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| Running back Amir Rasul was a workhorse for the Ohio Glory in its first-ever regular-season game. Rasul carried the ball 24 times, scored the franchise's first touchdown in the third quarter on a 5-yard run and gained a World League of American Football-record 152 rushing yards. |
In the
end, the Ohio Glory lost its first-ever regular-season game to the Orlando
Thunder.
Given how many things went wrong for the Glory in the contest, it’s
amazing the team came as close to winning as it did.
The Glory did fall to the eventual World Bowl runner-up, 13-9, at the
Florida Citrus Bowl, but factoring in how many breaks went Orlando's way,
it is a wonder Ohio had a chance to win the game in the final seconds.
·
On a late-first-quarter Thunder field goal attempt, Glory cornerback
Aaron Ruffin came in for the block, but the play was stopped due to an inadvertent
whistle. It appeared the Glory would have scored a touchdown had the whistle
not blown.
·
Immediately following a 50-yard field goal by Jerry Kauric to give the
Glory its first-ever points and first-ever lead, Kauric landed the ensuing
kickoff out of bounds. Orlando scored four plays and 65 yards later on a Scott
Mitchell-to-Grantis Bell 46-yard screen pass touchdown.
·
Still down 7-3 and establishing the running game, the Glory attempted a
halfback option pass with starter Amir Rasul with the ball at the Thunder 37.
Rasul didn’t sell the play well, then threw the ball up for grabs – and it was
picked off.
·
Down 13-3 late in the third quarter, Rasul scored the Glory’s
first-ever touchdown on a 5-yard scamper to the left pylon. The extra point
snap, however, wasn’t handled by holder and backup quarterback Pat O’Hara, and
the PAT was aborted – something that would come into play in the fourth
quarter.
·
Early in the fourth quarter, Glory speedy wide receiver Patrick Jackson
ran 27 yards on a perfectly-executed reverse. Had he not been slightly tripped
up on the play, he may have given Ohio the lead.
·
The Glory went back to the Jackson reverse well again later in the
fourth, but he fumbled (and may have been down on the play) – giving Orlando
the ball with 4:07 to go in regulation. That bad break, however, was negated by
a rare good break – an interception by Ohio dime cornerback Nigel Codrington
just two plays later.
·
Finally, the Glory took the Codrington pick and moved 46 yards to the Orlando
7 in the final minutes. On a first-and-10 play, veteran Ohio quarterback Babe
Laufenberg threw a pass into the end zone intended for wide receiver Melvin
Patterson – one that was picked off by Thunder cornerback Malcolm Frank.
The interception – Ohio’s third and final turnover of the game – was bad
enough. But it didn’t have to happen. First, had the extra point following
Rasul’s touchdown been good, the urgency for a TD in the final minute wouldn’t
have been there – the team could have tried for the win but kept a potential
tying field goal in its back pocket.
Second, it was a first-down play with time to run more. Laufenberg didn’t
have to force the throw into Patterson.
But finally, and perhaps most importantly, the replays show Laufenberg
may have been able to run straight ahead for the winning touchdown, instead of
trying to force the throw.
ABC Sports’ microphones on Glory Head Coach Larry Little caught Little’s
very apt instant exclamation – “OH NO!” - at the point Frank caught the ball.
Here are Little’s quotes about the final play, both at the time and 20
years later:
After the game – “He didn’t have to throw the ball. It was there for
him to take off and run, but he opted to throw the ball.”
20 years later – “Babe could have walked in the end zone.”
Rasul finished the day with a World League of American Football-record
152 rushing yards on 24 carries, an effort which earned him Week 1 league
Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Glory offense gained 294 yards (216 on
the ground), and kept the ball for 31:20.
Defensively, Ohio kept what would be one of the league’s top offenses
to one touchdown and 302 total yards.
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