In the Memphis Express inaugural game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, they let their first potential win of the season slip through their fingers against the Arizona Hotshots 20-18. This defeat came after blowing a 12-0 deficit going into the fourth quarter and getting outscored 20-6 in the quarter. The team’s record has decreased to 0-2.
Christian Hackenberg still isn’t meant to be a starting quarterback
The game couldn’t have started off worse for former second round pick, Christian Hackenberg, during his second start against the Hotshots. On his first of the game, he was sacked, which led to a fumble, and then on the next play, it was a fumbled snap.
The rest of the game didn’t produce much better results as he finished completing 14 of his 25 passes for 102 yards. He displayed some mobility, rushing for 39 yards and having a fourth quarter touchdown.
He didn’t leave much to be desired with his performance as most of the offensive production came from the legs of Zac Stacy and his 101 rushing yards. To his credit, his receivers didn’t help much with their dropped passes, but the Express shouldn’t be too opposed to be on the lookout for a new quarterback ahead of their week three game against the Orlando Apollos.
Defense will have to be dominant for Express to have success this season
When you hire Hall of Fame linebacker, Mike Singletary, to be your head coach, it’s expected that defense is going to be top priority. The Express didn’t go too much off script with that having produced one of the more explosive defenses that the Alliance of American Football has to offer.
They forced two turnovers early in the first quarter which put the offense in favorable positions to score the first nine points of the game. Most notably, the interception by cornerback Channing Stribling helped set up a nine-yard touchdown run by Zac Stacy, the first in Express history.
They managed to disrupt the Hotshots’ offense through the first three and a half quarters and held them to 383 total yards of offense and especially made the game difficult for quarterback John Wolford. He completed 14 of his 22 passes, had two touchdowns and two interceptions and was sacked two times.
In the second half, the unit noticeably let up a bit, allowing the Hotshots to score three big touchdowns late in the half, including two in the fourth quarter. Their collapse late allowed the Hotshots to comeback and eventually win the game.
The Memphis Express are worthy of Memphis’ attention
It may not be the NFL, but the AAF has proven to be one of the better substitutes to America’s new favorite league. It’s allowed some of the most overlooked and forgotten football players in the country to have another chance to play the game that they love, and many are taking advantage of it.
During this game, the stands of Liberty Bowl weren’t filled, but as the season wears on, the Express should begin to capture the interest of football loving Memphians. It’s not hard to do so because the city doesn’t have many other professional sports to root for and this Express team isn’t terrible.
If the city can rally behind the up and coming team, there’s no telling what other sports opportunities could come to the city because team owners will see that it actually cares about its teams. It’s still too early to tell what the validity of the AAF is because it’s only week two, but if things hold up and it proves to be a mainstay in the city, it’s better to hop onto the bandwagon now before it’s too late.
