Posted on February 18, 2019, by Travis Pulver
In Week One of the Alliance of American Football season arguably the two best teams appeared to be the San Antonio Commanders and Orlando Apollos. The Commanders played a very good defensive game in their opener while showing promise on defense. Steve Spurrier’s Apollos, on the other hand, put up 40 and allowed only six.
It is still too early in the season to tell how well anyone is going to play. But from what fans had seen so far, there was certainly a lot of promise for a match-up between the Apollos and Commanders.
When the final seconds ticked off the clock Sunday evening, it is safe to say football fans were happy with what they saw.
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At first, it appeared as if the Commanders might run away with the game. San Antonio quarterback Logan Woodside led the team to touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. On the defensive side of the ball, they held the Apollos to just four yards on their first two drives.
But then the second quarter happened.
Apollos quarterback Garrett Gilbert started hitting his receivers—especially Charles Johnson in the deep passing game. A 54-yard completion to Johnson helped set up the Apollos first touchdown of the quarter. Late in the quarter, Gilbert connected with Johnson on a 45-yard bomb which led to another touchdown for the Apollos.
Johnson ended up finishing the game with seven receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown. Gilbert connected on 19 of 28 passes for 393 yards and two touchdowns.
“Charles is special,” Gilbert said after the game (AAF). “He and I played together for a very short time, back in Carolina (with the NFL’s Panthers). He does a lot of things well.”
Orlando scored 17 in the second quarter, but the Commanders were able to add six and take a one-point lead into halftime.
San Antonio was able to add to their lead early in the second half with a field goal on the opening drive. A strip-sack on Orlando’s opening drive led to a fumble return for a touchdown for the Commanders. With the two-point conversation, San Antonio led by 12-points, 29-17, with a quarter and a half to go.
Orlando managed to chip away at the San Antonio lead with a pair of field goals before tying it up early in the fourth quarter with a 23-yard touchdown to Jalin Marshall. Two plays later, Keith Reaser intercepted Woodside and returned it 38-yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Apollos head coach Steve Spurrier commented on the win after the game:
“It gives us confidence we can still win if we’re not playing our best, and we certainly didn’t play our best. We had a good fourth quarter, though.”
Orlando will try to remain undefeated when they face the Memphis Express next Saturday at home. San Antonio will try to get back on the right side of the scoreboard when they visit the Fleet in San Diego.