Sprung by a strong defensive display, Clayton Tune scored a last-minute, rushing touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals took a 10-7 lead at halftime over the Indianapolis Colts.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The offense got off to a slow start as both teams were forced to punt on the first three drives. Cardinals defensive end L.J. Collier sacked Sam Ehlinger in the first quarter and Xavier Thomas did the same in the second.
Utilizing his speed, the Colts looked to running back Tyler Goodson for four carries and the decision panned out.
After Ehlinger threw a pass to Tyrie Cleveland for 22 yards to get to the ARZ 27, Goodson found a heap of space to cut to the left and score an eight-yard touchdown. Kicker Matt Gay converted on the extra point, giving the Colts a 7-0 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
While their offense could barely get anything going, Arizona’s defense came into play in the first half. Following two carries by Colts running back Evan Hull, Ehlinger passed to Anthony Gould for five yards before he was swarmed by Kei’Trel Clark and fumbled. Pouncing on the loose ball, Dante Stills recovered it to give the Cardinals possession.
On the first drive of the second quarter, the Cardinals threatened as they got to the IND 12 with Tune gunning down toward the endzone for a touchdown, but never got it.
Rookie offensive tackle Christian Jones took three straight offensive holding penalties to move back to the IND 35. Arizona had to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Matt Prater.
Making up for his fellow rookie’s mistakes, cornerback Dadrion Taylor-Demerson picked off Jason Bean’s pass to D.J. Montgomery before going out of bounds.
Energizing the group, Tune found a pocket of room on the right and scored a 12-yard touchdown a few plays later, handing the Cardinals its first lead of the game with just 16 seconds left, 10-7.
Tune completed 8-of-10 passes for 79 yards, running back Trey Benson had nine carries for 43 rushing yards and wide receiver Andre Baccellia collected two receptions for 27 yards in the half for the Cardinals.
Three Cardinals storylines to follow during their second preseason game against the Colts
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
