Gulf coach not fit to be tied at crunch time

His wife is one of his paid assistants. His kids are team managers. His offensive line coach is a cousin by marriage.

Which all goes to prove there are some ties Gulf football coach Jay Fulmer will settle for -- such as the family kind.

The other ones -- such as those existing on the scoreboard in a game's waning moments -- seem as abominable to this native Kentuckian as a visit to the Colonel for a bucket of all-white skinless.

"I don't see a lot of glory in tying," Fulmer said.

Question, if you will, the validity of Gulf's 5-2 season, which has yet to feature a victory against a team with a winning record. Just don't question the chutzpah of its first-year coach, who currently holds the county lead in that category.

Twice in the Bucs' past four games, Fulmer's never-say-tie philosophy has been put to the ultimate test. Both times, he has passed.

Or more specifically, he has run.

Late last month at Mitchell, after a touchdown pass on the game's final play trimmed Gulf's deficit to 28-27, Fulmer went for two. The result: an Anthony Jackson run off-tackle that caught the Mustangs off-guard.

Then last week at Pasco, with Gulf down 42-41 after scoring another TD in the waning seconds, Fulmer called a trap-option play. After rolling to the strong side, quarterback Alton Voss faked a pitch, and the Pirates bit.

Bucs 2, The Safe Odds 0

3 Yards And A Blaze Of Glory

"I don't see a lot of glory in explaining to my players why I don't have the guts to go for it and why I don't believe in 'em," Fulmer said Monday. "If I had decided against [going for two], I would've had some explaining to do. You don't ever want to send a message to your players that you don't believe you can do it."

It's pointless to speculate on the trajectory Gulf's season would've taken had either two-point try failed. The bold reality -- can there be any other kind when you play to win? -- is that Fulmer's audaciousness with the game on the line has had astounding effects.

Confidence has been fostered among Gulf's players, because Fulmer has shown confidence in them at critical times. Fulmer said it was palpable on the Bucs sideline after Pasco's 17-play, 88-yard scoring drive gave the Pirates a 42-35 lead with 2:13 to play.

"They could've very easily laid down and said, 'Ah, we did this once this year, the odds are slim and none we'll do it again,' " Fulmer recalled. "But they did not have a doubt. When they had to kick off to us at 2:13, our kids knew they were going to win it. They knew."

Detour Through Ocala

Add that newfound belief system to the modest nucleus of raw talent on the roster, and the result has been one of the Bucs' most successful seasons of the past two decades. Whether it will translate into the program's first winning season since 1993, or the program's first playoff berth since forever, is unclear.

Gulf closes with a treacherous three-game stretch that includes a trip Friday to Ocala Trinity Catholic, which has allowed six points all year under ex-Florida Gators QB Kerwin Bell. Then comes the anticipated duel with 3A-8 rival Hudson, which Gulf must win to have a shot at its first district title.

"[Trinity Catholic] is not important," said Fulmer, who respectfully declined to trade game tape with Bell and his staff. "We're not even going to practice for [Trinity Catholic]; we're going to practice the next two weeks for Hudson."

Most coaches wouldn't publicly acknowledge such a ploy.

Fulmer's not bashful.

His roster of converts -- and those whom he has converted against -- can attest.