By Gary Lambrecht 
Baltimore Sun, July 16, 1995

    Baltimore figured its rematch with San Antonio would not resemble last week's rout over the Texans, and the Stallions got the type of game they expected last night at the Alamodome. 
    In a game that was seemingly deadlocked all night, Baltimore overcame a sluggish offense, injuries to quarterback Tracy Ham, center Nick Subis and punter Josh Miller, and a fine effort from Texans quarterback David Archer to escape with a 28-23 victory before 18,112. 
    "We didn't play our best football," said Stallions coach Don Matthews. "There's a lot of things we can improve on. But when you do not play as well as you can and you find a way to win on the road, that says a lot about the character of your football team." 
    Baltimore's defense, led by linebacker Tracy Gravely, shut out the Texans over the final 17 minutes, and the Stallions won the game on the strong foot of kicker Carlos Huerta, with some help from the Texans' special teams. San Antonio did the Stallions a critical favor with 9:30 left in the game and the score tied at 23. Backed up to their goal line, the Texans botched a snap on a punt attempt, and punter Todd Jordan kicked the ball out of the end zone to give the Stallions a 25-23 lead. Five minutes later, Huerta kicked a 47-yard field goal, his fourth of the game and his 11th straight overall, to give the Stallions a 28-23 cushion.
    It was a gritty victory for Baltimore. The Stallions scratched Subis from the lineup with sore ribs, moving guard Mike Withycombe to center and rookie John James to guard for his first Canadian Football League start. Then, they lost Ham temporarily in the second half to a rib injury, although Ham did return shortly thereafter. "The hardest thing to do in football is to play a team back-to-back, but in order to be a legitimate contender, we have to find ways to win in these situations," Ham said. "I think we realize that and that's what we did tonight." 
    Finally, Miller went down in the final seconds on a botched punt, on which he mishandled a perfect snap and punted off the ground before taking a nasty fall. He was taken off the field on a stretcher. After the game, Miller walked into the locker room to cheers from his teammates. Matthews said he's expected to play next week. 
    The revamped offensive line came through nicely at the outset. On the first play, Pringle ran up the middle for nine yards to the Baltimore 24. On the next play, Pringle started left, cut back behind Withycombe, then burst into the San Antonio secondary. As Pringle crossed midfield, he appeared to have a touchdown in the bag, but defensive back Bobby Humphrey closed brilliantly and stripped Pringle from behind at the Texans' 5. The ball rolled into the end zone, where wide receiver Shannon Culver fell on it for a touchdown. 
    San Antonio tied the game 7-7 late in the first quarter when it gambled on a third-and-two from the Baltimore 13. Archer pitched left to Mike Saunders, who took advantage of a fine block by left tackle John Buddenberg to dance through the Baltimore defense for a 13-yard touchdown. A couple of minutes into the second quarter, the Texans took advantage of good field position to take a 14-7 lead. Their three-play, 44-yard drive was highlighted by a 29-yard pass from Archer to Jimmy Lee, and capped by a 12-yard pass from Archer to Mark Stock, who beat Irv Smith in the end zone. 
    Baltimore finally came to life offensively, thanks to its defense. Matt Goodwin forced a fumble by Tony Burse near midfield, and O.J. Brigance recovered it at the Stallions' 50. On second down, Chris Wright, substituting for Pringle, took a swing pass from Ham, broke a tackle, danced along the left sideline to stay in bounds, and didn't stop until he was tackled at the San Antonio 3 after a 55-yard gain. On second down, slotback Reggie Perry caught a 3-yard pass from Ham. It was Perry's first career touchdown, and it tied the score at 14. 
    San Antonio answered quickly, as Archer made completions of 44 yards to Myron Wise and 16 yards to Stock to set up a 29-yard field goal by Roman Anderson. A 10-yard holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff pushed the Stallions back to their 15, but Ham responded with a 15-yard strike to Culver and a 30-yard completion to Chris Armstrong to the San Antonio 50. Ham then scrambled out of a collapsing pocket for a 13-yard gain. His second-down pass to Armstrong was broken up near the goal line by defensive back Jason Wallace. Huerta came in to kick a 41-yard field goal to tie the score at 17 with 51 seconds to go. 
    The Stallions opened the second half with a 36-yard drive that featured 14-yard completions by Ham to Culver and Armstrong. After two runs by Pringle netted 8 yards, Huerta kicked a 37-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 20-17 lead with 11:45 left in the third quarter. 
    The Texans didn't trail for long. Saunders ran for a first down and Archer hit a wide-open Mike Dingle for 44 yards over the middle to help set up a 37-yard field goal by Anderson. 
    Wright gave the Stallions excellent field position with a 39-yard kickoff return to the Baltimore 51, but two plays later Ham was blindsided by San Antonio linebacker Tommie Smith after Ham had completed a 7-yard pass to Armstrong. The Stallions came up a yard short, and Ham staggered off the field and to the locker room with injured ribs.

SUBIS' RIB INJURY FORCES A NEW LOOK TO BALTIMORE'S OFFENSIVE LINE 
Changes give James a chance

By Gary Lambrecht 
Baltimore Sun, July 16, 1995

    The Baltimore Stallions' offensive line went through some significant changes last night because of center Nick Subis' nagging rib injury. Several hours before last night's kickoff at the Alamodome, the team decided to rest Subis, replace him with left guard Mike Withycombe, and give rookie John James - just activated from the practice roster - his first Canadian Football League start at left guard. 
    Subis, who missed much of last week's practices with his rib problem, worked out Wednesday, but still felt a lot of discomfort. "It wasn't until about 5 o'clock today that we made a final decision on Nick," Baltimore offensive line coach Charlie Carpenter said. "He came back to practice a bit last week, but ribs are a tender place. We thought the tenderness would be gone by today, but it wasn't. We feel comfortable with Mike at center. John has worked hard and he deserves the opportunity. So we're going to give it to him and see what happens." 
    Withycombe worked out at center during much of training camp and played there in 1992 with the NFL Cincinnati Bengals. "I feel comfortable with it," Withycombe said. "I've got to make sure John knows what's going on, make sure I get the line calls right and get the snap count right every time." Subis started 18 of Baltimore's 21 games, when he was named to the All-Eastern Division team.

Fort: 2,059 to catch Cal
    Offensive right tackle Neal Fort has yet to miss a game in a Baltimore uniform, and Fort had some extra appreciation for his playing streak when he took the field last night. Early in last week's home opener against San Antonio, Fort injured his knee after an awkward fall. "I wasn't sure what it was, but it sent a shock wave through my body," he said. 
    Initially, he shook off the injury and played until the middle of the fourth quarter of Baltimore's 50-24 victory. By then, the knee had swelled to the point where Fort had to leave the game. Tests on Sunday revealed only a deep bruise. Had the injury been more serious, Fort may have been forced to miss last night's rematch, which not only would have left a huge hole in the Stallions' line - Fort stands 6 feet 7, 330 pounds - but it also would have interrupted the routine of one of Baltimore's steadier players. 
    Fort started all 21 games for Baltimore last year, when he didn't miss an offensive snap. "It's still tender, but nothing like it was last week," said Fort, who didn't even miss a practice last week. Did he wonder how he would have dealt with sitting out a game for his first time in the Canadian Football League? "I try not to think too much," he said. "I'm not a deep thinker. I'm a no-brainer."

Happy in Baltimore 
    Cornerback Gary Wilkerson had just been released by the Shreveport Pirates and was sitting home two weeks ago in Petersburg, Va., when the phone rang. It was Baltimore calling, looking for a replacement for Karl Anthony, who had just suffered a season-ending knee injury after the Stallions' season opener in British Columbia. 
    Last night, Wilkerson was savoring his first start for Baltimore. "I didn't think anyone would call until maybe the third or fourth week of the season," Wilkerson said. "It was a good surprise." And for Wilkerson, an opportunity unlike any he's experienced in his six CFL seasons. 
    He spent his five previous years in Hamilton, which had four losing seasons sandwiched around one trip to the playoffs in 1992. Last week, Wilkerson came off the bench to intercept a pass in the end zone and thwart a San Antonio drive. "I want an opportunity to play in the Grey Cup, and I've got one here." Wilkerson said. "Hamilton didn't have an offense. Here, we have one. The defense at Hamilton always stayed on the field. Here, you can get a break."

Family Matters
    Last night's game marked a family reunion of sorts for Stallions' middle linebacker O.J. Brigance. Brigance's wife, Chandra, is the cousin of San Antonio defensive back Grady Cavness. Brigance also hails from nearby Houston. More than 40 of his relatives chartered a bus from there to the game.

Now that's replay
    The Stallions' back-to-back, home-and-home series with San Antonio marks the first of four such arrangements this year. Baltimore will play back-to-back against Memphis (Aug.12 and 19), Shreveport (Sept.15 and 23) and Saskatchewan (Oct.1 and 7).

STALLIONS MEASURE STRENGTH IN COMEBACK WIN 
Club overcomes injuries, mistakes

By Gary Lambrecht 
Baltimore Sun, July 17, 1995

    The Baltimore Stallions already know how talented they are, what with All-Canadian Football League players, past and future, scattered throughout their roster. 
    In Saturday's 28-23 victory over the San Antonio Texans, Baltimore learned a lot about its resilience. Adversity? This game was Murphy's Law visits the Alamodome. 
    The Stallions began the night with new faces on 40 percent of their offensive line, then lost quarterback Tracy Ham temporarily after he took a hard sack from the blind side midway through the third quarter. And for three quarters, San Antonio quarterback David Archer picked apart the Stallions. 
    Baltimore's offense was anything but smooth while gaining only 12 first downs, yet it produced enough big plays to help the Stallions come from behind three times. They eventually finished the scoring on Carlos Huerta's fourth field goal with 4:30 remaining, but that set up a scary finish surrounding Baltimore punter Josh Miller. 
    Miller, the league's leading punter, performed that way for most of a busy night. His 60-yard bomb early in the fourth quarter pinned San Antonio back on its own goal line. That led to a safety - which gave the Stallions a 25-23 advantage - after a botched snap compelled Texans punter Todd Jordan to kick the ball out of the end zone. With 30 seconds left and the Stallions leading, 28-23, Miller lined up at his own 45, ready to ice a hard-earned victory with another strong punt. But he inexplicably dropped a perfect snap by Robert Davis, then made a sensational recovery by kicking the loose ball 28 yard down field. On the play, Miller was hit hard below his right knee and hit the turf hard, suffering a concussion. He was carried off on a stretcher. 
    Baltimore then clinched the win with a final defensive stand. In the fourth-quarter, the Stallions shut out the Texans, allowing one first down. 
    "I got sidetracked, watching [signal caller] Peter Tuipulotu, when I should have been focused on the center, especially at such a critical time," said Miller, who also suffered a bruised knee and a sprained neck but expects to play this week against Winnipeg. "I was out for a few seconds," Miller added. "I remember lying on my back knowing that no one had run by me, which was good. I thought about how good it was to have a degree. I thought about my parents and my dog. I had no one to blame but myself. Everybody worked their butts off for 59 minutes, and I almost ruined it in two seconds." 
    Just another problem to overcome, and the Stallions traversed many of them. Due to a rib injury to center Nick Subis, left guard Mike Withycombe moved into the middle, while rookie John James, activated from the practice roster, started at left guard. Subis could be out another week.         "Those are two big adjustments, especially having a new center," said Ham, who passed for 170 yards and rushed for 18 more. "John James did a real good job, and Withycombe did a good job with the line calls. I was able to go back into the shotgun without any hesitation." 
    Ham had to be helped off the field after the third-quarter sack. After x-rays revealed bruised ribs, he returned to finish the game. While he was gone, San Antonio took a 23-20 lead on Ramon Anderson's 47-yard field goal. 
    But backup quarterback Shawn Jones gave the Stallions a lift by moving them 40 yards to set up Huerta's game-tying, 23-yard field goal two minutes into the fourth quarter. Jones, showing excellent poise under pressure, opened with a 20-yard completion to Chris Armstrong. The Stallions beat San Antonio with even more depth. 
    Rookie Chris Wright, known primarily as the guy who returned punts for touchdowns in his first two CFL games, gave Baltimore a new wrinkle. Filling in for Mike Pringle (125 yards rushing) in the first half, he touched the ball once, but created a 54-yard gain out of a swing pass with some great moves down the sideline. That set up a Ham scoring pass to Reggie Perry. "I'm already voting him [Wright] Rookie of the Year, even though I don't get a vote," Baltimore linebacker Matt Goodwin said. 
    The steadiest player during a shaky night was Huerta. A month ago, Huerta was smarting from a deep thigh bruise on his kicking leg, an injury he received playing in a pickup soccer game several weeks before training camp. Two weeks ago, he was furious at himself for missing two of four field-goal attempts in the Stallions' season-opening 37-34 loss to the B.C. Lions. Huerta finally cracked a smile Saturday night, after putting on a perfect show at the Alamodome by hitting field goals from 41,37,23 and 48 yards. He has hit 10 straight field goals, has yet to miss a conversion and leads the CFL with 44 points. 
    "It's nice to feel like I'm back," Huerta said. "I was embarrassed about coming to camp with an injury, and I was upset after the B.C. game, but I'm in a rhythm now." 
   NOTES: Baltimore coach Don Matthews was a bit confused after the game. After the play in which Baltimore was awarded a safety, Matthews learned he could have chosen to keep the ball in a first-and-goal situation at the San Antonio 10-yard line. "I didn't even know they [the officials'] had given us two choices and I didn't know what the choices were. I've never heard of that rule," he said. "I goofed. I chose the wrong thing. In spite of me, they won."