The Pittsburgh Power (7-5) took a four game winning streak on the road against a desperate Tampa Bay Storm (5-7) team. The game started ominously for Tampa Bay as their first drive began with a Lonnell DeWalt interception of Brian Zbydniewski. Pittsburgh would capitalize off the turnover when Bernard Morris found Mike "Joystick" Washington for a 20 yard touchdown pass.
It didn't take long to establish that the Pittsburgh secondary was going to have a tough time matching up with Tampa Bay in this one. With Royce Adams out of the lineup, Zybdniewski feasted on a porous Power secondary to the tune of 372 yards and eight touchdowns. Amarri Jackson had 11 catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Hank Edwards finished with seven catches for 111 yards and two scores. Huey Whittaker had a quiet day by his lofty standards but still ended up with five catches for 96 yards and three touchdowns.
Both teams made a lot of mistakes in the game. Pittsburgh was flagged nine times for 110 yards worth of penalties, many of them on kickoff returns which cost the Power valuable field position. They also had errant passes derail two goal line drives and end in turnovers on down. Tampa Bay was also flagged nine times for 90 yards. Tampa Bay's Kyle Chilton missed three extra points and had another one blocked by Terrance Taylor.
Bernard Morris had a strong day throwing for 335 yards and seen touchdowns, but he had a costly interception in the second half. He also lost a fumble deep in his own territory when Jermaine Smith blew right past Nick Zeck and hit Morris from the blindside. Zeck also fumbled the ball after a five yard grab in the second half.
The standout on offense was Jerome Mathis who had his first breakout game of the 2011 season. He led all receivers with 12 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns and he added 138 return yards and a touchdown. His touchdown return was the first in Power franchise history. He should draw serious consideration for Player of the Week. Washington would continue his strong season with 11 catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
Pittsburgh will have to try and rebound next week on the road. They will faceoff against one of the top offenses in the AFL as they travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Blaze. As a result of the loss, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are once again tied for the Eastern Division lead at 7-5.
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