Firecats pull away to nip Knights, 66-54

Midway through the third quarter of Saturday's game against the Macon Knights, Florida Firecats rookie Brittney Tellis intercepted a pass at midfield and headed the other way, opening himself a clear path to the end zone by breathlessly juking one defender and slipping the tackle of another.

Little else was so easy.

The Firecats spent most of the night trying to break free from the Knights, only to see Macon — thanks, in part, to a lucky bounce or two — continue doing everything it could to spoil the party.

Finally, Florida got away. The Firecats scored 25 of the final 39 points, wiggling loose for a 66-54 victory that kept the Germain Arena crowd on its toes.

Maybe such a struggle was expected. Florida (8-2) was nearly flawless to open its three-game homestand — the Firecats won the first two by a 138-61 margin — but it had been 13 days since the team ran through the tunnel.

But credit must go to Macon (4-7), a team that seemed lost just weeks ago. The Knights, fresh off a 62-35 beating of Arkansas back in Georgia, didn't look much like the team Florida routed in April.

Especially at receiver.

Chavis McCollister has been with the Knights for just two weeks — he was shipped to Macon by Oklahoma City, which traded the shifty wideout at the deadline — and already he is established as their No. 1 target.

The Firecats knew McCollister as well as anyone. He caught 11 passes for 182 yards in Germain Arena last summer, sparking an Amarillo attack that nearly pulled off an upset of Florida.

They know him even better now. McCollister had 10 catches for 141 yards in the first half of Saturday's game, tearing through the Florida defense as the teams matched each other score for score.

The breakthrough might have come on the interception by Tellis, who looked like a receiver — his natural position — as he exploded for a 28-yard score, making it a two-touchdown edge with 6:59 to play in the third quarter.

But McCollister, who finished with 14 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns, wasn't done. He scored on a 4-yard pass from Chad Elliott a few minutes later, reassuring Florida that the Knights weren't going anywhere.

The dagger didn't arrive until the final minute. That's when Chris Wallace threw his sixth touchdown pass of the night, connecting with Magic Benton on a short play for the final margin.

The Florida offense put on its usual show. Four different receivers had touchdown receptions from Wallace, who finished with 254 passing yards, leading a quick-strike attack that committed nary a turnover. The only Firecats possession that didn't end with a score came on a four-and-out in the second quarter, save for one to run out the clock at the end of the game.

But the bounces kept going the other way. Twice in Saturday's game Macon recovered kickoffs off the rebound net, including a touchdown that Daryon Brutley pounced on to make it 41-40 early in the second half.

The Knights never led, though. Florida might not have dominated as it did earlier in the homestand — the other two games were over by the first few minutes of the third quarter — but the Firecats handled business, winning for the fifth time this season in Germain Arena.