Summer Bowl 2021: Bandits Back to Back!

Hi all. A heads-up that over the next 2 weeks, between work and some traveling, I will have to slow down the production of articles. I am going to space the ones I have completed a bit further apart, but I expect to be able to start the 2022 season, the league's 40th, on February 28, so between now and then there will be 2 offseason reports and our preseason preview. Sorry, but this is a 1-man show, and sometimes life gets in the way.

In so many ways this was a championship game that went exactly the way the underdog Seattle Dragons would have wanted, and yet, when the clock ran to 0:00 it was the defending champion Tampa Bay Bandits who came out on top, repeating as USFL Champions and winning their 5^th league title. In a game that was slower paced and dominated by each team’s ground game, the Dragons seemed to have an advantage, but they simply could not hold the Bandits in the game’s final minutes and that produced the game winning score with just over a minute to go.

This was a game that was predicated on the idea that Tampa Bay would try to dominate through the air, while Seattle lived by the run game and their defense. And yet, when all was said and done, Brett Hundley outgained Dak Prescott 211-198 and Tampa Bay outrushed Seattle 103-90, an inversion of what everyone came to Santa Clara expecting to see. What they did see was Seattle jumping out to a 14-0 lead, Tampa Bay coming all the way back to take a 17-14 lead in the 3^rd quarter, and the two teams battling down the stretch in the 4^th. They saw both star backs held to fewer than 4 yards per carry, but both used consistently to keep defenses honest. They saw Seattle frustrate Dak Prescott with exotic blitzes and stunts, producing 6 sacks and the former MVP held to only a 48.3% completion rate. They also saw Tampa Bay force punts on 7 of 11 third downs and force a turnover on downs on a 4^th down and keep Seattle out of the endzone for the final 44 minutes of action.

The Dragons started the game with the ball and with a very successful series of scripted plays, opening the Summer Bowl with a 9-play drive that went 78 yards in 4:45 and concluded with Amari Cooper, back from injury, scoring on his first reception of the game. The drive included 4 Moreno runs, and saw Brett Hundley connect with Kyle Rudolph on a key 3^rd and 7 play that helped Seattle get into Bandit territory. It finished with the Dragons putting up the first points of the game.

The Dragon defense also started the game well, allowing only 1 first down in Tampa Bay’s first two possessions, with one ending on a 3^rd down sack from Chris Long, and the other on a pass to Dez Bryant that missed the mark. As the first quarter wound down, Seattle was on their 3^rd possession and was inside the 20. Just one play into the 2^nd quarter they doubled their advantage with Hundley again finding Cooper for the score, this time on a 19-yard corner route. The Dragons, who were viewed by many as having to withstand Tampa’s offensive explosiveness, had proven to have some firepower of their own and now lead by 2 scores. 

But, as we have seen all season, few teams adapt on the fly better than the Bandits, and with their initial drives getting nowhere, they shifted gears on their 3^rd possession. Using 3 receiver sets almost exclusively, with Deebo Samuel joining Bryant and Grant wide, the Bandits stretched the Dragon defense horizontally, and that freed up gaps for Dalvin Cook, who would exploit the spread defense for a 19-yard run on the opening play of Tampa’s 3^rd drive. The Bandits would use up nearly 8 minutes and 14 plays in very unfamiliar style, to slowly work their way down the field. They overcame two offensive penalties, got help from an encroachment on Chris Long, and survived a 3^rd and 11 thanks to a 12-yard screen to Dalvin Cook. But, in the end, the drive fizzled, with Tampa Bay bogged down at the Seattle 14. Coach Trestman, facing a 4^th and 5, opted to go for the points and sent out Harrison Butker, who connected from 31 to make the score 14-3.

Now it was time for the Tampa Bay defense to show its stuff. Seattle got the ball back with just under 4 minutes to play and immediately got stuffed for a negative play on 1^st and 10. On 2^nd and 10 Tampa sent pressure and Hundley missed on a throw to Cooper, and on 3^rd and 12, they sent Wendell Smallwood up the middle for only 3 yards. Tampa would get the punt on their own 13 with 2:41 left to play after a nice punt by Arturo Dudley. The Bandits used a pair of Matt Breida runs to earn a first down on the 25, and then Prescott hit on a classic Bandit Ball deep throw. 

Ryan Grant had the play of the game with his 75-yard TD.

The Dragons were in man coverage, 1 safety deep, anticipating an underneath play towards the sideline. What they got instead was an out and up route from Ryan Grant, and with the safety engaged by TE Cameron Jordan, Grant had only Chidobe Awuzie to beat. A very solid corner, but without the speed that Grant possesses, the double move left Awuzie a step behind Grant, and a perfect throw down the sideline allowed the Bandit receiver to catch the ball without slowing down. That, in turn, allowed him clear access down the sideline and 75 yards later we had a 14-10 game.

That would be the score at the half, with Seattle happy to run the ball to kill the last minute and a half of game clock in the first half and head into the locker room with the lead. Both teams had played a clean half, with minimal penalties and no turnovers, and Seattle had shown both defensive strength and some offensive sparks, while the Bandits had fought back from a 14-point deficit to trail by only 4. As local band Green Day played the halftime show, both coaches stressed fundamentals, sustained blocks, good tackling, and calm under pressure as they set up for the second half.

Tampa Bay would get the ball first in the half, and once again the Dragon defense would get a stop after only 1 first down. Getting the ball back after a nice return by Jaire Alexander, the Dragons started at their own 41. They moved the ball effectively, with Moreno hitting on his longest run of the day, a 16-yarder on 2^nd and 4, and Hundley gain finding Rudolph for a nice gainer. But, when they crossed into the red zone, Tampa Bay turned up the pressure and forced the Dragons to go for a 38-yard field goal from the 21. Jeffery Harris doinked the ball off the right crossbar with a resounding metallic thud, and the Bandits escaped, still only 4 points from the lead. 

Prescott struggled, but when it was needed, he got the job done.

The Bandits would control the ball for the next 7 minutes and 33 seconds, using 14 plays to drive from their own 28 all the way to the endzone. The drive included a nice run from Cook, another from Breida, and a pair of completions to players few outside the Bandit locker room knew by name, tight ends Fendi Onobun and Jeff Heuerman, both considered blocking ends and not receivers like Jordan Cameron, but both coming up with 5-yard plays as security blankets when Seattle defenders closed in on Dak Prescott. The big play of the drive was a 5-yard completion to Onobun just as Prescott was being dragged to the ground by USFL DPOTY Khalil Mack. Prescott fluttered a desperation pass towards Onobum, who brought the ball in and converted the 3^rd and 4 play. It was a play that required video review to determine if Prescott’s knee had hit before he lofted the ball to his tight end, but the review upheld the completed pass and Tampa Bay’s drive continued.

The scoring play, giving the Bandits their first lead of the game, was far less controversial, a simple slant route that saw Prescott find Bryant from the 10 and into the endzone cleanly. The drive was a statement from the Bandits that Seattle might slow them down, but completely stopping them was not an easy task. Now up 17-14, the Bandits moved into the 4^th quarter with the lead. They would get more than that on the very first play of the final period. On a 2^nd and 2 from the Tampa Bay 44, DE Pernell McPhee caught Knowshon Moreno as he tried to cut the ball back inside, his hand hitting the ball squarely and popping it out of Moreno’s grasp. McPhee would be in position to scoop the ball up, and so he did, giving the Bandits the first (and only) takeaway of the game. With the lead, momentum, and a turnover, the Bandits hoped to break the Dragons’ spirit and go up by 2 scores, but the Dragons proved resilient, holding Tampa Bay on a 3^rd and 7 from the Seattle 41, and forcing a punt. The fumble produced no points, and the Dragons were back in action with just over 11 minutes in the final period.

Seattle drove the ball, somewhat unevenly, with a big play to Newhouse followed by a negative run, and an incompletion. On 3^rd and 7, Hundley could not find Rudolph over the middle and Coach Riley opted to even the score by asking his kicker to connect from 50 yards out. With just over 6 minutes left on the clock, Harris put the ball over the goalpost crossbar, and we were knotted up at 17 apiece, but with 6:18 on the clock, the game was far from over.

Tampa Bay went for it all on the very first play of their next possession, Prescott hoping to catch Seattle in man coverage again. Dez Bryant could not bring in the Prescott heave, and the Bandits faced 2^nd and 10. Cook gained only 1 on his 2^nd down carry and on 3^rd and 9 Dak Prescott was dragged down by Khalil Mack yet again, this time not getting the ball off. The Bandits were forced to punt after only 3 plays.

Seattle fared little better on their next possession, gaining only 4 yards on 3 plays. They too were forced to punt the ball back without a first down. So, with 2:41, the Bandits had the ball and a chance to take the lead. They started with a short completion to Jordan Cameron, then a 6-yard run by Cook, and Prescott then found Bryant for an 8-yard gain. A nice series of plays took the ball down to the Seattle 27, but on a 3^rd and 7, once again the Dragon pass rush got to Prescott quickly, this time DT Malik McDowell smothering Prescott as he tried to escape the pocket. It would be Harrison Butker from 48 yards out with just 1:22 on the clock. Butker connected and Tampa Bay took the lead, 20-17, but with time enough on the clock for Seattle to find an equalizer. 

Seattle WR Amari Cooper came back from injury, scored 2 TDs but could not save the day.

Seattle took over on the 20 after a touchback. They had 1:19 on the clock, 2 timeouts, and about 45 yards to go to give Jeffery Harris any shot at a makeable kick. The Dragons immediately found success, with Hundley finding Kendrick Bourne for his only completion of the game, a 15-yard strike on 1^st down. After a short completion to FB Greg Jones, with the big back getting out of bounds after a 2-yard gain, Seattle faced a 2^nd and 8. Hundley looked for Newhouse, then Rudolph, but had to throw the ball away as Bandit DE Brian Burns closed in on him. 3^rd and 8 from the 37. From the shotgun, Hundley had 4 receivers in the formation, but again no one could find clear open space. Hundley tried to squeeze the ball between two Bandit defenders to reach Cooper, but Jalen Ramsey managed to get a hand on it and swat it away from the Seattle receiver, bringing up a 4^th and 8.

The Dragons set up again in the shotgun, Cooper, Bourne and Rudolph all on the right, Newhouse alone on the left. The play would try to use levels to force a decision from the Bandit defenders. But Tampa Bay was ready for it, and their defenders switched off as each receiver made his cut. All three had a man on them, Hundley escaped the pocket, trying to gain more time, but he simply had no option. He made a sideline throw towards Cooper once again, but the ball was outside and could not be caught. Seattle had turned the ball over on downs with 41 seconds left to play.

Tampa’s sideline erupted. The Bandit fans who had made the cross-country trek were also loud and celebratory in the stands. The Bandits were about to become only the 2^nd USFL club in the league’s 39-year history to win back-to-back titles and would join Houston as the only 5-time league champions. Dak Prescott took a knee, then held the ball up as his teammates congratulated him and the clock started to wind down to 0:00. Seattle would not use their last time out. The game was won and the Bandits could begin celebrating.

The trophy named for Bandits' founder John Bassett returns to Tampa Bay once again.

Coach Trestman received the traditional dousing of water and Gatorade, red and silver confetti streamed from the confetti cannons and the Bandits coaches, players and staff took to the center of the field. It had not been a classic Bandit Ball game, but it had been a Bandit victory once again. As the Bassett’s John and Carling held aloft the trophy that bore their father’s name, handing it to Coach Trestman, the name of John Bassett, founder of the Bandits was celebrated and the Bandit fans in attendance pointed to the sky in honor of one of the legendary founders of both the team and the league. The MVP trophy was given to Dak Prescott, who, despite some pedestrian numbers by Bandit Ball standards (14 of 29, 198 yards) had thrown two touchdowns to bring the Bandits back from a 2-score deficit to claim the title.

And so, the 39^th season of the USFL came to a close, with many already in a mood to celebrate the upcoming 40^th season of the league that was once described as “small potatoes” and which had been on the verge of life support 38 years earlier. Now, with 30 franchises, record attendance, significant star power, and a solid place in the American sports scene, the USFL was in a mood to celebrate, and the gear up for a 40^th season blow out was ready to begin in earnest.