ATLANTA-The Dallas Desperados exploded for 21 unanswered points to turn a 21-21 tie into a 42-21 rout over the Georgia Force in Week 16 of the AFL season.
Dallas began with an 8-play, 57-yard drive that ended with Heinie Voorhees throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Helmut Briley to take a 7-0 lead with 12:22 remaining in the first quarter. Georgia responded with a 4-play, 33-yard drive ending with a 49-yard field goal by Wilbur Ahmad to make it 7-3 with 10:20 remaining in the first. The Desperados moved into scoring position on their next drive, but Greg Hall missed a 41-yard field goal.
Both teams traded punts through the end of the first quarter. Dallas was driving for a score in the second quarter, but Horace Evers fumbled and Sputnik Havner recovered for the Force at their own 23-yard line. The 10-play, 77-yard drive ended with Norm Damron throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Sidney to put Georgia up 10-7 with 8:02 left in the half. The Desperados answered with an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Voorhees threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Clem Shaffer to put Dallas up 14-10 with 1:50 to go in the second quarter. Following a Georgia punt, Dallas drove into scoring range again, but Hall missed a 48-yard field goal attempt to end the half.
Dallas got a lucky break early in the third quarter, and the Desperados went 35 yards on 5 plays. Holt Leash caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Voorhees to make it 21-10 with 13:14 left in the third quarter. Georgia would go on a 9-play, 44-yard drive, and Ahmad would kick a 41-yard field goal to make it 21-13 with 8:31 left in the third. Dallas would line up to punt on their next drive, and Arman Wilcox's punt was blocked. Ervin Wheeler scooped it up and sprinted 31 yards for a touchdown. A successful 2-point conversion would tie the game at 21 with 5:29 to go in the third quarter. After a Dallas punt, the game would arrive at its turning point. On fourth down from Georgia's 8-yard line, Nelson Wynn lined up to punt for the Force. A bad snap forced Wynn to fall on it for a safety to give the Desperados a 23-21 lead with 2:26 left in the third. After the safety kick, Dallas would drive 84 yards on 6 plays. Voorhees fired a 31-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Hawes. The extra point was no good, and the score was 29-21 with 2 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
After an exchange of punts, it all started to unravel from Damron and the Force. Ardell Edmonds picked Damron off and returned it 19 yards to the Georgia 15-yard line. Two plays later, Briley ran in from 9 yards out to make it 36-21 with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Edmonds picked off Damron again and returned it 10 yards to the Force 28-yard line. The Desperados gained a yard on three plays, and Hall kicked a 44-yard field goal to extend the lead to 39-21 with 4:13 to go. Damron was intercepted one more time, as Diron Imboden ran 42 yards to the Force 8-yard line. Three plays gained five yards, and Hall kicked a 20-yard field goal with 1:19 left to reach the final 42-21 score.
Dallas (12-4) gained 451 yards of total offense. The Desperados ran for 102 yards on 32 carries. Briley led the team with 40 yards on 10 carries and a TD. Voorhees was 24-of-37 passing for 364 yards and 4 TD. He was sacked twice, losing 15 yards. Shaffer (88 yards, TD) and Evers (53 yards) each caught 5 passes. The Desperados will host the San Jose Sabercats next week in the American Conference playoff. The Sabercats won the previous meeting in San Jose 37-30 in Week 2, but the Desperados are undefeated at home.
Georgia (8-8) gained 251 yards of total offense. The Force ran for 127 yards on 17 carries. Walter Halley led the team with 95 yards on 8 carries. Damron went 19-of-34 passing for 161 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT. He was sacked five times, losing 37 yards. Sidney (52 yards, TD) and Paden Bonewell (36 yards) each caught 5 passes. The Force will visit the Detroit Drive for the National Conference playoff next week. The teams met in Atlanta in Week 2 and Detroit won the matchup 32-29.
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