Mare Comes Up Short
Bud Joins Best in Super Bowl
Wallace's kicker Olindo Mare only managed seven points last night allowing
Deitrich to hang on 31-28 and make the BRFL Super Bowl for the first time.
Mare came up short on a 54 yard attempt in the fourth quarter. Had Mare
made that FG, that would have given him 11 points and enough for Wallace to
play in the Super Bowl for the fifth time.
Bud's road to the Super Bowl hasn't been exactly smooth. He has survived
close calls. Mare's miss Monday night, and in week 15, Jackson's Leroy
Hoard was stuffed at the goal line prior to the Vike's passing for a TD.
Additionally, both opponents left splinter squad: Wallace TEN Qbs and
Jackson, Patrick Jeffers. However, 31-28, 30-27 are wins and Bud will take
them.
For Wallace, this season represented a comeback of sorts. He had losing
records in 1997 (despite making the finals) and 1998. His week 16 faux pas,
starting Balitimore QBs over Tennessee is certainly forgivable. Baltimore
had been red-hot, while no one expected "Air" McNair to throw five TDs
against Jacksonville, the league's top defense. A similar playoff tale
can be told by Jackson, who benched Warren Moon against the leagues top
Defense, Kansas City in 1990 and a similar result occurred.
Best defeated the Mo-ha 56-43, getting his "usual 50" that he has scored in just about every game in the
second half of the season. However what put him over the top was the
return of Cris Carter, Best's main man, who defied the fantasy prognosticators
and made a significant impact scoring 7 points. A little Sunday research
allowed Best to switch him in the line-up. Best also got scores from
Jonathon Linton, Charlie Garner, "only" two TDs from Carolina QBs, and 10
from SR kicker Jeff Wilkins. A fellow NCSU alum, Alvis Whitted, returned a
kickoff for Jacksonville to add 7 points. Keyshawn Johnson iced the cake
Monday night. Best is making his fourth appearance in the finals:
1988 (Lost to Harris), 1994 (Defeated Berger-Browell) and 1996 (Lost to
Wallace).
The Mo-ha cares program will only be contributing "chump change". Despite
a good game from St Louis Qbs, Todd Peterson and Michael Westbrook, the rest
of the lineup only managed bonus points. It denies them a repeat trip
to the Super Bowl. There has never been a back to back Super Bowl champion,
although two defending champs made it back the following year: CZ in 1992, Wallace in
1997. Both lost to Ricker.
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