ATLANTA-This time last season, the Tampa Bay Storm were 5-2 and sitting pretty atop the AFL Southern Division. Then, a tie against the Nashville Kats precipitated an eight-game losing streak to end the season at 5-10-1. This season, the Storm took a step toward erasing that inglorious chapter as they defeated the Georgia Force 33-28 in a Week 8 game.
There was no scoring in the first quarter. The Storm had a chance to score after both teams traded punts, but Johnny Quincey missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. Following a Force punt, Tampa Bay looked to drive for a score, but Alfred Pinkston would pick off an Orval Stanley pass at the Georgia 7-yard line. Blue Hanan would later pick off a pass by Yannel Gansz at the Force 39-yard line. Then, following a 5-play, 28-yard drive, Quincey kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Storm a 3-0 lead with 14:44 to go in the second quarter.
After trading punts, Georgia would answer with a 5-play, 72-yard drive. Prince David finished it off with a 3-yard touchdown to give the Force a 7-3 lead with 8:41 remaining in the half. The Storm would respond with an 11-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Quincey connecting on a 36-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 2:51 left in the second quarter. Georgia looked to score a touchdown before halftime, but Hanan would intercept Gansz again at the Tampa Bay 9-yard line to squelch that threat.
Both offenses got rolling in the second half. Reed Fuller would pick off Gansz at the Force 19-yard line on the first play of the half. Three plays, Stanley threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Von Windle giving the Storm a 13-7 lead with 13:21 to go in the third quarter. Tinker Trice fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Charley Voorhees recovered for Tampa Bay at the Georgia 11-yard line. On the next play, Stanley hit Willie Zachary for an 11-yard touchdown pass, and just like that, the Storm were up 20-7 with 12:57 left in the third. The Force got on a run of their own, starting with a 7-play, 56-yard drive. Trice made up for his fumble by catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from Gansz to make it 20-14 with 9:26 left in the third quarter. Tampa Bay punted on their ensuing drive, and the Force marched 58 yards on 11 plays. Clem Foulks scored on a 2-yard touchdown run giving Georgia a 21-20 lead with 2:26 to go in the third. On the ensuing kickoff, Greg Ponder lost the ball and Melvin Keaton recovered for the Force at the Storm 25-yard line. Three plays later, Bo Bull scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to extend Georgia's lead to 28-20 with 54 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay would answer with a scoring march that went 59 yards on 5 plays. Stanley fired a 25-yard touchdown strike to Jon Denny. The 2-Point Conversion attempt failed, and the Storm still trailed 28-26 with 13:34 to go in the fourth quarter. The teams would trade punts, then Hanan struck again, as he sacked Gansz and stripped him of the ball. Anderson Bloodworth would recover for Tampa Bay at the Georgia 41-yard line. Five plays later, Jefferson Taylor would score on a 7-yard touchdown run to make it 33-28 with 4:08 left in the game. The Force couldn't get anywhere close to scoring range, and the game was over.
Tampa Bay (6-2) gained 367 yards of total offense. The Storm ran for 112 yards on 30 carries. Zachary led the team with 47 yards on 17 carries. Stanley was 22-of-30 passing for 264 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once for a 9-yard loss. Foster Warhurst was the leading receiver with 8 catches for 99 yards. Next week, the Storm visit the Dallas Desperados.
Georgia (3-5) gained 357 yards of total offense. The Force ran for 132 yards on 29 carries. Foulks led the team with 81 yards on 15 carries and a TD. Gansz was 17-of-33 passing for 229 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT. He was sacked three times, losing 4 yards. Trice was the leading receiver with 6 catches for 62 yards and a TD. The Force visit the Chicago Rush next week.
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