2010: Falcons Rally to Beat Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons had won five straight games and were at 9-2 as they faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 5, 2010. Head Coach Mike Smith’s team had a well-balanced offense with third-year QB Matt Ryan (pictured at right) throwing to WR Roddy White and 14^th-year veteran TE Tony Gonzalez and RB Michael Turner, coming off of an injury-plagued ’09 season, providing power to the ground game. They had been winning efficiently, not having given up a turnover in the previous four games.

The Buccaneers, a young team under second-year Head Coach Raheem Morris, had a 7-4 record, which was a significant turnaround after going 3-13 in 2009. QB Josh Freeman was proving to be effective in his first full year in the starting lineup. Unheralded RB LeGarrette Blount had been waived by Tennessee and claimed by Tampa Bay with good results and WR Mike Williams, a rookie drafted in the fourth round out of Syracuse, was also proving to be surprisingly effective. But while they were undefeated against losing teams, they had yet to prove themselves against contending clubs and had already lost to Atlanta four weeks earlier.

The Buccaneers wore 1970s-era throwback uniforms for the late afternoon game at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. The teams traded punts before the Falcons drove to the game’s first score. Matt Ryan completed two passes to Tony Gonzalez that gained 14 and 17 yards, respectively, and Michael Turner carried the ball four times for 21 yards that included a five-yard touchdown.

The Buccaneers responded with an 86-yard drive that took 11 plays and was highlighted by Josh Freeman scrambling for 17 yards and LeGarrette Blount running for 20 yards to set up his six-yard carry for a TD. Connor Barth’s extra point tied the game at 7-7, which was the tally heading into the second quarter.

Neither club was able to put together another effective drive until midway through the period when Atlanta went 64 yards in eight plays. Ryan completed passes of 15 yards to WR Michael Jenkins and 21 yards to WR Harry Douglas to reach the Tampa Bay 24, and on a third-and-ten play hit FB Ovie Mughelli for a 17-yard touchdown.

Following a short possession by the Bucs, the Falcons got the ball back but turned it over when Ryan, throwing deep for Gonzalez, was intercepted by SS Sean Jones, who returned it 31 yards to the Atlanta 30 with 1:39 left in the first half. It was Atlanta’s first turnover in five games, and it cost them. Tampa Bay capitalized seven plays later when Freeman tossed a one-yard TD pass to Mike Williams. The teams went into halftime tied at 14-14.

The Buccaneers took the lead on the first series of the second half. On the second play, Blount ran 28 yards to the Atlanta 38 yard line and, after reaching the 15, Barth kicked a 33-yard field goal that made the score 17-14. That was it for the third quarter scoring as a long 12-play drive by the Buccaneers from their nine to the Atlanta 41 came up empty.

In the fourth quarter, Ryan was intercepted again, this time by FS Corey Lynch to give the Bucs the ball at the Atlanta 39. Once again they made the most of it as Freeman completed passes to Williams for nine yards and WR Arrelious Benn for 28. FB Earnest Graham tossed a two-yard option pass to TE John Gilmore for a touchdown and, with the successful PAT, Tampa Bay was ahead by ten points.

The margin didn’t last long, however, as the ensuing kickoff was returned 102 yards for a TD by WR Eric Weems. A short possession by the Buccaneers resulted in a punt and the Falcons took over at their 33 with 8:30 left on the clock. It didn’t look promising when they found themselves facing a third-and-20 situation, backed up to their 23, but Ryan completed a pass to Roddy White for 25 yards to keep the series alive. Turner ran for nine yards on two carries and a pass interference call on the Bucs gave Atlanta a first down at the Tampa Bay 33. Another untimely penalty on the Bucs helped the Falcons along and the 10-play, 67-yard drive finally ended with Ryan tossing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jenkins. The successful extra point made it a four-point lead for Atlanta.

Tampa Bay had another shot and, with Freeman throwing on every play, moved the ball 35 yards in nine plays. However, after a 19-yard completion to WR Sammie Stroughter put the ball on the Atlanta 27, Freeman was intercepted by CB Brent Grimes and the Falcons were able to run out the clock to come away with a 28-24 win.

The Buccaneers gained more yards (325 to290) while Atlanta had the edge in first downs (20 to 19). The Falcons turned the ball over twice, to one given up by Tampa Bay. However, the Bucs were penalized nine times, sometimes in key situations, at a cost of 102 yards to six flags being thrown on Atlanta.

Matt Ryan completed 18 of 36 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and was at his best during the fourth quarter comeback. Michael Turner rushed for 88 yards on 24 carries that included a TD. Roddy White caught 7 passes for 74 yards.

For the Buccaneers, Josh Freeman (pictured below) was successful on 19 of 38 throws for 181 yards with a TD and one picked off; he also ran the ball four times for 28 yards. LeGerrette Blount gained 103 rushing yards in 20 attempts and scored a touchdown. Mike Williams topped the receivers with 6 catches for 68 yards and a score.

 “When you come out and you don’t play as well as you like, but you still find a way to win, those are signs of a good football team,” said Matt Ryan. “We feel like today was a good example of that for us.”

“We felt like we really outplayed them for most of the game, but it’s the NFL,” said Josh Freeman from the Tampa Bay side. “You have to find a way to win in the fourth quarter nearly every week, and today we weren’t able to do that.”

The Falcons went on to top the NFC South and gain top seed in the playoffs with a 13-3 record. However, they were badly beaten by the streaking Green Bay Packers at the Divisional level. Tampa Bay won three of its remaining four games to end up at 10-6 and third in the division, but just missed out on the postseason. The season of promise proved fleeting for the Buccaneers, who collapsed to 4-12 in 2011.

Matt Ryan passed for 3705 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions and was chosen to the Pro Bowl. Michael Turner led the NFC in rushing with 1371 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, also receiving Pro Bowl recognition. Roddy White (pictured above) was a consensus first team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl choice while leading the NFL in pass receptions (115) and the conference in receiving yards (1389) despite being hindered by a knee injury late in the season.

Josh Freeman placed sixth in the league in passing (95.9 rating) while throwing for 3451 yards and 25 TDs with six interceptions while also rushing for 364 yards. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1007 yards on 201 carries (5.0 avg.) in his 13 games of action, making him the NFL’s top rookie ground gainer.

1960: Lions Stun Colts with 65-Yard TD on Last Play

The Baltimore Colts had won back-to-back NFL Championships in 1958 and ’59 and seemed well on their way to a third as they broke out to a 6-2 start in 1960. Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s team still had the solid core on offense of QB Johnny Unitas, HB Lenny Moore, and end Raymond Berry and a fine defense anchored by the line that included DE Gino Marchetti and tackles Art Donovan and Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb. If there were major concerns, they pertained to injuries in general and, more particularly, the running game as FB Alan Ameche was showing signs of wear. They had lost to the 49ers to fall to 6-3 and on December 4 hosted the Detroit Lions, who had beaten them earlier in the year.

The Lions, coached by George Wilson, got off to a slow start at 1-4 but had then won three of their last four contests prior to the rematch with Baltimore. Traditionally a tough defensive club, the Lions were benefiting from the additions of veteran DHB Dick “Night Train” Lane and rookie DT Roger Brown. The offense also had a talented rookie in split end Gail Cogdill to add to an attack that featured the running of FB Nick Pietrosante and HB Dan Lewis.

There were 57,808 fans at Memorial Stadium for the important Western Conference matchup. The defenses dominated the first three quarters of play. In the first quarter, the Colts got on the board when rookie DE Lebron Shields blocked a punt by Yale Lary that rolled back through the end zone for a safety.

The Lions responded with a 20-yard Jim Martin field goal to go ahead by 3-2. In the second quarter, Unitas threw to Lenny Moore (pictured below) for a 60-yard touchdown, but Steve Myhra’s extra point attempt went wide and the score remained 8-3 in favor of Baltimore.

It stayed that way through the scoreless third quarter. Detroit QB Jim Ninowski had been ineffective, completing just 8 of 22 passes for 82 yards, two of which were intercepted. Unitas was having his share of difficulties as well thanks to the aggressive Lion defense. In addition to three interceptions, he had five passes deflected and lost a fumble. The pickoffs and fumble were costly, all coming in Detroit territory.

Detroit’s backup QB Earl Morrall (pictured at top) replaced Ninowski in the fourth quarter. Morrall threw a touchdown pass to HB Howard “Hopalong” Cassady that covered 40 yards and put the Lions in front by 10-8. Jim Martin added a 47-yard field goal that increased Detroit’s margin to 13-8 with 1:15 left on the clock.

Unitas and the Colts came back, however, and scored with 14 seconds to play as Moore made a sensational diving catch for a 31-yard touchdown. It seemed as though Baltimore had pulled out a tough 15-13 win. Fans stormed the field following the TD and again after DB Bruce Maher returned the kickoff 34 yards and nearly broke free. Some of the players also got into altercations on the field, causing further delay in the resumption of play.

With just seconds remaining and no timeouts, Morrall threw a short pass to end Jim Gibbons who went all the way to the end zone, a distance of 65 yards. Expecting a sideline pass, the Colt defensive backs had all dropped back accordingly and Gibbons, not the fastest of Detroit’s receivers, had clear sailing down the middle of the field. In stunning fashion, the Lions were winners by a score of 20-15.

Baltimore had the edge in total yards (387 to 302) and first downs (19 to 18). However, the Colts also turned the ball over five times, to three by the Lions, and were only able to gain 54 yards on the ground, as opposed to Detroit’s 133.

In relief of Jim Ninowski, Earl Morrall completed 5 of 6 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Nick Pietrosante rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries. Three Detroit receivers caught three passes apiece, with the long score for the winning TD giving Jim Gibbons (pictured below) a team-leading 83 yards on his three receptions while Howard Cassady gained 69, including a touchdown, and Gail Cogdill had 24 yards.

For the Colts, Johnny Unitas was successful on 22 of 40 throws for 357 yards and two touchdowns, but also gave up three interceptions. It marked the 47^th straight game in which Unitas threw a TD pass, a record streak that would be snapped the following week and remain the NFL’s longest until 2012. Raymond Berry caught 10 of those passes for 117 yards while Lenny Moore, who led the team in rushing with just 18 yards in 8 attempts, gained 139 yards and scored twice with his four pass receptions. Alan Ameche rushed for 15 yards in three attempts before suffering a career-ending Achilles tendon injury, further weakening the running game for the last two contests.

“I told Gibbons if he went down the middle, he’d probably be open,” explained Earl Morrall regarding the game-winning play. “We had no timeouts left. The Colts knew it, so I knew the middle would be open.”

“It looked like the ball was thrown near (Bob) Boyd and (Andy) Nelson, but what I can’t understand is why the other backs didn’t start converging when the ball was still in the air,” said a frustrated Weeb Ewbank, who initially had been glad that Morrall had thrown short down the middle.

It was the first time a team had swept the season series against the Colts since 1956 and the first time they lost two straight at home since ’57. The loss dropped the Colts into a tie for first in the Western Conference with Green Bay and San Francisco. The Bears were right behind at 5-4-1 and Detroit, having evened its record at 5-5, also now found itself in the race.

It continued to get worse for the Colts, who lost their remaining contests to finish up in fourth place at 6-6. The Packers topped the conference with an 8-4 record and the Lions, winners of their last four games, tied the 49ers for second with a 7-5 tally. They went on to win the first installment of the Playoff Bowl, a postseason exhibition game between the second place teams in each conference.

Earl Morrall, in his fifth of what would be an eventual 21 NFL seasons, completed 32 of 49 passes for 423 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He would continue to vie with Ninowski and, later, Milt Plum for the starting job with the Lions for another four years.

The third-year pro Jim Gibbons caught a career-high 51 passes for 604 yards (11.8 avg.) with one other TD in 1960. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of three times in his eleven-season career, all spent with Detroit.

1990: Bo Jackson Spurs Raiders to Win Over Late-Surging Broncos

Following four straight seasons of not rising above .500, the Los Angeles Raiders had gotten off to a 6-1 start in 1990. However, Head Coach Art Shell’s team had then lost three of four prior to facing the Denver Broncos on December 2. Sixth-year QB Jay Schroeder was showing great improvement under the guidance of assistant coach Mike White and the offense featured an outstanding running attack. Due to the contractual arrangement that allowed him to join the Raiders after the major league baseball season was completed, RB Bo Jackson (pictured above) had been increasing his workload as he split time with veteran RB Marcus Allen in the five previous games.

The Denver Broncos, under Head Coach Dan Reeves, were at just 3-8 a year after winning the AFC title and being decimated by the 49ers in the Super Bowl. 30-year-old QB John Elway was the key to the offense and had a talented group of receivers for his passes. Second-year RB Bobby Humphrey was highly productive. But the defense was prone to giving up too many points, particularly in the second half of games.

It was a sunny and bitterly cold day at Mile High Stadium with wind chills in the teens. The Broncos had first possession and drove 45 yards in eight plays with Humphey running for 38 yards and David Treadwell kicking a 45-yard field goal. Los Angeles responded with a long 13-play drive that covered 73 yards and used up over nine minutes. Marcus Allen handled the running and Jay Schroeder completed four passes to WR Willie Gault, the longest two of which covered 22 and 19 yards. Schroeder finished off the series with a four-yard TD pass to RB Steve Smith and, with Jeff Jaeger’s successful extra point, the Raiders were ahead by 7-3.

Heading into the second quarter, the teams traded punts. Taking over at their own four yard line, the Broncos put together a long drive of their own. Along the way Elway threw to WR Mike Young for 14 yards on a third-and-five play and ran 19 yards for a first down in a third-and-15 situation. Denver took 12 plays to go 96 yards and regained the lead when Elway completed a 21-yard scoring pass to WR Vance Johnson. It was 10-7 at the half.

The Raiders had the ball first in the third quarter and punted, but they regained possession two plays later when CB Terry McDaniel intercepted a poorly-thrown Elway pass and returned it to the Denver 28. Schroeder threw to Gault for 17 yards and Bo Jackson, who had carried just twice at the end of the first half, ran for an 11-yard TD. LA was back in front by 14-10.

Once again the Broncos put together a long series that extended into the fourth quarter. And again Elway made big plays on third down, most notably hitting WR Ricky Nattiel for a 19-yard gain on third-and-12. But after getting a first down at the LA 9, Denver had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Treadwell to complete the 17-play, 73-yard drive and make it a one-point contest.

The clubs traded punts with the Raiders taking over at their 38 yard line and striking quickly as Jackson took off down the left side for a 62-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked afterward – an occurrence that would factor into the game’s outcome.  But it seemed inconsequential when a three-and-out series by the Broncos led to a methodical scoring possession by Los Angeles and Jaeger booted a 46-yard field goal to extend the margin to ten points with 4:18 left on the clock.

Operating exclusively out of the shotgun, Elway and the Broncos came out throwing. Young caught four passes, including the last one of the series for an eight-yard TD. The successful PAT made it a three-point contest and Denver had one more shot after a short LA series and punt. Taking over at their 40, the Broncos got a break when a catch originally ruled out of bounds was overturned on review and became a 27-yard Elway completion to Johnson. Advancing to the Los Angeles 24, it seemed as though the contest was about to go into overtime. But with ten seconds on the clock, the snap was high for Treadwell’s  41-yard field goal try and the kick was deflected. The Raiders won by a score of 23-20.

The Broncos had more total yards (357 to 293) and first downs (20 to 17). They also surrendered the only turnover of the game – which led to Denver points – and were more heavily penalized (8 for 54 yards to LA being flagged four times at a cost of 30 yards).

Bo Jackson, despite not appearing until late in the second quarter and splitting time with Marcus Allen, rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns in just 13 carries. Allen was held to 22 yards in 11 attempts. Jay Schroeder completed 16 of 23 passes for 164 yards with no TDs or interceptions. Willie Gault led the LA receivers with 9 catches for 99 yards.

For Denver, John Elway was successful on 20 of 31 throws for 231 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 52 yards on 7 carries. Bobby Humphrey was the top ground-gainer with 88 yards on 20 rushes. Mike Young caught 6 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

“Bo Jackson is a great runner,” summed up Dan Reeves for the Broncos. “I’m not taking anything away from him when I say we did not tackle well. He certainly had three or four outstanding runs. We had people trying to hit him with shoulder pads and helmets. We have to develop better fundamentals in tackling, especially when you face a 240-pound running back with that kind of talent.”

The win allowed the Raiders to retain a share of first place in the AFC West and they went on to win the remainder of their regular season games and finish atop the division with a 12-4 record. After beating Cincinnati in the Divisional round of the playoffs, they were humiliated by Buffalo in the AFC Championship game by a lopsided score of 51-3. Denver split its remaining contests to place last in the division at 5-11.

Despite playing in just 10 games, Bo Jackson led the Raiders in rushing with 698 yards on 125 carries to average 5.6 yards per attempt. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, but a hip injury suffered in the postseason proved to be career-ending. 

John Elway, immensely talented but prone to inconsistency, was among the league leaders in pass attempts (502), completions (294), and yards (3526) but tossed just 15 touchdown passes – the fewest since his rookie year in 1983 – and was intercepted 14 times. Bobby Humphrey rushed for 1202 yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl, but a contract holdout virtually wiped out his ’91 season and he was dealt to Miami.

2002: Tomlinson Rushes for 220 Yards as Chargers Beat Broncos in Overtime

The San Diego Chargers got off to a 6-1 start in the 2002 NFL season but then lost three of four before hosting the Denver Broncos on December 1. Coached by Marty Schottenheimer, the team featured RB LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured at right) on offense, already a star in his second year, and another second-year player, QB Drew Brees, had moved into the starting lineup with good results.

Denver, under eighth-year Head Coach Mike Shanahan, was at 7-4 and had beaten the Chargers earlier in the season. The Broncos had a star running back of their own in rookie Clinton Portis. But QB Brian Griese had been struggling with his consistency and 37-year-old backup Steve Beuerlein was starting.  He had seasoned wide receivers to throw to in Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey.

There were 66,682 fans in attendance at Qualcomm Stadium. The teams traded punts until the Broncos put together a seven-play scoring drive midway through the first quarter. Beuerlein tossed back-to-back completions to Rod Smith for 23 and 13 yards and Jason Elam kicked a 54-yard field goal.

The Chargers came back with a 56-yard possession, but following a third-down pass from Drew Brees to WR Eric Parker that picked up 30 yards to the Denver 24, San Diego could move no farther and Steve Christie’s 42-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

Denver wasted no time in scoring again as Beuerlein threw to Ed McCaffrey for 17 yards, Clinton Portis ran for 8, and on the third play of the series Portis carried again for a 43-yard touchdown run up the middle. The successful extra point made it 10-0 in favor of San Diego. However, now it was San Diego’s turn to strike quickly. On the first play following the kickoff, LaDainian Tomlinson took off around left end on a 76 yard run to the Denver six yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, Tomlinson rushed for a three-yard TD.

Following a punt by the Broncos that put the Chargers in good field position, Tomlinson again set the tone with a 24-yard carry and four plays later he reached the end zone from a yard out. San Diego had the lead for the first time at 14-10.

Denver turned the ball over on a fumble on its next series and once more it was Tomlinson scoring a touchdown to cap the ensuing possession, this time running in from five yards out. Down by 11 points, the Broncos struck fast as Beuerlein threw to McCaffrey for a 47-yard gain and, two plays later, Portis scored a touchdown on an eight-yard run.

The Chargers put together another scoring drive prior to the end of the half. Brees completed four passes and, with ten seconds left on the clock at the Denver two yard line, Christie booted a 20-yard field goal. San Diego took a 24-17 lead into halftime.

Denver started off the third quarter by driving to the tying score in ten plays. Portis rushed for 39 yards, including 18 on the first play, and caught a pass for 13. The series ended with Beuerlein tossing a 22-yard touchdown pass to RB Reuben Droughns and Elam added the extra point that made it 24-24.

Neither team was able to score during the remainder of the period, but the fourth quarter started with CB Alex Molden intercepting a Beuerlein pass to give San Diego possession at the Denver 30. Four plays later Christie kicked a 40-yard field goal that again put the Chargers in the lead by 27-24.

San Diego had a chance to add more points but Christie was wide on a 49-yard field goal attempt. Denver responded by driving to the Chargers’ seven yard line in 11 plays and Elam made good on a 24-yard field goal try that again knotted the score.

That was how it stood at the end of regulation. The Broncos had the first possession in overtime but had to punt. In a series that included a 25-yard run by Tomlinson the Chargers advanced to the Denver 19 but Christie’s 38-yard field goal attempt was blocked by DE Trevor Pryce. Beuerlein threw to TE Dwayne Carswell for a 19-yard gain as Denver moved into San Diego territory, and this time Elam was unsuccessful on a long three-point try from 53 yards.

Once again the Chargers drove into scoring position, with Tomlinson carrying the ball six times and Brees completing a pass to TE Stephen Alexander for 20 yards. With just over three minutes remaining in the extra period, Christie, who had a difficult day on field goal attempts, won the game with a 27-yard boot – his ninth career overtime field goal. San Diego ended up on top by a score of 30-27.

The Chargers had the edge in both total yards (434 to 417) and first downs (25 to 20). They also sacked Steve Beuerlein four times and didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Denver did so three times. The Broncos also committed nine penalties to just one flag thrown on San Diego.

LaDainian Tomlinson had the biggest performance, rushing for 220 yards on 37 carries with three touchdowns. Tomlinson’s rushing total included 10 carries for 57 yards in overtime. He broke his own club record of 217, which he shared with Gary Anderson, and was well on pace to break the team’s season rushing record held by Natrone Means (Tomlinson would exceed his single-game and season rushing records in subsequent years). With 11 pass receptions for 51 more yards, he gained 271 yards of total offense.

Drew Brees completed 27 of 41 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. While Tomlinson was well ahead in leading the Chargers in pass receptions, his 51 receiving yards were three ahead of Eric Parker’s 48 on three catches.

For the Broncos, Clinton Portis (pictured below) gained 159 yards on 23 carries and scored two TDs – a fine performance that was overshadowed by Tomlinson’s. Steve Beuerlein was successful on 22 of 39 throws for 288 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Ed McCaffrey topped the receivers with 7 catches for 126 yards.

The overtime win improved San Diego’s record to 8-4, but they didn’t win again, losing four straight to close out the year at 8-8 and third in the AFC West. The Broncos recovered to win two of their last four games to place second in the division at 9-7, just missing the playoffs.

LaDainian Tomlinson finished second in the league in rushing with 1683 yards on 372 carries (4.5 avg.) and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 79 passes for 489 yards and another TD. His 2172 total yards ranked fourth in the NFL and he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first of an eventual five times.

1974: Blazers Upset Southmen in WFL Semifinal Playoff Game

Determining the playoff format for the World Football League’s 1974 season proved to be a reflection of the overall chaos surrounding the entire operation. A structure was finally agreed to that would include six teams and allow the Memphis Southmen and Birmingham Americans, the clubs with the best records, to have a bye for the first round. While The Hawaiians upset the Southern California Sun in one contest, the Florida Blazers defeated the Philadelphia Bell in the other. On November 29 the Blazers traveled to Memphis to take on the Southmen in a Semifinal Playoff game.

The Blazers hadn’t been paid in 13 weeks due to lack of income compounded by organizational flux and lawsuits that prevented the league from stepping in to compensate the players. In addition, the Blazers were angry because they had to beat Philadelphia to advance to the Semifinal game while Memphis and Birmingham drew first-round byes.

Head Coach Jack Pardee held the team together through all of the adversity, and Florida had topped the Eastern Division with a 14-6 record. The offense was directed by QB Bob Davis, formerly of the Oilers, Jets, and Saints, and had the WFL’s leading rusher in rookie RB Tommy Reamon (pictured above). The defense was one of the league’s best and contained All-League selections DE John Ricca, DT Mike McBath, and CB Miller Farr, an ex-NFL star primarily with the Oilers and Cardinals.

The Memphis Southmen (or “Grizzlies”, as the local fans preferred to call them), coached by John McVay, were well-funded as well as successful on the field, having topped the Central Division with a 17-3 tally. 31-year-old veteran QB John Huarte, a journeyman backup in the AFL and NFL, competently directed an offense that featured a solid stable of running backs led by rookie J.J. Jennings and a fine receiver in WR Ed Marshall. CB David Thomas was the featured player on defense. Moreover, the Southmen had not lost at home all season.

There were just 9692 fans in attendance at Memphis Memorial Stadium (aka the Liberty Bowl) on a cold and rainy Friday night. Memphis scored in the first quarter on a one-yard carry by Jennings. The Southmen got another TD before the opening period was over thanks to a completion by Huarte to Marshall that covered 45 yards. While Jennings successfully ran for the action point following his initial score, the attempt failed following the second TD, but Memphis was out in front by a score of 15-0 (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an “action point” that couldn’t be kicked).

It only seemed to get worse for the Blazers in the second quarter when Bob Davis suffered a rib injury and was replaced by rookie Buddy Palazzo, who had thrown just five passes during the regular season. But while there was no further scoring in the first half, most notably thanks to an interception by Miller Farr of a Huarte pass in the end zone, Florida began to close the gap in the third quarter.

First, capping the Blazers’ first series of the second half, Dave Strock kicked a 25-yard field goal and then Tommy Reamon ran for a 21-yard touchdown. The action point was successfully added and the tally was at 15-11 heading into the final period.

It looked as though it would stay that way until the Blazers got a break late in the fourth quarter. Forced to punt after Palazzo was sacked deep in in his own territory, David Thomas fumbled the kick and TE Luther Palmer recovered at the Memphis 22 with 1:13 remaining. Four plays later RB Richard James ran four yards for the go-ahead touchdown. The pass attempt for the action point was intercepted but the Blazers were ahead by three.

Memphis still had a chance, but Bob Etter’s 40-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds on the clock was blocked by DE Louis Ross. Florida advanced to the WFL Championship game by a score of 18-15.

The Blazers gained just 58 net passing yards but more than made up for it with 213 yards on the ground. They also had the edge in first downs (17 to 15). There were three turnovers, with Memphis giving up two of them.

Tommy Reamon was the offensive star as he rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries that included a touchdown. Bob Davis completed only three of 10 passes for 20 yards with one intercepted before exiting the contest and Buddy Palazzo was good on three of six throws for 47 yards with no TDs but also no interceptions. TE Greg Latta led Florida’s receivers with three catches for 26 yards. 

For the Southmen, J.J. Jennings rushed for 106 yards on 24 attempts. John Huarte (pictured at left) was successful on 17 of 22 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown and had one picked off. WR Jack Ettinger had 9 catches for 105 yards.

“We beat Memphis, the World Football League, and their money,” exulted Florida LB Larry Ely afterward. It was a stunning win for the underfunded underdog team.

“We were mad and hungry,” summed up Coach Pardee. “We played that way.”

The Blazers came up short in the league title game, called the World Bowl, by a 22-21 score against the Birmingham Americans. It marked the end for the team, as what was left of the franchise was transferred to San Antonio for the WFL’s second (abbreviated) season in 1975, including around 20 of the leftover players.