Steel Defense Holds True and Hangs on to 55-53 Win Over Jacksonville

Gilliam Makes Key Tackle on Two-Point Conversion; Myers Scores Two Rushing Touchdowns
July 17,2016

Portland, Ore. - The Portland Steel defeated the Jacksonville Sharks, 55-53, in front of 4,793 fans in attendance at the Moda Center on Saturday night. The Steel (2-12) win their second game of the season holding the Arena Football League’s number-one offense in check.

Quarterback Shane Austin got the start under center for Portland and completed 17-of-27 passes for 120 yards, two touchdowns and added one rushing touchdown. Sharks (5-9) quarterback Tommy Grady completed 20-of-30 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns on the night.

Steel fullback Kevin Myers was named Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game after his two touchdown performance, while rushing three times for 16 yards. This was his first multi-touchdown performance for his AFL career.
Shaine Boyle opened the game with an impressive 51-yard kickoff return, Nick Truesdell finished the opening drive for the Steel with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Jacksonville responded with a touchdown of their own minutes later, Boyle bested the Sharks’ special teams unit once again, returning the next kickoff for a 54–yard touchdown. The Sharks finished the quarter off strong, but missed an extra point, the first quarter concluded with a 14-13 Steel lead.
The second quarter opened up with a 6-yard touchdown run by Myers, giving the Steel an 8-point cushion. The Sharks responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Grady to Hills, cutting the Steel’s lead to just one point. On Portland’s next drive, Myers bulldozed his way in again from five yards out for the score. After a late touchdown by the Sharks, Portland’s Ernesto Lacayo nailed a 19-yard field goal to end the half with Portland leading 31-27 at the break.


To open the second half the Steel defense forced a turnover on downs, giving their offense a chance to claim a double-digit lead. On Portland’s next drive, Austin connected with Truesdell and he knifed his way through the Sharks secondary for a 9-yard score. The third quarter came to close with the Steel leading 38-27.
Jacksonville took advantage of their field position to begin the fourth quarter, quickly scoring to cut Portland’s lead to just four points. The Steel responded minutes later with a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Shane Austin. On the ensuing Sharks drive, Grady connected with Hills for a 38-yard touchdown pass. However, Lindsey missed his second extra point of the night, keeping Portland’s lead at five points.
Wide receiver Jared Perry made a catch on an Austin pass that he fumbled and recovered in the end zone for the touchdown, giving the Steel a 12-point lead. Grady connected with Hills again for their third-time of the night, and the Steel’s lead was cut to 52-47. Lacayo punched in a field goal with 54 seconds left in the game to give the Steel an 8-point advantage before the Sharks’ final drive. Jacksonville scored with eight seconds left in the game and was forced to go for a 2-point conversion to tie the game up. The Steel’s defense came through with a huge stop at the goalline as defensive back Sergio Gilliam wrestled down Sharks receiver Reggie Gray on the one-yardline clinching the 55-53 victory.
​The Steel head back on the road to close out their away game portion of their 2016 schedule when they take on the Tampa Bay Storm on Saturday, July 23 with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Portland returns to Moda Center on Monday, August 1 to take on the LA KISS. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. For all ticket information and all the latest Portland Steel news, head to www.pdxsteel.com.