Storm fizzles in final quarter

By Keith Niebuhr, Times Staff Writer
In print: Monday, April 14, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT [BRIAN CASSELLA | Times] Arizona’s Siaha Burley, front, eyes a touchdown catch in front of Rayshun Reed with just over three seconds left.

TAMPA — Storm coach Tim Marcum emerged from the coaches' dressing room after Sunday's 63-62 loss to Arizona with a drink in his hand and a scowl on his face.

"That," Marcum said, "is about as bad as it gets."

He wasn't exaggerating.

Before an announced crowd of 16,413 at the St. Pete Times Forum, the Storm put itself in great position to end a three-game losing streak with strong play through three quarters, then did everything it could to lose. Down the stretch, Tampa Bay failed to cover a kickoff, repeatedly got burned for big plays in the secondary and allowed an opposing player to walk untouched into the end zone on a fake point-after with 3.7 seconds left.

"It's a tough one," Storm defensive lineman Tom Briggs said.

After a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Dietz to Hank Edwards with 29 seconds left, the Storm led 62-55. But needing a stop, it simply couldn't get one. And the Rattlers needed only three plays to score.

Then, after lining up for a potential tying kick, holder Jeff Smoker pitched the ball to Wendall Gaines, who practically walked in for a two-point conversation — even though Briggs said the Storm knew a fake was coming.

"We didn't come here to lose," Rattlers coach Kevin Guy said.

On the Storm's last gasp, it completed a pass and attempted several laterals before Dietz was leveled at the Tampa Bay 14 as time expired.

The Storm (2-4), playing its first home game since a March 7 win over Georgia, is in jeopardy of falling completely out of the Southern Division race. Division rivals New Orleans and Orlando are 5-2.

"We've dug ourselves a pretty big hole at 2-4," Marcum said. "We're going to see what these guys are made of."

Offensively, the Storm was sharp Sunday.

Behind Dietz, who passed for 367 yards and six scores, Tampa Bay finished with 20 first downs and 391 total yards as it moved at will from the opening play. Four players caught TD passes, including Edwards, who had three. Offensive lineman Kenyatta Jones even caught a 28-yard pass after lining up at tight end.

After a 1-yard Torrance Marshall TD run with 1:26 left in the third quarter, the Storm led 48-34 and appeared to be on cruise control. But the Rattlers (3-3) needed only two plays to pull within 48-41. On the ensuing kickoff, the Storm's Brent Holmes and Jeroid Johnson had a chance to cover the ball, but neither could and Arizona's Asi Faoa recovered it for the score. The point-after tied it.

"We had total control of the game," Marcum said. "It wasn't like it took a bad bounce. We were there first."

To Marcum, though, that play wasn't why the Storm lost.

In his opinion, it again came down to inability to make a defensive stop or force a turnover. The Storm hasn't done the latter for four straight games.

"We've spent a lot of money on our defensive team," Marcum said. "We're not getting our money's worth."

Predators 75, Rampage 56: Kenny McEntyre returned his 75th career interception 4 yards for a touchdown and the Orlando Predators ran their winning streak to five games with a victory over the host Grand Rapids Rampage.