| | Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany -- The Rhein Fire, despite trailing most
of the game, won their second World Bowl title in three years with a
last-gasp scoring drive.
Pepe Pearson's 1-yard touchdown with 1:12 left gave the Fire a
13-10 win over the Scottish Claymores.
But the victory was not assured until Claymores kicker Roger
Hart's 40-yard field-goal attempt went wide left with 4 seconds
left.
|  | | Pepe Pearson dives into the end zone with 1:12 left, scoring the winning TD for Rhein. |
"It was a great feeling when I scored," Pearson said. "Our
offensive line did the job and I got it in the end zone."
Rhein head coach Galen Hall became the first coach in league
history to win two World Bowl titles.
"I'm so proud of our team and our coaches," Hall said. "I
thought it would come down to the last seconds, and it certainly
did."
The game featured the league's two best passers in Kevin Daft
and Danny Wuerffel, but neither one looked sharp.
Daft, who led NFL Europe with a league-record 107.3 quarterback
rating, was 16-of-29 for 177 yards and an interception for the
Claymores (6-5).
Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner who finished with a
107.2 quarterback rating, was 12-of-30 for only 90 yards with two
interceptions, but led the Fire (8-3) on a 43-yard touchdown drive
for the winning score.
"If I don't play another down of football, I'll be thrilled to
have this as my final memory," Wuerffel said. "Winning a
championship with these guys and a coach as great as Galen is
something I'll remember forever."
Wuerffel entered the league as a free agent hoping to sign an
NFL deal at the end of the season.
"I'm not sure what will happen with regards to the NFL," said
Wuerffel, who also led the University of Florida to a national
championship in 1996. "Hopefully I'll have some options and then
I'll have to decide what's best for me and my family."
Rhein scored first on Manfred Burgsmuller's 21-yard field goal
in the first quarter.
Scotland responded with a 75-yard drive in three plays, capped
by regular-season MVP Aaron Stecker's 36-yard run for a touchdown,
the longest scoring run in World Bowl history.
Hart's 32-yard field goal in the second period made it 10-3.
Burgsmuller answered with a 23-yard field goal with 4:59 remaining
in the half, making it 10-6. | |
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