The Tampa Bay Bandits commenced their second United
States Football League season by hosting one of six expansion teams, the
Houston Gamblers, on February 26, 1984.
The Bandits, coached by Steve Spurrier, had featured an
exciting passing attack in the inaugural ’83 season, with 33-year-old QB John
Reaves successfully reviving his career until breaking his wrist seven weeks
into the schedule. WR Eric Truvillion was an All-USFL selection and all-purpose
RB Gary Anderson joined the club as a high-profile rookie midway through the
year, played well, and was now available for a full season. Tampa Bay just
missed qualifying for the playoffs and was looking to move up in 1984.
Houston had a high-profile rookie of its own in QB Jim
Kelly, formerly of the Univ. of Miami and now starting behind center for the
first-year club. While Head Coach Jack Pardee was known for his skill with
building defenses, the team would be operating a wide-open “run-and-shoot”
offense.
There were 42,915 fans in attendance at Tampa Stadium. It
looked good for the Bandits when they took the opening kickoff and drove to the
Houston 14, but Zenon Andrusyshyn missed wide to the right on a 31-yard field
goal attempt.
Now it was Houston’s turn, and Jim Kelly completed four
consecutive passes on a nine-play, 80-yard possession, the last of which
resulted in a nine-yard touchdown to WR Ricky Sanders. Jeff Brockhaus added the
extra point and the visitors had the early 7-0 lead.
The Bandits again moved the ball effectively on their
next series, but on a first down play at the Houston 27, John Reaves fumbled
the snap and LB Rickey Young recovered for the Gamblers. Finally, at 3:15 into
the second quarter, the Bandits got on the board when Andrusyshyn booted a
25-yard field goal.
Andrusyshyn kicked another field goal for Tampa Bay with
just under two minutes remaining in the first half, this time from 32 yards,
making it a one-point game. They got the ball back and went ahead before
halftime on a two-yard run by Gary Anderson. Reaves threw to WR Willie
Gillespie for a two-point conversion and the home team took a 14-7 lead into
the intermission.
Houston came back in the third quarter to tie the score
when RB Sam Harrell caught a pass from Kelly for a seven-yard TD and, with
Brockhaus adding the point after, the tally was 14-14.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Gamblers drove
deep into Tampa Bay territory, but on a third-and-goal play at the four yard
line, an option run lost four yards and they had to settle for three points.
Still, Houston went ahead when Brockhaus successfully kicked a 26-yard field
goal.
It seemed as though the field goal might be enough to
pull off the upset. Tampa Bay appeared to be in trouble when, facing
third-and-20 at the Houston 45, Anderson dropped a short throw from Reaves. But
far from the play, Houston CB Donald Dykes was flagged for an illegal hit on
Gillespie and the Bandits stayed alive with a first down at the 30. Reaves
threw to Eric Truvillion for 17 yards and, with 2:33 remaining, Anderson took a
handoff and ran 12 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was
unsuccessful, but the home team was ahead by three points.
There was still plenty of time for the Gamblers, and they
reached the Tampa Bay 39 with 57 seconds left on the clock. But on
fourth-and-six, Kelly kept the ball on an option play and was stopped short of
a first down by DE James Ramey. The Bandits ran out the clock to win by a final
score of 20-17.
Tampa Bay led in total yards (435 to 316) and time of
possession, holding onto the ball some 15 minutes longer than the Gamblers. The
Bandits also held a 28 to 18 edge in first downs, but they had difficulty
making the most of scoring opportunities despite being inside the Houston 20 on
five occasions. Each team turned the ball over twice.
Gary Anderson had a big day , rushing for 114 yards on 26
carries that included two touchdowns and catching 6 passes for another 100
yards. With Houston’s defensive backs playing deep coverage, John Reaves used
short throws effectively and completed 25 of 42 passes for 308 yards with one
interception. Willie Gillespie, like Anderson, had 6 receptions, gaining 70
yards, and Eric Truvillion contributed 73 yards on his four catches.
For the Gamblers, Jim Kelly had a strong performance in
his pro debut, completing 24 of 41 throws for 229 yards and two TDs, although
he also gave up two interceptions. Ricky Sanders caught 7 passes for 64 yards
and a touchdown. WR Richard Johnson added 6 receptions for 44 yards and Sam
Harrell gained 44 yards on 5 catches that included a TD to go along with his
team-leading 57 yards on 10 rushing attempts. On defense, LB Andy Hawkins,
formerly of the NFL Buccaneers, was credited with 11 tackles in his Tampa
homecoming.
“We moved the ball and had a lot of yards, but it seemed
like all the bad plays were happening to us,” said Tampa Bay’s Coach Spurrier.
“A lot of penalties, a missed field goal, a missed extra point.”
Tampa Bay went on to win their next two games on the way
to a 14-4 finish that was good for second place in the Southern Division.
Qualifying for the postseason as a Wild Card, the Bandits lost their First
Round playoff game to the Birmingham Stallions. The Gamblers recovered from
their first week loss to win three straight contests on the way to a 13-5
record and first place in the Central Division. They also lost in the initial
round of the postseason, to the Arizona Wranglers.
Gary Anderson gained 1008 yards on 268 carries (3.8 avg.)
and led the USFL with 19 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 66 passes for 682
more yards and another two TDs for a total of 21, tying for the league lead
with New Jersey’s Herschel Walker.
John Reaves stayed healthy and ranked second in passing
yards (4092), attempts (544), and completions (313) while accumulating 28
touchdown passes against 15 interceptions. Ahead of him was Jim Kelly, who
ranked at the top in yards (5219), TDs (44), attempts (587), and completions
(370) in putting together a remarkable rookie year. He received consensus
Player of the Year and All-USFL honors.
