DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Despite a great performance by QB Steven Moffett, who came off the bench to throw for 111 yards and two touchdowns, the Daytona Beach ThunderBirds fell to their in-state rivals, the Florida Firecats 55-26 at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center.  Florida QB Chris Wallace passed for 191 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Florida Firecats built an insurmountable first half lead.  Daytona’s loss disappointed the loud and supportive crowd who showed up to watch the ThunderBirds second game under new Head Coach Gary Compton.  

Florida WR Chris McKinney caught nine passes for 64 yards and three touchdowns for the Firecats (3-0), who seemed to lose some steam in the second half and were held even in the second half by the ThunderBirds.  Daytona Beach WR Toris Rutledge had a breakout performance catching a game high 11 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown for the ThunderBirds (0-4).

Florida went into the half with a 35-6 lead.  The ThunderBirds played much better in the second half scoring 20 points but had to overcome an insurmountable lead.  This was the first meeting between the two franchises.

Despite the loss, the players were still upbeat after the game.  “We just had too many turnovers,” said Dominique Milton, DB and newest member of the ThunderBirds.  “Our offense was good and our defense was good, we just need it to come together.”

Many players recognized how much better the team played in the second half.  “We came out a little slow and it hurt us,” said OL Odell Brown.  “I reckon it would have been a whole different ball game if we had played the first two quarters the way we played the last two quarters.

One week after starting his first game, throwing for 242 yards and receiving an af2 player of the week nomination, QB Scott Jefferies was benched in favor of former UCF QB and former starter, Steven Moffett.  When asked about the switch after the game, Jefferies recognized that Coach Compton made a good decision.  “I made mistakes in the beginning and coach made a switch with the quarterback’s in the second half which was a good idea.”

The ThunderBirds will be back in action at the Ocean Center on Friday evening when they play host to the Tennessee Valley Vipers.  Game time is at 7:00 pm.