Getty Steve Spurrier is the head coach of the Orlando Apollos.
AAF Scores
Orlando 40
Atlanta 6
Final
San Antonio 15
San Diego 6
Final
Steve Spurrier’s “Sun and Gun” offense did not disappoint in the AAF kickoff game. Spurrier’s Orlando Apollos jumped out to a 22-6 lead over the Atlanta Legends at halftime and never looked back. Garrett Gilbert found former Ohio State wide receiver Jalin Marshall for an exciting touchdown catch that was initially ruled incomplete.
Spurrier challenged the ruling on the field, and it resulted in the first touchdown in AAF history. Gilbert looked for Marshall several times in the first half. Marshall even threw a touchdown pass of his own to Gilbert in Orlando’s version of “Philly, Philly.” Here’s a look at Marshall’s touchdown pass.
Gilbert threw for 131 yards and a touchdown (along with a receiving TD) in the first half for Orlando. Atlanta’s Matt Simms threw for 77 yards and an interception in the first two quarters. Simms would struggle mightily in the second half.
Gilbert found running back D’Ernest Johnson for a touchdown pass to take a 31-6 commanding lead with a little more than 12 minutes remaining in the game. Just a few plays later, Terence Garvin came up with a pick-6 as Orlando took a 37-6 lead. It marked Garvin’s second interception of the game.
The Atlanta offense looked overmatched as the Orlando defense forced them into multiple turnovers. It is back to the drawing board for Atlanta who lost both their head coach and offensive coordinator with less than a month to go before the start of the season.
San Antonio Defeated San Diego Thanks to a Strong 4th Quarter
Back in San Antonio, there was a little less offensive excitement in the other AAF opener. The San Antonio Commanders were tied with the San Diego Fleet 6-6 for much of the game. Logan Woodside threw for 95 yards in the first half for San Antonio. Ja’Quan Gardner rushed for 40 yards for San Diego in the first half.
San Diego quarterback Mike Bercovici sustained a vicious hit against San Antonio.
QB got absolutely crushed. Helmet fell off and all. And no flag in the AAF.
It was a rough game for Bercovici who ended up getting benched in the second half. San Diego protected quarterback Josh Johnson in the draft, but Johnson now plays in the NFL. The San Diego offense struggled throughout the game.
San Antonio running back Kenneth Farrow scored the team’s first touchdown as the Commanders jumped out to a 12-6 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Farrow’s touchdown would push San Antonio ahead and the Commanders would cruise to a 15-6 victory over the Fleet.
What Is the AAF?
The Alliance of American Football is a new league that started right after the NFL season ended. Rather than attempting to compete with the NFL, the AAF is looking to be a developmental professional football league that the NFL can benefit from.
“When people have attempted to do this in the past, they’ve tried to go away from the NFL, either to be competitive with them or to offer some sort of alternative version of football, be it in an arena or whatever,” co-founder Charlie Ebersol told Fox Business. “We went in the opposite direction. We really believe that the thing makes us different from other leagues is how similar we are to the NFL.”
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AAF Scores: Orlando Tops Atlanta & San Antonio Defeats San Diego