The 2010Cleveland Gladiators season was the 11th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, and the second while in Cleveland. The team was coached by Steve Thonn and played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena. The Gladiators missed out on the playoffs by finishing 5th in the National Conference with a 7–9 record.
The Gladiators began their season at home against the Rattlers on April 3. Their final regular season game was on July 31, when they hosted the Iron.[1]
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 35-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 6:44
Arizona – Rod Windsor 31-yard pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 5:23
Arizona – Rod Windsor 3-yard pass from Nick Davila (Nick Davilla pass no good), 3:30
Passing
Arizona – Nick Davila: 26/39, 273 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Cleveland – John Dutton: 19/31, 287 yards, 7 TD, 4 INT
Rushing
Arizona – Johnie Kirton: 5 att, 15 yards, 1 TD
Cleveland – TJ Watkins: 1 att, 4 yards
Receiving
Arizona – Rod Windsor: 13 rec, 175 yards, 2 TD
Cleveland – Ben Nelson: 8 rec, 154 yards, 4 TD
At halftime, the Gladiators led by three touchdowns, and never trailed in the entire game until giving up a 3-yard touchdown pass to go down 61–56 with 3:30 remaining. Quarterback John Dutton threw a pick on what would prove to be Cleveland's final drive, as their defense was unable to keep Arizona from running out the clock to end the game. It was just one of Dutton's 4 interceptions on the night, though he did have 7 touchdowns, and threw for 287 yards.
Chicago – Samie Parker 42-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 14:03
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 15-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 12:15
Cleveland – Brent Holmes 3-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 5:23
Chicago – Nichiren Flowers 29-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 2:21
2nd quarter
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 5-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 11:08
Chicago – Samie Parker 6-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 5:47
Cleveland – Chris Johnson 1-yard run (Matt Denny kick), 2:30
Chicago – Kenny Higgins 4-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 1:00
3rd quarter
Chicago – Robert Boss 18-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 9:03
Cleveland – Brent Holmes 25-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 6:01
Cleveland – TJ Watkins 1-yard run (Matt Denny kick), 3:26
Chicago – Kenny Higgins 16-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 0:00
4th quarter
Chicago – Nichiren Flowers 25-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 10:25
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 5-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 6:49
Chicago – Samie Parker 28-yard pass from Russ Michna (Chris Gould kick), 3:30
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 13-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 0:45
Chicago – Chris Gould 12-yard field goal, 0:02
Passing
Cleveland – John Dutton: 37/52, 379 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT
Chicago – Russ Michna: 22/27, 315 yards, 8 TD
Rushing
Cleveland – Brent Holmes: 1 att, 6 yards
Chicago – Russ Michna: 3 att, 13 yards
Receiving
Cleveland – Ben Nelson: 12 rec, 133 yards, 4 TD
Chicago – Samie Parker: 9 rec, 148 yards, 3 TD
In a closely contested game that saw neither team at any point lead by more than a touchdown, the Gladiators fell to 0–2 after being unable to come up with the game's last score. Following a 13-yard passing touchdown and successful extra point to tie the game at 56–56, the Gladiators allowed the Rush to drive all the way to the 4-yard line, where the Rush kicked a field goal to go ahead. After taking the ensuing kickoff for a touchback, Brent Holmes caught a pass as time expired, but did not get far with the ball, failing to even cross midfield before being tackled, ending the game. Contributing to the loss was Cleveland's turnovers. Quarterback John Dutton threw for 379 yards, but had 3 interceptions in the game. Brent Holmes, Chris Johnson, and Ben Nelson each had over 100 yards receiving in the losing effort.
The Gladiators held a 14–0 lead early in the 2nd quarter, but the lead was cut to only 3 points at halftime when they allowed 4 touchdowns in the remainder of the half, including a kickoff returned for a touchdown, and a pair of 1-yard rushes into the end zone. In the 3rd quarter the Gladiators failed to score, falling into a hole they couldn't climb out of, as both teams scored 3 touchdowns each in the final quarter. Quarterback John Dutton attempted 50 passes, completing 35 for 309 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Gladiators won their first game of the season in the last seconds of the game, which featured several lead changes in the final minute. Spokane went ahead 61–59 lead with 46 seconds on the clock with a 2-yard touchdown pass. The Gladiators got back in front on a 27-yard catch by Ben Nelson. The extra point was missed, but Cleveland still held a 65–61 advantage. The Shock responded by driving 45 yards in 5 plays, capped off by a touchdown pass from 4 yards out, pulling back ahead 68–65 with just 8 seconds left. Brent Holmes received the ensuing kickoff 6 yards back in the end zone and took it all the way back for a touchdown, giving the Gladiators a 72–68 lead with only a second to play in the game. Following the kickoff to the Shock, time had expired, however Spokane was given one more shot from scrimmage as the result of a penalty on the Gladiators for unsportsmanlike conduct after their go-ahead score. Spokane quarterback Kyle Rowley threw a pass that fell short of his intended target, giving the victory to Cleveland.
John Dutton finished with 285 yards passing and 6 touchdowns, however threw 2 interceptions. Ben Nelson was the top receiver with 129 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night.
Iowa – Jesse Schmidt 36-yard pass from Ryan Vena (Jeff Glas kick), 10:24
Iowa – Jason Simpson 5-yard kickoff return (Jeff Glas kick), 9:28
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 14-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 6:00
Iowa – Jeff Glas 17-yard field goal, 0:52
Cleveland – Chris Johnson 1-yard run (Matt Denny kick), 0:13
3rd quarter
Cleveland – Victor Williams 3-yard run (Matt Denny kick), 12:36
Iowa – Ryan Vena 2-yard run (Jeff Glas kick), 6:43
Cleveland – Victor Williams 4-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 0:29
4th quarter
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 5-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 10:14
Iowa – Ryan Vena 2-yard run (Jeff Glas kick no good), 8:10
Cleveland – Ben Nelson 14-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 5:50
Iowa – Ryan Vena 2-yard run (Jeff Glas kick), 4:03
Cleveland – Chris Johnson 32-yard pass from John Dutton (Matt Denny kick), 1:02
Passing
Cleveland – John Dutton: 31/39, 355 yards, 5 TD
Iowa – Ryan Vena: 16/30, 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Cleveland – Victor Williams: 1 att, 3 yards, 1 TD
Iowa – Ryan Vena: 10 att, 30 yard, 4 TD
Receiving
Cleveland – Chris Johnson: 13 rec, 166 yards, 1 TD
Iowa – Todd Blythe: 6 rec, 131 yards, 1 TD
The Gladiators fell behind by 12 points at one point in the 2nd quarter, but cut the Barnstormer's lead to 36–35 at halftime. In the 4th quarter, when the Gladiators took a 49–43 lead on a 4-yard touchdown reception by Victor Williams, they never trailed for the rest of the night. Putting the game away with a 32-yard touchdown catch by Chris Johnson with just over a minute to play, Cleveland won their second straight game. John Dutton had an outstanding night at quarterback, completing 31 of 39 passes, including his first 11 attempts. He finished with 355 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. Johnson, Williams, and Adam Tadisch each had a rushing touchdown. Ben Nelson had 3 receiving touchdowns, but it was Johnson who caught for the most yards, with 166.
