[font=Arial,Helvetica]Thunder keeps Ro-lling[/font] [font=Arial,Helvetica]April 18, 2004 NFL Europe [font=Arial,Helvetica] Cologne Centurions 31 Berlin Thunder 35 Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany Attendance: 12,036 [font=verdana,helvetica]Rohan Davey threw four touchdown passes to down the Centurions. photo: photo-stock.co.uk[/font] FOUR first half touchdown passes from quarterback Rohan Davey - including two to wide receiver Richard Alston covering 40 and 45 yards - powered the Thunder to victory over the Centurions as Berlin maintained their undefeated start to the 2004 season. Davey - a Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots this past NFL season - was outstanding during the high-scoring shootout, completing 19 of 27 attempts for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception and a quarterback rating of 127.9. Alston ended the day with 5 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Victory meant the Thunder joined the Frankfurt Galaxy as the only 3-0 teams in NFL Europe and left Cologne still searching for a first win in franchise history after three attempts. The Centurions - who had endured special teams woes in the opening two weeks of the season - kicked off the game only to allow Cleveland Browns allocated wide receiver Alston to run the ball back 49 yards to Cologne's 40-yard line. Two plays later, Berlin took advantage of the outstanding field position as Davey lofted a 40-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to a streaking Alston. Cologne's first possession of the game started badly as running back Avon Cobourne was dropped for a 4-yard loss and quarterback Ryan Van Dyke was then picked off by cornerback Willie Ford at the Centurions 20-yard line on a pass that went through the hands of receiver Albert Johnson. [font=verdana,helvetica]Rick Lantz is 3-0 as a rookie head coach in NFL Europe. photo: photo-stock.co.uk[/font]The Thunder edged close to the end zone on three Ray Jackson runs - including a crucial 3-yard gain on fourth-and-two at the Centurions 12-yard line and short Davey passes to fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury and Alston. On third and goal at the 8-yard line, Davey fired a touchdown strike to German wide receiver Jörg Heckenbach, who was sandwiched by two defenders but managed to hang onto the football for a 14-0 Thunder lead. Rather than fold up the tent and head home, Cologne came out fighting and marched 67 yards downfield to score on Van Dyke's 24-yard touchdown pass to Miami Dolphins allocated wideout Carl Morris. Key plays on the scoring drive were Van Dyke's 12-yard pass to Mexican wideout Marco Martos on third-and-six and an 11-yard run by Cobourne. Special teams came back to haunt the Centurions on their next kickoff as they allowed Thunder wide receiver LaShaun Ward to run the ball back 45 yards to Cologne's 47-yard line. Davey took advantage once again, completing a 10-yard pass to tight end Mike Pinkard and a 20 yarder to Alston. After working their way to the Cologne 6-yard line, Davey threw his third touchdown of the opening quarter as his lofted third-and-goal pass was tipped by wide receiver Chas Gessner before being caught at the back of the end zone by a trailing Ward, who fittingly capped the drive he set up so impressively with his long kickoff return. The Centurions showed tremendous determination to make an immediate comeback, scoring early in the second quarter on Van Dyke's second touchdown pass of the game to Morris, this time from 10 yards out. Cologne had moved into scoring range on Van Dyke's 20-yard completion to Morris and on a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty against Thunder defensive end T.J. Bingham. Berlin again returned the kickoff to midfield as Ward gained 35 yards, but this time Cologne's defense held firm and forced a turnover as defensive end Felipe Claybrooks sacked David Rivers, knocking the ball loose for linebacker Marcus Reese to recover at his own 48-yard line. The Centurions moved to the Thunder 12-yard line on Van Dyke completions of 11 and 13 yards to wide receiver Reggie Newhouse but committed a turnover of their own as Cobourne was hit hard by German defensive end Christian Mohr and defensive tackle DeVonte Peterson pounced on the loose football. Following a Thunder punt, Cologne was soon back in scoring range through runs of 19 and 7 yards by Antwon McCray and tied the game at 21-21 on a 1-yard sneak by Van Dyke. Davey re-entered the game on the final drive of the first half and marched Berlin downfield on completions of 21 yards to Gessner and 14 and 19 yards to Heckenbach. The New England Patriots Super Bowl winner then launched a picture-perfect 45-yard touchdown pass to Alston to give Berlin a 28-21 lead at the half. The Centurions pulled to within four on their opening drive of the third quarter as Ola Kimrin successfully converted a 22-yard field goal. That score was set up by Van Dyke's 23-yard pass to Ben Nelson and McCray's 17-yard run. With Davey pulling the strings, Berlin marched back into a 35-24 lead on a 3-yard run by Jackson with 4:41 remaining in the quarter. On the 63-yard march, Davey completed passes of 21 yards to Gessner and 15 yards to Pinkard. Cologne fought back late in the game as Van Dyke lofted a 32-yard touchdown pass to Newhouse with 2:35 remaining. The Centurions had taken possession of the football prior to the score when their defense stuffed Thunder rusher Eric McCoo for no gain on fourth-and-one at their own 42-yard line. The ensuing onside kick by Derek Schorejs was recovered by Berlin fullback Stansbury, allowing the Thunder to run out the remainder of the clock and end a thrilling encounter in the German capital. [/font][/font] [font=ARIAL, Helvetica]Powered by [/font] [font=ARIAL, Helvetica](c) 1999-2002, World League Licensing LLC. NFL Europe League, NFL Europe shield design and the team marks and logos are registered trademarks of the National Football League and its affiliates. No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written permission of World League Licensing LLC. World League Licensing LLC and SportsLine take no responsibility for third-party material appearing in any bulletin board or chat sections of this site. All rights reserved. [/font]
Thanks for the update LSUBayouBengals. Its great to see Rohan getting some very valuable game experience. He's definitely proving to people that he has what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.
