Sacramento's Aaron Woods returns a first quarter punt 60 yards for a touchdown in the Lions game against Hartford. The TD gave Sacramento a 14-0 lead at the time. (Click HERE for more game photos).  Photo by Joe Blenkle

MOUNTAIN LIONS LOSE TO

HARTFORD COLONIALS 27-26

Click HERE for more game photos

Special to Sacramento Sports News

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Oct. 30, 2010) - Taylor Mehlhaff made a 23-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the Hartford Colonials to a 27-26 victory over the Sacramento Mountain Lions on Saturday night.

    Just 28 seconds earlier, Mehlhaff missed an attempt at a 43-yard game-winner, but Sacramento’s Terrelle Maze was penalized for running into the kicker, keeping the drive alive with an automatic first down.

    Mountain Lions safety Andrew Sendejo intercepted a fourth-quarter pass to set up Sacramento’s go-ahead touchdown. Sendejo caught the deflected pass, spun around and returned the ball 24 yards to the 1-yard line. Cory Ross plunged into the end zone on the next play for a 26-21 lead. It was Sendejo’s second interception of the season and second in as many weeks.

    Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green opted to go for a two-point conversion to stretch the lead to seven points, but when that failed, the door was opened for a Colonials comeback.
    Sacramento opened the scoring early in the first quarter when Daunte Culpepper found John David Washington on a 9-yard swing pass out of the backfield. It was the first touchdown of the season for Washington, whose father -- Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington -- was watching only yards away.
    Sacramento fed the ball early to Ross, as the running back touched the ball four times on the opening drive, including a 30-yard screen pass that took the ball to the 9-yard line. Ross entered the week leading the UFL with 37 receptions.
    Aaron Woods put Sacramento ahead 14-0 with 2:54 left in the first quarter, scoring the first punt return touchdown in league history. The 5-foot-6 Woods fielded the ball in traffic at the Sacramento 40-yard line, sidestepped a swarm of would-be tacklers and darted to the end zone.
    Hartford rallied back later in the quarter with a Lorenzo Booker 3-yard touchdown run off left tackle, set up by a Booker 47-yard run from midfield. After a Fabrizio Scaccia 34-yard field goal put Sacramento ahead 17-7, Hartford responded with a Tory Harrison 1-yard run midway through the second quarter to make the score 17-14.
    Scaccia added a 25-yard field goal before half to make the score 20-14, while Hartford kicker Taylor Mehlhaff missed his attempt in the half’s final seconds.
    Ryan Perrilloux fired a 69-yard strike down the right sideline to Markee White, giving Hartford a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. The former LSU and Jackson State quarterback avoided a potential sack, recovering in time to rifle the ball 50 yards down field to the wide-open White on the right sideline.
    After Ross’s touchdown put Sacramento ahead, Mehlhaff connected on a 33-yard field goal to make the score 26-24.

Return to Features Page