Sunday’s finale between the Atlanta Legends and San Diego Fleet capped off Week 2 of the Alliance of American Football season. The Legend and Fleet entered this game looking for their first win of the year, and this matchup also marked the official return of football to San Diego. Not surprisingly, the fans were excited and the game was tight throughout the first half.
Atlanta and San Diego both disappointed in their openers, with the former falling to the Orlando Apollos 40-6 on the road. As for the Fleet, they couldn’t get much going offensively, losing to the Birmingham Iron 15-6 in Week 1.
The Legends offense struggled mightily in the opener, with quarterback Matt Simms throwing for just 126 yards and two interceptions. In total, Atlanta totaled 224 yards of offense and failed to score a point in the second half.
Although San Diego was a bit better, totaling 295 yards of offense, their two quarterbacks in Mike Bercovici and Philip Nelson were intercepted a combined three times. They had a few bright spots in running back Ja’Quan Gardner (eight carries, 55 yards) and a trio of pass-catchers. Gavin Escobar caught four passes for 66 yards, Brian Brown hauled in five for 66 and Dontez Ford had a line of three grabs for 56 yards.
We’re going to dive into the highlights for this game along with an updated look at the score. Following the game, a breakdown of the final stats will be provided as well.
Updated Score & Highlights: Atlanta vs. San Diego
Note: Highlights courtesy of the Alliance of American Football or specific teams. Stats courtesy of either AAF.com or No Extra Points.
Malachi Jones Extends Atlanta’s Early Lead: 9-0
Fleet With the Third-Down Sack
Philip Nelson Hits Nelson Spruce
*Via The Athletic’s Arif Hasan
Fleet Force Turnover With Interception Late in Second Quarter
Philip Nelson Hits Brian Brown for Nice Throw & Catch
Nelson Throws Backwards, Over-The-Head Pass – Completed
Screen Pass Goes for Big Gain, Puts Atlanta Inside Red Zone
Fleet Score First Touchdown in Franchise History: 15-12
Ja’Quan Gardner Takes Over With Big Run & Touchdown
Shakir Soto Brings Down Matt Simms
Final score: 24-12 San Diego Fleet
Atlanta Legends vs. San Diego Fleet Notable Final Stats
*All stats and box scores from No Extra Points and will be updated after the game.
Quarterbacks
- ATL: Matt Simms – 17/25, 160 yards, one touchdown, one interception
- SD: Philip Nelson – 14/30, 142 yards, one interception
Running Backs
- ATL: Lawrence Pittman – nine carries, 42 yards
- SD: Ja’Quan Gardner – 15 carries, 104 yards, two touchdowns
- SD: Terrell Watson – 14 carries, 49 yards
Wide Receivers, Tight Ends & Running Backs (Receiving)
- ATL: Akrum Wadley – eight catches, 70 yards
- ATL: Malachi Jones – three catches, 37 yards, one touchdown
- SD: Nelson Spruce – four catches, 58 yards
- SD: Brian Brown – three catches, 27 yards
Defense
- ATL: Tyson Graham Jr. – eight tackles, 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery
- ATL: Ed Reynolds – six tackles (one for loss), two passes defensed, one sack
- ATL: Damian Swann – five tackles (one for loss), one pass defensed
- ATL: Jeff Luc – five tackles (two for loss)
- ATL: Tracy Sprinkle – three tackles (one for loss), one sack
- ATL: Carlos Merritt – one interception
- SD: Eric Pinkins – four tackles (one for loss), one quarterback hit
- SD: Shakir Soto – three tackles (one for loss), 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits
- SD: Curtis Mikell – two tackles, two passes defensed
- SD: Gelen Robinson – two tackles (one for loss), one sack
- SD: Damontre Moore – one tackle, three quarterback hits, 0.5 sacks
- SD: Ryan Moeller – one tackle, one interception
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