The Orlando Predators improved to 4-1 on the season Saturday night following a 48-43 win over the Georgia Force (3-2) at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Quarterback Nick Hill scored the final touchdown of the night on a 23-yard run to put the Predators ahead for good with 38 seconds to play. Rayshaun Kizer closed the door on Georgia two plays later when he intercepted Darnell Kennedy on an underthrown pass that fell short of the end zone. The win keeps the Predators atop the South Division standings. The Preds took the lead for the first time of the night, 42-37, with 4:59 left in the game when Marlon Moye-Moore pushed his way into the end zone on a one-yard carry. The play was setup by a 26-yard pass from Hill to Bobby Sippio along the sideline. The lead was temporary though as Kennedy, who replaced injured starter Brett Elliot the series before, put the Force back in front 43-42 on a seven-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left on the clock. Hill finished 25-of-40 passing for 328 yards and five touchdowns. Robert Quiroga led all receivers with 11 catches for 128 yards and two scores. T.T. Toliver (111 yards, 2 TDs) and Sippio (89 yards, TD) finished with seven catches apiece. Orlando trailed by double digits for much of the opening three quarters until Hill hooked up with Quiroga in the fourth on five consecutive passes, the last of which resulted in a three-yard touchdown that cut Georgia's lead to 37-35 with 12:32 remaining. From there, the Preds backed the Force up against its own end zone following a sack by Mark Robinson and eventually forced the home team to attempt a 62-yard field goal. Moye-Moore found the end zone six plays later. The Predators intercepted Georgia three times and recorded two sacks on the night. Moye-Moore and Travis Coleman led the team with 5.5 tackles each. Coleman also intercepted a pass while Kizer finished with four tackles and two interceptions. Despite trailing by 14 points in the first quarter and facing a 24-14 deficit at halftime, the Preds outscored the Force 20-6 in the fourth quarter. Georgia's C.J. Johnson took the opening kick back 57 yards for a score to start the game. The Force then ended the opening drive for Orlando by getting to Hill for a sack on fourth down. They jumped out to an early 14-0 lead when Elliott proceeded to hit Johnson on a two-yard strike with 6:40 to play in the first. Orlando got on the scoreboard three plays later as Hill found Quiroga near the sideline, where he pushed past a defender and reached across the goal line. Georgia extended its lead again with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Purify to close out the opening quarter with a 21-7 lead. After Orlando answered by getting a phenomenal catch in the end zone by T.T. Toliver, defenses went on to prevail for the duration of the second quarter. Kizer intercepted his first pass of the game on the ensuing possession and the Preds kept the Force off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half until they converted on a 17-yard field goal with just four seconds left. The Preds closed the gap to 24-21 when Hill found Sippio for a 10-yard touchdown on the third play of the third quarter. From there, the teams traded touchdowns following long drives before Orlando went on to seize momentum with back-to-back scores in the final period. Georgia scored on a 6-yard reception by Michael Johnson with 9:15 left in the third. Toliver equaled the feat at the 2:17 mark for the Preds. The third quarter ended with a quick 29-yard strike to Purify that put Georgia ahead 37-28 following a miss on the extra point attempt. Orlando returns to the new Amway Center on Saturday, April 26 against the Spokane Shock at 7:30 p.m.
