2009 Florida Tuskers season

2009 Florida Tuskers season
Owner	Stuart Sternberg (Tampa Bay Rays)
General manager	Rick Mueller
Head coach	Jim Haslett
Home field	Citrus Bowl Tropicana Field
Results
Record	6–0
Division place	1st
Playoff finish	Lost Championship Game (Las Vegas) 20–17 (OT)
Uniform

The 2009 Florida Tuskers season was the first season for the Florida Tuskers. In the UFL's Premiere Season, the Tuskers put together a league-best, undefeated 6–0 record. In the championship game however, they lost to the Las Vegas Locomotives in overtime.

The Tuskers played three home games in the six game regular season. Two games were played at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and one was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

Following the conclusion of the season, quarterback Brooks Bollinger was named season MVP, and head coach Jim Haslett was given the Coach of the Year award.

Prior to season

Jim Haslett, former NFL head coach of the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams, was named head coach of the then unnamed franchise, on March 11, 2009.

The team name, uniforms, and colors were unveiled on August 12, 2009. On the same day it was announced that the Tampa Bay Rays had bought interest in the team.

Draft

Main article: UFL Premiere Season Draft

The draft took place on June 19, 2009. Those selected were among participants in earlier workouts held in Orlando as well as Las Vegas. Once a player was picked by a team, his rights were held by that team should he elect to play in the UFL. With their first selection, the Tuskers picked former Arkansas nose tackle Fred Bledsoe.

= Indicates player signed with team

Player	Position	College
Fred Bledsoe	NT	Arkansas
Brooks Bollinger	QB	Wisconsin
Ronnie Cruz	FB	Northern State
Mike Doss	DB	Ohio State
Greg Fassitt	DB	Grambling
Chas Gessner	WR	Brown
Keith Heinrich	TE	Sam Houston State
Rien Long	NT	Washington State
Grant Mason	DB	Michigan
Tim McGarigle	LB	Northwestern
Chris Perry	RB	Michigan
Rob Petitti	T	Pittsburgh
Zach Piller	OG	Florida
Eric Powell	DE	Florida State
Anthony Schlegel	LB	Ohio State
Bo Schobel	DE	TCU
Dominique Thompson	WR	William & Mary
DeJuan Tribble	CB	Boston College
Larry Tripplett	NT	Washington
Darius Vinnett	DB	Arkansas
Seth Wand	T	Northwest Missouri State
Jermaine Wiggins	TE	Georgia
Quincy Wilson	RB	West Virginia
T. J. Wright	DB	Ohio

Personnel

Staff

2009 Florida Tuskers staff

	Front office Owner – Stuart Sternberg (via Tampa Bay Rays) Vice President/General Manager (UFL) – Rick Mueller Director of Football Operations – Ricky Porter Head coaches Head Coach – Jim Haslett Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Jay Gruden Running Backs – Ricky Porter Wide Receivers – Ike Hilliard Wide Receivers/Quality Control – Sean McVay Special Teams/Tight Ends – Al Roberts Offensive Line – Bill Laveroni			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Carl Hairston Linebackers – Chuck Bresnahan Secondary – Bill Bradley

Roster

2009 Florida Tuskers final roster
Quarterbacks  8 Brooks Bollinger 14 Chris Greisen Running Backs 25 Tatum Bell 34 Andrew Pinnock FB 22 Michael Pittman 21 Shaud Williams Wide Receivers 15 Taye Biddle 18 Jayson Foster 11 Marcus Maxwell 82 Frank Murphy  9 Bobby Sippio 81 Micheal Spurlock Tight Ends 83 Jonathan Dekker 87 Keith Heinrich 89 Ryan Neufeld 85 Jermaine Wiggins		Offensive Linemen 69 P. J. Alexander G 62 Dan Buenning G 66 Anthony Davis G 58 Enoka Lucas C 53 Fred Matua G 78 Rob Petitti T 77 Charles Spencer T 75 Seth Wand T 72 Julius Wilson T Defensive Linemen 76 Fred Bledsoe DT 68 McKinley Boykin DT 56 Patrick Chukwurah DE 97 Josh Cooper DE 91 Eric Powell DE 93 Josh Savage DE 98 Darrion Scott DE 92 Willie Williams DT 99 Claude Wroten DT		Linebackers 50 Colby Bockwoldt OLB 54 Quinton Culberson OLB 59 Tim McGarigle ILB 55 Terrence Melton OLB 51 Anthony Schlegel ILB 52 Odell Thurman OLB Defensive Backs 31 Willie Andrews SS/RS 35 Fakhir Brown CB 23 Jerome Carter SS 36 Michael Grant CB 28 Dexter Jackson FS 20 Ricky Manning CB 30 Derrick Richardson FS 27 DeJuan Tribble CB 24 Darius Vinnett CB Special Teams  3 Matt Bryant K 57 Matt Overton LS 10 Todd Sauerbrun P		Reserve Lists 19 Chas Gessner WR (IR) 62 Gene Mruczkowski C (IR) Rookies in italics Roster updated November 17, 2009 52 Active, 2 Inactive

Schedule

Regular season

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance	TV
				Final score	Team record
1	Saturday, October 10	7:00 p.m. ET	New York Sentinels	W 35–13	1–0	Citrus Bowl	11,203	HDNet
2	Wednesday, October 14	9:00 p.m. ET	at Las Vegas Locomotives	W 29–15	2–0	Sam Boyd Stadium	12,160	Versus
3	Thursday, October 22	7:00 p.m. ET	California Redwoods	W 34–7	3–0	Citrus Bowl	12,021	Versus
4	Friday, October 30	7:00 p.m. ET	Las Vegas Locomotives	W 27–24	4–0	Tropicana Field	11,354	HDNet
5	Bye
6	Thursday, November 12	7:00 p.m. ET	at New York Sentinels	W 24–6	5–0	Rentschler Field	5,201	Versus
7	Thursday, November 19	9:00 p.m. ET	at California Redwoods	W 34–27	6–0	AT&T Park	6,837	Versus

Championship Game

Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Final score	Game site	Attendance	TV
Friday, November 27	3:00 p.m. ET	Las Vegas Locomotives	L 17–20 (OT)	Sam Boyd Stadium	14,801	Versus

Standings

United Football League
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
y-Florida Tuskers	6	0	0	1.000	183	92	W6
y-Las Vegas Locomotives	4	2	0	.667	167	100	W3
California Redwoods	2	4	0	.333	105	134	L2
New York Sentinels	0	6	0	.000	56	185	L6

y-denotes team advanced to 2009 UFL championship game

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New York Sentinels

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Sentinels	7	6	0	0	13
Tuskers	0	14	14	7	35

at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida

• Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Game attendance: 11,203
• Referee: Randy Christal
• TV announcers (HDNet): Kenny Rice & Paul Maguire
• Recap

Game information

1st quarter NY – Craphonso Thorpe 11-yard pass from Quinn Gray (Piotr Czech kick), 12:52 2nd quarter NY – Piotr Czech 32-yard field goal, 15:00 FL – Frank Murphy 9-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 3:54 FL – Taye Biddle 35-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 2:52 NY – Piotr Czech 42-yard field goal, 0:13 3rd quarter FL – Chas Gessner 16-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 9:58 FL – Ryan Neufeld 1-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 6:30 4th quarter FL – Tatum Bell 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 11:55 Passing NY – Quinn Gray – 12/29, 161 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT FL – Brooks Bollinger – 20/26, 225 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing NY – LaBrandon Toefield – 10 att, 34 yards FL – Tatum Bell – 15 att, 70 yards, 1 TD Receiving NY – Craphonso Thorpe – 4 rec, 77 yards, 1 TD FL – Chas Gessner – 4 rec, 59 yards, 1 TD

The Tuskers opened the season with a convincing 35–13 win over the New York Sentinels. Quarterback Brooks Bollinger threw for 225 yards and four touchdowns.

Week 2: at Las Vegas Locomotives

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tuskers	7	9	6	7	29
Locomotives	0	0	0	15	15

at Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, Nevada

• Game time: 9:08 p.m. ET
• Game attendance: 12,160
• Referee: Dave Cutaia
• TV: Versus
• Recap

Game information

1st quarter FL – Frank Murphy 5-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 11:11 2nd quarter FL – Matt Bryant 22-yard field goal, 11:02 FL – Matt Bryant 41-yard field goal, 1:51 FL – Matt Bryant 30-yard field goal, 0:05 3rd quarter FL – Chas Gessner 12-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 4:33 4th quarter LV – DeDe Dorsey safety, 14:20 FL – Taye Biddle 17-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 9:39 LV – Samie Parker 11-yard pass from J. P. Losman (DeDe Dorsey rush failed), 7:10 LV – Samie Parker 2-yard pass from J. P. Losman (Graham Gano kick), 1:56 Passing FL – Brooks Bollinger – 24/32, 310 yards, 3 TD LV – J. P. Losman – 19/35, 239 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing FL – Tatum Bell – 11 att, 53 yards LV – Marcel Shipp – 10 att, 39 yards Receiving FL – Taye Biddle – 7 rec, 107 yards, 1 TD LV – Samie Parker – 6 rec, 85 yards, 2 TD

On the road, Bollinger would surpass his total from a week before with 310 yards. Through the first three quarters, the Tuskers had kept the Las Vegas Locomotives from scoring, and led by 22 points. Kicker Matt Bryant connected on three field goals in the game, won by the Tuskers 29–15. With the win, the Tuskers moved into first place by themselves.

Week 3: vs. California Redwoods

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redwoods	0	0	0	7	7
Tuskers	0	17	10	7	34

at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida

• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 12,021
• Referee: Randy Christal
• TV: Versus
• Recap

Back in Orlando for Week 3, the Tuskers routed the California Redwoods 34–7, and improved to 3–0 on the season. The Tusker defense held the Redwoods to only 196 yards and forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. Taye Biddle was the Tuskers' leading receiver with 133 yards on five receptions, however no touchdowns.

Week 4: vs. Las Vegas Locomotives

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Locomotives	0	14	3	7	24
Tuskers	0	7	10	10	27

at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

• Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Game attendance: 11,354
• Referee: Dave Cutaia
• TV announcers (HDNet): Kenny Rice & Paul Maguire
• Recap

Game information

2nd quarter FL – Marcus Maxwell 9-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 11:54 LV – Tab Perry 60-yard pass from J. P. Losman (Graham Gano kick), 5:11 LV – DeDe Dorsey 22-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 2:46 3rd quarter FL – Marcus Maxwell 46-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger (Matt Bryant kick), 12:04 LV – Graham Gano 40-yard field goal, 9:01 FL – Matt Bryant 31-yard field goal, 4:51 4th quarter FL – Tatum Bell 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 8:10 LV – John Madsen 2-yard pass from J. P. Losman (Graham Gano kick), 7:01 FL – Matt Bryant 40-yard field goal, 4:38 Passing LV – J. P. Losman – 19/31, 252 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT FL – Brooks Bollinger – 22/35, 323 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing LV – DeDe Dorsey – 12 att, 139 yards, 1 TD FL – Tatum Bell – 20 att, 65 yards, 1 TD Receiving LV – Tab Perry – 3 rec, 96 yards, 1 TD FL – Jayson Foster – 4 rec, 93 yards

The Tuskers traveled to their secondary home stadium for Week 4, Tropicana Field, normally known as the home to the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. The Tuskers hosted the Locomotives, who were coming off of their bye week and facing the Tuskers in their second consecutive game. In contrast to the teams' previous game, the game was tied at 24–24 late in the 4th quarter. Matt Bryant nailed a 40-yard field goal to give the Tuskers the lead with 4:38 to play. Las Vegas would get the ball back with just under two minutes left, but Florida's defense held strong and the Tuskers remained undefeated with their fourth win of the season. With the victory, the Tuskers clinched a spot in the 2009 UFL Championship Game.

Week 6: at New York Sentinels

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tuskers	10	0	7	7	24
Sentinels	3	3	0	0	6

at Rentschler Field, Hartford, Connecticut

• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 5,201
• Referee: Randy Christal
• TV: Versus
• Recap

Coming off of their bye week, the Tuskers were on the road against the Sentinels in Week 6. The game was close in the 1st half, with the Tuskers holding a slight 10–6 lead at halftime. However the Tuskers defense kept New York out of the end zone the entire night. Also behind Brooks Bollinger's arm, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns, the Tuskers won 24–6, keeping the undefeated season alive at 5–0.

Week 7: at California Redwoods

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tuskers	10	10	0	14	34
Redwoods	10	14	3	0	27

at AT&T Park, San Francisco, California

• Game time: 9:08 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 6,837
• Referee: Dave Cutaia
• TV: Versus
• Recap

In Week 7, the Tuskers played their final game of the regular season in California. After both of the Tuskers' first two scores in the first quarter, they boldly attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered both. In the 1st quarter, both teams traded a field goal and a touchdown, but the Tuskers were down at halftime 24–20. After that, the Tuskers defense stood tall as they had in the previous week, only allowing a 3rd-quarter field goal in the entire 2nd half. Still down 27–20, Brooks Bollinger put together a 67-yard drive capped off by a touchdown pass to Jayson Foster on the first play of the 4th quarter. Foster was drilled by a Redwoods defensive player immediately after making the catch, but Foster held on to the ball for the score to tie the game. Later in the 4th quarter, California moved the ball to the Tuskers' 33-yard line, but cornerback Darius Vinnett intercepted the ball for the Tuskers and returned it 58 yards to the Redwoods' 8-yard line. A few plays later, running back Michael Pittman dove over the goal line for the touchdown, putting the Tuskers ahead 34–27. The Redwoods would punt the ball back to Florida on the ensuing drive, and with a chance to ice the game on 3rd down with only a yard needed for the 1st down, Pittman fumbled, and California came up with the ball. However the Redwoods were unable to capitalize on the turnover, as Josh Cooper recovered his own forced fumble on Redwoods quarterback Shane Boyd, sealing the win for the Tuskers. The game was considered as one of the most entertaining of the season. The Tuskers remained undefeated at the conclusion of the regular season, finishing with a 6–0 record going into the championship game against Las Vegas.

Championship Game

Main article: 2009 UFL Championship Game

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Locomotives	0	3	0	14	3	20
Tuskers	7	0	0	10	0	17

at Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, Nevada

• Game time: 3:13 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 14,801
• Referee: Dave Cutaia
• TV: Versus
• Recap

Though it was announced as the location of the championship game before the two teams clinched a spot, the Tuskers traveled back to Las Vegas to play the Locomotives at Sam Boyd Stadium, attempting to beat them for the third time in the season. It was a defensive battle through the first three quarters, until both team's offenses came alive in the 4th quarter. Tied with 17 points each at the end of regulation, the game would have to go to overtime, the first overtime game in league history. The Tuskers won the coin toss and received the ball first in OT, but Brooks Bollinger threw an interception deep in Tuskers territory. The Locos ran one play to line the ball in between the goal posts, and kicker Graham Gano made the game winning field goal just inside the right upright to win the championship for Las Vegas, and end the Tuskers' chance at a perfect season.