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Tampa Bay Tech 47, Sickles 0

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

TAMPA - Tampa Bay Tech quarterback Mario Tucker told anyone who would listen this week the Titans were for real.

That doesn't seem like hyperbole anymore.

Tucker directed an offense that piled up 405 total yards - including 259 on the ground from bruising sophomore fullback Maurice Hagens - to fuel the Titans' 47-0 victory over Sickles to improve to 3-0.

After the game, several players dumped a Gatorade bucket on Titans coach C.C. Culpepper.

Call it a cleansing of this program's soul after winless seasons in 2005 and '06.

'For the kids, it's unbelievable,' Culpepper said. 'They're on Cloud 9 right now.'

The Titans hit the 35-point mark for the second time in three weeks. They left it to Hagens to pound away at a defense that wore down as Sickles' offense was unable to sustain drives.

Sickles coach Pat O'Brien wouldn't disagree with Tucker after watching his Gryphons (2-1) dismantled by the Titans.

'I tell you what - they're going to wreak some havoc in that district,' O'Brien said. 'Those teams better watch out for these guys.'

The Gryphons were riding their own feel-good wave entering the game, as they were undefeated after two games for the first time in four years under O'Brien. The Gryphons were winless a year ago.

The Titans put the Gryphons off-balance from the start. Sickles running back Josh Mendez fumbled a handoff on the opening drive, and Tech's Frankie Fernandez recovered to set up Hagens' 25-yard touchdown run with 8:57 left in the first quarter.

It didn't get any better. By the time the game ended, the Titans had held the Gryphons to 6 net yards, sacked quarterback Cullen O'Brien four times and maintained their sterling streak of 12 quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown.

The Titans' overall team speed put the Gryphons under duress all night.

'We weren't ready for that speed,' O'Brien said. 'We couldn't practice that speed.'

Two plays in a 14-second span early in the second quarter gave the Titans control of the game.

First, a long snap over the head of Sickles punter Corey Page forced him to kick the ball out of the end zone for a safety, giving Tampa Bay Tech a 10-0 lead.

Then the Titans turned to their big-play threat, Antonio Wallace, for a 70-yard kickoff return down the left sideline for an 18-0 lead with 9:10 remaining before halftime.

'Antonio has been waiting to get that chance all season,' Culpepper said.

'They Sickles helped us out and then we got Wallace some space, and that's all we can ask for.'

The Titans even solved their point-after woes, at least for one night. Culpepper turned to a swinging gate play he called 'Brooks' - named after a Tech administrator and modeled after a play used by former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

The play worked four of the five times the Titans used it, after just one successful conversion in 11 tries in their first two games.

'It's great for us because we can't kick it right now,' Culpepper said.

TBT-Safety, ball kicked out of end zone

TBT-Wallace 70 kickoff return (Johnson run)

TBT-Tucker 3 run (Patsalos pass from Johnson)

TBT-Jackson 24 pass from Tucker (pass failed)

TBT-Chow 17 run (Johnson run)

TBT-Davis 9 run (Anderson kick)

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