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Week 12 (7/9/99): Albany @ Nashville |
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Hail Mary: Firebirds triumph as time expires
NASHVILLE -- What can Eddie Brown and Mike Pawlawski possibly do next?
Swing off a trapeze through a ring of fire? Stick their heads in the mouth of a lion with raw steaks gripped in their teeth?
The Albany Firebirds had one second to figure out how to beat Nashville Friday night, and the formula was simple - Pawlawski
threw the ball, and Brown caught it.
The Firebirds quarterback heaved a 35-yard pass that bounced low off the left end zone net right to Brown, who capped a
record-breaking performance with his 15th catch of the night and a touchdown as time expired that gave the Firebirds a 61-59
victory.
Puzzle this one out: Albany scored a touchdown on nine of 10 possessions in the game and still came one miraculous play away
from losing.
Nashville took its only lead of the game, 59-55, after recovering an onside kick, but Brown, who scored six touchdowns and broke
the team single-game record with 240 yards, and Pawlawski, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 345 yards, would not be denied.
Former Firebird Darryl Hammond scored his fourth touchdown of the game with seconds left, and Van Johnson returned the
ensuing kickoff to the Albany 15-yard line.
Albany called two timeouts during Nashville's final possession - only in the Arena Football League - and it paid off as the Firebirds
had one second left to get off a play.
For the second time this season, Brown tied his team single-game record for catches, and he strengthened his hold on the league
scoring lead.
The Firebirds only ran 10 plays from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, but Pawlawski hooked up with Brown on five of them,
including the game-winning touchdown.
Albany clinched the Eastern Division championship with a 9-3 record, and Nashville, which has played in games decided in the
final 10 seconds six straight weeks, fell to 5-6.
A blunder by Brown actually prevented the Firebirds from taking command of the game in the first half.
With Albany leading, 27-21, Brown fielded a kickoff with 23 seconds left and flipped the ball out of the end zone. He was
penalized for not trying to bring the ball out, giving Nashville a safety.
Although the Kats didn't score, missing a field goal on the final play of the first half, the Firebirds lost an opportunity to score.
Albany had time to run one play, and Pawlawski hit Brown for 10 yards as the clock expired, the only time in the entire game that
Firebirds had the ball and did not score a touchdown.
Brown more than made up for his mistake in the second half.
He recovered a fumble by teammate Greg Hopkins on Albany's first possession of the third quarter, and Pawlawski hit Jay Jones
for a touchdown on the next play.
Hammond scored on a five-yarder from Andy Kelly and then intercepted a pass by Pawlawski, but Hammond was flagged for
illegal defense, and Pawlawski hit Brown for a four-yard score on the next play.
Nashville hung around, and after Cory Fleming scored on a 45-yard pass from Kelly, the quarterback hit Tyrone Jones for a
two-point conversion to pull the Kats to within 48-45.
Pawlawski hit Van Johnson for a 34-yard touchdown with five minutes left, but Kelly came right back to Hammond for a 15-yard
score with less than a minute and half left.
Steve McLaughlin's onside kick caromed off Hopkins shoulder, and Nashville recovered at its own 12-yard line with 58 seconds
left.
Kelly completed four passes to Hammond, including the six-yarder for a touchdown and a 59-55 lead.
The Firebirds used their last timeout to call the final play, and Pawlawski and Brown delivered.
Notebook
Evan Hlavacek got his first start of the season for Albany and came up big on the first series of the game, intercepting a pass by
Kelly.
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