In the fourth week of the UFL’s six-week premiere season, the Florida Tuskers have nailed down a spot in the league’s championship game.
On Friday night, the Tuskers moved their record to 4-0 with a 27-24 win over the Las Vegas Locomotives.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, former Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott served as an honorary captain for the home team.
It was a close game, with Las Vegas on the move for a game-tying (or possibly game-winning score) late in the contest. But when former NFL defensive lineman Claude Wroten sacked former NFL quarterback J.P. Losman on a play that started at the Florida 35, the Locos were knocked out of field goal range and couldn’t move the ball any closer on their final two plays.
The UFL announced that more than 11,000 attended the game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. If true, it’s not a bad draw given that USF hosted West Virginia on Friday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Then again, the UFL probably shouldn’t have scheduled a Tuskers home game for the same night in the same general area as a major college game.
Of course, scheduling decisions haven’t been the UFL’s strong suit. The championship game will be played on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. When nothing else in the sports world is happening.
I watched some of that game last night on HDNet and there is NO WAY that 11,000 people were there. You’d be hard-pressed to convince me 1100 people were there, let alone 11000…still, the game wasn’t as bad as I would have thought going in
Way to go JIM!
The Giants need a defensive coordinator.
Come to Jersey!
In my dreams the NFL and UFL merge, just so I can see the angles ESPN takes in order to bill the first Tuskers/Bucs game as ” possibly the greatest game ever.”
Championship game? I didn’t even know the league started yet.
So isn’t it good that there’s nothing else on for sports the day after Thanksgiving? That gives the league a chance to be in the spotlight. All the sports-viewing guys are going to be home anyway while all the ladies go do their black friday shopping.
Or are you being sarcastic that there is actually a lot of stuff on sports tv the day after Thanksgiving? The only thing I know of is the “Iron Bowl” game between Alabama and Auburn.
Of course, I don’t think anyone’s even going to read or reply to my comment b/c by what I can see, there simply isn’t 10,000 people attending these UFL games. They really should have tried to be a spring/summer league I think.
Yeah. Well I can’t watch it anyway. I have satellite.
But even then, I’ll be watching some football and/or basketball… or some combination of the two.
Next year, though- they should seriously consider making this a Spring League. Therefore, they can play their games on Saturdays or Sundays. And they can draw more fans. Right now, you got World Series, NFL and college football, and even the NBA to contend with. If they started the season in April, you got the beginnings of baseball and the NBA playoff races. Football got a shot there.
Oh, and also- get rid of Versus. Go to Fox Sports or ESPN. Or Bravo. Somewhere where others can watch it.
J.P. Lossman making bad decisions with the ball at crucial moments, you don’t say!
I didn’t realize this league had already started playing either, but I checked the standings and sure enough the Bucs are 0-4 in that league, too!
Seriously Mike, can I be the lead writer for UFLfootballtalk.com? I’ll even learn the names of the teams and everything! Maybe even watch a game (aww, who am I kidding????)
edgeofepic – thank u i didnt get that either. but maybe im just not as hip as florio.
ill watch that game what of it?!!
Yea, I have actually been upset with the league so far. I didnt know it started and I cant seem to find coverage of it on espn. Its possible i could just be missing any coverage, but i was intrested in the league coming in and now its just another whatever secondary football league :/
So does that mean the Tuskers are going to start resting people for the playoffs, or are they going for the first pro football team to go undefeated since the 72 Dolphins?
Florio says:
Of course, scheduling decisions haven’t been the UFL’s strong suit.
Naming their teams isn’t a strong suit either. Tuskers and Locomotives? Did they just pick random nouns out of the dictionary?
Uh, who exactly cares?
edgeofepic
There are 13 FBS games (including Auburn/Alabama and West Virginia/Pittsburgh; 12 NBA games; 12 NHL games and 6 college basketball games just including teams currently in the top 25; not to mention numerous high school football playoffs.
In other words there is a ton of sports competition on the Friday after Thanksgiving.