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Lucas Looks to Put Vegas Meltdown in Rearview Mirror

September 14, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Florida Tuskers News Release


ORLANDO, FL - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010-During the 2009 season, the Florida Tuskers started something special when they had their way with opponents in the United Football League, rumbling to a perfect 6-0 regular season. Then, the unthinkable happened. They lost the championship game to the Las Vegas Locomotives in heart breaking fashion, 20-17 in overtime.

Head coach Jay Gruden is sick of reviewing the game film and the players are tired of hearing about how they let the championship slip away.

Gruden was not so subtle when asked about Saturday's meeting with the Locos.

"I've been looking at Vegas tape for the last six months," Gruden said after Monday's practice. "If I have to watch that game one more time I'm going to puke. The one glaring thing we took from that championship game is that they played harder than us and that is one thing I find totally unacceptable. I expect that come Saturday night we're going to play much harder than we did in that game."

Tuskers starting center Enoka Lucas echoed his head coach's sentiments after Monday's practice, the first dedicated solely to Las Vegas preparation. Lucas is one of the 17 returning Tuskers players who have vivid memories of the team coming up empty in the championship game.

This season all he wants to do is see his team finish what they started a year ago.

"We're out for vengeance, we're out to win, and not just a close win we're going out there to dominate," said Lucas. "I know the offensive line is excited and we've been working hard to prepare for this game."

Lucas, who along with defensive tackle Bryan Save, was born in Hawaii - where he still resides. The former Oregon Duck star admitted that he had no sleep for a week when he first arrived for training camp because of the drastic time change from where he lives in Hawaii to Florida. Luckily, Gruden's training camp practices began early in the morning and they did the trick to force Lucas start getting his rest.

"I was hurting really bad the first week, I guess it was from the time difference and I couldn't sleep," he said. "After a while with the long practices I finally got tired and started to get my sleep at night."

A few weeks ago time stood still on the practice field when Lucas went down with an ankle injury. With offensive lineman at a premium, particularly the all-important center position, the injury prompted Gruden to mutter something about "canceling Christmas" if the injury was anything serious.

"Enoka is our rock up front and when he went down with that injury I was ready to stop practice and call it off because he is our mainstay at center," Gruden said as he could chuckle about the incident now. "He's the leader of the offensive line; he's seeing fronts and pointing out protections a lot better now, and he had a great camp for us."

A humble player, Lucas is quick to deflect his importance to the team and push the attention toward quarterback Brooks Bollinger and his offensive line mates. From the beginning of training camp until now, the progress of the offensive line has improved leaps and bounds.

Gruden and Lucas gave virtually the same response to the importance of the big guys up front working as one to protect the quarterback and open up holes for three talented running backs.

"The thing about the offensive line is you could have one all-star guy, but if they are not all working together you will not have success," Lucas says. "We're a very tight group of characters and I think that shows out on the field."

On Saturday, Gruden will have a motivated offense executing his game plan when he gets a mulligan of sorts against the Locos at Sam Boyd Stadium. Perhaps this time watching the game film might not be so nauseating if a Lucas-led offensive line can dominate.

Kickoff is set for 11 p.m. eastern time on HD Net. Tuskers fans can join in the viewing party at Ember in Downtown Orlando.

FROM THE TUSKER PRACTICE FIELD: "Outside the Huddle with Tuskers Football" debuts tonight on Bright House Sports Network (Channel 47)...The 30-minute show produced ENX Entertainment gives you an all access pass to the personalities and lifestyles that make up a professional football team. OTH airs every Tuesday at 10:00p on Bright House Sports Network (channel 47 in Central Florida, 1147 on BHSN-HD) and replays Wednesday mornings at 10:30am. The show premiere will give viewers a look at the United Football League as it enters its sophomore season, we'll get to know head coach Jay Gruden as he balances both football and family life, Super Bowl winning TD Jermaine Wiggins gives us an inside look at Tuskers Training Camp, and Director of Chearleading Billy O'Hara will introduce you to the brand new Florida Tuskers Chearleading Squad...The Tuskers are fairly healthy on the first injury report to the league...LB Dacus Watson (ankle), RB Maurice Hicks (ankle) and WR Chas Gessner (thigh) are listed as questionable for the Las Vegas game...Wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard spoke before 110 members of the Orlando Touchdown Club last night...Hilliard relived his childhood days in Louisiana and delighted the decidedly "pro Gator" crowd with his stories from the University of Florida before talking about coaching with the Tuskers and the 2010 team...RB Dominic Rhodes is scheduled to be a guest on "The BS" (The Buckethead Show) today on WTKS at approximately 3:30 p.m...Because of a scheduling conflict, Saturday's season opener will be broadcast on WFLA 540 AM instead of WYGM 740 AM.

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