The Texas Bullets fell to the Honolulu Hurricanes Saturday night, April 25, in the Bullets' home opener, 46-40. The Bullets had four shots at the end zone at the end of the game, but could not punch it in as Marc Saldana's cross field pass was low and behind receiver Brent Alford who was unable to secure the ball. With that, time ran out and the announced crowd of 2,100 went home disappointed but hungry for more.
"I spent much of the evening walking around the Expo Center and talking to fans and staff during the few breaks in action. They all seemed to enjoy the indoor game immensely. Many commented on just how much faster this game is than the NFL," stated General Manager Matthew McKinley. "One went so far as to say 'Troy Aikman wouldn't be able to survive in this league,' but I really don't think that is a big worry of his," stated McKinley while laughing.
The Bullets' offense stepped up as they put 40 points on the board. Texas did not make it easy for themselves, spotting the visiting Hurricanes 14 points. But unlike previous weeks when the Bullets have fallen behind, the offense came roaring back, tying the game early in the second quarter on John Henry's eight yard run. Honolulu regained the lead, but Texas tied it up soon after as backup quarterback and new found slot man Brent Alford scored on a 25 yard pass from Marc Saldana.
The Bullets seemed to be in the driver's seat for good when Ken Otte blocked a Honolulu field goal attempt which bounced out of the back of the end zone for a Texas safety for a 40-38 lead. But after receiving the ensuing kickoff, the Bullets fumbled the ball on the first play, and Honolulu recovered. The Hurricanes scored on a Falinko Vitale one yard run to take the lead for good.
"I think this is the first time that we really played like a team for the whole game. The players did not give up, and I think they are more determined than ever to win," said Head Coach Wayne Stigler after the game. "I was really happy with the effort and play of Brent Alford. It's tough when you are the number two quarterback and not playing much. But his performance at slot might make him number one at slot."
The Bullets travel to Madison, WI to take on the Madison Mad Dogs on Saturday May 2, 1998.
Honolulu 14 16 0 16 46
Texas 8 14 16 2 40
First Quarter
HH 11:55- Darrell Jones 19 yd run (Falinko Vitale rush failed) 6-0
HH 6:25- J Jose-Santiago 28 yd pass from Mike Tillis (Tillis rush) 14-0
TX 4:07- Lee McCormick 23 yd pass from Marc Saldana
(Butch Hadnot rush) 14-8
Second Quarter
TX 14:14- John Henry 8 yd run (Henry rush failed) 14-14
HH 6:38- Jones 6 yd run (Vitale rush) 22-14
TX 6:06- Brent Alford 25 yd pass from Saldana (Saldana rush) 22-22
HH 0:00- Jones 27 yd pass from Tillis (Jones rush) 30-22
Third Quarter
TX 11:24- Henry 33 yd run (Lee McCormick pass from Saldana) 30-30
TX 0:13- Hadnot 7 yd pass from Saldana (McCormick pass from Saldana)30-38
Fourth Quarter
HH 11:30- Vitale 1 yd run (Vitale rush) 38-38
TX 5:14- Ken Otte safety 38-40
HH 3:22- Vitale 1 yd run (Vitale rush) 46-40
Team Stats Honolulu Texas
First Downs 10 13
Rushing 7 6
Passing 2 6
Penalty 1 1
Rushing Attempts 36 19
Yards Rushing 163 130
Passing Yards 48 130
Passes Attempted 16 33
Passes Completed 4 16
Had Intercepted 0 2
Total Offensive Plays 57 53
Total net Yards 211 220
Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-0 2-2
Penalties: Number-Lost 9-45 4-24
Kickoff Returns: No.-Yards 4-57 6-98
Possession Time 32:26 27:34
3rd Down Conversions 3-12 4-9
4th Down Conversions 2-7 1-5
Sacks by: Number-Yards 1-9 5-25
Interception Returns: 2-10 0-0
Fumble Returns: 0-0 0-0
Individual Stats
Rushing-H-Jones 17-99-2, Vitale 8-31-2, Tillis 7-20, Steve Sinkus 4-13;
Tex-Henry 11-75-2, Hadnot 7-16, Saldana 1-(-1)
Passing-H-Tillis 4-16-73-2-0;
Tex- Saldana 16-33-139-3-2
Pass Receiving-H-Jose-Santiago 2-37-1, Jones 2-36-1;
Tex-McCormick 9-75-1, Jackie Warren
3-17, Henry 2-15, Alford 1-25-1, Hadnot 1-7-1
Field Goals-H-Rickey Daley 0-1(missed 43) Darrell Jones 0-1 (missed 59);
Tex-Schaefer 0-0
Kickoff Returns-H-Vitale 1-24, Semeri Ulufale 2-21, Egalai Clarke 1-12;
Tex-Warren 2-36, Henry 2-45, Hadnot 1-12, Adrian Coe 1-24
Missed Field Goal Returns-Tex-Bobby Craig 1-24
Interceptions-H-Mike Wolfe 2-10
Attendance 2100
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