HIGHLIGHTS:
SAN DIEGO – A hot start on both ends of the field was not enough to give the San Antonio Commanders their first win on the road as they fell 31-11 to the San Diego Fleet (2-1) in front of 14,789 fans at SDCCU Stadium on Sunday night.
The loss was the second straight for San Antonio, who opened a four-game road trip. The Commanders opened the game on defense as De’Vante Bausby picked off San Diego quarterback Philip Nelson on the first play of the game. San Antonio opened the scoring as Logan Woodside found Mekale McKay for a 47-yard touchdown reception.
“We’re obviously very disappointed,” Commanders head coach Mike Riley said. “We had really high expectations coming in and expected a good game. We had a good start to the game but it’s easy to see what went wrong.”
The Fleet took over from there as they totaled 381 yards of offense. Running back Ja’Quan Gardner rushed for 122 yards on 12 carries as Phillips completed 17-of-25 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
After a San Diego score, Woodside threw an interception as Fleet linebacker A.J. Tarpley returned it 27-yards for a touchdown, putting the home team up for good. It would be the second straight week that Woodside threw a pick six.
The Fleet extended their lead on their next drive as Phillips connected with Nelson Spruce for a 2-yard score and his second touchdown reception of the night.
Woodside finished the night with a touchdown, two interceptions, and completed 12-of-23 passes on the night.
“A lot of that’s on me for sure,” Woodside said. “I have to get the ball out of my hands but their defense was coming all four quarters. I did the best I could to try and get our team to make a run at it.”
UP NEXT:
The Commanders are now 1-2 on the season and will return to the field next Sunday when they take on the league-best Birmingham Iron (3-0) at 3 pm Central Time.
