Both the Tampa Bay Bandits and Birmingham Stallions were
attempting to secure spots in the postseason as they met in a United States
Football League game on June 15, 1985. Birmingham came into the contest at 12-4,
having won five straight and with a turnover differential of +16, the best in
the league. Head Coach Rollie Dotsch’s team had a well-balanced offense with QB
Cliff Stoudt, WR Jim Smith, and RB Joe Cribbs as the featured performers as
well as a fine defense.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, was 9-7 and in the midst of a
four-game losing streak. Coached by Steve Spurrier, the Bandits were typically
explosive on offense with veteran QB John Reaves behind center and also had a talented
all-purpose running back in Gary Anderson (pictured above). But there had been numerous
injuries, which were at the root of the club’s recent problems.
There were approximately 24,000 fans in attendance at
Tampa Stadium. The Stallions drove 92 yards in 11 plays the first time they had
the ball to take the early lead. Cliff Stoudt got off to a good start,
completing six of his seven passes for 71 yards, including a three-yard scoring
toss to Jim Smith. Birmingham’s series was also helped along by a personal foul
penalty on LB Tony Office.
But while up by 7-0, the Stallions were unable to build
upon their lead in the second quarter, thanks to a missed field goal attempt by
Danny Miller and an interception by Tampa Bay safety Dwayne Anderson. Instead,
Tampa Bay completed a seven-play, 50-yard drive with 35 seconds left in the
half as John Reaves threw to WR Spencer Jackson for a five-yard TD. Zenon
Andrusyshyn tied the game with his successful extra point and it was 7-7 at the
half.
The third quarter proved to be decisive for the home
team. First, Andrusyshyn kicked a 34-yard field goal that put the Bandits in
front. Then, with just over a minute left in the period Gary Anderson ran for
an 11-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT, extended Tampa Bay’s lead to
17-7. Meanwhile, the defense did its part by intercepting three of Stoudt’s
passes during the quarter, causing Coach Dotsch to bench him in favor of backup
QB Bob Lane.
Tampa Bay’s lead held up through the fourth quarter. In
the last minute, Lane tossed a seven-yard scoring pass to Smith, but it was
too-little, too-late as the Bandits came away with a 17-14 win.
Birmingham gained more yards (416 to 253) and had the
edge in first downs (24 to 17) and time of possession (37:13 to 22:47).
However, the Stallions turned the ball over five times, most critically in the
crucial third quarter, to four by the Bandits and Danny Miller missed both of
his field goal attempts, from 38 and 40 yards. Both clubs were heavily
penalized, with Tampa Bay drawing 12 flags at a cost of 48 yards while the
Stallions had fewer penalties with 9 but at a loss of 57 yards.
Gary Anderson rushed for 98 yards on 19 carries that
included a touchdown and gained 16 more yards on three catches. John Reaves had
a mediocre performance by his standards, completing just 13 of 30 passes for
112 yards and a TD but with three interceptions. WR Willie Gillespie, like
Anderson, caught three passes and gained a team-high 40 yards.
“I think this is the first time in three years we beat a
good team and we didn’t play well on offense,” said Steve Spurrier in summing
up his team’s win.
For the Stallions, Cliff Stoudt was successful on 16 of
27 throws for 187 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted four times before
being removed. Tellingly, he also led the team in rushing with 29 yards on four
carries while Joe Cribbs was held to 28 yards on his 12 attempts. Bob Lane, who
ran for 20 yards on three carries, completed 10 of his 17 passes for 130 yards
and a TD with one picked off. Jim Smith had 11 pass receptions for 139 yards
and two TDs while WR Ken Toler contributed 5 catches for 90 yards.
The much-needed victory secured a playoff spot for the
Bandits, who finished fifth in the Eastern Conference at 10-8. They lost in the
Quarterfinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Birmingham recovered to top the
conference at 13-5. The Stallions won their Quarterfinal game over the
high-powered Houston Gamblers but lost to the eventual league champs, the
Baltimore Stars, in the Semifinal round (they had fallen to the
then-Philadelphia Stars at a similar juncture in 1984).
John Reaves was highly productive, as he was throughout
his USFL career, passing for 4193 yards and 25 touchdowns, but he also tossed
29 interceptions. Gary Anderson made the Top 10 in both rushing and pass
receiving, gaining 1207 yards and scoring 16 TDs on the ground and catching 72
passes for 678 yards and four more scores through the air.
Cliff Stoudt was the league’s second-ranked passer,
throwing for 3358 yards and 34 touchdowns with 19 interceptions. Jim Smith
ranked third in pass receiving with 87 catches for 1322 yards and 20
touchdowns.
