Chris Pointer, a defensive specialist for the New Orleans VooDoo, was just that — defensive and special — in Friday’s 48-42 overtime victory against Tampa Bay.
New Orleans, playing in its first overtime game in team history, scored first in overtime on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Andy Kelly to Jacques Rumph. But VooDoo kicker Brian Schmitz nailed the right upright on the extra point attempt, giving New Orleans a six point advantage.
In Arena football, both teams are awarded a drive in overtime.
Pointer enabled Tampa Bay to get inside the New Orleans 10-yard line when he was flagged for pass interference in the endzone.
On second down, the Storm were penalized for holding, pushing the line of scrimmage back to the 18-yard line. Tampa Bay quarterback Shane Stafford threw an incomplete pass on third down, and on fourth down he connected with a leaping David Saunders for 17 yards — but Saunders was upended immediately by Pointer and landed on the 1-yard line, just short of the goal line.
New Orleans (4-1) won its forth consecutive game — tying a franchise record — and played in front of the second-largest crowd in VooDoo history of 16,503.
Tampa Bay jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. But the VooDoo scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead. The Storm scored just before halftime to cut New Orleans’ lead to 21-17.
In the third quarter, Tampa Bay retook the lead, 24-21, when Stafford connected with wide receiver Lawrence Samuels on a 7-yard touchdown pass.
The VooDoo answered when Kelly threw his Arena Football League record 650th career touchdown pass to Bailey. On the drive, Kelly also completed his 3,000th career pass, also an AFL record.
The Storm retook the lead at the end of the fourth quarter. Stafford connected with Clif Dell for a 31-28 lead.
Tampa Bay kicker Matt George hit a 21-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to 34-28. Kelly connected with Rumph for the second time on a 14-yard strike to give New Orleans a one point advantage, 35-34.
With 1:10 left to play, Stafford threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Saunders and connected with Dell on the ensuing 2-point conversion to give the Storm a 42-35 lead.
But the VooDoo scored with 22 seconds to play when Leroy Thompson rumbled into the endzone from three yards out to tie the score at 42. George missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.