Shock kings of the road with third win
DES MOINES, Iowa – Erik Meyer tossed nine touchdown passes and the Spokane Shock defense forced three turnovers en route to a 66-43 Arena Football League road win over the Iowa Barnstormers on Friday.
Third-ranked Spokane improved to 3-0 with three straight road victories by a total of 64 points. Iowa dropped to 2-1.
The Shock took control early as Meyer fired two touchdown passes to Steven Black, sandwiched around a defensive stop.
Spokane defensive lineman Marc Schiechl intercepted a pass and the Shock capitalized when Meyer connected with Kamar Jorden for a touchdown and a 21-6 lead early in the second quarter.
Spokane’s defense held again, forcing an Iowa field goal, and Terence Moore’s 3-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 28-9. Iowa’s final possession of the first half ended inside the Shock 5-yard line when Schiechl batted down a fourth-down pass.
“We fought from start to finish,” Shock head coach Andy Olson said in a postgame radio interview. “There was no quit out here, just mistakes we have to fix, but in the end (giving up) 43 points on defense is fantastic and scoring 66 on offense is good.”
The second half turned into a shootout with the teams combining for 11 touchdowns, six by Spokane.
Meyer, who finished 24 of 34 for 330 yards, had added motivation against the Barnstormers. The former Eastern Washington University quarterback was knocked out by Iowa linebacker John Mohring’s late hit in the 2012 season opener.
“Not only did we win, we won in convincing fashion,” Meyer said. “Darn right I marked this game on the calendar as soon as I signed (in the offseason).”
Adron Tennell had 10 catches for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Jorden finished with six receptions for 137 yards and three scores. Receivers Black and Jeffrey Solomon left with injuries but backup quarterback Arvell Nelson stepped in and had three receptions, one for a touchdown.
Iowa’s J.J. Raterink passed for 378 yards and four touchdowns.
Spokane entertains No. 1 Arizona on Friday.