FORCE 70, STORM 62: Georgia seals the victory on a turnover in the end zone, ending Tampa Bay's five-game win streak.
By FRANK PASTOR
Published February 14, 2004
TAMPA - These are the things coaches harp on, Storm quarterback Shane Stafford said.
Now he knows why.
Trailing by a point but with the ball in the closing seconds of Friday's game against Georgia, Stafford tried to scramble away from lineman Nikia Adderson with his back to his goal line.
But Adderson stripped the ball, and Stacy Evans recovered in the end zone for the clinching touchdown as Georgia upset Tampa Bay 70-62 before an announced 14,104 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"It's frustrating," Stafford said. "But you've just got to learn from it. Protect the ball. Throw it away. Fight another day."
It was the first time in 40 Arena Football League outings the Storm (1-1) lost when scoring 60 or more points. It ended a four-game win streak over Georgia and a five-game string dating to last season.
Six days after managing only 28 points in a loss to New York, Georgia (1-1) scored on nine of its 14 possessions to join Albany in 1994 as the only teams to score 70 or more against the Storm.
Georgia quarterback Leon Murray was a dual threat, passing for 261 yards and five touchdowns and rushing 8 yards for the tying touchdown with 24 seconds left.
Four of Murray's scoring passes went to offensive specialist Markeith Cooper, whose 270 all-purpose yards were a Georgia record. Cooper's 55-yard kickoff return tied the score at 35 at halftime.
Stafford's late fumble overshadowed a game in which he tied Storm records for touchdown passes (eight) and touchdowns accounted for (nine). Freddie Solomon's five scoring receptions established a career high.
Special teams played a prominent role in the Storm's first loss of the season. Kicker Ian Howfield missed two extra points and a 49-yard field goal and was short of the net on kickoffs.
"We've got to take a long look at our kicking situation," said Storm coach Tim Marcum, who used six kickers last season. "Here we go again."
The Storm appeared to position itself to win when T.T. Toliver scored on a 16-yard crossing pattern for a 62-56 lead with 49 seconds left. But Howfield's second missed extra point opened a door, and Georgia walked through.
The Force downed Howfield's onside kick at the Tampa Bay 15. But three plays netted only 7 yards, setting up fourth and 3 from the Storm 8 with 29 seconds left.
With the crowd on its feet, Murray rolled left, spied an opening and cut upfield to score. The extra point put Georgia ahead 63-62 with 24 seconds left.
Marcum said defensive end Darion Conner failed to contain Murray on the play, which the Storm practiced against all week.
"If he contains him, we win the game," Marcum said.
The Storm got the ball back at its 9 with 23 seconds left. But before Stafford could get the ball out of his hands to make a play downfield, Adderson knocked it loose.
Even after Evans' recovery in the end zone, the Storm had a chance to tie with a touchdown and two-point conversion. A 25-yard completion to Solomon to the Georgia 21 gave Tampa Bay hope, but Stafford's final pass for Lawrence Samuels fell incomplete inside the 10.
Though Marcum said Tampa Bay, which played without top offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney, got beat at the line of scrimmage and on special teams, Stafford said he found it difficult to look past his fumble.
"I didn't have to force something," Stafford said. "There were 23 seconds left when we got it back. We had 2-3 timeouts. Throw it away. You know in this game, one big play, you're halfway down the field. All we need's a field goal. What do I do? Fumble the ball.
"It's my responsibility to take care of the ball. I touch the ball on every play; me and the center. Take care of the ball."
As Stafford now knows all too well, these are the things coaches harp on.
