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Chase Garbers Throws Last-Second, Game-Winning TD Pass in UFL Win
Former Cal quarterback Chase Garbers tossed two touchdown passes in the final minute to overcome a late 11-point deficit and give the San Antonio Brahmas a 20-19 victory over Memphis in a United Football League game in Memphis
Former Cal star Chase Garbers threw two touchdown passes in the final minute, the second coming with three seconds remaining, to give the San Antonio Brahmas an improbable 20-19 victory over the Memphis Showboats in a United Football League game on Saturday afternoon.
Garbers can only hope that some NFL general managers were watching when he led the Brahmas back from what looked like certain defeat to a win that improved San Antonio’s record to 2-0.
Garbers went 29-for-40 for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and his best work came when it mattered most.
The Brahmas trailed by 11 points when they took over at their own 10-yard line with no timeouts left and 2:35 left in the game. Garbers drove his team down the field, and finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jonte Kirklin with 48 seconds left to cut the deficit to 19-14.
The Brahmas failed in their attempt at a three-point conversion, which is possible under UFL rules, but another unusual UFL rule on the ensuing kickoff benefited San Antonio.
Instead of an onside kick, San Antonio chose to attempt fourth-and-12 play from its own 28-yard line. Garbers completed a 12-yard pass to Kirklin for a first down to keep possession.
Garbers completed the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Cody Latimer with three seconds remaining, putting San Antonio ahead 20-19. The two-point conversion was not attempted as Garbers kneeled on the 10-yard line.
Here are the two late TD passes:
Memphis’ Case Cookus fumbled the ball and was tackled after he recovered his own fumble on the final play of the game.
"Most teams would have been out of this game and gone home already as losers," said Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips, "but we have a bunch of winners on this team."
"At halftime, we said, 'One play, one drive, one score,' and I think we did pretty well with that," Garbers said.
Garbers spent the 2022 season in the Las Vegas Raiders orginazation, mostly on the practice squad although he was elevated to the active roster late in the season. He did not get into any regular-season games.
He was waived by the Raiders before the regular-season opener in 2023.
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