OT loss dims Glory’s late, furious comeback

Ohio Glory quarterback Pat O’Hara (6) was headed for a day to remember at home against the New York-New Jersey Knights. O’Hara set a World League of American Football record with a 99-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Melvin Patterson in the first quarter, and was 8-for-17 for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception before being lost for the season with a slight separation of his right (throwing) shoulder late in the first half.

The Ohio Glory came into its Week 8 game at home against the New York-New Jersey Knights with an unfamiliar feeling – that of winning the week before.

The Knights were coming into town riding a three-game winning streak after starting 1992 at 0-4. The matchup had the potential to be a fun one. No one, however, saw what happened on a sunny 70-degree May day in Columbus, Ohio, coming.

New York-New Jersey won in overtime, 39-33, but how the Knights got to their fourth straight victory was memorable:

·         Ohio quarterback Pat O’Hara started the scoring with a World League of American Football League-record 99-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Melvin Patterson just 5:04 into the game.

·         After the Knights scored back-to-back touchdowns to go ahead 14-7, the Glory responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Amir Rasul. Ohio’s first two scoring drives covered 99 and 94 yards.

·         New York-New Jersey took a 27-14 lead into halftime following two more touchdowns (and a botched extra point). Following a 23-yard Jerry Kauric field goal to cap off a 64-yard drive, the Knights scored again (without the PAT again) early in the fourth quarter to go ahead 33-17.

·         It was at that point that Ohio began its furious comeback. In the span of 6:10, the Glory scored on a 3-yard fumble return by cornerback Aaron Ruffin (the two-point pass failed), a 15-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Babe Laufenberg to wide receiver Phil Logan and, finally, a 22-yard Kauric field goal with 1:17 left in regulation to send the game in overtime. That field goal came one play after wide receiver Walter Wilson dropped a potential winning touchdown catch.

·         The euphoria of the comeback, however, was short-lived. Laufenberg was intercepted by Knights nickel cornerback Joe Johnson, who raced 41 yards for the decisive touchdown just 2:23 (and four plays) into the extra period.

The two teams combined for 989 yards of offense, 72 points, 48 first downs, eight turnovers, eight sacks and 17 penalties.

O’Hara suffered a slight separation of his right (throwing) shoulder late in the first half, and was lost for the remainder of the season.