ON THE RUN
QB Gilbert uses legs for decisive TD as Apollos move to 3-0
Apollos receiver Jalin Marshall catches a pass in
It already had been well-established that Garrett Gilbert can beat opponents with his arm. Saturday night, he showed he can beat foes with his legs as well.
Gilbert’s 21-yard scamper through the Memphis defense proved to the winning points as the host Orlando Apollos staved off a valiant Express threat, escaping with a 21-17 victory to remain one of two unbeaten teams in the Alliance of American Football.
Gilbert also hit Rannell Hall with a 37-yard touchdown pass and D’Ernest Johnson added a 4-yard scoring run as the Apollos (3-0) staked themselves to an early advantage and held on as Memphis rallied behind backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger, who took over for Christian Hackenberg after halftime, guided the Express (0-3) to scores on three of their four second-half possessions. A first 41-yard touchdown pass to Gerrard Sheppard pulled Memphis within 21-17 with 5½ minutes left, but the Apollos were able to run out the clock.
Gilbert threw for 205 yards Saturday night, completing his first six passes on the way to a 14-of-28 passing performance. He also picked up 43 yards rushing on seven carries, though the final three were kneel-downs at the gun.
Mettenberger completed nine of 12 passes for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with Dontez Byrd getting the Express on the board during their first possession of the second half. Josh Jasper added a 27-yard field goal.
The Apollos held AAF leading rusher Zac Stacy to just 29 yards on 14 carries. Sherman Badie gashed Orlando for 59 yards in just eight carries.