The Vegas Knight Hawks had two seconds, 40 yards and one last shot to turn chaos into a win.
Senika McKie went up and got it.
Quincey Crittendon hit McKie for a 40-yard touchdown as time expired, and Gabe Rui’s extra point gave Vegas a 43-42 win over the San Antonio Gunslingers on Saturday night at Lee’s Family Forum.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Knight Hawks, who improved to 10-3 after clinching a playoff berth last week. It also gave Vegas the kind of finish that can steady a team before the postseason push.
Vegas starts fast
The Knight Hawks opened with defense, then turned it into points.
Angelo Grose intercepted Zachary Calzada on San Antonio’s opening drive, and Vegas later took a 7-0 lead on Antonio Wimbush’s 7-yard touchdown run with 1:16 left in the first quarter. Rui followed with a two-point kickoff bonus, giving the Knight Hawks a 9-0 lead after one.
Wimbush, back in the Vegas lineup, gave the offense a needed lift. He finished with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown, added four catches for 27 yards and returned four kickoffs for 81 yards.
“It’s unfortunate he’s not in the CFL, but we’re fortunate to have him,” Vegas general manager and head coach Mike Davis said.
Gunslingers keep swinging
San Antonio did not go away.
Calzada threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Zach Patterson early in the second quarter, but Vegas answered when Crittendon scored on a 3-yard run. Rui later added a 36-yard field goal as the Knight Hawks took a 21-12 lead into halftime.
The third quarter flipped the game.
Kendre Gant returned a Crittendon interception for a touchdown on the first drive of the second half, and San Antonio later took a 26-24 lead when Calzada found Deon Cook for a 16-yard touchdown with four seconds left in the third.
Fourth quarter turns wild
Vegas went back in front early in the fourth when Crittendon hit Quentin Randolph for a 17-yard touchdown. San Antonio answered on a 22-yard touchdown run by Patterson, then added a Tyler Huettel field goal to take a 36-31 lead with 1:24 left.
That is when Davis went to Jayden DeLaura for a spark.
DeLaura completed a 15-yard pass to Randolph, then scored on a 5-yard run with 17 seconds left to put Vegas ahead 37-36. The two-point try failed, leaving the door open.
San Antonio walked through it almost immediately.
Calzada hit Cook for a 27-yard touchdown with five seconds left, putting the Gunslingers ahead 42-37. Their two-point try failed, giving Vegas one final chance.
McKie wins it at the horn
Vegas started at its own 5 with five seconds left.
Crittendon found Wimbush for 5 yards, then had one more snap from the Vegas 10. The call was simple: Hail Mary.
McKie came down with it.
“They called Hail Mary,” McKie said. “Me being one of the bounciest receivers, me and [Quentin] Randolph, it was coming to one of us. Seeing the ball in the air, I just had to go get it.”
Rui’s extra point finished it and set off a celebration over the boards.
“I caught the ball, got up, turned around and saw my brothers rushing me,” McKie said. “It’s the best feeling ever.”
What it means
Crittendon finished 15 of 23 for 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. McKie had two catches for 47 yards, including the game-winner, while Randolph led Vegas with five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Calzada threw for 136 yards and three touchdowns for San Antonio. Cook had five catches for 66 yards and two scores.
It was not clean, but it was exactly what Vegas needed after back-to-back losses to Tucson and San Diego.
“Wins are always important,” Davis said. “Wins are hard to come by.”
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
