In this week’s Tuesday Toss, AUDL commentator Evan Lepler does a great job of covering the huge 15-game weekend across the league including the Breeze doubleheader.
“Stopped disc. Vert stack start. Alan is our distraction. The play was set up for Ty to score. New York came out with a bracket. Alan went left. Ty went right drawing two. I sat where I was, and game over.” — Max Cassell
But that universe point goal could only happen because Nate Prior‘s 50 yard huck — and 139th consecutive completed pass this season — found a diving Lloyd Blake at the 2 yard line in double OT…
Through ten weeks in the AUDL, there are 110 players who still have 100% completion percentages for the season. As you might expect, most of these individuals have not touched the disc too often. In this group, only three have completed more than 50 passes. Pittsburgh’s Tad Wissel has gone 70-for-70. Raleigh’s Jacob Fairfax is 84-for-84.
DC’s Nathan Prior is in a totally different realm. Through the Breeze’s first nine games, Prior has played in five contests and completed all 139 of his passes. His universe point huck on Sunday against New York may have been the most ambitious and excellent of them all.
“We work it a few throws, and Lloyd [Blake] finds lots of space deep,” Cassell remembered. “Nate Prior throws a 50ish yard flick to Lloyd, who switches shoulders and lays out for the grab two yards short of the end zone. He pivots for five stalls looking for a score before we call our sudden death timeout.
“Nate Prior once proved once again to be our secret weapon,” said Max Cassell, who played with Prior at the University of Maryland. “He has all the throws and just the perfect temperament for an O-line handler. He has throws that you just can’t stop. When I mark him in drills, I know exactly what he wants to throw and I still can’t do anything about it. If a player is open, there isn’t much you can do to stop Nate from getting to him. It’s taken a while for people to see just how good Nate is, but it doesn’t surprise me that [Breeze Head Coach] Darryl [Stanley] is the one to see it.”
While only four of his 139 throws have been assists, Prior’s valuing of the disc has been an invaluable asset for the Breeze. Not too shabby for an AUDL rookie with plenty of tempting deep threats to target.
Entire AUDL Tuesday Toss — June 6, Week 10 Edition
More Breeze Stats and Nate Accolades
See Nate and The Breeze This Sunday, June 11 vs Toronto