Special Teams Play Rob Georgia of Revenge
Matt Eichenblatt
Monday February 6, 2006
While Sunday afternoon’s Arena Bowl rematch wasn’t quite the Super Bowl, the stage was still big enough for a national audience and 11,000 at Phillips Arena to witness one of the worse displays of special teams play in the history of football, as the Colorado Crush downed the Georgia Force 61-59 on Sunday afternoon.
The loss not only dropped Georgia to 1-1, but snapped their 13 game home winning streak; one that started at the end of the 2004 season. It was also Coach Doug Plank’s first loss at Phillips Arena.
"This game is disappointing for me, our coaches, our players, and most importantly our fans," Coach Plank said. "This is an unusual feeling being here at Phillips Arena having to explain a loss."
The game started out with a bang, with both teams coming out on their opening drives and putting up quick touchdown scores. But for the Force, quick elation turned into quick disaster as K Nelson Garner missed the ensuing extra point.
It was a tight contest until late into the 2nd quarter when the Crush capitalized on two very big special teams gaffes by the Force. Following a Colorado score that put the Crush up 21-20 late in the 2nd quarter, L Clay Rush caught the Force sleeping and converted and onside kick attempt that gave the Crush the ball back with 58 seconds left in the 1st half, which led to another Colorado score.
For Georgia, the worst was not over. With only 18 seconds left in the half, the Force would get the ball back, but would be unable to muster any sort of a drive, so Coach Plank sent out a Garner to attempt a 49 yard Field Goal. Not only would Garner miss the kick, but the ball would then be returned 58 yards by Ahmed Hawkins for another Colorado touchdown, putting the Crush up 41-27 at halftime.
Coach Plank noted the poor play on special teams as a major factor in the loss, and cited it was many mistakes, not just one that cost Georgia the game, "Had we just made one mistake, we probably would have won the football game." Plank mentioned. "But to continually make errors, especially in the special teams area, was simply too much for our team to overcome."
The special teams nightmare was still far from over for Georgia. After a valiant effort got the Force back to within one at 48-47 late in the third, Garner would once again miss the extra point, leaving Colorado ahead by one.
Down 7 once again with 3:25 left in the 4th quarter, the Force would again march down the field and score as Nagy connected with Derek Lee for a 22 yard score, and once again Garner missed the extra point.
After Colorado QB John Dutton connected with OS Damien Harrell for his 5th score of the night, it was up to the Matt Nagy and the Georgia offense to tie the game up with only 58 seconds remaining in regulation. After completing 3 quick passes, Nagy would connect with Derek Lee for the tandem’s 3rd touchdown of the game.
Down 61-59 after the score, Georgia would have to convert on a two-point conversion to tie the game up. Once again Nagy would call on Lee to make the play, but unlike the previous touchdown pass, Lee couldn’t make the catch, due to some obvious interference. But much to Derek’s chagrin, there was no flag thrown. After pleading his case, Derek was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. After a failed onside attempt, Georgia would succumb to defeat as Colorado ran out the remaining 28 seconds.
"It looked like interference," Nagy said after the game. "But the referees are human, and there is always going to be human error. It really shouldn’t have come down to that, and we as players have to make sure that it doesn’t come down to the referees. It’s a loss nonetheless but we still have a long season ahead of us."
Lee was unavailable for comment.
The story of the night though was the struggles of K Nelson Garner, who not only missed three point-after attempts, but kicked two out of bounds as well. When asked about the safety of Garner’s job, Coach Plank would not make any immediate decisions.
"I think right now it’s too soon to make any kind of decision on that." Plank mentioned.
"I think that Nelson’s been a very good, consistent kicker in the Arena Football League. I’ve been around him for a very long time and I know that his work ethic is fantastic. As a kicker, I think he’s entitled to more than just a single game in terms of poor performance. So I’m not prepared to make any kind of decision on that."
One more concern for the Force after the game was the status of DS Nate Coggin’s pending four-game suspension for his involvement in the preseason brawl with the Utah Blaze. According to Coach Plank, there is "no timetable for the arbitrator to make his decision."
With a game at Tampa Bay only five days away, the Force need to quickly forget about the loss, and redirect their attention to another tough playoff contender. It will be up to Coach Plank and his coaching staff to make sure that the team is prepared for what is sure to be another tough game against a division rival. It will take a total team effort, especially on special teams, to get the job done on the road and get back on track.
Remember Georgia, XX still marks the spot.
Matt Eichenblatt is a free-lance writer from the Atlanta area. He has followed Arena Football since 1999 and has been attending Georgia Force games since they moved from Nashville five years ago. As well as being a football enthusiast, he is also looking forward to graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in Finance and Communications.
