Finish Brightens Xtreme’s Day

The night didn’t start well for NBC, but the ending was great for the Los Angeles Xtreme and a wild Saturday night crowd of 35,813 that witnessed the XFL’s first overtime game.

Fights and bottle throwing in the stands gave way to exciting football, as the Xtreme finished with a flurry and defeated the Chicago Enforcers, 39-32, in two overtime sessions at the Coliseum.

The Xtreme (1-1), trailing, 25-13, scored twice in the last 2:36 of regulation to tie the score, 25-25, and then won by scoring touchdowns in each overtime session. Chicago (0-2) scored only in the first overtime.

The winning touchdown came a 20-yard pass play from Tommy Maddox to Darnell McDonald, and Ken Oxendine ran in the one-point PAT.

There are no point-after kicks in the XFL.

Maddox, the former UCLA quarterback, finished the night with 38 completions in 65 attempts for 388 yards and four touchdowns.

“The fans stayed intense and in the game,” Maddox said. “To be able to give them a game like this is going to do a lot for our franchise.”

Xtreme receiver Jeremaine Copeland had 17 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown--the Xtreme’s first overtime touchdown on a 20-yard reception. Copeland also caught a pass for the PAT.

“They brought me here to make plays,” Copeland said. “We sure had a lot of fun at the end. I like the XFL overtime, four downs from the 20 and out.”

The night started with an NBC power generator running out of gas. It wasn’t part of Vince McMahon’s script.

NBC lost power 1:15 into the game and didn’t get it back for 9:15 of playing time. NBC had to switch to San Francisco’s game at Orlando.

NBC missed three touchdowns, two by the Enforcers.

The power outage, dark skies and a light rain before the start of the game didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm--or the rowdiness--of the crowd.

However, things got momentarily quiet in the third quarter when 330-pound Chicago tackle Bishop Octavious suffered a broken leg. But before he could be taken off the field by ambulance, the fighting and throwing of objects in the stands intensified.

The loudest cheers of the night were for the Xtreme cheerleaders and three bikini-clad women in a hot tub behind an end zone. The hot tub was part of a party area. The props also included a large tent, plenty of beer and wine stands, and a beach area with sand and a lifeguard stand. A large silk-screen beach scene mural was brought in as a backdrop, apparently to add realism.

Unreal was what it was.

A jumbo Titantron screen at the west end of the Coliseum enabled the crowd to see what NBC’s cameras captured, even when people at home couldn’t. At halftime, the spectators, as well as viewers at home, were treated to an interview NBC announcers Jim Ross and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura did with The Rock of wrestling fame.

The second half was uneventful until the end.

The Xtreme, aided by a personal-foul penalty, scored with 2:36 left on an eight-yard pass from Maddox to Damon Dunn.

The Xtreme tied the score on a one-yard run by Oxendine with 23 seconds to play. The touchdown was set up by a 23-yard pass play from Maddox to Copeland.