Storm stop Rattlers on two-point conversion for 62-61 win

Saturday May 1, 2010

Tampa Bay - Wide receiver DeAndrew Rubin caught a career-high five touchdowns of the nine thrown by quarterback Brett Dietz to lead the five-time Arena Football League Champion Tampa Bay to a 62-61 win over the Arizona Rattlers Saturday night and also give Storm head coach Tim Marcum his 200th AFL career win.

Rubin, just off the injured reserve, also had a career-high 185 yards on 9 catches in his first game with the Storm (2-2) after three AFL seasons with Orlando and spending the 2008 season in New Orleans. Dietz was 19 of 32 for 288 yards,

The Rattlers' Nick Davila, an af2 quarterback a year ago, was 27 for 47, 314 yards and 7 touchdowns. His primary target was J. J. McKelvey, whose 6-4 frame grabbed 13 passes for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rod Windsor, AFL Offensive Player of the Week last week with 16 catches and 230 yards, collected eight grabs for 109 yards and a pair of scores.

Tampa Bay led, 48-34 entering the fourth quarter, but Arizona tied it at 48 on a pair of touchdowns to McKelvey for 10 yards and another to Anthony Mix for 12 yards after Kelvin Morris recovered a Hank Edwards' fumble after a catch with 11:32 on the clock.

Dietz hit Tyrone Timmons for 10 yards with 4:58 remaining, but Garret Rivas' kick hit the right upright and Arizona (2-2) held the lead at 55-54.

On the next Storm possession, Dietz connected with Rubin for 37 yards and Dietz found fullback Terrence Royal in the right corner of the end zone for a 2-point conversion and Tampa led, 62-55, with 1:25 left.

Arizona then drove to the Storm three-yard line where Davila found McKelvey on a delay rout. With the score 62-62 Tampa, Arizona, with 7.4 seconds on the clock, elected to go for two points, a pass to McKelvey was knocked away by a host of Storm defenders as time ran out.

Tampa Bay's 20 second-quarter points provided a 34-21 halftime lead, but it was a half-ending defensive stance by the Storm that provided the margin.

After Arizona closed to 27-21 with 52.8 seconds left in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass from Davila to McKelvey, the Storm came right back.

Arizona's ensuing on-side kick was recovered by backup quarterback Drew Weatherford at the Rattlers' 11-yard line. Dietz then found Edwards on the third play from three yards out for the touchdown.

Davila was harrassed the entire first quarter by the defensive line of the Storm. Jermaine Smith and Tim McGill continually had a bead on the former af2 quarterback and his passes were either short or overthrown. The former University of Cincinnati QB was six of 12 in the first period for 52 and no scores.

McGill and defensive back James McCoy shared a sack and Smith had a clean shot at Davila for a three-yard loss in the first quarter.

Notes

* This was Head Coach Tim Marcum's 200th career victory.  He has an overall record of 200-95.
* WR DeAndrew Rubin, who played locally at Dixie Hollins H.S. (Kenneth City, FL) and the University of South Florida, set career single-game highs with 184 yards and five touchdowns on nine receptions in his first game with the Storm.  He is the second Storm receiver to catch five touchdown passes in a game this season, Tyrone Timmons recorded five in the season opener at Tulsa.
* QB Brett Dietz threw for a season-high nine touchdowns.
* DB Deonte Bolden, from Lakewood H.S. (Saint Petersburg, FL) knocked down three passes in his first game.
* Arizona QB Nick Davila is the first quarterback this season to throw for more than 300 yards against the Storm defense.
* DL Jermaine Smith recorded his first sack of the season.
* The Tampa Catholic H.S football team was honored at the game for the success it had this past season playing its way into the Division 2B State Championship game.

SCORE           1       2       3       4       TOTAL
ARZ                7       14      13     27     61
TAM                14     20      14     14     62

PASSING
ARZ – Nick Davila                   47-27-314-7-0
TAM – Brett Dietz                   32-19-288-9-0

RECEIVING
ARZ – JJ McKelvey                 13-127-3
TAM – DeAndrew Rubin           9-184-5

RUSHING
ARZ – Rod Windsor                 1-27-0
TAM – Terrence Royal              1-8-0

All-Purpose Yards
ARZ – Rod Windsor                136 yards
TAM – DeAndrew Rubin          184yards