Shannon Walsh
Director of Media Relations – Virginia Beach Neptunes
walsh2se@vabeachtunes.com
Nov. 2, 2017
Meeting for the second time this season, the Virginia Beach Neptunes fell to the Chattanooga Chickadees 137.80 to 159.04. The last time these the pair met, the ‘Tunes barely escaped with a 120.84 to 119.04 victory. With the series between the third and fourth ranked teams in the league tied at 1-1, this matchup has become quite the rivalry. On the road in Chattanooga, running back LeSean McCoy led the Neptunes with a striking 151 rush yards, 1 touchdown, and 22 receiving yards totaling 31.30 points. Quarterback Josh McCown was even more impressive with 257 pass yards and 2 pass touchdowns, totaling 35.28 points. However, McCown’s 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles significantly impacted his overall performance in Week 8.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 263 yards, 1 pass touchdown and 1 interception adding another 21.52 points for the Neptunes. Rushing for 75 yards and 1 rushing touchdown and 24 receiving yards, running back Mark Ingram picked up 15.90 points for the team on Monday. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a difficult day against the Chickadees; with only 38 total rush yards, he contributed just 2.80 points to the ‘Tunes. With the Virginia Beach squad’s 21.24 point loss to the Chickadees, the team looks to put their defense back to work, who gave up 20 points this week.
Matchup Preview
- Next week’s game against the 3-5 Harrisonburg Valley Bees will surely get personal since the Neptunes suffered a nail-biting loss to the team back in Week 2.
- The Bees are led by #2 ranked Quarterback DeShaun Watson and #8 ranked running back Chris Thompson, who have proven to be very high performers for the Bees this season.
- The Bees are coming into Monday’s game with a #2 ranked defense versus the ‘Tunes #4 ranked defense, which will certainly pose a challenging offensive matchup between the two teams.
- Virginia Beach Neptunes wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be coming off of a Bye week and is expected to be well rested and ready to take on the Bees on Monday.
- Harrisonburg Valley Bees running back Aaron Jones will also be well rested against the Neptunes after his Bye week in Week 8.
Virginia Beach Neptunes Season Notes
- The Neptunes have acquired kicker Greg Zuerlein who will have the opportunity to start next week against the Harrisonburg Valley Bees.
- After an impressive performance last week, the ‘Tunes have acquired wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald to replace a low-performing Terrelle Pryor.
- Virginia Beach added running back Derrick Henry and dropped running back Duke Johnson, who had a concussion scare in the fourth quarter of last week’s game.
- Portsmouth councilman, Mark Whitaker, charged with 20 felonies and claims, ‘I’ve done no wrong.’ The trial is expected to begin later this month. (http://wavy.com/2017/11/01/portsmouth-councilman-charged-with-20-felonies-ive-done-no-wrong/)
- Officials broke ground on a new veteran’s care facility in Virginia Beach on Nov. 1. The Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center is scheduled for completion in 2020.(http://wavy.com/2017/11/01/officials-breaking-ground-on-new-veterans-care-center-in-va-beach/)
- A Hampton woman, Tonya Nicole Matthews, was sentenced on Nov. 1 to nine years in prison for a tax refund fraud and identity theft scheme. (http://wavy.com/2017/11/01/hampton-woman-sentenced-to-9-years-for-id-theft/)