The New Orleans VooDoo capitalized on its bye week and got back in the win column with a 64-28 victory Saturday against Columbus.
The VooDoo had lost two consecutive games and three out of four going into the bye week.
New Orleans (7-4) poured on the points in front of 16,108 in the New Orleans Arena behind a strong defensive effort and an efficient offense.
The VooDoo defense pressured Columbus into three turnovers on downs and recovered two fumbles and held the Destroyers to 226 yards of total offense.
B.J. Cohen led the effort for New Orleans with six tackles and three sacks.
Cohen sacked Columbus quarterback Matt D’Orazio in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 New Orleans lead.
The VooDoo scored the next 14 points of the quarter to jump out to an early 16-0 lead. VooDoo quarterback Andy Kelly found wide receiver Carl Bond for a 35-yard score to give New Orleans a 9-0 advantage.
Columbus drove down to the VooDoo one-yard line, but Bond stopped D’Orazio short of the goal line on the fourth down. Five plays later, Kelly connected with offensive specialist Aaron Bailey for a 16-0 lead.
The Destroyers cut New Orleans’ lead to 16-7 with a 1-yard touchdown run by Juan Long.
New Orleans outscored Columbus 21-7 in the second quarter and led 37-14 at the break.
Kelly threw two touchdowns in the quarter — one to Bond and one to Calvin Spears — and Leroy Thompson scored a 1-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half.
The VooDoo scored 20 unanswered points to open the second half. Kelly connected with Bond and Bailey for touchdowns in the third quarter, and VooDoo kicker Brian Schmitz added a 28-yard field goal to push New Orleans’ lead to 54-14 after three quarters.
Schmitz booted a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to cap the 20-point run.
Columbus scored twice in the fourth quarter. Cornelius White recorded a 1-yard touchdown run, and D’Orazio connected with offensive specialist Damien Groce for a 24-yard touchdown.
Back-up VooDoo quarterback Billy Dicken accounted for New Orleans’ lone touchdown of the fourth quarter when he connected with Bailey to give New Orleans a 64-20 lead.
Andy Kelly completed 19 of 27 passes for 229 yards and six touchdowns and earned Offensive Player of the Game honors.
Bond recorded nine catches for 102 yards and three touchdowns. Bailey grabbed seven passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns.