Storm Stand Up Rattlers, 62-61

May 2, 2010 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


The Tampa Bay Storm (2-2, 0-0) avenged a Week 3 loss on Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum, earning head coach Tim Marcum his 200th career AFL victory with a 62-61 decision over the Arizona Rattlers (2-2, 0-0).

Receiver DeAndrew Rubin capped his Storm debut with a career night, icing the game with a score in the contest's final minute while setting single-game highs with 184 yards and five touchdown receptions.

Storm quarterback Brett Dietz led the Storm with 288 yards and a season-high nine touchdowns, while his counterpart, Arizona's Nick Davila, went 27 for 47 with 314 yards good for seven scores. Hank Edwards and Tyrone Timmons each added a pair of additional touchdown receptions for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay took a 7-0 lead on its first offensive possession after Dietz hooked up with Edwards on a nine yard pass play, the first of two Storm touchdowns in the quarter. Tampa Bay's defense protected the lead, applying pressure to the Rattlers quarterback and breaking up numerous passes, including one on fourth down which shifted the momentum in the home team's favor. Dietz then capitalized, finding Edwards a second time from 30 yards out to take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter following a score by Arizona's Brennan Carvalho.

The Storm took a 34-21 lead into halftime thanks to two spectacular defensive plays by defensive backs Deonte Bolden and Brandon Hefflin in the final seconds, and after Dietz connected on two passes of 39 and 29 yards to Rubin for touchdowns, marking the first pair of scores in the recently-acquired receiver's Storm career.

Despite several penalties that set the Rattlers back in terms of field position, Davila matched Dietz in the period by finding Rod Windsor and JJ McKelvey in the back of the endzone to cut the deficit. Dietz extended the lead, however, on a three-yard pass to Timmons with just over a minute to play after a Rattlers onside kick attempt put the Storm on the opposition's 11 yard line.

Costly penalties prevented Tampa Bay from taking an even more commanding lead following the intermission. Hefflin's interception return for a touchdown to open the third quarter was called back due to an offensive pass interference call minutes before a second return, this time on a kickoff, was negated because of an additional infraction. The miscues, however, did not stop the Storm from continuing to put points on the scoreboard. Dietz and Rubin connected twice more to keep pace ahead of the Arizona quarterback, who set up two combined scores through the air and on the ground.

Much like the week before in a hard-fought 72-61 defeat at Milwaukee, inopportune turnovers allowed the opposition to climb back into the contest after being down the majority of the game. Following a touchdown reception by McKelvey, Anthony Mix cashed in the game's tying score after the Rattlers' George Kelly forced a fumble at the Storm 21-yard line. Mix gave Arizona its first lead of the game, just moments after kicker Garret Rivas failed to convert an extra point on Timmons' second touchdown reception of the night. Rubin's fifth and final touchdown reception of the night with under one minute in regulation put the Storm up by five. Marcum elected to go for two and Dietz connected with Terrence Royal to convert the two-point conversion and take a seven point lead.

Arizona rallied to score with 0:07 left on the clock and elected to go for the win. After a timeout, the defense held stong as Davila's pass missed its target allowing the fans to celebrate Coach Marcum's 200th career victory at home.

Notes

* This was Head Coach Tim Marcum's 200th career victory. He has an overall record of 200-95.

* WR DeAndrew Rubin, who played locally at Dixie Hollins H.S. (Kenneth City, FL) and the University of South Florida, set career single-game highs with 184 yards and five touchdowns on nine receptions in his first game with the Storm. He is the second Storm receiver to catch five touchdown passes in a game this season, Tyrone Timmons recorded five in the season opener at Tulsa.

* QB Brett Dietz threw for a season-high nine touchdowns.

* DB Deonte Bolden, from Lakewood H.S. (Saint Petersburg, FL) knocked down three passes in his first game.

* Arizona QB Nick Davila is the first quarterback this season to throw for more than 300 yards against the Storm defense.

* DL Jermaine Smith recorded his first sack of the season.

* The Tampa Catholic H.S football team was honored at the game for the success it had this past season playing its way into the Division 2B State Championship game.



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