04/21/02 Sioux City Journal
ENID, Okla. -- The Sioux City Bandits held on for dear life Saturday night.

Jarrod DeGeorgia rushed for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 48 seconds left that lifted the Bandits to a 29-25 win over the Oklahoma Crude.

However, the biggest play of the game, according to Bandits' coach Carl Reinhardt, came in the closing seconds. Oklahoma (1-4), which was seeking to avenge the 63-3 crushing it took in Sioux City on March 23, had one big play left.

Quarterback Waylon Jones, who was sacked six times and threatened repeatedly during the March meeting, fired a pass to Adrian Perez. Time expired when defensive back Lamont Truitt jumped to deflect the pass and push Sioux City to its fourth win in as many games.

"They were on the six yard line driving in and we were ahead by four," Reinhardt said. "There was a pass to the post and Truitt came out of the sky, it seemed, to knock it down. He saved a win for us. If they would have scored, they would have won the game."

Sioux City battled back from 9-0, 15-7 and 22-14 deficits to win the game. Oklahoma, which had a 199-150 advantage in total yards, was whistled for holding in the end zone to give the Bandits a safety with 11:54 left in the third quarter.

DeGeorgia scored on a 1-yard rush with 1:26 left in the third quarter and Adam Hicks added the extra-point kick to give Sioux City its first lead of the game at 23-22. However, Michael Scott's second field goal of the game, a 24-yarder, gave Oklahoma the 25-23 advantage with 1:26 left.

"It was a tough game for us," Reinhardt said. "We had a lot of mental breakdowns. Things didn't go the way we wanted them to go.

"But one good thing, we stood together as a team and came out after halftime playing Bandits football. At halftime, Matt Hughes came into the locker room and went after the players with an intensified voice. He told the guys to settle down and got them on the same page."

The Bandits will continue their season Sunday at Kearney, Neb., where they will play the Tri-City Diesel.

"What I told them is this," Reinhardt said. "This is one film that's going up on the shelf and it's going to be gathering dust. We look at Kearney right away on Monday."

Bandits 29, Oklahoma 25

Sioux City 7 7 9 6 -- 29

Oklahoma 9 13 0 3 -- 25

First Quarter

O-Marvin Owens, 50-yard kickoff return, (kick failed), 14:46.

O-Michael Scott, 35-yard field goal, 1:38.

SC-Dave Perrigo, 7 run (Adam Hicks kick), 0:00.

Second Quarter

O-Corey Mayes, 20 pass from Waylan Jones (kick failed), 6:36

SC-Johnnie Ostermeyer, 15 pass from Jarrod DeGeorgia (Hicks kick), :46.

O-Adrian Perez, 17 pass from Jones (Scott kick), 0:04.

Third Quarter

SC-Safety, Oklahoma holding in end zone, 11:54.

SC-DeGeorgia, 1 rush (Hicks kick), 1:26.

Fourth Quarter

O-Scott, 24 field goal, 7:07.

SC-DeGeorgia, 2 rush (run failed), 0:48.