The Charlotte Observer
November 7, 1974
By Richard Sink

STEAMER TOPPLES HORNETS
Charlotte's 3rd Loss In A Row

SHREVEPORT, La. - Jim Nance ran for 160 yards and reserve Rocky Thompson for 105 against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night, but it was quarterback D.C. Nobles who really did them in.

He passed for a touchdown in the third quarter and then steered the Shreveport Steamer to a go-ahead score midway of the final period that held up for a 18-14 World Football League victory on a chilly, blustery night at Sate Fairgrounds Stadium.

Nance broke off right tackle for the winning points as the Steamer charged back from the 14-3 deficit. He carried seven times in the winning march, including the final-four times, but the real damage were passes by Nobles that kept the Steamer smoking. He connect on successful third and forth down losses of 17 of 18 yards sustain the 14-play movement.

Charlotte had a chance to avert its third straight defeat when Jimmy Sims recovered a rumble at the Shreveport 46 with 2:48 remaining. Rookie quarterback Gary Danielson kept the march alive with a fourth down sneak, and Kreg Kapitan was interfered with at the 13. But on the next play, Kapitan pushed back and the Hornets lost 15 to the 28 for offensive interference.

On the next play, Hornet hopes ended when Danielson fumbled while scrambling and end Mike Walker recovered.

On the first three series of the game there were three 24-yard runs - one each by Shreveport's Jim Nance and Rocky Thompson and by Charlotte's Don Highsmith - and the trend toward the ground game was established for the first half.

Both teams concentrated on their runners - Highsmith and Bob Gladieux for the Hornets, Nance and Thompson for the Steamer. The points in the first 30 minutes, however came on Charlie Durkee's 27-yard field goal for Shreveport and Gary Danielson's 16-yard pass to Kreg Kapitan for Charlotte.

Steamer quarterback D.C. Noblec tried to fool the Hornets on the game's first play with a pass, which was almost picked off by cornerback Larry Shears, but from then on, he attempted only four more remainder of the half, completing one.

At the start of the game, Paul Gipson, Shreveport's second-leading rusher, failed to show up. He had gone to his Houston home, but for unknown reason, did not return - the second time he has pulled the same trick this season. he was suspended previously.

This time, Thompson, who had lost most of his playing time after Gipson's suspension ended, replace him, and he and Nance, almost exclusively, moved the Steam to its firs-half field goal. Operating magnificently off the veer, they carried several times from their 20 to the Hornets' 14 never for less than six yards.

The shortness gain in the drive to that point was Virgil Robison's five-yarded, and then the Hornet defense stiffened, allowing Nance just two and three yards on back-to-back cares. Nobles continued to ignore the pass and then lost a yard.

Durkee drilled the 27-yard field goal with 2:35 gone in the second quarter for a 3-0 lead.

THE HORNETS then slipped their offense into scoring gear for a 59-yard touchdown march. Until then, they had advanced the ball effectively, twice going to the Steamer 41, but once were beset by a third-and-30 situation and were also forced into a fourth-down punt.

Once the Steamer scored, though the Hornets retailed in nice plays, Highsmith continued to run well on his way to 64 yards in the first half, but Danielson started to open up the offense. He completed first-down passes of 13 and 11 yards to Gladieux and Highsmith, and after two of his tosses failed from the 16, he threw in direction of Kapitan, his most dependable receiver in the first half.

Kapitan out leaped defender Daryl Johnson for the ball and fell in the end zone for the TD with 8:21 remaining in the half.

Danielson was sacked on the action point try.

Danielson took to the air in the closing minutes of the first halt to try to move the Hornets into scoring position. Kapitan caught two big passes, but on fourth-and-inches from the 21, the Hornets neglected a field goal attempt and Highsmith lost three on a sweep stopped by former world champion hurried Richmond Flowers, a defensive back.

Thompson finished with 76 yards and Nance 71 in the first half alone. But after the Kilgore Hangerettes performed at length during the intermission. Nobles began to test the Charlotte secondary. However a bad pitch put toward Thompson, recovered by cornerback Larry Dennis, gave the Hornets the chance to start from the Shreveport 31.

QUICKLY, Danielson flipped a 25-yard pass to Gladieux. don Highsmith's 11 and two-yard pick-up almost made up for Matthew William's loses on first down, and on fourth-and-two from the two, Danielson sneaked for the need first down distance.

The rookie quarterback then sent Highsmith off left tackle for the touchdown and a 14-11 lead with 8:05 passes by in the third quarter. A pass for Kapitan failed on the action point.

Nobles came back throwing, and Shears interception at the Hornet seven appeared to be a break. But it backed the Charlotte offense into a hole from which it could not escape, and Dough Winslow's 26-yard punt return to the 21 set up Shreveport's' first TD. On the second offensive play. Thompson went over 100 yards with an eight-yard burst, and on fourth-and-six, Nobles passed into the right corner of the end zone to Winslow. With 12 seconds left in the quarter, Nobles kept for the action point an brought Streamer within 14-11.