Brigade Return to Action at Home Against Gladiators

May 26,2017

Baltimore hosts Cleveland in team’s second-ever home game

The Baltimore Brigade (1-4) are set to host the Cleveland Gladiators (1-5) this Sat., May 27 at 7 p.m. at Royal Farms Arena. The Brigade are coming off their second bye week of the season while the Gladiators are looking to bounce back from a 64-46 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Soul. The Brigade notched their first win of the season in the teams’ first meeting on Sun., April 16 in Cleveland, topping the Gladiators 52-49. Rookie QB Shane Carden completed 20-31 passes and threw for six touchdowns. DL Dexter Davis led the way on the defensive side of the ball for the Brigade, recording 4.5 tackles, three sacks (an AFL single-game high this season), two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

“You can watch the film and look at some stuff,” Brigade Head Coach Omarr Smith said of the team’s earlier meeting, “but it has very little bearing on the outcome of what’s going to happen on Saturday. It’s about our execution and our focus – being able to make plays when we need to.”

BRIGADE PLAYER TO WATCH:  QB SHANE CARDEN – The rookie and leader of the Brigade offense ranks third in the league in completion percentage, yards per game and touchdowns per game. In the Brigade’s Week 6 outing in Philadelphia, Carden threw for 291 yards and five touchdowns, including long-distance scores of 49, 44 and 43 yards. He also scored twice on the ground against the Soul, marking the second time this season he has scored multiple rushing touchdowns in a game.

GLADIATORS PLAYER TO WATCH:  QB ARVELL NELSON – Nelson has thrown for at least six touchdowns in three of the last four games, including last weekend against the Soul, when he completed 25-40 passes for 282 yards and six scores. Nelson also poses a threat on the ground, leading all AFL quarterbacks with six rushing touchdowns.

MATCHUP TO WATCH:  BAL WRs vs. CLE DB TERENCE MOORE – Brigade WRs Julian Talley and Paul Browning have provided consistent threats for QB Shane Carden this season, while newly signed WR Kendal Thompkins, who made his debut in Week 6, has provided even more explosiveness.  Talley enters this week with three straight games of 100+ yards and 2+ touchdowns, leading the Brigade in receiving each of those games. Gladiators DB Terence Moore ranks fourth in the league with 28 total tackles, including a team-leading four last weekend against the Soul.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.