Rolovich fumbled away World Bowl opportunity
By Rob Amen
Special to The Advertiser
GLASGOW, Scotland — Nick Rolovich wasn't much for words Saturday. The expression on his face said plenty.
The former University of Hawai'i quarterback knew he let a golden opportunity to put an exclamation on an impressive season slip away.
Rolovich committed two turnovers deep in the opponent's territory in the Rhein Fire's 35-16 loss to the Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XI, the NFL Europe League championship game that was nationally televised and drew 28,138 at Hampden Park.
He could have walked away from playing football overseas this spring with a championship ring. More important, he could have proved to the Denver Broncos, who allocated him to NFL Europe, that he is ready to earn a job playing in the NFL.
Rolovich still made a solid case this spring. He completed more than 58 percent of his passes and moved the Fire seemingly at will Saturday against the Galaxy.
The problem was finishing drives.
Rolovich led drives of 79 and 82 yards to bring the Fire inside the Galaxy 5-yard line. But on both situations, Frankfurt forced Rolovich into turnovers and converted them into points.
"That's just the way it goes sometimes," a dejected Rolovich said. "We just couldn't put it in the end zone when we had the chance. That's the name of the game."
Turnovers not withstanding, Rolovich played a masterful game. He completed 14 of 19 passes — including 10 consecutive at one point in the third quarter — for 164 yards while splitting time with backup Chris Greisen. The completions and yards were season highs for Rolovich.
Trailing 11-0 in the first quarter, Rolovich directed the Fire to the Frankfurt 22, but the drive stalled and Todd France kicked a 39-yard field goal.
"We moved the ball well," Rolovich said. "We had some chances in the red zone to put up some bigger points than just field goals. We had five possessions we could have gotten touchdowns. That's 35 points. It would have been a little bit of a closer game."
The outcome was decided in the third quarter and early moments of the fourth. The Fire drove to the Galaxy 1 to start the second half when, on fourth-and-goal, the Fire's left guard bumped into Rolovich, who lost the ball on a fumble.
The Galaxy drove 98 yards on nine plays with running back Adam Tate scoring from the 1 to make it 32-9 with 3:13 remaining in the quarter.
"Our left guard pulls. I just need to keep the ball closer to my stomach, I guess," Rolovich said. "It has happened before. I just need to do it better, keep it closer to my stomach, I guess."
On Rhein's next possession, Rolovich drove the team to the Galaxy 3 only to force a pass that was intercepted by cornerback Chris Pointer in the end zone with 12:05 to play.
"I was just trying to squeeze one in," Rolovich said. "It was man coverage. ... We needed a touchdown. We couldn't have any more field goals."
Rolovich said the aggressive approach was something he tried to control while working within the ball-controlled Rhein offense, an adjustment he hoped would open the eyes of Denver's coaching staff.
While his performance Saturday likely did nothing to dissuade the Broncos, Rolovich walked away realizing he still has plenty to prove when the team opens training camp in a month.
