Okay, so you may be thinking, "45-44 over an expansion team? big deal, they were lucky". Whatever... Let old Scoop give you the inside skinny on what really happened at the Meadowlands. Dallas was lucky as two questionable calls by the officials negated two NJ interceptions and kept a game much closer than the score would indicate.

The Glads came out and stopped Jerry Jones' other Dallas team on the first drive. The defense had done it's job. On the offensive side of the ball, Jay McDonagh got the start again over the heavily advertised Glenn Foley. Give Haege credit for having the guts to bench a high-priced local draw. Mickey D looked sharp and drove the team down for a score. This was a much better start than last week in Buffalo. New Jersey also executed a picture-perfect on-sides kick in the first half (also something they were not able to do last week).

The Glads and Desperados traded TDs in AFL style until the score was 14-14. Late in the second quarter Steve Videtich gave Jersey a 17-14 lead with a 25-yard FG. After that, a TD each gave the Glads a 24-21 lead. It could have been more as an apparent New Jersey interception was waived off by the officials for a late hit by NJ defensive linemen, Jamarr Ward.

With :10 remaining before the half, the Gladiators were in good shape. They had a 24-21 lead and were going to get the ball at the start of the second half. But a blast from the past, ex-NJ Red Dog Adrian "Toast" Lunsford returned the kickoff 56-yards to put the Desperados up at the buzzer. Yo Adrian, why didn't you ever play this good for us while you were on the Red Dogs?? Well Adrian must have been juiced by the TD return and the taunting from the sparse Meadowlands crown because he owned the game in the early goings of the second half.

After another Jersey INT was waived off by another questionable Jamarr Ward roughing the QB call, Lunsford threw a blanket over Alvin Ashley and didn't allow #6 to shine in his big return to East Rutherford. Then Lunsford opened up the fourth quarter with two TDs from ex-Nashville Kat QB Andy Kelly. New Jersey was down 44-31 until a play (that I have never seen happen before) sparked the team and the crowd. After Lunsford's second TD, New Jersey's Dennison "Big Play" Robinson blocked the Dallas PAT and returned it coast-to-coast for a Gladiator score. Yeah, it only counted for two points but it was a huge emotional lift as New Jersey held Dallas scoreless for the remaining 11:54. Let me tell you folks, in the AFL, that's very tough to do. And while Dallas was scoreless, New Jersey chipped away at the lead. A 39-yard bomb from Mickey D to George "The Truth" Williams made the score 44-39 and then came the play it seemed like everyone wanted to see.

Alvin Ashley should have never been traded to Milwaukee. He was not A crowd favorite, he was THE crowd favorite in New Jersey. Alvin's signature statement was to jump atop the sideboards after scoring a TD. The fans loved it. So with 6:28 to go in the game, Alvin caught a pretty 18-yard zip from Mickey D to give New Jersey a 45-44 lead. Immediately, as if he'd been waiting all three years to do it, Ashley sprinted to the fans in historic Section 123 and jumped atop the sideboards. Win or lose, this was the sight to see. The fans were loving Alvin and he was loving them right back. That moment was a microcosm of why the Arena League is so great. Welcome back Alvin.

Now back to the game. With a one-point lead New Jersey's #2 ranked defense stopped Dallas again and got the ball back on downs. A TD would be the nail in the coffin. McDonagh tried and came close but New Jersey had to settle for a three point chip shot by Steve "Let's Go Old Guy" Videtich. But "Old Guy" was wide right and Dallas had a chance to win a game New Jersey looked like it was giving away.

Andy Kelly got the Desperados deep in Gladiator territory and you could just imagine Jerry Jones grinning up there somewhere in his luxury box. There was only a few seconds left, and all Dallas had to do was settle the ball, kick the field goal and get their first franchise win. But New Jersey came with a fierce pass rush that shocked Andy Kelly and forced the Dallas QB into the unthinkable. Instead of taking the sack or tossing the ball into the ninth row, Kelly hung a floater up downfield. And who was waiting to harness the rock? Denny "Big Play" Robinson! The defensive back that had come up with Frank Haege from the AF2's Quad Cities snared the ball and sealed the win. Welcome back Frank.