Monday, Apr. 14, 2008

Fever burned by lost touchdown

By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer

The Tri-Cities Fever management, coaches and players are looking for some answers.

The Fever felt it not only had to battle the Spokane Shock at Toyota Center on Sunday, but also a handful of questionable calls by the officials.

One play in particular had everyone stewing after the Fever's 55-51 loss in front of 4,089 fans, prompting coach Cedric Walker to call arenafootball2 league president Jerry Kurz.

The play in question happened at the end of the first half when LaRue Burley intercepted a Jason Murrietta pass at the Tri-Cities' 1-yard line. He returned the ball 41 yards for a touchdown that would have put the Fever (0-2) ahead 36-21 at halftime.

After the play, both teams committed personal foul penalties. After a long discussion by the officials, the referee picked up the ball and waved off the touchdown, ending the half with the score 30-21.

"We should have had that score," a disappointed Walker said.

Walker said he was never given an explanation why the touchdown was negated, precipitating a call to the league office for an interpretation of the rule. He had not heard back from the league office Sunday night.

The rivalry that started last season when the Fever joined the af2 continued to escalate Sunday. Four players were ejected, including Fever defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters less than three minutes into the game. The teams combined for 23 penalties for 235 yards in a game that dragged on for more than three hours.

The Fever, which had two weeks to prepare for the Shock, dominated the first half, leading by as many as 13 points. It could have been at least 15 with Burley's touchdown, and the Fever started the second half on offense.

But when that touchdown was taken off the scoreboard at the end of the half, the momentum of the game changed, giving the Shock (3-0) the break it needed.

Spokane, the second ranked team in the af2, stayed within reach and ultimately took control late in the fourth quarter thanks to two interceptions.

The last was by Sergio Gilliam -- his seventh in three games -- that he returned for a touchdown to put the Shock ahead 54-43 with 24 seconds left in the game.

"We needed a spark, whatever it was," said Shock coach Adam Shackleford about the final play of the first half.

The play before Gilliam's interception, backup quarterback John Pierce missed a wide open LaMonte Jones down the left sideline for what could have been the go-ahead score for the Fever.

"We have a couple of turnovers that changed the game right there," Jones said.

Jason Campbell, in his first start for the Fever, was 13 of 26 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns before leaving in the fourth quarter with an arm injury.

Pierce, who started in the Fever's 46-32 season-opening loss, came in to guide Tri-Cities to a key fourth-quarter score to go in front 43-42 with 6:55 left.

But that would be the Fever's last score until the final second of the game.

"The bottom line is we have got to learn how to finish," Walker said. "We don't need moral victories right now, we need wins on the field."

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