GRAND RAPIDS-The Grand Rapids Rampage defeated the Detroit Drive to knock them out of contention of the AFL Eastern Division with a 27-19 victory in Week 13.
The first quarter did not feature any scoring. The teams traded punts on their first possession, then Detroit looked to get on the board. But Cletis Frayer's 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide. After a Grand Rapids punt, the Rampage would get the ball back when Ves Gaskins picked off Lou Couch early in the second quarter and returned it 31 yards to the Drive 13-yard line. Three plays later, Toby Harrell scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to give Grand Rapids a 7-0 lead with 12:46 to go in the second quarter.
After Gaskins picked Couch off again at the Rampage 45-yard line, they went on an 8-play, 45-yard drive. George Tibbs ended the march with a 27-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 8:15 remaining in the half. The Drive turned the ball over again, as Couch was sacked by Marvin Tyles who stripped the ball away at the Grand Rapids 48-yard line. Herbert Shipley finished off the subsequent 9-play, 52-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to take a 17-0 lead with 1:18 to go in the second quarter. Detroit finally got on the scoreboard after marching 50 yards on 5 plays. Frayer would kick a 47-yard field goal with 2 seconds left, and the Drive trailed 17-3 at halftime.
Grand Rapids punted on their first possession of the second half, then the Drive moved 62 yards on 14 plays. Frayer ended it with a 23-yard field goal making the score 17-6 with 6:35 left in the third quarter. The Rampage punted again, then Detroit drove 71 yards on 8 plays. Couch hit Ahmed Sohn for an 18-yard touchdown pass, but the 2-Point Conversion failed, and the Drive trailed 17-12 with 23 seconds left in the third.
The Rampage would respond on their next possession, driving 67 yards on 9 plays. Curtis Wayne finished it with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Kinzer making it 24-12 with 10:16 to go in the fourth quarter. Following a Detroit punt, Grand Rapids moved 34 yards on 12 plays. Tibbs would kick a 43-yard field goal extending the lead to 27-12 with 4:07 to go in the fourth. The Drive quickly moved for a score, going 63 yards on 6 plays. Couch would hit Dave Huntley for a 4-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-19 with 2:16 remaining in the game. The Rampage went three-and-out, and Detroit had one more chance to score, but were turned away on fourth down at midfield.
Grand Rapids (8-5) gained 252 yards of total offense. The Rampage ran for 103 yards on 36 carries. Harrell led the team with 61 yards on 14 carries and a TD. Wayne was 13-of-18 passing for 149 yards and a TD. He was not sacked in the game. Nikolai Vilmer was the leading receiver with 4 catches for 49 yards. The Rampage visit the Colorado Crush next week.
Detroit (5-8) gained 378 yards of total offense. The Drive ran for 106 yards on 28 carries. Patch Brolie led the team with 33 yards on 8 carries. Couch was 21-of-33 passing for 298 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 26 yards. Sohn led the receivers with 9 catches for 130 yards and a TD. Next week, the Drive visit the Los Angeles Avengers.
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