One man goes down and another steps up.
It was that way all season for the Rattlers, who got big plays from two guys who hadn’t been in such situations in the playoffs before Saturday’s ArenaBowl XXVI at the Amway Center.
Kerry Reed switched from defense to offense and caught a touchdown pass. Arkeith Brown went from just returning kickoffs to playing cornerback and delivered the hit of the game.
Everybody picked each other up in the Rattlers’ 48-39 victory over the Philadelphia Soul before 12,039 fans and a national television audience on CBS.
It was the Rattlers’ second consecutive championship — once again beating the Soul in the rematch — and their fourth title since coming into the Arena Football League in 1992.
The Rattlers (18-3), who tied a franchise record for wins in a season, had a chance to put away the Soul with a minute to play. But receiver Rod Windsor took a pitch and got hammered against the boards at the Soul’s 1-yard line. The ball squirted out, and the Soul recovered with 53 seconds left, trailing 45-39.
However, faced with a fourth and 2 from his 9 with 41 seconds left, quarterback Dan Raudabaugh tried to hit his favorite target, Tiger Jones, in the flat. But Brown timed it just right, hitting Jones as the ball hit his hands, causing it to pop loose and onto the carpet.
“I know big-time players can make big-time plays, and when I got in, I knew I was a big-time player,” said Brown, who was settling into the role of return specialist in the playoffs before the Rattlers called on him for defense in the second half with Marquis Floyd injured.
Garrett Lindholm, named the league’s Kicker of the Year earlier in the week, gave the Rattlers a two-possession lead with a 24-yard field goal with 23 seconds left.
“Coach (Kevin Guy) said before the game, ‘Don’t get involved in an emotional roller coaster,’” said quarterback Nick Davila, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 315 yards and six touchdowns. “We stayed even-keeled. We knew we had the talent. We knew we had the guys to do it. It was amazing.”
The Soul (14-7) didn’t let the Rattlers jump on them early like they did in New Orleans last year when they rattled Raudabaugh into three interceptions and cruised to a 72-54 victory.
Raudabaugh answered the Rattlers’ first touchdown of the game with a scoring strike to Ryan McDaniel, who had 13 catches for 137 yards.
But after Davila threw his only interception, one that bounced off the end-zone net and into a defender’s hands, safety Virgil Gray intercepted Raudabaugh’s pass in the end zone.
There were times, it appeared, the Rattlers were going to make a big run.
After Anttaj Hawthorne blocked a field goal that was attempted by Carlos Martinez out of the Soul end zone, with two seconds left in the half, a referee signaled Windsor scored on a 3-yard pass. The Soul won a challenge, the touchdown was taken off the board, and the Rattlers had to settle for a 24-21 halftime lead.
The Soul took their first lead, 27-24, to start the second half. But the Rattlers answered with Davila’s 19-yard scoring pass to Reed, and the Rattlers never trailed again as Jeremy Kellem followed that with an end-zone interception.
It was the only catch of the playoffs for Reed, who was playing only jack linebacker before Guy called on him to replace an injured Windsor.
Windsor returned to catch a 13-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rattlers a 38-27 lead early in the final quarter. He finished with 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a one-handed 21-yard grab, in his first ArenaBowl.
“I had no burst,” Windsor said. “I came into the locker room and put some heat on (the ankle). I was like, ‘I’ve got to go out there and help my teammates. I can relax later.’”
Windsor played through the injury, but he needed help at the end.
“After the fumble, I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Windsor said. “But we’re a team. They helped me and did their job.”
It was the third time the Rattlers beat the Soul this year.
Guy knew his players would make plays in big moments to assure they would be the first team since Tampa Bay (1995 and ’96) to win championships two years in a row.
“These players have character,” Guy said. “They’re winners. They’re special. It’s hard enough to do it once. But to do it back to back, it’s unbelievable.”
It was that way all season for the Rattlers, who got big plays from two guys who hadn’t been in such situations in the playoffs before Saturday’s ArenaBowl XXVI at the Amway Center.
Kerry Reed switched from defense to offense and caught a touchdown pass. Arkeith Brown went from just returning kickoffs to playing cornerback and delivered the hit of the game.
Everybody picked each other up in the Rattlers’ 48-39 victory over the Philadelphia Soul before 12,039 fans and a national television audience on CBS.
It was the Rattlers’ second consecutive championship — once again beating the Soul in the rematch — and their fourth title since coming into the Arena Football League in 1992.
The Rattlers (18-3), who tied a franchise record for wins in a season, had a chance to put away the Soul with a minute to play. But receiver Rod Windsor took a pitch and got hammered against the boards at the Soul’s 1-yard line. The ball squirted out, and the Soul recovered with 53 seconds left, trailing 45-39.
However, faced with a fourth and 2 from his 9 with 41 seconds left, quarterback Dan Raudabaugh tried to hit his favorite target, Tiger Jones, in the flat. But Brown timed it just right, hitting Jones as the ball hit his hands, causing it to pop loose and onto the carpet.
“I know big-time players can make big-time plays, and when I got in, I knew I was a big-time player,” said Brown, who was settling into the role of return specialist in the playoffs before the Rattlers called on him for defense in the second half with Marquis Floyd injured.
Garrett Lindholm, named the league’s Kicker of the Year earlier in the week, gave the Rattlers a two-possession lead with a 24-yard field goal with 23 seconds left.
“Coach (Kevin Guy) said before the game, ‘Don’t get involved in an emotional roller coaster,’” said quarterback Nick Davila, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 315 yards and six touchdowns. “We stayed even-keeled. We knew we had the talent. We knew we had the guys to do it. It was amazing.”
The Soul (14-7) didn’t let the Rattlers jump on them early like they did in New Orleans last year when they rattled Raudabaugh into three interceptions and cruised to a 72-54 victory.
Raudabaugh answered the Rattlers’ first touchdown of the game with a scoring strike to Ryan McDaniel, who had 13 catches for 137 yards.
But after Davila threw his only interception, one that bounced off the end-zone net and into a defender’s hands, safety Virgil Gray intercepted Raudabaugh’s pass in the end zone.
There were times, it appeared, the Rattlers were going to make a big run.
After Anttaj Hawthorne blocked a field goal that was attempted by Carlos Martinez out of the Soul end zone, with two seconds left in the half, a referee signaled Windsor scored on a 3-yard pass. The Soul won a challenge, the touchdown was taken off the board, and the Rattlers had to settle for a 24-21 halftime lead.
The Soul took their first lead, 27-24, to start the second half. But the Rattlers answered with Davila’s 19-yard scoring pass to Reed, and the Rattlers never trailed again as Jeremy Kellem followed that with an end-zone interception.
It was the only catch of the playoffs for Reed, who was playing only jack linebacker before Guy called on him to replace an injured Windsor.
Windsor returned to catch a 13-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rattlers a 38-27 lead early in the final quarter. He finished with 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a one-handed 21-yard grab, in his first ArenaBowl.
“I had no burst,” Windsor said. “I came into the locker room and put some heat on (the ankle). I was like, ‘I’ve got to go out there and help my teammates. I can relax later.’”
Windsor played through the injury, but he needed help at the end.
“After the fumble, I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Windsor said. “But we’re a team. They helped me and did their job.”
It was the third time the Rattlers beat the Soul this year.
Guy knew his players would make plays in big moments to assure they would be the first team since Tampa Bay (1995 and ’96) to win championships two years in a row.
“These players have character,” Guy said. “They’re winners. They’re special. It’s hard enough to do it once. But to do it back to back, it’s unbelievable.”
Source: Richard Obert azcentral sports