CLEVELAND - Quarterback John Dutton threw for five touchdown passes Sunday night as Cleveland knocked off Orlando 41-24 in a penalty-filled Arena Football League game at Quicken Loans Arena.
Three of those touchdown passes went to wide receiver Dominick Goodman, who added a 2-yard scoring run on a reverse with 6:58 left in the game, giving the Gladiators (3-1) a 10-point lead. That capped a seven-play, 39-yard drive that lasted 4:19 and was aided by a roughing-the-passer call on the Predators, giving Cleveland a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line.
Goodman had nine catches for 77 yards as the Gladiators won their third straight game since a season-opening loss at Georgia.
Orlando quarterback Collin Drafts completed 24 of 39 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns, but also tossed a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble. Orlando (0-4) entered the game with the league's worst passing attack (221 yards per game) and lowest-scoring offense (36.3 ppg), stats that won't improve as a result of this outcome. In fact, Orlando was held to a season-low offensive output.
Drafts drove his team to the 6-yard line after Goodman's last score, but threw an interception on 2nd-and-goal to Derrick Boyd in the end zone with less than a minute left. Dutton tacked on his last scoring strike to Robert Redd with 28.3 seconds on the clock to set the final score.
The Gladiators won despite drawing 17 penalties for 106 yards. The Predators were flagged nine times for 73 yards, many coming in the final eight minutes as frustration began to surface.
Orlando travels to Pittsburgh Saturday night at 7:30 in a rematch of an opening-night contest that the Power won 40-26.
