Guard loses thriller
July 17, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Fayetteville Guard News Release
The Fayetteville Guard ran out of miracles, and its roller-coaster first season came to an end Saturday at the Crown Coliseum.
Fayetteville's failed two-point conversion attempt with time expired gave the Cincinnati Marshals a 70-69 victory over the Guard in the second round of the National Indoor Football League playoffs.
Fayetteville (8-8) played the game without head coach Mike Siani. He was suspended by the NIFL on Monday for failing to provide game tape to opponents.
After pulling to within a point on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brian Baker to receiver Jammie Deese, the Guard elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion.
But Baker overthrew receiver Tuati Wooden in the back of the end zone. Officials threw a flag on the play, presumably for pass interference. But the flag was waved off when officials ruled the pass couldn't be caught.
"There was no doubts in our minds that we'd go for it," Baker said. "The call was to go play-action toss and throw to our best leaper, Tuati Wooden. But I didn't set my feet and rushed my throw. I definitely could have made a better throw."
The failed conversion capped off a wild final minute. The Guard scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Baker to Brandon McDowell with 38 seconds to play. A two-point conversion run by Wilmont Perry put Fayetteville ahead 63-62.
But the lead would be short-lived.
On the ensuing kickoff, Cincinnati's Rayshawn Askew returned the ball to the Fayetteville 7-yard line. He fumbled at the end of the run and the Guard appeared to have recovered it. But officials ruled the ball rolled out of bounds before the Guard gained control.
Two plays later, Cincinnati quarterback Brett Dietz scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Marshals (10-6) a 70-62 lead with 19 seconds left.
It didn't take long for Fayetteville to strike back, however. Baker completed passes to McDowell and Wooden to move Fayetteville down to the 11-yard line. Then he squeezed the ball in between two defenders to hit Deese.
But the team that battled back from an 0-5 start this season to reach the playoffs couldn't find a way to pull out another victory.
"Resiliency is the word I think best describes this team," said defensive coordinator Charles Gunnings, who acted as the Guard's head coach for the third time this season. "We kept battling until the end. You hate to lose this way. But these guys kept fighting."
"This was the toughest team we've played this season," Marshals coach Tony Wells said.
Offensively, Cincinnati had no trouble moving the ball against the Guard.
Dietz threw for five touchdowns and ran for another score as Fayetteville had trouble handling the Marshals' short passing game.
"We knew what they were going to do," Gunnings said. "We just came out a little flat. They were able to come out and nickel-and-dimed us in the short passing game. We just didn't do well against it in the first half."
The Guard offense also was a bit sluggish early on. But Fayetteville was able to keep pace with the high-scoring Marshals due to a pair of 46-yard kickoff returns by Walter Ford.
A fumbled snap on Fayetteville's first drive of the second half gave Cincinnati the ball and allowed the Marshals to take control of the game. They led by as many as 14 points in the second half.
"The goal was to make them play catch-up," Wells said. "They're not really a passing team. We wanted to force them to pass."
Staff writer Khary K. McGhee can be reached at mcgheek@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3591.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from July 17, 2005
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- Guard loses thriller - Fayetteville Guard
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