Command Head to Pittsburgh, Look For Fist Victory

The Kansas City Command travel to the Pittsburgh Power for the first ever meeting between the two teams; Saturday May 19 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The Command (0-8) are still looking for their first victory of the season despite quarterback Matt Gutierrez' season high performance (334 yards, 6 TD's) last Saturday night when the Command fell to the Iowa Barnstormers 42-62 in Des Moines. Recently acquired wide receiver Armand Robinson and Gutierrez connected on four touchdowns and the Command were 5 for 5 in the Red Zone, but four turnovers (3 INT's and one net recovery) put a stop to three key drives.
"Two of...(the interceptions)...were ridiculous," said Command coach Danton Barto. "We tried to cut the guy, Matt throws it blind, it goes right to him. Then a guy tips a ball and it goes straight up. We've got to be more consistent on offense."
With less than :55 seconds left in the second quarter, Barnstormer defensive end Justin Mincey made a leaping interception off of Gutierrez and a 20 yard return for an touchdown. KC missed a 30 yard FG attempt with time left on the clock, and two plays later Iowa's Craig Camay kicked a league-leading 50 yard field goal just as time expired in the first half, contributing to 31 unanswered points scored against KC.
"We just seem to have a time frame in the game where we make mistakes and put ourselves in a hole we can't get out of," said Command QB Matt Gutierrez. "We can't give up points on offense is the bottom line."
The Command and Power (2-7) have both struggled offensively, though KC is only one of two teams in the league that has yet to score over 2,000 points in Total Offense (KC1814 through eight games & Orlando1733). Pittsburgh has lost four straight, losing two of those game by just three points (N.O. VooDoo 48-51 & Georgia Force 52-55).
Pittsburgh leads the league in Total Defense averaging 259.2 yards per game, and Passing Defense averaging 230 yards per game. KC is ranked third in Total Defense averaging 266.1 yards per game.