Columbus Aviators penalized 14 times in 31-20 loss to St. Louis
The Columbus Aviators dropped to 2-5 in their first season after a blowout road loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Through seven games of their inaugural season, the Columbus Aviators have gone 2-5, giving them little chance of reaching the playoffs. Columbus lost 31-20 to the St. Louis Battlehawks on May 8.
The Aviators made blatant miscommunication errors throughout the Friday night affair, and first-year head coach Ted Ginn Jr. 's team lost over a football field's worth of yardage on penalties. The Aviators were flagged a whopping 14 times to set them back 115 yards.
Dysfunction peaked in the fourth quarter. Needing three scores to overcome a 17-point deficit with seven minutes remaining, Aviators quarterback Jalan McClendon found receiver Keke Chism in the end zone for his second passing touchdown. Instead of going for a two or three-point conversion, down 31-20, the Aviators attempted to kick the extra point and missed.
"Why didn't you go for three right there? I'm just asking," defensive coordinator Captain Munnerlyn asked head coach Ted Ginn Jr. on the hot mic of Fox's television broadcast.