2010 UFL Championship Game
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Date | November 27, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stadium | Versus | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Craig Minervini (play-by-play) Doug Flutie (color analysis) Damon Hack & Ryan Nece (reports) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2010 UFL Championship Game was the concluding game of the
Background
The UFL did not settle on a Championship Game site until mid-season, choosing to rely on a formula that took into consideration "advance ticket and merchandise sales, energy for all events prior to the season starting, and team record" to determine a site.
Las Vegas, the UFL's defending champions, lost their season opener to Florida, 27–20, but pulled off a five-game winning streak after a Week 2 bye, securing a berth in the title game after Week 7.
The Tuskers, who lost to the Locos in the 2009 title game and were now under the leadership of new coach Jay Gruden, began with the aforementioned Week 1 win at Las Vegas that was followed by late-second losses at Sacramento and to Las Vegas at home. Going into Week 8, the Tuskers had a 2–3 record and were in danger of being eliminated from playoff contention. At that point, the Tuskers decided to sideline 2009 league MVP Brooks Bollinger, who was suffering from a rib injury, in favor of backup Chris Greisen.[7] The Tuskers would pull off convincing home wins over Omaha and Hartford, but still needed a 27–10 win at Omaha on Week 10 to secure a Championship Game berth. (Had the Tuskers lost, Sacramento would have advanced on tiebreakers.)[8]
Game recap
First half
The game started on a furious pace, with Florida taking the ball first and going on a 12-play, 84-yard scoring drive that ended with Tuskers quarterback
The pace of the game would then start to slow down with no scoring until 5:56 remained in the second quarter; ending the Locos' first sustained drive of the game (including converting three third downs into first downs), Clement executed a play-action fake and found another wide-open receiver, tight end George Wrighster, from 30 yards out for a 14–10 Locos lead. Things got a little heated on the ensuing Tusker drive, with Florida hampered by a 15-yard personal foul to receiver John Standeford before punting to the Locos. Las Vegas then executed a drive that saw them move down to the Florida 13; the drive stalled, however, with a false start penalty (five yards and a 10-second run-off of the clock) leading to a pass attempt by Clement winding up out of the end zone as time expired in the first half (after which Locos coach Jim Fassel was heard insisting to the referee that :01 was left, enough time for the Locos to run one more offensive play before heading to the locker rooms).
Second half
The pace of the game would pick up again in the third quarter. After a
The following two drives ended with passing errors; a Tusker drive ended when Adrian Awasom broke up a Griesen pass on fourth-and-two at the Vegas 35, but the next Locos drive ended with Florida defensive back Keiwan Ratliff intercepting a pass intended for Brian Hernandez with 1:55 elapsed in the fourth quarter. Ratliff's interception, the only turnover of the game, turned into a Tuskers offensive drive that led them to the Las Vegas 4-yard line (thanks to a 36-yard reception by Maurice Hicks and resulted in a 21-yard field goal by Nick Novak that drew Florida to within 21–20 of Las Vegas with 7:48 left in regulation.
A three-and-out by the Locos gave the Tuskers the ball back, but on first-and-10 at their own 14, a low shotgun snap got past Greisen, who recovered in his end zone only to be sacked by Josh Cooper for a Las Vegas safety and a 23–20 score. The ensuing Locos drive ended in a punt, after which Greisen and the Tuskers, starting on their own 10 with 1:47 left, marched down to the Vegas 22 (the end point of a 23-yard throw to Cortez Hankton). After two incomplete passes (a spike by Greisen and an attempt in the end zone to Calvin Russell, who was tightly covered—and may have been interfered with—by Coye Francies), Nick Novak came on to attempt a 40-yard game-tying field goal with :06 remaining; a delay of game penalty pushed Novak and the Tuskers back five yards to the Vegas 27, where Novak's kick from 45 yards out on the final play of the game was blocked by Alfred Malone and recovered by the Locos, giving Las Vegas a 23–20 victory and their second consecutive UFL title.
Scoring summary
Team | Qtr | Scoring Info | FL | LV |
---|---|---|---|---|
FL | 1st | Greisen 5-yard TD run (Novak kick) | 7
|
0
|
LV | 1st | Thurman 75-yard TD pass from Clement ( Hauschka kick)
|
7
|
7
|
FL | 1st | Novak 22-yard FG | 10
|
7
|
LV | 2nd | Wrighster 30-yard TD pass from Clement (Hauschka kick) | 10
|
14
|
FL | 3rd | Greisen 2-yard TD run (Novak kick) | 17
|
14
|
LV | 3rd | Hakim Hill 37-yard TD run (Hauschka kick) | 17
|
21
|
FL | 4th | Novak 22-yard FG | 20
|
21
|
LV | 4th | Safety (Cooper sacks Griesen in end zone) | 20
|
23
|
Most Valuable Player
Locomotives quarterback
Broadcasting
On television, the game was carried on
Radio coverage of the game was provided the Tuskers' and Locomotives' radio flagships (respectively, WTKS-FM in Orlando[10] and KWWN in Las Vegas) as well as KOZN in Omaha, the flagship station of the Omaha Nighthawks.
References
- ^ United Football League (November 22, 2010). "United Football League Championship Game Countdown To Kickoff" (Press release). Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Associated Press (November 27, 2010). "Las Vegas Locos down Florida to repeat as UFL champions". USA Today. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ Pivovar, Steven (September 17, 2010). "Got UFL questions? We've got the answers". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ Pivovar, Steven (September 17, 2010). "Rosenblatt Stadium lands UFL title game". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 2010-10-22. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ United Football League (October 31, 2010). "Las Vegas Locos Clinch UFL Championship Game Berth" (Press release). Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ United Football League (October 17, 2010). "Locos Place QB Rattay on IR" (Press release). Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tuskers to start Chris Greisen at QB in place of injured Brooks Bollinger". Orlando Sentinel. November 3, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Victory against Nighthawks would put Tuskers in UFL title game". Orlando Sentinel. November 17, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ United Football League (November 24, 2010). "UFL Championship Game Live on YouTube" (Press release). Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tuskers shoot for first UFL championship". Orlando Sentinel. November 26, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
External links
- Game recaps from Omaha World-Herald and Associated Press