The Vegas Knight Hawks had the ball at the Green Bay 3 with 23 seconds left Monday night. Then the season opener ended on a bounce that went the wrong way.
Running back Josh Tomas lost his second fumble of the game on a goal-to-go run and Green Bay held on for a 37-35 win at Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was Vegas’ first game of the season after winning the Indoor Football League title last year.
Five yards from a win, one mistake from a loss
Vegas drove 27 yards on nine plays in the final 3:39 and had first-and-goal with a chance to steal the opener. After quarterback Jayden DeLaura was stopped for no gain, Tomas was stuffed again and the ball came out, recovered by Green Bay’s Jonathan Ross at the 3.
That turnover finished a wild game where Vegas erased a 23-7 halftime deficit, took a fourth-quarter lead and still left without the win.
Green Bay jumped early, Vegas answered late in the first
The Blizzard scored on their opening drive when quarterback Liam Thompson hit Trevon Alexander for a 12-yard touchdown pass. After Vegas missed a 46-yard field goal by kicker Gabe Rui and Green Bay got a big return to the Vegas 1, Draysean Hudson punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 12-0.
DeLaura steadied Vegas late in the first quarter, finishing a 45-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Quentin Randolph to cut it to 13-7.
Clifton Duck forced it, Vegas wasted it
Early in the second quarter, defensive back Clifton Duck forced a fumble after a completion and defensive back Fred Flavors recovered at the Green Bay 17. Vegas drove to the 1 and came away empty, turning it over on downs after a failed fourth-and-goal throw.
Green Bay made Vegas pay later in the quarter. Thompson scored on a 16-yard run, then the Blizzard added an 18-yard field goal by Andrew Mevis with 31 seconds left for a 23-7 halftime lead.
Third-quarter flip: big plays, fast points
Vegas opened the second half with the punch it needed. DeLaura hit receiver Deshon Stoudemire for 18 yards, then found Phoenix Sproles for a 14-yard touchdown on the next play to make it 23-14.
The Knight Hawks kept the pressure on after a stop, finishing a 43-yard drive with a 3-yard Randolph rushing touchdown that cut it to 23-21. Green Bay answered with a short-field touchdown run by Thompson from the 1 to push it to 30-21.
Vegas finally led, until it didn’t
DeLaura threw his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter, an 11-yard score to Tomas that made it 30-28. After Green Bay missed a 47-yard field goal, Vegas cashed in and Tomas powered in a 2-yard touchdown run for a 35-30 lead with 10:43 left.
The Blizzard responded with an 8-play, 45-yard drive capped by Thompson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Salvatore Malignaggi. Mevis’ extra point put Green Bay back in front 37-35 with 4:25 to go.
Numbers that mattered, and one that hurt
DeLaura finished 17 of 22 for 158 yards and three touchdowns, plus 26 rushing yards on six carries. Sproles led Vegas with seven catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Randolph had four catches for 36 yards and a receiving score to go with a rushing touchdown.
Tomas scored twice and totaled 46 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards, but his two lost fumbles swung the ending. Vegas also committed five penalties for 18 yards and Rui missed his only field-goal try.
What’s next
The Knight Hawks have an early bye week before a Week 3 trip to Tucson to face the Sugar Skulls. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT and the game will stream on Yahoo Sports.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
