GRAND RAPIDS-Although Detroit's win over Milwaukee all but eliminated the Grand Rapids Rampage from the AFL Eastern Division championship, they still put together a solid performance in defeating the Dallas Desperados 27-21 in a Week 14 game.
Grand Rapids started things out with a 7-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal by George Tibbs to take a 3-0 lead with 11:49 left in the first quarter. Dallas' ensuing possession ended in failure when Greg Hall missed a 41-yard field goal attempt. Following that miss, the Rampage drove 69 yards on 9 plays. Curtis Wayne finished it off with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Nikolai Vilmer to extend the Grand Rapids lead to 10-0 with 4:10 remaining in the first.
The Desperados would answer back on the next drive, as they moved the ball 55 yards on 12 plays. Heinie Voorhees completed a short 1-yard touchdown pass to Holt Leash to make it 10-7 with 14:43 to go in the second quarter. Following a Rampage punt, Dallas went on a 7-play, 44-yard drive. Voorhees finished it with a 2-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Hawes to take a 14-10 lead with 9:06 left in the half. Aside from an interception of Wayne by Ardell Emdonds late in the quarter, not much else of note happened prior to halftime.
Not much of note happened in the third quarter, either, until late in the third, when Grand Rapids went on a 8-play, 41-yard drive. Tibbs ended the drive with a 24-yard field goal to make it 14-13 with 1:21 left in the third. Randy Dobbs then intercepted Voorhees at the Desperados 38-yard line. After a 6-play, 26-yard drive, Tibbs kicked a 29-yard field goal to take a 16-14 lead with 13:12 left in the fourth quarter.
The Desperados went three-and-out and punted to the Rampage 23-yard line. It only took one play for the Rampage to score as Wayne fired a 77-yard bomb to Joe Foss for a touchdown. Grand Rapids went for two, and succeeded to make it 24-14 with 11:41 left in the fourth. Dallas moved down the field only for Hall to miss a 52-yard field goal attempt. The Rampage then drove 22 yards on 6 plays, and Tibbs kicked a 53-yard field goal to make it 27-14 with 4:36 to go in the game. The Desperados answered with a 7-play, 58-yard drive. Voorhees completed the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Elson Gregson to make it 27-21 with 1:54 to go in the game. Dallas kicked the ball deep hoping to get the ball back, but Grand Rapids made a couple of first downs to run out the clock.
Grand Rapids (9-5) gained 430 yards of total offense. The Rampage ran for 100 yards on 30 carries. Bobo Cushing led the team with 38 yards on 8 carries. Wayne went 18-of-29 passing for 335 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once for a 5-yard loss. Foss led the receivers with 4 catches for 114 yards and a TD. The Rampage visit the Los Angeles Avengers next week.
Dallas (10-4) gained 285 yards of total offense. The Desperados gained 69 yards rushing on 18 carries. Helmut Briley led the team with 23 yards on 6 carries. Voorhees went 26-of-43 passing for 254 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked five times, losing 38 yards. Horace Evers led the receivers with 10 catches for 83 yards. Hawes caught 9 passes for 111 yards and a TD. Dallas will host the Nashville Kats next week.
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