The Storm opened the season on the road against the Talons on April 3. Their first home game of the season was in Week 3 against the Vigilantes. The conclusion of the regular season was at the St. Pete Times Forum in Week 18 against the Predators in another edition of The War on I-4, on July 31.[1]
Tampa Bay – Hank Edwards 7-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 6:49
Tulsa – Jeff Hughley 32-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Tony Dodson kick), 4:49
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 5-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 0:54
Tulsa – Jamar Watson 3-yard run (Tony Dodson kick), 0:30
Tampa Bay – Garrett Rivas 37-yard field goal, 0:00
3rd quarter
Tulsa – Carlese Franklin 4-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Tony Dodson kick), 10:53
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 24-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 9:27
Tulsa – Donovan Morgan 10-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Tony Dodson kick), 5:37
4th quarter
Tulsa – Donovan Morgan 4-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Tony Dodson kick), 12:44
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 11-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 9:43
Tampa Bay – Hank Edwards 23-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 5:46
Tulsa – Donovan Morgan 11-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Tony Dodson kick), 3:52
Tulsa – Donovan Morgan 9-yard pass from Justin Allgood (Antwan Floyd pass no good), 1:00
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 25-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 0:30
Passing
Tampa Bay – Brett Dietz: 25/44, 346 yards, 8 TD, 1 INT
Tulsa – Justin Allgood: 26/36, 274 yards, 8 TD
Rushing
Tampa Bay – Brett Dietz: 1 att, 4 yards
Tulsa – Carlese Franklin: 3 att, 18 yards
Receiving
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons: 11 rec, 181 yards, 5 TD
Tulsa – Donovan Morgan: 9 rec, 120 yards, 4 TD
In a game that saw neither team have consecutive scores until the 4th quarter, the Storm were defeated 69–58 after giving up two late touchdowns and being unable to mount a final comeback. The Storm committed just two turnovers in the game, but were unable to force any turnovers of their own. Quarterback Brett Dietz threw for 346 yards and 8 touchdowns, while wide receiver Tyrone Timmons had 181 yards on 11 catches and 5 touchdowns.
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil: 2 att, 6 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
Dallas – Derek Lee: 6 rec, 88 yards, 2 TD
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons: 11 rec, 108 yards, 4 TD
A goal-line stand near the end of the 1st half helped the Storm earn their first win of the season. With under a minute left in the half, the Storm defense stopped Dallas on a 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. Following the change of possession, quarterback Brett Dietz found Tyrone Timmons in the end zone on the sixth play of the ensuing drive to give Tampa Bay the lead at halftime, which was also their first lead of the game. After trailing by a single point for a brief time in the 3rd quarter, the Storm quickly retook the lead and never gave it back to their opponent, defeating the Vigilantes 54–41. Dietz finished with 320 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. Timmons led all receivers with 108 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Milwaukee – Damian Harrell 15-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 11:52
Tampa Bay – Hank Edwards Edwards 17-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 9:22
Milwaukee – Anthony Jones 7-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 6:15
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 1-yard run (Garrett Rivas kick), 1:12
2nd quarter
Milwaukee – Damian Harrell 8-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 11:29
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 11-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 6:40
Milwaukee – Tyre Young 3-yard run (Robert Forstrom kick), 3:15
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 36-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 0:56
Milwaukee – Robert Forstrom 13-yard field goal
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 32-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 0:21
3rd quarter
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 15-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 13:39
Milwaukee – Damian Harrell 4-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 9:03
Milwaukee – Anthony Jones 5-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 6:33
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 20-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 5:11
Milwaukee – Anthony Jones 6-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 1:17
4th quarter
Milwaukee – Chris Greisen 2-yard run (Robert Forstrom kick), 8:44
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil 1-yard run (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 5:08
Milwaukee – Nate Forse 9-yard pass from Chris Greisen (Robert Forstrom kick), 3:48
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 35-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 1:55
Milwaukee – Tyre Young 1-yard run (Robert Forstrom kick no good), 0:44
Passing
Tampa Bay – Brett Dietz: 21/34, 316 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT
Milwaukee – Chris Greisen: 26/41, 270 yards, 7 TD
Rushing
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil: 1 att, 5 yards, 2 TD
Milwaukee – Tyre Young: 10 att, 44 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
Tampa Bay – Cleannord Saintil: 9 rec, 128 yards, 4 TD
Milwaukee – Nate Forse: 8 rec, 120 yards, 4 TD
Second half turnovers cost the Storm the game in which they led at halftime. Perhaps the most costly turnover was early in the 4th quarter when Tampa Bay had just been given a 1st and goal following a Milwaukee penalty. Cleannord Saintil fumbled the ball inside the Milwaukee 3-yard line, which was recovered by the Iron's Eric Turner. The Iron took full advantage of the miscue with a touchdown drive capped off by a Chris Greisen touchdown run. This put the Storm behind by 11 points, and they were unable to make up the deficit. Brett Dietz threw for 316 yards and 7 touchdowns in the loss, while Saintil led all receivers with 128 yards on 9 receptions and 4 receiving touchdowns.
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 39 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 13:08
Arizona – Rod Windsor 15 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 9:15
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 29 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 4:43
Arizona – J.J. McKelvey 16 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 0:52
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 3 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 0:36
3rd quarter
Arizona – Rod Windsor 7 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 9:49
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 12 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 8:31
Arizona – Nick Davila 13 yd run (Atlas Herrion pass no good), 6:26
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 9 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 3:09
4th quarter
Arizona – J.J. McKelvey 10 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 13:09
Arizona – Anthony Mix 12 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 9:17
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 10 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 4:33
Arizona – Anthony Mix 26 yd pass from Nick Davila (Jason Witczak kick), 3:16
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 37 yd pass from Brett Dietz (Terrence Royal pass), 1:25
Arizona – J.J. McKelvey 3 yd pass from Nick Davila (Anthony Mix pass no good), 0:07
Passing
Arizona – Nick Davila: 27/47, 314 yards, 7 TD
Tampa Bay – Brett Dietz: 19/32, 288 yards, 9 TD
Rushing
Arizona – Rod Windsor: 1 att, 27 yards
Tampa Bay – Terrence Royal: 1 att, 8 yards
Receiving
Arizona – J.J. McKelvey: 13 rec, 127 yards, 3 TD
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin: 9 rec, 184 yards, 5 TD
The Storm led for almost the entire game, but continued to allow Arizona to creep back into it. Following a fumble recovered by the Rattlers in the 4th quarter, they tied the game at 48–48 on a 12-yard passing touchdown just a few plays later. The Storm would score a touchdown on their next drive with a 10-yard reception by Tyrone Timmons, however kicker Garrett Rivas missed the extra point. The Rattlers would find the end zone on their next play from scrimmage, and with a successful extra point, took their first lead of the night at 55–54. Tampa Bay would retake the lead on a 37-yard pass by Brett Dietz to DeAndrew Rubin. Instead of trying an extra point this time, the Storm went for a two-point conversion. The pass from Dietz to Terrence Royal was successful, putting the Storm ahead 62–55 with 1:25 left for the Rattlers. Arizona put together a 5-play, 46-yard drive in which they never faced a 3rd down, ending in a 3-yard passing touchdown with 7 seconds remaining. They went for two instead of the tie, which would have likely forced overtime, but their attempt was unsuccessful. The Storm recovered the onside kick that ensued and ran out the clock to end the game, winning 72–71. Dietz finished with 288 yards and a season-high 9 touchdowns. His most frequent receiver was DeAndrew Rubin, who caught 9 passes for 184 yards and 5 touchdowns.
For Tim Marcum, the win was his 200th in his career as a head coach in the AFL.
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin: 8 rec, 147 yards, 2 TD
The game, while low scoring, was tight throughout the night, as neither team led by more than 6 points at any time. The Storm were up by 5 points in the final minute after a Tyrone Timmons 11-yard touchdown catch, but Tampa Bay's defense gave up a touchdown on the Sharks' ensuing drive. Down 46–43 and having 36 seconds to work with on the clock, DeAndrew Rubin fumbled 15 yards from the end zone after catching a pass. The loose ball was recovered by the Sharks, who ran out the clock to end the game. It was Tampa Bay's fifth giveaway in the game. Brett Dietz threw 2 interceptions along with his 293 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. Despite the late turnover, Rubin was the team's leading receiver with 147 yards and a pair of touchdown receptions.
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 14-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 10:50
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 42-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick), 8:05
Orlando – Bobby Sippio 28-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 6:49
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 17-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 4:31
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 21-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 1:01
2nd quarter
Tampa Bay – Terrence Royal 2-yard run (Garrett Rivas kick), 10:45
Orlando – Bobby Sippio 4-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 6:58
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 2-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 0:41
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 27-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Garrett Rivas kick no good), 0:08
Orlando – Carlos Martinez 34-yard field goal, 0:00
3rd quarter
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 8-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 9:03
Tampa Bay – Tyrone Timmons 6-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Tyrone Timmons pass), 4:17
Orlando – Nick Hill 4-yard run (Carlos Martinez kick), 1:44
4th quarter
Tampa Bay – Eric Ortiz 2-yard run (Tyrone Timmons pass), 13:44
Orlando – T.T. Toliver 25-yard pass from Nick Hill (Carlos Martinez kick), 12:32
Tampa Bay – Hank Edwards 3-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Tyrone Timmons pass), 7:18
Orlando – Carlos Martinez 15-yard field goal, 4:40
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin 21-yard pass from Brett Dietz (Kelvin Kinney pass), 2:01
Orlando – James Bryant 10-yard kickoff return (Carlos Martinez run no good), 1:08
Tampa Bay – Hank Edwards 7-yard pass from Brett Dietz (DeAndrew Rubin pass), 0:14
Passing
Orlando – Nick Hill: 19/26, 284 yards, 8 TD
Tampa Bay – Brett Dietz: 32/49, 310 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Rushing
Orlando – Nick Hill: 4 att, 10 yards, 1 TD
Tampa Bay – Terrence Royal: 1 att, 2 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Orlando – T.T. Toliver: 9 rec, 123 yards, 6 TD
Tampa Bay – DeAndrew Rubin: 17 rec, 245 yards, 3 TD
Security tries to get the situation under control after two Orlando players entered the stands and fought with fans.
The Storm looked to take their second win in The War on I-4 in 2010. They entered the game having already known the Jacksonville Sharks wrapped up the division championship with a win the night before. This meant that win or lose to the Preds, the Storm would be heading to Tulsa for the conference semifinals against the Talons.
Still, the Storm fell behind early against the Predators as quarterback Brett Dietz threw two interceptions in the 1st quarter, and Orlando capitalized on both turnovers with a pair of touchdown drives. In the second quarter, both teams scored two touchdowns each, but the Predators took a 45–20 lead into halftime with a 23-yard field goal as time expired. The closest Tampa Bay would get in the 2nd half was a 15-point deficit, after a 7-yard Hank Edwards touchdown reception with 14 seconds left in the 4th quarter, losing the game 75–60. Head coach Tim Marcum commented after the game, "It was a butt whipping, and we supplied the butt."[2]
Dietz's 310 passing yards gave him 5,054 for the season, a new single-season record for Tampa Bay. His six touchdown passes raised his season total to 106, another single-season record that had already been surpassed by the quarterback in the weeks before. DeAndrew Rubin was the leading receiver in the game, and also set a couple of single-game records for the Storm with 17 receptions and 245 yards.
The game itself took an ugly turn shortly before halftime because of an altercation between fans and two Orlando players. Center Julius Wilson reportedly attempted to toss a football to his father in the stands behind the Predator bench, however a fan knocked the ball away from the hands of Wilson's father, and as other fans scrambled to get the ball, Wilson's father was knocked down. Receiver Bobby Sippio went into the seats as his own father was near the area of the incident. Wilson eventually went into the stands as well, and threw a punch at a fan, which resulted in a fight breaking out. Both players were ejected from the game and were given suspensions.[3] Sippio, who was given a suspension of one game, appealed, allowing him to participate in the playoffs. Wilson was given a six game suspension that he was not allowed to appeal because it was not his first ejection that season.[4] Ten fans were also escorted away. No arrests were made.[5]
