Fury Squeak by Rampage 55-54; On to Tampa Bay
Neal Ruhl
Sunday May 25, 2003
The heroics started with only 1:18 left in the game and Grand Rapids up 54-47. LB Frank Leatherwood knocked the ball loose from Rampage receiver Steve Smith at the three-yard line and Fury LB Ty Grovesteen picked up the ball and returned it to the Rampage eight.
“I just saw the ball pop out, and I scooped it up,” said Leatherwood. “I don’t know what happened. I looked and the ball was there.”
Fury QB Andy Kelly hit Sulecio Sanford in the corner of the end zone as time expired to pull the Fury within one at 54-53. Then it was decision time for Fury head coach Al Luginbill. Detroit went for the two-point conversion and got the win as Sulecio Sanford came up huge for the second time in as many plays by hauling in the pass, making Detroit victorious, 55-54.
“We didn’t want to go to OT,” said Sanford, who had five catches for 60 yards, to go along with the biggest touchdown of the season for the Fury. “I just went to the open spot. The defender played me well, but I was able to make the play. The last time I made a catch that big was in college.”
Kelly was glad to see the coaching staff decide to go for two. “You go for the win in that situation. It was just one of our basic plays that we have ran all season.” Kelly was 23 of 58, good for 324 yards and six scores. “I don’t really care about stats, as long as we win, that’s all I care about.”
The win means the Fury advance to play the second seed Tampa Bay Storm next week. Luginbill is looking forward to trying to weather the Storm again this year. In week five Tampa beat the Fury 62-60. “Our front didn’t play well in that game. We are looking forward to going there and trying again,” Luginbill said. “I feel that game they beat us and that is what really got their season going and got them on a roll.”
The team’s character shined Sunday against the Rampage. Not only did they tie the AFL record for the biggest one-season turnaround, they went into a very hostile environment and pulled off a miraculous win after an offensive dry spell in the second half. The veteran leadership of Andy Kelly pulled the Fury through and got them the win. Detroit will be decided underdogs next week, but who knows what will happen with this team?
INSIDE THE FURY
The playoff win was the first ever for the Fury in the three-year history of the franchise…Rampage WR/LB Rickey Ross was named Ironman? What game were these guys watching? It should have been Grovesteen for sure…Fury fans can catch next week’s game on NBC Saturday at 3:00.
Neal Ruhl lives in the Metro Detroit Area where he has covered the Detroit Lions as well as the Motor City Bowl.
