Bennifield, Massachusetts Pirates power past Iowa 54-29 to remain undefeated

LOWELL – Alejandro Bennifield reached rarified air Friday night at the Tsongas Center.

The Massachusetts quarterback eclipsed the 4,000 career passing yards mark, throwing a touchdown and rushing for another, as the Pirates topped the Iowa Barnstormers, 54-29, in front of 3,850 fans in Lowell.

The Pirates (4-0) remain unbeaten in the Indoor Football League, leaving the Barnstormers (0-3) still searching for their first win. The Pirates also increased the all-time series lead between the two clubs at 4-2.

Running back Tavion Thomas was also a force, rushing for 122 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns.

“I feel good to get the W at home,” said Thomas. “You can’t let nobody come in our house and take what’s yours. Every week we’ve got to just come ready to work and go after it.”

“Thomas was great,” said Pirates coach Rod Miller. “He played a good game. He shook the rust off a little bit, but he’s a big physical guy that’s nimble on his feet. We’re very fortunate with that. Now we’ve got a thunder and lightning situation as I look at it. I think that’s going to be a good position for us.”

Coming off their bye week, the Pirates showed no signs of rust on either side of the ball. The defense was razor sharp. Iowa quarterback Darius-James Peterson found that out the hard way getting sacked by Calvin Bundage for an early loss, with Guy Thomas narrowly drawing another on the following snap, which kept the Barnstormers on the defensive on their initial drive.

Bennifield took it from there. The Pirates’ signal caller connected with Isaac Zico on an impressive 37-yard Hail Mary heave for the touchdown on their first play from scrimmage with 8:42 left in the first quarter.

It was a milestone moment for the QB, who needed just 10 passing yards to reach the 4,000-yard milestone.

“He’s been one of the top quarterbacks in this league for years,” said Miller. “He was a championship quarterback a couple of years ago, and is playing  like he was then when they won the championship. If we can keep him healty playing like that, we can go a long way.”

It was an equally electric moment for Zico, earning his 35th career touchdown with the grab, while breaking the 2,000 career all-purpose yards threshold. Josh Gable added his first of three PATs in the half, giving Massachusetts the 7-0 lead.

Iowa battled back, returning the following kickoff 48 yards for the TD return, adding an extra point kick on top of it to tie the game at 7-7.

Bennifield kept his cool on his team’s next drive, however, faking a handoff to Tavion Thomas, before darting in on a five-yard strike down the left sidelines with 3:28 left in the quarter. Gable’s second PAT gave them the 14-7 advantage.

The Massachusetts defense refused to budge, forcing Iowa to attempt a 38-yard field goal, which was blocked by Bundage. The Pirates held the 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tavion Thomas opened the second stanza with an aggressive strike. The 6-foot, 237-pound running back marched 11 yards to paydirt just 1:26 in. Gable’s third point-after gave Massachusetts the 21-7 advantage.

Looking to regain its footing, Iowa attempted another 25-plus yard field goal in the second half, but the kick went wide. Gable showed them how it was done, capping the Pirates next drive by booting a 28-yard field goal to give Massachusetts the 24-7 cushion.

Pirates defensive back Kenneth Durden kept Iowa receivers honest in the closing seconds of the half. He sent Iowa’s Tre Long over the boards with a big hit along the seven-yard line, getting a rise out of the crowd. Eugene Ford (two interceptions) fed off the play, picking off his first of two Peterson passes in the end zone with 20 seconds left in the half, holding the 24-7 lead.

Thomas continued to push the offense to open the second half. The running back bolted in 8-yards for his second touchdown pf the game early in the third quarter. Gable’s fourth point after made it a 31-7 affair.

Iowa’s Robert Washington attempted to rally his troops, busting in on a goal line TD in the third quarter.

But Zico killed any thoughts of a Barnstormer comeback by jetting 52 yards on the kickoff return, building a 37-14 lead with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter. Iowa managed to cut lead to 38-21 with 1:31 to play in the third.

Pirates backup quarterback Connor Degenhardt entered the game late in the third quarter. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Westford native made the most of his IFL debut, finding Dallas Daniels with a six-yard TD catch to expand the 45-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, essentially putting the game away.

Thomas raced in for a six-yard touchdown, his third of the game, with 4:49 to play. The defense added a safety for good measure to seal the 54-29 victory.

“I really wasn’t worried about my touchdowns,” said Thomas. “I was really worried about finishing the game, running hard and showing my teammates they can count on me and trust in me.”