Sessler salvages late play
The Arkansas Twisters had possession and an eight-point lead with 12 seconds left and didn’t get the play they wanted.
Arkansas led Amarillo 54-46 at North Little Rock’s Alltel Arena on Saturday. Arkansas Coach Chris Siegfried wanted quarterback Kyle Rowley to drop into the pocket, scramble and throw out of bounds after he had allowed as much time as possible to pass.
Instead, Rowley felt immediate pressure. He lofted a pass caught by fullback Jon Sessler.
Sessler managed to tuck the ball in both arms, maintain possession and stay on his feet until the game-ending buzzer sounded.
“That was the play we wanted,” Siegfried said. “That’s the play we’ll run if we’re in that situation again, but someone has to block. If we have first down with 12 seconds left, we’re going to drop back and we’re going to the throw the ball away. All I’m asking is for guys to get in the way for one second, or even a half a second. Just get in a guy’s way. Just make him go around you. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”
Tight end Vinnie Olson said he might have been lucky to make the block he made.
“I’m not sure if people were taking it lightly, or if I was just fortunate enough to be in front of my guy,” Sessler said. “At that point they’re down to their last breath, and I think they saw the consequences and what the results would be at the end of that play.”
Sessler was several yards behind the line of scrimmage when he caught Rowley’s pass. In Arena Football 2, the clock stops in the final minute of each half if the offense does not gain yardage, but Sessler gained 2 yards as he resisted attempts by Amarillo defenders to pull the ball away.
“Sessler’s a warrior, no doubt about that,” Olson said. “He’s one of those guys who leaves it out on the field.” Receivers improve
Arkansas Twisters Coach Chris Siegfried was critical of his receivers before the Twisters’ 54-46 victory over Amarillo.
Dropped passes and poorly run routes had cost Arkansas as it lost its first two games, and in the first half of a 39-27 victory for Arkansas at the Corpus Christi Sharks on April 19.
But Saturday, Arkansas’ receivers dropped 2 passes and caught 23, including 6 for touchdowns.
“We caught the ball more consistently, ran good routes and made plays,” Siegfried said.
Siegfried said the next step is consistency, and road success. Arkansas plays Texas in Houston on Saturday.
Jon Schoonover leads Arkansas with 30 catches for 310 yards. Jamaal Perry has caught 28 passes for 341 yards and 5 touchdowns, and Patrick Rouzard 26 for 262 and 6.
Arkansas quarterback Kyle Rowley said the Twisters’ receivers have continued to improve.
“I’m not so sure that it’s a matter of they’re playing better at home,” Rowley said. “I think it’s just they keep getting better, beginning with the second half of the Corpus Christi game. We just have to keep improving. As long as we do that, we’ll be on track to do what we want to do, and that’s win a championship.”
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