A late game quarterback change and fumble recovery was the perfect recipe for another late game rally for the San Antonio Brahmas to claim a 15-12 victory over the Houston Roughnecks Sunday afternoon at Rice Stadium.
“I think we obviously would’ve been better off if we had more control over the game,” Coach Wade Phillps said. “But our team kept fighting, we have a lot of grit, this team has shown that.”
Brahmas (5-2) starting quarterback Quinten Dormady was benched at the start of the fourth quarter after being picked off by Roughnecks (1-6) cornerback Colby Richardson. Backup quarterback Kevin Hogan replaced the struggling Dormady.
“We had a tough game offensively, I thought our defense played a very outstanding game,” Phillps said. “[Kevin] Hogan came in and did a really good job.”
Starting on their 32-yard line, the Brahmas offense began to march down the field. Hogan checked down to Lovett for a nine yard gain bringing the Brahmas to Houston’s 36 yard line. Hogan found receiver Jontre Kirklan down the middle for a huge 15-yard gain, setting the Brahmas up in the red zone.
Lovett reached the end zone on a 1-yard rushing score to cap off the Brahmas’ long 18-play drive. To tie the game, the Brahmas attempted a three point PAT, Hogan found tight end Cody Latimer in the end zone tying the game up at 12-12 with under three minutes left.
San Antonio decided to kickoff instead of going for the fourth and 12 conversion to keep possession. During the return, Roughnecks returner Reggie Robinson Jr. fumbled the ball which was recovered by Brahmas cornerback Teez Tabor.
Running the clock down, the Brahmas chipped away at the Roughnecks defense getting closer to field goal range with a pair of rushes by Lovett.
The Brahmas called their final timeout leaving one second on the clock for kicker Ryan Santoso’s field goal attempt. On a 51-yard field goal, Santoso knocked through his game sealing kick bringing the Brahmas another fourth quarter comeback victory.
“Things weren’t going well enough; we were basically out of the game,” Phillps said. “We just needed a spark that we hadn’t had during the game.”
The Brahmas defense continued their dominant season sacking Roughnecks quarterback Jarrett Guarantano six times, forcing two fumbles, recovering one and capturing eight tackles for a loss. Lovett led the Brahmas in both receptions and rushing, finishing with 37 rushing yards on 18 attempts and 28 receiving yards on five targets and a single touchdown on the ground.
“I look towards the defense certainly and I expect them to do well,” Phillps said. “[The Defense] is a great group.”
The San Antonio Brahmas return home to face the Arlington Renegades 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome.
