GRAND RAPIDS-In a battle of two struggling AFL teams, the Georgia Force scored twenty unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Grand Rapids Rampage 27-19 in a Week 7 game.
The Rampage started the game on the right note, with an 8-play, 72-yard drive. Curtis Wayne finished it off with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Nikolai Vilmer. George Tibbs missed the extra point, and the score was 6-0 with 12:01 remaining in the first quarter. The Force would answer back with a 7-play, 75-yard drive of their own. Yannel Gansz would fire a 31-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Tallman to give Georgia a 7-6 lead with 8:31 remaining in the first. Grand Rapids would punt on their next drive, then Orville Brill would pick off a Gansz pass and streak 48 yards to the Georgia 2-yard line. Bobo Cushing would score on a 2-yard touchdown run on the next play to put the Rampage ahead 13-7 with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
Following a Force punt, the Rampage would move 55 yards on 10 plays. Tibbs would score on a 27-yard field goal to make it 16-7 with 14:48 to go in the second quarter. Georgia would punt, and Grand Rapids would try to drive for another score, but Tibbs missed a 48-yard attempt. Merrill Fernandez would intercept a Gansz pass at the Force 35-yard line, but Tibbs would miss a 41-yard attempt. Georgia would drive toward a 45-yard field goal attempt by Wilbur Ahmad, but a mishandled snap forced a fake attempt. Augustus Bahr's pass to Quirt Skinner would fall incomplete. Grand Rapids would subsequently drive 60 yards on 13 plays, and Tibbs would kick a 29-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining in the half to give the Rampage a 19-7 lead at the half.
After a Georgia punt, Wayne would be picked off by Sputnik Havner at the Force 24-yard line. But Georgia went three-and-out, and Nelson Wynn's punt was blocked at their own 16. However, Raymond Clements would pick Wayne off on the next play in the end zone, but he took it out of the end zone and returned it to his own 4-yard line. But the Force would march 96 yards on 9 plays, ending with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Gansz to Clem Foulks ro make it 19-14 with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter. After trading punts, Georgia would drive 24 yards on 6 plays. Ahmad would kick a 36-yard field goal to make it 19-17 with 26 seconds remaining in the third.
After a three-and-out by Grand Rapids, coupled with a great punt return by Gevan Crafton, the Force went on a 10-play, 40-yard drive. Gansz finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Raven Bannon to give Georgia a 24-19 lead with 10:25 to go in the fourth quarter. Wayne was victimized by another inception as Ward Hilton picked him off at the Force 22-yard line. Georgia would punt the ball, and Vilmer took off a 43-yard return to the Georgia 34-yard line. But the Rampage couldn't convert on fourth down. The Force would control the clock, but Ahmad missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Another stop by Georgia on fourth down gave the ball back to the Force, and Ahmad would connect on a 53-yard kick following a three-play, nine-yard drive to make it 27-19 with 32 seconds remaining to put it out of reach.
Georgia (3-4) gained 322 yards of total offense. The Force ran for 116 yards on 30 carries. Bo Bull led the team with 39 yards on 11 carries. Gansz was 22-of-40 passing for 238 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked three times, losing 32 yards. Foulks (66 yards, TD) and Bannon (15 yards, TD) each caught 5 passes in the game. The Force host the Tampa Bay Storm next week.
Grand Rapids (3-4) gained 263 yards of total offense. The Rampage ran for 74 yards on 21 carries. Cushing led the team with 33 yards on 5 carries and a TD. Wayne was 20-of-42 passing for 225 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 36 yards. Clift Gregory was the leading receiver with 6 catches for 56 yards. The Rampage visit the Detroit Drive next week.
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