Outlaws blow shot at playoffs

Spencer Patterson

Monday, April 2, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.

Rod Smart chose the moniker on his jersey to warn opponents they would hate him, and Sunday the Las Vegas Outlaws running back had a chance to make the San Francisco Demons do just that.

With a trip to the playoffs at stake for both teams, Smart -- known throughout the XFL as "He Hate Me" -- already had a career rushing day under his belt as he turned the corner and raced toward the goal line late in the fourth quarter.

But just as it appeared the hosts would take the lead, the opportunity slipped away, literally. In an attempt to extend the ball over the plane before he went out of bounds, Smart fumbled into the end zone.

The play was ruled a touchback, and the Demons hung on for a 14-9 victory, knocking the Outlaws out of the postseason before a Sam Boyd Stadium season-low crowd of 17,656. Now 4-5 after a 2-0 start, Las Vegas ends its season Saturday against visiting Memphis.

"It was really a tough football game from a coaching standpoint, the way we shut them down defensively," Outlaws coach Jim Criner said. "To drive the length of the field and have a fumble on what looked like a touchdown was probably the biggest single play."

Smart, who finished with a game-high 121 yards on 28 carries and caught two passes for 21 yards, said he probably wouldn't try the same move again. "In that situation, if you think you're in close enough, don't reach out. Just come back the next play and try to score," he said.

Smart's running, along with the play of the Outlaws' stingy defense, kept Las Vegas close throughout despite a series of tough breaks that went in the visitors' favor.

The first occurred just after the Outlaws scored the game's first touchdown, a one-yard scoring run by Smart with 1:42 remaining in the opening half.

After stopping the Demons (5-4) on downs on the ensuing possession, Las Vegas set up for a punt return with hopes of scoring again before the break. But Mike Panasuk's booming 67-yard punt caught the Outlaws by surprise, sending Jamel Williams back toward his end zone on the run.

With no fair catch rule at his disposal, Williams fielded the ball at the goal line, but muffed it. Lee Cole pounced on the ball in the end zone, knotting things up 6-6 at the half.

The Demons scored again in the third quarter on Mike Pawlawski's pass to Terry Battle, and the Outlaws cut to the deficit to 12-9 on a 32-yard field goal by Paul McCallum early in the fourth.

That set up Las Vegas' second critical turnover -- Smart's fumble. It came after the Outlaws lost quarterback Ryan Clement to a late hit. Backup Mark Grieb engineered the drive that put the hosts on the doorstep of a go-ahead score.

"(Rod) was trying to reach the ball across the end zone. It was just a tough thing," Criner said. "You run the risk of someone knocking the ball out of his hands. He's a young back. He came a long way this year. But he made a fatal mistake."

After taking over at the 20, the Demons ran more than five minutes off the clock with a long drive of their own. The Outlaws got the ball back with 59 seconds to play, but a final miscue -- a holding penalty in their own end zone -- gave San Francisco a safety and sealed the outcome.