Desperados' Dolezel throws 900th TD, sinks Rampage
DALLAS — Dallas Desperados wideout Marcus Nash called quarterback Clint Dolezel the greatest of all time after the 13-year veteran threw eight touchdowns in leading Dallas a 65-54 win over Grand Rapids on Saturday at the American Airlines Center.
"Don’t tell him I said that," said Nash, who caught six of Dolezel’s touchdowns, including the 900th touchdown in Dolezel’s career. "But he is and I’m honored to be a part of history."
The record mark comes a week after Dolezel became the league’s all-time leading passer.
Dolezel and the Desperados offense were at their best, scoring more than 60 points for the first time all year and showing consistency from start to finish — something the offense has struggled to find the past few weeks.
Dolezel finished 25-of-35 for 321 yards, the eight touchdowns, but more importantly, no sacks. Both he and coach Will McClay said the improvement in protection led to the offense’s play. Dolezel’s record touchdown came four minutes into the fourth quarter, as he threw a six-yard pass to Nash for the 58-51 Dallas lead it wouldn’t give up.
"It was his night," Dolezel said of Nash. "He had great numbers. Tonight, I put him in motion and they ran zone, but messed the zones up."
Dallas (9-1) scored on nine of 11 possessions, and added two new wrinkles to the offense, both coming in the red zone. Linebacker David Dixon had a 3-yard scoring run in the first quarter and Dolezel found guard Jeremy Calahan wide open in the end zone in the fourth.
Grand Rapids (3-7) didn’t go away, staying within a score as quarterback James MacPherson threw for 335 yards and seven touchdowns. He was sacked three times, including a first-quarter safety by Daleroy Stewart.
The Rampage tied the game with 3:21 left in the third quarter and the teams traded scores before Dolezel hit Nash for the record touchdown pass. The Dallas defense then held the Rampage to a Brian Gowins 24-yard field goal.
"Defensively, we didn’t perform great but we made plays when we needed to," McClay said. "Guys stepped up and made plays at the end."
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