Analysis: Tuskers 27 @ Las Vegas 20

This is coming later than most would expect, but it's better late than never right? So this past Saturday 9/18, the Florida Tuskers came to Las Vegas for the second game of the 2010 UFL season. Earlier in the day the Hartford Colonials beat the Sacramento Mountain Lions 27-10.

My friend and I showed up to Sam Boyd stadium about an hour before kick-off. We were a little too late to partake in the pre-game festivities, but the remains were still there. There were games, inflatables for the kids, food, and even a few people tailgating. After we looked around, we headed into the stadium.



First of all, if you'd like to watch the game right now, you can stream it online at UFL-Rootball.com on this page here.

The stands were starting to fill in with just about a half hour to go, and we found our third row seats at the 50 yard line. Our section seemed pretty full, and more fans were showing up. When it came closer to game time, the Florida Tuskers were introduced to Sam Boyd Stadium. After that, with some build-up and coming through an inflatable helmet, the Las Vegas Locos were announced. They were greeted with great applause.

The Tuskers won the coin flip and took the ball first. After the kick-off, the game was an exciting roller coaster ride that kept every fan on their toes until the end. Here are some observations from the game:

Both teams had their ups and downs. Brooks Bollinger the Florida QB and returning league MVP looked pretty good throughout the night. He was picked off in the Tuskers' second possession by Teddy Lehman whom returned the pick for a 25 yard touchdown. After the interception, Lehman was out for the rest of the game due to a rib problem. Thankfully, the x-rays showed no fracture to his ribs. Tim Rattay of the Locos got off to a slow start, but started finding somewhat of a rhythm before two crucial interceptions thrown in the 4th quarter.

The Locos wide receivers seemed to have problems catching the ball at times, costing them yardage and even touchdowns. They'll need to be talked to by coach Fassel during the bye week. Rattay had some protection problems throughout the night that the offensive line can hopefully work out.

The most controversial, and outright wrongly called play of the night came in the second quarter when the Locos recovered a fumble from the Tuskers on a running play on their own 3 yard line. There was no flag on the play, but the review official in the booth called an Illegal Blitz penalty on the Locos. The UFL rulebook states that only 6 players can rush on pass plays. The rule is designed to protect the quarterbacks in the league. The rule is void on run plays, and so the call was completely wrong. Coach Fassel argued with the referees to the point where he had to apologize to those who heard his language on TV. The Tuskers scored a touchdown on the resulting play which was a turning point in the game. In the aftermath, the UFL admitted that the call was wrong in a statement to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

There were a multitude of penalties and missed opportunities for both teams. Both teams missed a field goal, both teams missed some crucial first down opportunities, and both teams suffered some injuries. Sammie Parker of the Locos left the game due to injury, but his x-rays came back negative, so hopefully he'll be alright in about a week when we travel back to Orlando to face the Tuskers.

Turnovers were another issue for both teams. Bollinger threw one interception, while Rattay threw 2. Locos' Wally Dada picked up a fumble from Tusker Cortez Hankton that was forced out by Loco Trey Young. Loco Andre Thurman was hit hard by Tusker Odell Thurman who forced a fumble that the Tuskers turned into a field goal.

There were, however, some good parts for the Locos on Saturday. TE Adam Bergen was a stud like usual, and had a lot of nice passes. The Locos defense was hard hitting, and had great tackling skills. They just need to work on their pass defense. Tad Perry caught a great 24 yard pass in what looked to be a touchdown on an important third down situation. Perry happened to be out of bounds, but the Tuskers were called on a pass interference play which put the ball on the 1 yard line. Tim Rattay found FB Bobby Rome on the next play for a touchdown.

On a good drive in the 4th after some great passes, Rattay threw to Tab Perry in the endzone, but Simeon Castille intercepted the pass that could've kept the Locos alive. When the Locos got their last chance at a comeback with a little bit over 2 minutes to go, Brian Hernandez had a great punt return to the Tuskers 32 yard line. Unfortunately Lewis Baker of the Locos was called on an illegal block to the back, so the ball was taken back to the Locos 32 yard line. Then with two minutes to go in the game, Tim Rattay was intercepted by Tuskers defensive powerhouse Odell Thurman which sealed the Tuskers' win.

That's it for the first Locos Station game analysis for the first Locos game of the season. The team could have won the game if the offense and defense meshed a little bit more, but since there is no pre-season, this will all take a little time. And even though Tim Rattay looked a little bit shaky, I think he still has the potential to be a great starter for the team. He'll just have to get over the nerves, and be able to pull through late in the games when the team needs him the most. Hopefully the UFL referee corps can get all of the rules down correctly so they don't just hand points to teams on completely wrong penalty calls.

It's kind of bittersweet that the first two Locos home games are against the rival Florida Tuskers. The Tuskers are 7-0 in the regular season, but still lost the game that counted last November. Almost every Locos - Tuskers game has been close, and I imagine that will continue to happen. The Tuskers have made themselves an easy team to hate after beating the Locos in close games, losing in overtime in the championship, and Brooks Bollinger acting like a complete jerk during the half-time locker room show while pushing away cameras that are part of the UFL contracts that each team signs for the TV broadcasts. So it's cool that we get to see the teams face off twice early this season, but a bummer that we won't see them play eachother in both teams' prime towards the end of the season. Unless of course, they both make it to the UFL Championship game again.