Marinovich Can’t Rescue Avengers

OKLAHOMA CITY —  Todd Marinovich played for the first time in a regular-season Arena Football League game Friday, but neither he nor the Avengers could avoid being steamrollered by the Oklahoma Wranglers, 65-44, before 9,688 at the Myriad Center.

With Los Angeles trailing, 27-6, and 7:15 left in the second quarter, Coach Stan Brock pulled starting quarterback Scott Semptimphelter and inserted Marinovich, the former USC star. Semptimphelter, who was eight of 14 for 91 yards, had a 14-yard touchdown pass to Corey Johnson, an interception and a lost fumble when he was replaced.

Marinovich, who has kept a low profile since his April 25 arrest on suspicion of sexual assault, was booed when introduced. He played the rest of the game, completing 15 of 30 attempts for 168 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

“Tonight I just felt we needed a lift,” Avenger Coach Stan Brock said. “It was nothing that Scott did or didn’t do. But we needed a change.”

But one man isn’t going to solve the 0-4 Avengers’ problems. In their four games, totaling 240 minutes, Los Angeles has had a lead for only 15:52.

Oklahoma (4-0) rolled up a 37-9 halftime lead by scoring on six of its first seven possessions and kept pouring it on in the second half. Mark Ricks returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, both covering 56 yards. The Wranglers reached their biggest lead, 58-16, in the third quarter.

Wrangler quarterback Ron Lopez, who threw six six touchdown passes against the Avengers on Monday, had six more Friday to increase his league-leading total to 27. He completed nine of 17 passes for 192 yards.