Nighthawks in Desperate Need of a Win in Showdown at Sacramento
Published on November 9, 2010 under United Football League (UFL 1)
Omaha Nighthawks News Release
OMAHA, NE - Tuesday, November 9 - The Omaha Nighthawks and Sacramento Mountain Lions met back on October 2 in one of the UFL's most highly anticipated regular-season matchups. In the "Rumble at Rosenblatt" between two former NFL Pro Bowlers in Jeff Garcia and Daunte Culpepper, the Nighthawks prevailed 20-17 in the final minutes in front of their sold-out home crowd.
This Saturday, when the two teams meet at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, the stakes will be much higher, as both teams are desperately fighting for a spot in the UFL Championship Game in Omaha on November 27.
The situation is quite clear: Sacramento (3-4) must win to stay alive in the Championship Game race. Omaha (3-3) must win to set up a potential winner-take-all showdown with the Florida Tuskers on November 19. Should Florida defeat Hartford this Thursday, November 11, then the Sacramento game would turn in to a must-win game for the Nighthawks.
Although the Mountain Lions are in fourth place in the five-team UFL right now, they could set themselves up nicely at 4-4 with a win. Should a two or three-team tiebreaker at 4-4 be needed at the end of the season, Sacramento would have the best chance of any team to secure the spot against the Las Vegas Locomotives in the Championship Game.
Meanwhile, the Nighthawks know that if they slip up in one of their final two games, then their chances of playing in the Championship Game in their home stadium are very slim. So Omaha will be solely focused on looking to recapture some of the magic that it used to rally to defeat Culpepper and the Mountain Lions on that October night.
Omaha jumped out to a 12-0 lead late in the first half after a field goal, the first defensive safety in league history and a touchdown pass from Garcia to wide receiver Devard Darling. Sacramento slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually scoring 17 unanswered points - capped off by an early fourth quarter touchdown pass from Culpepper to wide receiver Taye Biddle.
Up stepped Garcia, the four-time NFL Pro Bowl passer, who fired a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeb Putzier to steal a 20-17 Nighthawks victory with 4:59 left in the fourth quarter. The Mountain Lions had a chance to tie the game at the end, but a 55-yard field goal attempt in the final two minutes sailed wide right.
Now flash forward six weeks. The Nighthawks (3-3) and the Mountain Lions (3-4) are preparing for a critical game Saturday night at Hornet Stadium at 10 pm (CST).
The stakes are high for "Garcia vs. Culpepper, Round 2," and it has much more to do with the Championship Game implications than it does Garcia's return to his native California.
The "Rumble at Rosenblatt" revisited is a key game that very well could once again come down to the last final minutes of play, this time with both teams' seasons on the line.
United Football League Stories from November 9, 2010
- Mountain Lions Face Must Win As Omaha, And Jeff Garcia, Come To Visit - Sacramento Mountain Lions
- Nighthawks in Desperate Need of a Win in Showdown at Sacramento - Omaha Nighthawks
- Hartford Colonials Preview - Florida Tuskers
- Two Tuskers And Mountain Lions Game-Winning Kicker Earn Player Of The Week Honors - UFL 1
- Week 9 Injury Report - UFL 1
- Sudden Death Looms With Four Potential Qualifiers For Championship Game In Action - UFL 1
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