The Omaha Nighthawks were the recipients of some good fortune Friday night that helped put them in position to pull off a 27-26 victory over Hartford.
Trailing 23-13 early in the fourth quarter of the United Football League game, the Nighthawks took over on their own 46-yard line following a Hartford punt. Quarterback Jeff Garcia scrambled for 6 yards on first down, then threw incomplete on second.
He barely overthrew Robert Ferguson with a third-down pass, but linebacker Danny Lensanah leveled Ferguson with a blindside hit after the play. That resulted in a personal foul penalty, although no flag was thrown when Ferguson pushed Lensanah after getting up off the ground.
“I didn't think it was a dirty play,'' Hartford coach Chris Palmer said, referring to Lensanah's hit. “It was a bang-bang play.''
Palmer said he did not ask the referees why Ferguson received no flag for retaliating after the hit.
“I never asked for an explanation,'' he said. “In 39 years of coaching, I've never seen the officials change their minds. They make the call, and that's the end of it.''
Omaha drove to the Hartford 6-yard line when, on second down, Garcia was hit while attempting to pass. The ball squirted up in the air, and Hartford defensive tackle Adrian Grady intercepted at the 3.
But the Colonials' Maurice Fountain was called for roughing Garcia, giving Omaha a first down at the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Garcia found Devard Darling in the end zone, pulling Omaha within 23-20.
Hartford was whistled for seven penalties for 63 yards, while Omaha was called for two for 10 yards.
“We lost some of our poise out there tonight,'' Palmer said. “We had too many penalties. We turned the ball over twice. That hurt.''
First a son, then a win for Garcia
The finish capped a big week for Garcia. Earlier this week, he and wife Carmella became parents for the third time.
Garcia missed a day of practice to fly back to the West Coast to be there for the birth of Jax.
“It's been a busy week,'' Garcia said. “A grateful, thankful week. I'm very blessed with my family at home, and I'll have a chance to go home and see them tomorrow.
“But what a way to cap off a great week. I'm all smiles.''
Friday's game was Garcia's first extended action since 2008. He got a couple of snaps last season with Philadelphia in a fill-in role before getting waived in September.
On Friday he completed 23 of 39 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
The final one came with six seconds to play when he found Ferguson with a 12-yard pass.
“It's fun to go through those situations with a guy of Jeff's caliber,'' Nighthawks coach Jeff Jagodzinski said.
More strong play by Hartford QB
Hartford quarterback Josh McCown earned the UFL's offensive player of the week award for his play in the Colonials' season-opening win over Sacramento.
He came back with a strong performance against Omaha, completing 22 of 25 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux also threw a touchdown.
Both teams happy with big crowd
The sellout crowd at Rosenblatt Stadium left all the participants impressed.
“The crowd was great, and it's great for the league,'' Palmer said. “And if you were sitting up in the stands, that had to be a very entertaining game to watch.''
The crowd got so loud at the end that Omaha's players begged for quiet before running a play near the end zone on the final drive.
“There was a little crowd noise, maybe at the wrong time,'' said Garcia, smiling. “But we've dealt with crowd noise on the road in the past. And as much as you want things quiet at that point, the crowd is into the game.
“The fans realize the clock is counting down. They don't have any control except just to sit there and react, and that has to be a tough situation to be in.''
— Steven Pivovar
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• Photo Showcase: Nighthawks opening night (game action)
• Photo Showcase: Nighthawks opening night (fans)
• Video: Highlights from Omaha's 27-26 win over Hartford:
• Video: Nighthawks fans at Friday's opener:
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