams Player of the Week award. Novak connected on two field goals, the other coming from 23 yards, and split the uprights on all three extra points.
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RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN
Several statistical United Football League records were broken on the opening day of the UFL season, Saturday, September 18:
Most kickoff returns: Aaron Woods, Sacramento, 6 (tied)
Most punts: Tom Malone, Sacramento, 7 (tied)
2010 UFL STANDINGS
| TEAM | W | L | PCT. | PF | PA | HOME | ROAD |
| Florida Tuskers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 27 | 20 | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Hartford Colonials | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 27 | 10 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Omaha Nighthawks | 0 | 0 | .—- | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Las Vegas Locomotives | 0 | 1 | .000 | 20 | 27 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 0 | 1 | .000 | 10 | 27 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
UFL WEEK 2 PREVIEWS
Hartford Colonials (1-0) at Omaha Nighthawks (0-0) – Friday, September 24, 7 p.m. Central
NOTES: Hartford quarterback JOSH McCOWN threw three touchdown passes in Week 1, his first such game since December 2, 2007… Colonials running back ANDRE DIXON‘s 94 rushing yards were 37 more than the best effort in 2009 by a then-New York Sentinels back… Defensive back MARSHALL MCDUFFIE had the first blocked punt in team history in Week 1… Among the league records set by Hartford last week were most total offensive yards (448), fewest rushing yards allowed (35) and longest pass play (80 yards, McCown to running back LORENZO BOOKER)… Omaha quarterback JEFF GARCIA becomes the third-ever UFL quarterback to start in three different leagues… Nighthawks running back MAURICE CLARETT is slated to make his professional football debut five years after being drafted by the Denver Broncos… Tight end CHRISTIAN HOPKINS played for the Hartford franchise last year when it was based in New York… Omaha was busy on the transaction wire during the bye week, waiving six players and adding four… The Nighthawks are fighting brief UFL history, as teams are 1-3 all-time coming off a bye week.
Florida Tuskers (1-0) at Sacramento Mountain Lions (0-1) – Saturday, September 25, 8pm Pacific
NOTES: This will be the first professional football game played in Sacramento since the Canadian Football League’s Gold Miners played at Hornet Stadium in 1993 and 1994… In two meetings with the then-California Redwoods in 2009, Florida quarterback BROOKS BOLLINGER was 36-for-59 for 445 yards, three touchdowns and one interception (94.2 passer rating)… The Tuskers forced seven turnovers in the two meetings a year ago… Tuskers linebacker TIM MCGARIGLE recovered two opponents’ fumbles in the Week 1 win vs. Las Vegas, a first in UFL history… Florida kicker NICK NOVAK hit a league-record 54-yard field goal last week… Mountain Lions quarterback DAUNTE CULPEPPER‘s 40 pass attempts in Week 1 was his most since October 16, 2005 and the most in UFL history… Sacramento nose tackle JASON STEWART had the only interception by a defensive lineman in the UFL a year ago, a 43-yard touchdown return in the second meeting against the Tuskers… Mountain Lions wide receiver TAYE BIDDLE plays his former team for the first time. As a member of the Tuskers last year, Biddle led the UFL in receiving yards with 453.
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