Big Plays Secure Storm Victory
Joe Kauffman
Sunday April 22, 2001
Ironic considering four plays earlier they were a fumble-recovery away from attempting a 49-yard field goal. The kick would have given them a one-point lead against the Nashville Kats with one minute on the clock.
On third-and-ten from their own nine-yard line and trailing 33-31, Storm quarterback John Kaleo fumbled the snap. Instead of diving on the ball, he picked it up and threw a ten-yard strike to OS James Bowden who made the first down.
“I didn’t sense anybody around me [during the fumble],” said Kaleo. “I was trying to pick the ball up and tried to make something happen. It was late in the game and falling on it would just force a field goal. The line did a great job on that play. The ball bounced favorably to me. Sometimes, you need luck on your side.”
“It was the difference in the game,” said Storm coach Tim Marcum. “[Kaleo] fumbles the snap, picks the ball up and throws exactly a ten and one-quarter yard pass to James Bowden who makes the catch and gets to the boards.”
Marcum went on to say that he probably would have gone for the first down that late in the game, rather than attempt a field goal, but he was ecstatic that it did not have to come to that.
Following a 15-yard pass to Bowden near the sidelines for a first down and a one-yard rush by Nyle Wiren, which forced the Kats to use their first time out of the second half, the Storm prepared to run the clock down.
But the message never reached James Bowden.
Kaleo hit Bowden, who was wide-open seven yards downfield. He was supposed to go down after getting the first down so that the Storm could force the Kats to use their remaining time outs and run out the clock.
“I forgot to tell him to go down. That was my mistake,” said Kaleo. “Next time I’ll relay the message better, but I got caught up in the heat of the moment.”
The mistake turned into a fourteen-yard touchdown pass that gave the Storm a five-point lead, but would also give the Kats the ball with 39 seconds remaining in the contest.
“I called a seven yard look-route to Bowden, because I knew if we could make one first down, we could wind the clock down and we could make a field goal to score at the end of the game,” said Marcum. “He scores and now we’re fighting our tail off.”
“Next time, if things don’t work out, I’ll be the scapegoat,” added Kaleo. “But this time, things worked out.”
With a little luck, it worked out.
Earlier in the game, Kats quarterback Andy Kelly became Arena Football’s all-time touchdown passer. By scoring too quickly, they put the football back in Kelly’s hands to try to beat them.
The Storm were not going to let that happen, as the defensive line made their biggest play of the game. Kelly dropped back to pass from his own 10-yard line. Storm lineman Pig Goff came from the right side and knocked the football out of Kelly’s hand as he pulled it back to pass. Storm OL/DL Mel Agee recovered the fumble at the Kats’ two-yard line after dribbling the ball twice in a way that would make even the best point guards of the NBA proud. He then rumbled the remaining two-yards into the end zone for the touchdown.
“What a big play we made defensively,” said Marcum. “[Goff] knocks it out, Mel [Agee] picks it up and runs it in.
“[Kelly] had to go five steps. They had to throw the ball deep. We got a good pass rush. Big Mel was in the right place at the right time, scooped it up, did a little crossover dribble, took it into the end zone.”
Mike Black’s sixth extra point of the game gave the Storm a 12-point lead with only 25 seconds remaining, and Nashville was unable to make a comeback, losing the game 45-40 after scoring a touchdown as time expired. The win gave the Storm sole possession of the lead in the Southern Division.
Before the season began, the Storm were worried that their defense would be weaker than in past years. Against the Kats, they put that fear to rest.
Up Next
The Tampa Bay Storm (2-0) have a bye week before traveling to Milwaukee in week four. The Nashville Kats will head to Sunrise, Florida to take on the Bobcats next week.
Joe Kauffman is President and Editor in Chief of Arenafan Online, having joined the staff in 2000. He graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a degree in communications andbuilds ecommerce sites for a day job. Joe has enjoyed Arena Football since 1991 and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1995. Prior to Joining Arenafan, he was a co-founder and Technical Editor of the Storm Shelter, which covered the Tampa Bay Storm from 1996-99. Joe and his wife Erika live in Hackettstown, New Jersey with their two daughters.
