Fury cage Firebirds, Make playoffs
Kevin A. De Ceuninck
Tuesday July 24, 2001
Depending on how the Friday and Saturday games went, even a Fury win against the playoff bound Indiana Firebirds could have meant nothing.
Fury Head Coach Mouse Davis was optimistic on the situation. “There were a lot of possibilities. One of the scenarios were we could have lost and still got in. The kids played hard. They came ready to play. The difference is, we win and they lose,” said Davis.
Using every possession in the second to score, the Fury held up their end of that scenario beating the Firebirds 66-58.
The Fury tandem of quarterback Scott Semptimphelter and offensive Specialist Robert Gordon combined for six touchdowns, including a final touchdown to clip the Firebirds wings with 12 seconds remaining.
More importantly for Semptimphelter, he controlled the ball, and himself, throwing for 302 yards and no interceptions. Semptimphelter entered the game with 21 interceptions, among the league leaders, and the highest total of any playoff quarterback.
“I watched some film this week and was looking at the interceptions I have thrown. The major thing I noticed was I wasn’t getting back quick enough,” said Semptimphelter. “I really concentrated on getting out from under center and keeping my head down field.”
Just as important for the Fury as protecting the ball was the self-confidence in being able to come back against the Firebirds.
“We battled through adversity against one of the best offensive teams in the league,” said Semptimphelter. “All we needed was a stop, and again our defense handled that for us.”
Two second-half defensive stands were huge for the Fury. Converting a third quarter turnover on downs, and a missed field goal into touchdowns; the Fury turned a 14-point third quarter deficit into an 11-point lead.
Still, the Fury could not put the Firebirds away until 12 seconds remained. After a Nelson Garner field goal with 21 seconds remaining, a Firebirds’ onside kick was recovered and taken for a touchdown before the play was called back for an illegal touch by Indiana. The Firebirds were literally inches away from tying the score with seconds to go. On the penalty, Detroit received the ball at the Indiana 10-yard line and immediately took advantage with Gordon’s sixth touchdown reception for 10 yards.
“We made it exciting at the end, we could have taken care of it early but we didn’t,” said Gordon. “Now we throw out the records and go play ball. In this league, no one dominates, and now we have a shot.”
Playoff Battle
The Fury’s road of opportunity will not be an easy one. As the tenth seed, the Fury will need a big road win in a tough “Pit” in Arizona. In addition to a frenzied crowd, it will likely be the largest crowd the Fury has played in front of all year. Again, Semptimphelter will be the key to the Fury success. If he takes care of the football, the Fury may be able to take a two-game winning streak into the AFL Quarterfinals.
Kevin A. De Ceuninck was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
