HUERTA , STALLIONS
TOP B.C., 28-26
Last-minute field goal
gives Stallions victory By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun, Oct. 22, 1995
The Baltimore Stallions nearly let
one slip away against rival British Columbia last night.
But in the end, quarterback Tracy Ham and kicker Carlos
Huerta wouldn't allow it. Ham drove the Stallions 54
yards in two minutes to set the dramatic stage for
Huerta, who kicked a 20-yard field goal with 11 seconds
remaining to lift Baltimore to a come-from-behind, 28-26
victory over the Lions before 33,228, the largest crowd
at Memorial Stadium this season. Baltimore (14-3) won its
ninth straight and handed British Columbia (9-6) its
fifth consecutive loss. And the Stallions, who had led
for most of the night, had to rally for the win after the
Lions had taken a 26-25 lead on Cory Philpot's 7-yard
touchdown run with 2:22 left. The winning drive
represented atonement for Ham and Huerta.
Ham, who suffered through an ineffective
first half and missed part of the game with a mild
concussion before throwing an interception that set up an
earlier, fourth-quarter touchdown by Philpot, came
through in the clutch. His 20-yard completion to Robert
Clark started the game-winning drive, and his 16-yard run
put Huerta within chip-shot distance. Huerta, who had
missed a 50-yard field goal attempt midway through the
fourth period, split the uprights with the game on the
line.
The Stallions took early advantage of Lions
quarterback Giulio Caravatta's inexperience by forcing
two first-quarter turnovers and turning both of them into
points. First, Baltimore's Josh Miller reinforced his
standing as the league's premier punter. After the
Stallions' game-opening drive stalled near midfield,
Miller uncorked a 60-yard punt into the endzone. BC's
Eddie Thomas chose to step out of the end zone, rewarding
Baltimore with a single and a 1-0 lead. The Baltimore
defense then went to work, at Caravatta's
expense.
On the Lions' first play from scrimmage,
Caravatta floated a pass to fullback John Leach. But the
ball hung in the air long enough for safety Chris Johnson
to intercept it, giving Baltimore possession at the BC
49. Three plays later, Huerta kicked a 49-yard field goal
to extend Baltimore's lead to 4-0 with 10:09 left in the
first quarter. Later in the quarter, a sloppy exchange
between Caravatta and running back Cory Philpot resulted
in a fumble that Baltimore linebacker Matt Goodwin
recovered at the BC 27. The Stallions' offense went
nowhere, but Huerta came on to boot a 35-yard field goal,
giving Baltimore a 7-0 lead with 3:09 left in the
quarter.
Baltimore's offense continued to sputter -
Ham threw seven straight incompletions during one stretch
- but the Stallions continued to win the battle of field
position with excellent defense and special-teams work.
Caravatta was pulled early in the second quarter for Erik
White, who moved the team effectively in his first stint.
But Baltimore's Chris Wright negated that with a 51-yard
punt return that set up Huerta's 40-yard field goal,
giving Baltimore a 10-0 lead with 6:52 remaining in the
half. Three runs by Philpot totaled 34 yards on the
Lions' next possession, which ended with a 47-yard field
goal by Lui Passaglia to cut Baltimore's advantage to
10-3 with 4:26 left in the half. Baltimore's next
possession was its sharpest of the half, but they lost
Ham as a result of it. After Wright's 33-yard kickoff
return allowed the Stallions to begin from their 50, Ham
went to work. After a 6-yard run by Pringle, Ham
connected with slotback Gerald Alphin for 9 yards over
the middle to the BC 45. Two plays later, Ham hit
Armstrong for 25 yards - Armstrong went over the
1,000-yard receiving mark on the play - but Ham suffered
a mild concussion when the Lions were flagged for
roughing the passer.
Armstrong then burned halfback James
Jefferson with an inside move in the end zone, where Ham
found him for a 10-yard touchdown, giving Baltimore a
17-3 lead with 2:32 left. Backup quarterback Shawn Jones
replaced Ham on Baltimore's next series, which ended with
a punt by Miller. But, on the Stallions' final possession
of the half, Jones made a costly mistake. First, Jones
dumped a short pass to Pringle, who gained 15 yards and
appeared to be tackled as time expired. But Baltimore was
told to run one more play, and it was Jones' worst of the
season. He was in the grasp of a BC lineman, but Jones
elected to throw a pass in the deep right flat to Alphin.
Bad move. Cornerback Charles Gordon stepped in front of
Alphin and ran 51 yards untouched down the left sideline
for a touchdown, cutting Baltimore's half-time lead to
17-10.
Ham joined the Stallions on the sidelines to
start the second half, warming up while rookie Dan
Crowley took a turn as the signal-caller. That didn't
work. The Lions cut into the Baltimore lead with a
20-yard field goal by Passaglia. The damage could have
been worse.
After Caravatta, reinserted at quarterback,
hit Yo Murphy for 20 yards, Baltimore rookie cornerback
Melvin Crawford, making his first pro start, was flagged
for interference on a long pass to Rob Gordon, giving BC
a first-and-goal at the Baltimore 9. Philpot gained 4
yards, but Stallions rush end Elfrid Payton broke through
to sack Caravatta for a 9-yard loss, forcing Passaglia
into the game. Ham then reentered to the cheers of the
crowd and was promptly sacked twice. But on Baltimore's
next possession, Ham engineered one of its best drives of
the season, a 12-play, 102-yard march that consumed
nearly six minutes. Ham completed five of six passes on
the drive, including two to Armstrong for 50 yards. His
second toss to Armstrong went for a 21-yard score, after
Armstrong slipped behind Charles Gordon in the end
zone.
With 13:55 left in the game, the Stallions
led, 24-13. Ham then reverted to his first-half form by
throwing an ill-advised pass to the right sideline, where
Gordon was waiting to pick it off. Ham knocked Gordon out
of bounds at the Baltimore 17. A roughing-the -passer
penalty against Payton aided the Lions, who finished the
17-yard drive with a 2-yard run by Philpot. The Lions
then attempted a two-point conversion, but Carravatta's
pass to Murphy fell incomplete, leaving BC in a 24-19
deficit with 8:21 left.
STALLIONS PLAY OUT
ROUTINE WITH RALLY
Come-from-behind win is
team's 3rd straight
By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun, Oct. 23,1995
Say this for the Baltimore
Stallions. While they keep on winning, they keep things
interesting. Take Saturday's 28-26 victory over the
defending Grey Cup champion British Columbia Lions,
Baltimore's ninth straight win. The Lions had lost four
straight and were missing a handful of starters,
beginning with quarterback Danny McManus, who played
brilliantly in B.C.'s 37-34 victory over the Stallions in
the season opener. The Stallions were rested after a bye
week. Giulio Caravatta, McManus' replacement, was
responsible for two turnovers in the first quarter, and
Baltimore spent most of the first half in outstanding
field position. What should have been a recipe for a
blowout turned into a prelude to another come-from-behind
victory, something the Stallions have mastered
lately.
Since routing Hamilton, 41-14, on Sept. 2,
the Stallions have come from behind in the fourth quarter
to win four games, including their past three. Baltimore
has won two consecutive games on last second field goals
by Carlos Huerta. "We've got that script down
[coming from behind], but we're going to run out of
those," said Stallions offensive coordinator Steve
Burrato. He was miffed about a first half in which the
Stallions took a 7-0 lead on two field goals and a
single, despite starting in B.C. territory on two of
their first three possessions. The Stallions had only 138
yards in the first half. "I wasn't happy with the
way we reacted to all the positive field position we had
in the first half," he added. "We had three
opportunities early [to score touchdowns], but we didn't
cash in. We've got to do that, instead of waiting until
the 11th hour. It's a concern."
The most troubling sequence occurred late in
the first half. First, quarterback Tracy Ham, who got off
to a shaky start, took a late shot to the head by
linebacker Brian Forde during Baltimore's best drive of
the half. Ham stayed in long enough to throw a 10-yard
touchdown pass to slotback Chris Armstrong, giving the
Stallions a 17-3 lead. But Ham had to leave the game with
a mild concussion. Then, backup Shawn Jones helped the
Lions make the game more interesting. On the last play
before intermission, Jones threw an ill-advised pass to
Gerald Alphin, which B.C. cornerback Charles Gordon
picked off and returned 51 yards for a touchdown, cutting
Baltimore's half-time lead to 17-10. "That was a
terrible decision," said Baltimore coach Don
Matthews, who inserted Dan Crowley, the No. 3 quarterback
from Towson State, to start the second half, before Ham
came back. Ham restored order. First, he engineered a
six-minute, 102-yard touchdown drive in the fourth
quarter, ending with his 21-yard strike to Armstrong.
Then, after Cory Philpot's second touchdown of the fourth
quarter gave B.C. a 26-25 lead with 2:22 left, Ham
directed a 54-yard march to put Huerta in position for
his 20-yard game-winner.
NOTES: Armstrong had six catches for 120
yards and two touchdowns, his fourth multiple-touchdown
game of the season.... Chris Wright solidified his hold
on Rookie of the Year honors with 176 return yards. He
tied a CFL record with his fifth game of at least 100
return yards. He has 2,202 return yards, which ties
Edmonton's Gizmo Williams for the CFL record.... Halfback
Charles Anthony and wide receiver Robert Clark were
treated for sore ribs. Neither injury is serious.
RETURNS IN, WRIGHT
VOTED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK
Rookie wins CFL award
for 2nd consecutive time
By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun, Oct. 27, 1995
The accolades keep coming for
Baltimore Stallions rookie Chris Wright. Yesterday, just
a day after he was nominated for Canadian Football League
South Division Rookie of the Year honors, Wright learned
he had won his second straight CFL Offensive Player of
the Week award. Wright, the league's most electrifying
kick returner and an apparent shoo-in for its Rookie of
the Year honor, rolled up 176 return yards in last week's
28-26 victory over British Columbia. He tied two CFL
records in that game, both set by Edmonton's Gizmo
Williams.
Wright enjoyed his fifth 100-yard return
game and increased his league-high return yardage total
to 2,202. Wright will break one record, and possibly
both, in Sunday's regular-season finale against visiting
Hamilton. "It just goes to show you that hard work
pays off, and it's good to have teammates who believe in
you," said Wright. Wright has learned a little about
himself this year. After an outstanding career as a kick
returner at Georgia Southern, he is about to play in the
18th game of his first professional season. By the time
the Stallions conclude their season next month, Wright
will have played the equivalent of two football seasons -
every rookie's adjustment in the CFL.
"Around the 10th game, I was pretty
banged up and feeling sorry for myself," Wright
said. "I was mentally tired and I got a little
complacent. Tracy [Ham, quarterback] talked to me about
what I needed to do. "Now, I feel good. It's time to
determine if we're champions, and I want to make myself
and my teammates proud. I've never been a champion
before."
Pringle rushed toward title
Mike Pringle will be the CFL's rushing
champion for the second season in a row, regardless of
what he does against Hamilton. And Pringle will not be
doing much, since Baltimore coach Don Matthews is
activating rookie Louis Fite off the practice roster for
Sunday's game. Matthews' plan is to play Pringle for the
Stallions' first two offensive series, then remove him
for Fite. "I'm definitely disappointed, but I can
only control things when I'm out on the football
field," said Pringle, who leads the league in
rushing yards (1,763), yards from scrimmage (2,039) and
is second in all-purpose yards (2,359). He is a good bet
to win the league's Most Outstanding Player Award.
Lineup shuffle
Matthews plans to make some changes in the
receiving corps for Sunday's game by activating rookie
slotback Mike Cook, who returns after missing six weeks
with a knee injury. Slotback Chris Armstrong will move to
wide receiver, and Wright probably will serve as a
backup, since Fite's activation gives Baltimore one more
running back than normal. The odd man out is Shannon
Culver, who has started 15 of the 16 games in which he
has played, but is destined for the practice roster for
Sunday's game. Matthews also suspended rookie linebacker
Jason Bryant from Sunday's game. Bryant was ejected from
last week's victory after fighting with a Lions player.
Bryant will go to the practice roster, but return for the
playoffs.
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