Final, Hartford 27-14: The Locos prolonged the inevitable by using all of their timeouts and completing short passes down the field, but this one has really been over for a while.
Hartford ends their season on a high note, and proved they were much better than their 3-5 record suggests. That being said, they were helped out by some awful Las Vegas quarterback play, and most of their scoring stemmed from outstanding defensive play.
For the Locos … well … at least they avoided any serious injuries. Jim Fassel can't be happy with this performance, as Las Vegas looked all-around flat in their championship game warm up. It will be interesting to see if Clement or Willy gets the start in Omaha next week. Either way, Las Vegas should plan to rely on its defense and DeDe Dorsey if it hopes to come away with a victory.
Fourth Quarter, 1:10, Hartford 27-14: The Locos take over on downs at their own 29 with about a minute left to go. Their primary concern at this point should be avoiding injury.
Fourth Quarter, 2:00, Hartford 27-14: Perrilloux is back in the game for the Colonials, who are clearly in full-out Martty Schottenheimer run-out-the-clock mode. Perrilloux is able to pick up one first down with his legs, which at least forces the Locos to burn a time out before the two-minute warning.
Fourth Quarter, 5:13, Hartford 27-14: Not an impressive drive for Willy, who was almost picked off twice. The Locos are forced to punt after having the ball for less than a minute, and the Colonials recover on the Locos' 45. Any score here puts this game just about out of reach for Las Vegas.
Fourth Quarter, 6:02, Hartford 27-14: Hartford is forced to punt, and the Locos get the ball at their own 23. If they can score again within two minutes, this one might become interesting again. Let's see what Willy does during his second possession.
Fourth Quarter, 7:00, Hartford 27-14: Willy hasn't looked overly-impressive, but he's getting the job done, and the Locos offense is making steady progress upfield.
Willy finds Thorman on a 26-yard touchdown pass, and the Locos' cut Hartford's lead by 7. That was the best Las Vegas' offense has looked since late in the first half.
Fourth Quarter, 12:00, Hartford 27-7: After another unimpressive set of offensive possessions, the Locos are switching things up and going with Drew Willy under center.
Unless Willy performs very well, this is the worst-case scenario for the Locos. Aside from a few nice scrambling plays, Clement was consistently awful all night, and may have cost himself the starting job next week in Omaha.
End of Third Quarter, Hartford 27-7: Clement saves what looked to be another stagnant drive with his legs on third-and-long, running up the middle of a first down.
While this game is all but over, the next few drives could be pretty important for Clement. He needs to regain some confidence if the Locos are going to put up a fight against the Tuskers next week.
Third Quarter, 4:49, Hartford 27-7: After a quick three-and-out by the Colonials, the Locos take over on their own 40. After three unsuccessful runs by Marcel Shipp, the Locos go for it on fourth-and-2, and are stuffed on yet another run attempt.
Saying that Las Vegas is playing uninspired football would be an understatement.
Third Quarter, 8:58, Hartford 27-7: Clement and the entire Las Vegas offense is clearly pressing right now, which has resulted in yet another punt. Aside from the one drive they put together late in the second quarter, they haven't been much of a threat to score at any point during the game.
Third Quarter, 11:28, Hartford 27-7: Just as Clement was starting to get into a rhythm, he has a pass tipped, and Quentin Demps takes the deflected ball to the house for a Colonials' touchdown.
That's Clement's third interception of the day — his second pick to be returned for a score — and his confidence has to be all but nonexistent at this point. The Locos may want to consider resting some starters and regrouping for their championship bout next week, because this game has turned ugly.
Third Quarter, 13:31, Hartford 20-7: The Colonials begin the third quarter the way they ended the second — with an deep throw from McCown — but it's to no avail this time around.
McCown scrambles for the first down on third-and-long, but comes up a yard short. The Colonials punt, are tagged for a holding penalty, and the Locos take over near their own 30.
End of Second Quarter, Hartford 20-7: A last-second 39-yard hail mary pass by Josh McCown proves fruitful, as Tyson Devree makes an outstanding catch in the end zone as time expires.
That crazy end to the first half seems fitting, as a 13-7 score wouldn't have expressed just how dominating the Colonials have been throughout most of this game. The Locos proved they have a capable offense late in the second quarter, but Chase Clement needs to be more consistent in the second half it Las Vegas is to have any shot at making this a more competitive match.
Second Quarter, 0:45, Hartford 13-7: The Locos looked like a different team on that drive, and dominated the Colonials on every play. Clement hit an open receiver for a big gain and also scrambled for a first down, and Dorsey ran the ball into the endzone to make it a one possession game.
Second Quarter, 1:41, Hartford 13-0: McCown is back in the game for the Colonials, and is greeted by Adrian Awasom, who notches his fifth sack of the season. Hartford is forced to punt, and the Locos will take over with solid field position, two timeouts, and nearly two minutes to work with.
Second Quarter, 5:00, Hartford 13-0: The Locos were able to generate a little momentum on that drive, but are stopped on a third-down blitz by the Colonials.
Danny Baugher is forced to punt again, and Hartford will take over very close to their own endzone after an illegal block in the back call on the return.
Second Quarter, 8:19, Hartford 13-0: The Colonials are unable to get into the endzone on three attempts, and Sam Swank drives home a 20-yard field goal.
Second Quarter, 8:40, Hartford 10-0: Ryan Perrilloux takes over for McCown on this drive, and does a solid job of moving the Colonials down the field before stumbling and being sacked for a significant loss.
Wale Dada is flagged for a questionable pass interference call in the endzone on third-and-13 for the Colonials, and Hartford finds themselves in a first-and-goal situation on the one.
Second Quarter, 14:47, Hartford 10-0: Clement was finally able to complete a first down throw, but the Locos' offense is still stagnant. A holding penalty puts the Locos in a third-and-24 hole, and Clement promptly throws an interception to Tra Battle.
First Quarter, 2:47, Hartford 10-0: Clement really couldn't look worse in this one so far. Just as the Locos were starting to build some offensive momentum, Clement has a pass tipped and Colonials linebacker Danny Lansanah returns it for a pick-six.
Much ado is being made over Clement — a Rice University graduate — adjusting to cold weather, but it's only 51 degrees in Hartford right now. This is probably not the start the Locos had in mind headed into their last tune-up game before the UFL championship.
First Quarter, 3:36, Hartford 3-0: The Colonials have an uninspiring three-and-out, and Las Vegas takes over at their own 16.
Clement once again looks terrible throwing the ball, but a pass interference call on Hartford gives the Locos their first first down of the game.
DeDe Dorsey then rips off a big run, reaching the Locos' 42.
First Quarter, 8:38, Hartford 3-0: Clement looks like he may be on an adrenaline rush, as he's taking a long time to release the ball and overthrowing receivers when he does. The Locos are once again forced to punt after a three-and-out, and the Colonials will take over at their own 31.
First Quarter, 9:36, Hartford 3-0: The Colonials save their drive with a nice third-and-long completion from Josh McCown to Tory Harrison, pushing Hartford into the red zone.
McCown scrambles and runs into the endzone on third-and-four, but the play is negated by a holding penalty on Jacob Bender.
McCown launches a ball into the endzone on third-and-14 that had a better chance of being intercepted than caught for a touchdown, and the Colonials should consider themselves fortunate settle for a 38-yard field goal.
First Quarter, 13:37, 0-0: Not a very inspiring drive for the Locos, who go three-and-out and fail to gain any positive yardage. The Colonials take over at midfield.
First Quarter, 15:00, 0-0: The Locos get the ball first, and Brian Hernandez takes the ball out to the 31. Chase Clement's first play doesn't go well, as he drops the snap, picks it up, and is immediately sacked by several Colonials.
2 p.m.: The final regular season game of the UFL’s second season is upon nearly upon us, as the Las Vegas Locomotives head to Hartford to take on the Colonials.
It’s been a great season for the 5-2 Locos, who will be heading to the UFL’s championship game in Omaha next week regardless of today’s outcome. Whether Las Vegas rests some of its starters today remains to be seen.
2010 hasn’t been as kind to the Colonials, who are just 2-5 but are looking to end the season on a high note. Hartford is 0-3 against Las Vegas all time, but will be facing an inexperienced quarterback in Chase Clement, and may catch the Locos looking past this match.
