Shock trounce Dusters

Dreary as the drive to Spokane was for the Amarillo Dusters, the trip home is going to be dreadful.

The Dusters get two days and 1,500 miles to reflect on a 67-24 drilling laid on them Saturday night, in which the Spokane Shock introduced 9,550 customers to an often uncultivated aspect of arenafootball2: defense.

And introduced the Dusters to all sorts of humiliations.

Would you believe a safety on a pass play that had gained yardage out to the 10? Or the pass reception stylings of 340-pound lineman Ed Ta’amu, whose quicks on a pair of catches along the dashers rivaled anything the visitors could muster? Or what amounted to a 58-yard onside kick? Or a 40-yard interception return by Charles Frederick that pushed the Spokane lead temporarily past 50 points – a total the Dusters haven’t exceeded in the last eight weeks?

All of those were fun curiosities, but the rout was rooted in a defensive effort that forced what amounted to seven turnovers – three fumbles, two picks, that safety and a defensive stand in the last seconds of the first half – and a pass rush that made life miserable for an old friend, Dusters quarterback Brian Zbydniewski.

“We didn’t give him much time,” said linebacker Levi Madarieta of the Shock, af2’s top-ranked team with an 11-2 record. “Every time he was stepping up (in the pocket), it seemed like he was getting hit.”

It wasn’t done with a lot of malice. Zbydniewski was Spokane’s little-used backup quarterback until midseason, and landed at Amarillo when an injury sidelined starter Steve Panella.

“Every play I got a conversation,” Zbydniewski said with smile. “But that’s what’s fun about the game. I was excited to be back here – all the people are good here, and the fans are great. I’m glad to get the opportunity to play. It’s been a rough season for me, but everything is going to work out, I know it.”

If being here was fun, getting here wasn’t. The cost-conscious Dusters, under new ownership, decided to make the 1,500-mile trip by van – they’re doing it again to Memphis next week – and Spokane coach Chris Siegfried said it took an obvious toll.

“They didn’t show a whole bunch of emotion,” he said, “because they’re physically tired.”

Still, the Dusters were down just 9-3 after a quarter – but that would amount to their highlight.

Two plays into the second period, receiver John Roberson tried to bounce off a hit for extra real estate, but retreated a full 10 yards into the end zone and was hauled down by Neil Purvis for a safety. Antwone Savage fumbled away the ensuing kickoff after running it all the way back to the Dusters’ 7-yard line, but the Spokane defense broke the game open with four straight stops – a fumble recovery by Purvis, an interception by Isaiah Trufant, the end-of-half stand and another fumble recovery by Madarieta.

The Shock had a comfortable 25-3 halftime lead as a result – on just 15 offensive plays – and Kevin Beard and Frederick pushed the gap to 39 points on touchdown passes from Kyle Rowley that victimized Amarillo defensive specialist Jahmal Fenner.

Patch together the bulk of the second half from last week’s romp over Arkansas and the hot start Saturday night, and the Spokane defense went a span of nearly 67 minutes giving up just a field goal.

“We’ve got a lot of rookies on this team and it took as a while to grasp what had to go on,” said Purvis. “Right now, we’re trying to gear up for the playoffs – pick it up now and not wait, so we can roll through them.”

They certainly rolled through the Dusters, although that loses some significance with the context of Amarillo’s being last in af2 in offense. But Zbydniewski didn’t throw for a single touchdown in a 22-of-39 night, while Rowley had five in a workmanlike 14-of-21, 160-yard effort. The Shock also had a season-high 38 yards rushing on seven carries.

“Give them credit,” Madarieta said of the 4-9 Dusters, who lost their sixth in a row. “They drove 1,500 miles and that’s literally hell right there.”