Locomotives snag first UFL title in OT

The United Football League needed overtime to finally settle its first season, and it was decided by someone who didn't know if he would be playing until he woke up Friday morning.

Isaiah Trufant's interception of Brooks Bollinger a minute into OT gave the Las Vegas Locomotives great field position, and Graham Gano's 33-yard field goal lifted them over the Florida Tuskers, 20-17, in the inaugural UFL Championship Game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"This looks great," Locos coach Jim Fassel said, staring at the Bill Hambrecht Trophy. "That was a fight. That was a fight to the finish."

Trufant has been hobbled by two groin pulls and hadn't practiced all week. But the defensive back told Fassel he was ready to go and made a great play at the pivotal moment, stepping in front of intended receiver Jayson Foster at the Florida 19 and picking off Bollinger's pass.

Trufant fumbled, but Locos safety Tony Parrish was nearby and gathered in the loose ball to give Las Vegas possession at the Tuskers 14.

"It was somewhat of a gutsy play by me," Trufant said. "I felt I could just jump the receiver and get the ball."

Two plays later, Gano nailed the winning kick to the delight of the announced crowd of 14,801.

Under UFL rules, both teams were to get possession during overtime. Florida coach Jim Haslett elected to receive when his team won the coin toss.

"If you don't score and they don't score, then it's sudden death -- first team wins," Haslett said. "We thought we could score and force them to match us."

But that decision backfired after the Tuskers were backed up to their 9 following a holding penalty on the kickoff. Three plays later, the Locos had the ball, and they weren't giving it back.

Las Vegas (5-2) battled uphill all game. Dogged by fumbles and penalties, the Locos trailed 7-3 at the end of the third quarter.

But the Tuskers, who won all six regular-season games, were fading. Their defense spent 10 minutes on the field in the third quarter.

The Locos' DeDe Dorsey scored twice in the fourth on runs of 38 yards and 1 yard, the second of which put Las Vegas ahead 17-14 with 5:58 to play. Dorsey was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

"It was so important for our guys to fight all the way and wait for their opportunity," Fassel said. "We had made some adjustments defensively, and we were able to wear them down."

Dorsey, who led all rushers with 66 yards in 11 carries, said: "We just needed to stop making mistakes. They were definitely getting tired."

The Tuskers tied the score 17-17 on Matt Bryant's 27-yard field goal with 2:10 left. Both teams had one more chance in regulation, with each bogging down in its own territory.

That meant overtime. The Tuskers had the first shot, and when they misfired, the Locos capitalized and gave Fassel something he couldn't get when he coached the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV -- a Gatorade bath and a victory ride on his players' shoulders.

"It's hard to win a championship all the way to the finish," Fassel said. "Right now we're the only ones, and we're going to enjoy it for a while."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.