Florida Tuskers Open Season With Win

by: Neil Tredray

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Florida Tuskers began their first season in the United Football League with a strong start, a 35-13 victory over the New York Sentinels Saturday night at the Citrus Bowl.The game started badly for the Tuskers as the Sentinels started off scoring 10 unanswered points, and a 35-yard field goal attempt by Tuskers kicker Matt Bryant missed wide right.
In the second quarter, Tuskers quarterback Brooks Bollinger was intercepted by cornerback Paul Pratt, who returned the ball to the one yard line.
The Sentinels' offense took the field poised to make the score 17-0, but the Tuskers defense twice stuffed New York's LaBrandon Toefield. Former Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson was in on both tackles for the Tuskers.
Then, on third down, Tuskers linebacker Tim McGarigle jarred the ball loose from Toefield's hands and Darius Vinnett recovered the fumble for the Tuskers in the end zone.
"We were going to go up 17 points and then disaster happened," said Sentinels head coach Ted Cottrell.
"After a shaky start, we settled down after we got that turnover and we kind of flipped things on them," said Tuskers head coach Jim Haslett.
That play was indeed the turning point for the Tuskers.
After starting on their own 20 yard line, Bollinger led the Tuskers on an 80 yard drive which featured receptions by five different Tuskers receivers, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Frank Murphy.
Two plays later, the Tuskers' defense forced another turnover as Fakhir Brown intercepted an errant Quinn Gray pass.
Bollinger needed just one play and one receiver for the next score, as he found Taye Biddle wide open in the middle of the field for a 35-yard touchdown pass.
The Sentinels scored their last points of the game on their next possession, a second field goal from kicker Piotr Czech that brought the Sentinels within one point.
After the half, the Tuskers took the field leading 14-13, and Bollinger led a third consecutive scoring drive.
Helped by a rush of 27 yards from Michael Pittman and one of 12 by Tatum Bell, Florida moved to New York's 16 yard line, where Bollinger found Chas Gessner wide open in the end zone for six.
On the Sentinel's next play from scrimmage, Toefield again had the ball jarred loose, this time by defensive tackle Claude Wroten. McGarigle fell on the ball, and after a coach's challenge confirmed the ruling of a fumble, Florida took over on New York's 31.
This time, the Tuskers allowed their running back duo of Bell and Pittman to do most of the work, but Bollinger had his final touchdown pass of the night on the drive, a one yard toss to Ryan Neufeld.
Bolinger completed 20 of 26 passes for 225 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Bell also scored on a running play in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, the Tuskers held the Sentinels to 63 offensive yards in the second half.
The Tuskers' next game is Thursday in Las Vegas against the undefeated Locomotives.