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"We didn't execute the little things that you have to in order to win against a great football team," Thunder coach Mike Hohensee said. (Photo by Matt Rude)

from the Portland Thunder:

The Portland Thunder dropped their first road decision of 2015 to the three-time defending champion Arizona Rattlers, 65-47, in front of 8,815 fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Saturday evening.

"I thought we played hard enough," Thunder coach Mike Hohensee said. "I just don't think we played well enough. We didn't execute the little things that you have to in order to win against a great football team."

A difficult second quarter for the Thunder defined the game and saw Portland surrender three consecutive scores to the Rattlers off three total turnovers. The second of those turnovers was an Arizona goal-line stand, with the Thunder unable to score despite starting the sequence with a first-and-goal from the Rattlers 1-yard line.

"We gave it away in the red zone," Hohensee said when asked about the opportunities squandered in the first half. "We got down there, and maybe forgot how to run a route, or forgot how to block. We made a mess of things, and you cannot give a team like that momentum."

Thunder quarterback Kyle Rowley opened the game by completing 6 of his first 7 passes but was inconsistent throughout the rest of the first half, completing just 7 of his next 20, seemingly unable to get on page with his receivers. He finished the evening 22 of 43 for 296 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

Rowley's counterpart, Arizona quarterback Nick Davila, took advantage of the Thunder miscues, throwing for 319 yards and nine scores on 31 completions from 44 attempts. His favorite target of the evening was wide receiver Rod Windsor. The five-year veteran led all receivers on the night, catching 14 passes for 141 yards and six touchdowns.

Continuing to show well for the Thunder were wide receiver Jamar Howard and linebacker Bryce Peila.

Peila forced his third turnover in two games, intercepting Davila in the second quarter -- just the third interception thrown by the Rattlers signal caller this season. Howard tallied his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving performance, catching nine balls for 138 yards and four touchdowns.

The Thunder will head out for their second of three consecutive road games next Saturday, this time to San Jose to face the 4-0 SaberCats at the SAP Center. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

POSTGAME AWARDS

Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game: Rod Windsor (AZ)

Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Jeremy Kellem (AZ)

J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game: Nick Davila (AZ)

Cutters Catch of the Game: Kerry Reed (AZ) -- One-handed touchdown catch late in the second quarter.

AFL Highlight of the Game: Jeremy Kellem (AZ) -- Interception in the end zone and returned past mid-field.