It never happened. An entire season, nine games at the New Orleans Arena, and never did the New Orleans VooDoo score a home victory.
The VooDoo completed the 0-9 home campaign Friday night by losing three fumbles and throwing an interception, all leading to Milwaukee points as the Mustangs won 76-55 in front of 9,359.
“It’s frustrating, a lot of the guys wanted to win tonight,”
VooDoo interim coach Jon Norris said. “These guys have developed a bond with the people of the community, and these people still stay after the game for them.”
Dating to 2008, including the final home game of that season, New Orleans has lost 10 in a row at home. The last victory came May 30, 2008, when the VooDoo defeated the Columbus Destroyers 83-61.
The VooDoo is not the first professional sports franchise to go winless at home. In fact, it’s not even the first in New Orleans, as the 1980 Saints also were winless at home. The Saints’ lone win in that 1-15 season was a 21-20 victory at the New York Jets on Dec. 14.
The VooDoo came out charged up Friday night and held Milwaukee on the first drive, forcing a turnover on downs.
Following the defensive stop, it took just two plays for the VooDoo to score as they drove 35 yards, culminating the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass from D Bryant to Skyler Green.
On the drive’s first play, Bryant hit PJ Berry for 21 yards on a crossing pattern. The play put Berry past the 3,000-yard mark for all-purpose yards — the first player to do so in the AFL this season. Berry has 3,167 yards and needs 502 yards in the last two games to break the AFL record.
But Berry also had the first turnover when he fumbled a kickoff that took an odd bounce off the bar at the bottom of the net. Milwaukee had just tied the score at 14 with two minutes left in the first quarter. Justin Lawrence rumbled in from the 1-yard line to give the Mustangs their first lead.
“It bounced right off the bottom pole,”
Berry said. “That’s a good kick by him. Eight times out of 10, you’re not going to catch that.”
The teams matched touchdowns until late in the half when Bryant was stripped of the ball by Milwaukee linebacker Dwayne LeFall. Lawrence recovered and ran the ball in from the 3-yard line for the score and a 42-27 Mustangs’ lead.
The 42 first-half points by Milwaukee were 1.9 points short of the Mustangs’ average for a game. Gino Guidugli led the Mustangs with three touchdown passes and 188 yards.
New Orleans drove 28 yards in three plays to open the second half, but Tom Taggert fumbled at the 1-yard line, and Milwaukee’s Marcus Everett recovered. The Mustangs drove 49 yards in six plays as Lawrence went in for a touchdown from the 1.
On the ensuing possession, New Orleans drove 29 yards in 10 plays, but Milwaukee’s Brandon Brinkley intercepted a Bryant pass and returned the ball 46 yards for the touchdown and a 55-27 lead with 2:29 left in the third quarter.
Green led all receivers with 110 yards on nine receptions with two touchdowns. Berry finished with 183 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
