Locos Win UFL's First-Ever Title

LAS VEGAS -- The UFL may have had a forgettable season but, by any standards, its championship game was one to remember.

Graham Gano nailed a game-winning, 33-yard field goal in overtime as the Las Vegas Locomotives spoiled the Florida Tuskers' attempt at an undefeated season with a 20-17 victory to earn the UFL's first ever championship on Friday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"If people watch that game, and they don't think that's good football, I don't know what they are looking at," said Locos coach Jim Fassel, who was carried on the shoulders of his players during the postgame celebration. "It's so hard to win a championship all the way to the finish no matter where you do it. Not many people get to take it all the way to the end."

The winning boot was set up by an interception by Locos defensive back Isaiah Trufant, whose fumble after the pick was recovered by teammate Tony Parrish. Gano's field goal ended the UFL's first-ever overtime game in dramatic fashion, a dream ending for a league looking to stir up some publicity.

In the end, though, it was all about the play on the field -- and the biggest one was made by Trufant, who was questionable with two groin injuries prior to the game.

"I had been in the training room all week," he said. "I just thank God for the opportunity."

"I looked Trufant in the eye and said, 'Tell me if you can play. I don't want you out there (trying to be a hero)," Fassel said. "He said, 'No, coach, I'm going to play."

The Tuskers, who won all six of their regular-season games, were left with no chance for rebuttal. By UFL rules, each team gets one possession in the overtime period before the game becomes a sudden-death contest.

Florida coach Jim Haslett's decision to take the ball first in OT was a point of contention because it allowed the Locos to have a final chance at ending it all. Haslett, though, defended his decision.

"If you don't score, and they don't score, then it's sudden death and they get the ball at the end," the coach said.

DeDe Dorsey was named the game's MVP -- winning a hat, shirt and $5,000 check for his work -- after scoring two crucial touchdowns. With 5:58 left in the fourth, Dorsey plunged in for a 1-yard TD on third down, after being stopped on the previous play, to put Las Vegas ahead 17-14.

It looked as if Dorsey may have been stopped short, though Dorsey saw it differently.

"I scored on (second down)," he said with a smile. "I guess (the referees) just wanted to make it interesting."

The Locos were afforded the opportunity for Dorsey's TD thanks to one of the wackiest plays you will see in any league -- the NFL included.

Florida's Brooks Bollinger was sacked by defensive end Adrian Awasom, who jarred the ball loose, allowing Ross Kolodziej to scoop it up and return it near the goal-line, where he was dragged to the turf by a horse-collar tackle that caused a fumble. The ball was recovered in the end zone by the Locos' Josh Mallard, a score that then was overturned by an officials' review.

The review determined that Bollinger's arm was not going forward at the outset of the play -- the original reason for going to the replay -- allowing for the rest of the action. Las Vegas, however, retained possession at the 1-yard-line after the ground caused a fumble in the wake of the horse-collar penalty at the 2-yard-line. The penalty was assessed to bring the ball half the distance to the goal.

To further keep those in attendance -- including the refs -- on their toes, Bollinger fired a completed pass on the ensuing possession along the sideline to Jayson Foster, who attempted a high-wire act to stay in-bounds before jetting in from 41 yards out. It was determined, though, that Foster's knee had touched while pivoting along the sideline, reducing his gain to just six yards.

Matt Bryant eventually capped the drive with a game-tying, 27-yard field goal with 2:06 left to set the stage for overtime. Haslett had a problem with the calls on both sides.

"Whatever replay they were showing on the field, the guy in the booth must have been drunk," Haslett said.

Las Vegas took advantage of two key injuries on Florida's defense, which lost veteran linebacker Odell Thurman (groin) and safety and former Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson (left ankle) in the second half. Both were leaders on the unit that was bending but not breaking through three quarters.

In fact, both teams contributed to a lackluster first three quarters before combining for 27 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Just over two minutes into the fourth, Las Vegas broke through thanks to Dorsey, who bounced a run out to the right sideline for a 38-yard, go-ahead score to give the Locos a 10-7 lead.

That advantage would be short-lived. The Tuskers' quick-strike offense, which had been the league's most impressive unit on either side of the ball throughout the season, answered back with a five-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 10-yard TD connection between Bollinger and Frank Murphy. The score was set up by a 40-yard grab from Marcus Maxwell.

It was the second big play for Maxwell, who started the scoring in the first quarter, when he and Bollinger connected for an 8-yard scoring pass to make it 7-0 with 5:13 left. The score would stay the same until the final seconds of the half, when Gano nailed a 46-yard field goal as time expired.

Maxwell's fourth TD of the season was set up by an interception by Bollinger, who threw an errant pass into coverage, setting up Las Vegas at the Tuskers' 49-yard line after safety Trey Young returned the interception 13 yards. It was a fitting way to end a sloppy opening half.

Las Vegas running back Marcel Shipp committed what could have been a crucial error, fumbling on the second play of the second quarter on Florida's 3-yard line, a miscue forced by Thurman and recovered by defensive end Patrick Chukwurah.

The first half also saw Locos quarterback J.P. Losman leave the game after being sandwiched in the pocket nearly three minutes into the second quarter. Tim Rattay came in to throw two incomplete passes before Losman was able to return.

The champion Locomotives finished their inaugural season with a record of 5-2, while title runner-up Florida finished 6-1.