Vipers crush Horsemen 41-13

By Michael Casagrande - Decatur Daily (Ala.)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Frustrated and ultimately defeated, Jared Lorenzen found himself on the Von Braun Center turf more than a few times Saturday night.

The 285-pound quarterback of the Kentucky Horsemen ran into one of the af2's stingiest defenses and even his size couldn't keep the former Wildcat off his back.

After falling behind by six in the second quarter, the Vipers scored the final 34 points of the game to knock off the visiting Horsemen 41-13.

Tennessee Valley (7-3) came up with three interceptions in key moments while the Horsemen (5-5) outgained the Vipers, 248-239.

"They got a lot of pressure on us," said Lorenzen, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 154 yards. "I took a lot of hits tonight, but these are the games you have to learn from."

Michael Johnson and Travis Blanchard each scored twice for Tennessee Valley while quarterback Kevin Eakin threw for 224 yards on 22-for-36 passing for four touchdowns.

Blanchard's 3-yard touchdown run with 5:05 to play before halftime gave the Vipers the lead for good at 14-13. The score came eight plays after the running back from Mississippi took a jarring hit on a kickoff that sent his helmet flying and the crowd of 3,902 cringing.

Saturday's game put two contrasting styles of offense on display. The Vipers ran a more traditional arena offense while the Horsemen (6-4) implemented a spread offense, which is more likely to be seen in the outdoor version of the sport.

In the end, the traditional won out.

Eakin said the throw to the outside was open for the taking most of the evening. Still, he wanted more.

"We left a couple of touchdowns out there tonight," he said. "We missed some opportunities."

The two teams will meet again in Lexington on July 11.