Foxes' Rally Falls Short, 33-27
Published on April 12, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Charleston Swamp Foxes News Release
ESTERO, FL â After being held scoreless in the first half, the Charleston Swamp Foxes' offense erupts for 27 points and 161 yards of total offense in the second, but ran out of time down the stretch, falling 33-27 to the Florida Firecats Saturday night.
"I'm learning with these guys, I'm trying to figure out what makes them tick," said head coach Rik Richards when asked about the first half performance by his team. "Again, everything that went wrong in the first half are things that can be fixed. We're one or two players away from having something special."
He added, "I really felt like we turned the corner here tonight from the first to second half."
Starting quarterback Billy Luckie struggled early in the contest, but finished 18-of-33 for 236 yards and three touchdown passes. The Swamp Foxes' Terrance Quattlebaum led all receivers in the game hauling in nine passes for 161 yards and two scores.
Charleston stymied the Firecats offense at the outset of the second half as Florida kicker Brandon Kornblue missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. Mike Chandler returned the missed attempt 26 yards, setting the Swamp Foxes with the ball near midfield. Luckie found Leroy McFadden from 13 yards out six plays later for Charleston's first score.
Florida, however, answered on a two-play drive, scoring from 30 yards out.
The offensive explosion continued for Charleston on its next possession as Luckie connected with Quattlebaum for a 37-yard strike that narrowed the deficit to 23-14 in favor of the home team.
The Firecats would add a score to push their advantage to 30-14, while the Swamp Foxes countered with Quattlebaum's second score of the night to again close the gap to 30-21. Charleston rounded out their scoring on the night with a two-yard plunge by fullback Marlon Moye-Moore.
However, a Firecats field goal and the running game clock stopped the Swamp Foxes' rally.
Charleston held Florida to 184 yards of total offense on the night, including a negative one-yard tally rushing the ball. Demont Smith led the way, tallying seven and a half tackles, including seven solo stops.
Trailing 9-0 late in the first half, Luckie and the Swamp Foxes' offense found their groove, driving 44 yards down the field, poised at the goal line for its first score. However, Luckie fumbled on a second and goal rush, ending the threat. Florida would capitalize on the turnover, pushing the halftime advantage to 16-0.
The Swamp Foxes conclude their three-game road swing next weekend when they travel to the expansion Cincinnati Swarm Saturday night. Charleston opens its home season on Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm when they host the Birmingham Steeldogs at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Season and individual game tickets are currently on sale. For information on season passes, please contact the Swamp Foxes' office at (843) 554-4321. For tickets to the home opener, fans can contact the box office at the North Charleston Coliseum, visit www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at (843) 554-6060.
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