The Portland Storm, off to an uncharacteristic 0-3 start, broke out of it in a big way Tuesday.
William Hill passed for 532 yards and eight TDs as Portland set a USFL/WFL record for points in a game by overwhelming the Boston Breakers, 87-24.
The Oakland Invaders set the previous record when they routed Charlotte, 86-10, in Week 11 of the 1975 season.
The Storm scored 73 points in the first three quarters before taking their foot off the gas pedal a bit. They accumulated 745 yards, but were helped along by seven Boston turnovers.
To put this in perspective, there are 13 teams that have not scored 87 points in their first FOUR games this season.
Detroit beat the Southern California Sun, 76-0, in 1976. Birmingham beat the Georgia Force, 76-24, in 1977 and 72-41 in 1976. Cleveland beat Boston, 76-26, in 1976.
John Sanders caught 11 passes for 387 yards (35.18 per catch) and five TDs, one for 92 yards. That ranks No. 2 all-time to Oklahoma's Dusty Heckman, who had 394 receiving yards vs. Chicago last season. The five TDs is also second all-time to Thomas Canale of New Orleans (seven).
The 12 extra points by Portland kicker Donald Dosch tied a league record set by Oakland's Lester Reed in that 1975 game against the Hornets. Hill's eight TD passes ties for No. 5 all-time. Birmingham legend Agustin Crook fired 10 TDs in that 1977 win over Georgia.
Boston (0-4) gets a break this week. They get to face the equally pathetic New York Stars (0-4).
In other Week 4 games:
- The Michigan Panthers moved into a first-place tie with Cleveland atop the Midwest Division when they beat New Orleans, 21-11, and the Detroit Wheels were knocked off by Oklahoma, 25-19. Julio Prince and Anthony Toler combined for 240 receiving yards and a TD for Michigan.
- Washington CB Elmer Bunting had a pair of interceptions and new coach chermy10 earned his first USFL/WFL victory as the Federals held off the Charlotte Hornets, 19-17.
- Baltimore trailed Birmingham, 34-24, midway through the fourth quarter. But a 102-yard kickoff return by Jordan Devers and John Peters' 73-yard TD pass to Douglas Finch gave the Stars a 37-34 win and Birmingham its first loss.
- The Memphis Showboats won a battle of previously unbeaten teams, rolling past the San Jose SaberCats, 38-7. The Memphis defense intercepted San Jose QB David Schmitt three times and sacked him five times.
- Oakland backup QB Jimmy Barahona hit Jason Brooks for a 9-yard TD with 1:05 to play, lifting the Invaders to a 23-20 win over the Chicago Blitz. Oakland marched 75 yards to win the game after Chicago had taken the lead with 2:05 remaining.
- Pittsburgh DT John Hunter returned a fumble 27 yards for a TD with 1:59 to play, giving the Maulers a 20-13 win over the New York Stars. New York drove to the Pittsburgh 19 in the final minute, but could not score.
- Cleveland's Jim Zarate, last season's rookie of the year, had 5 tackles, 3 sacks, and 16 hurries during a 29-0 shutout of the Honolulu Hawaiians.
Week 5 Preview
Two weeks ago, Cleveland snapped Detroit's 27-game win streak with a 24-22 win over the Wheels. Detroit (2-2) will try to avenge that loss when they travel to Cleveland to face the Thunderbolts (3-1). There are only four undefeated teams in the USFL/WFL and that number will likely be pared down after the Oakland Invaders (4-0) host the New Jersey Generals (4-0). The Los Angeles Express (3-1) is at Baltimore (3-1) and the Birmingham Stallions (3-1) at Michigan (3-1) in twin battles of division co-leaders.Coach Profile
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| Duval, Baltimore |
Playing MFN Since: January, 2018
Hometown (town, state): Jacksonville, FL
Current residence (town, state): Jacksonville, FL
Day job: Cable
Favorite teams (all sports): Jacksonville Jaguars
A real-life sports experience: Dealt poker to Michael Phelps.
A fantasy sports experience: Played Front Office Football for a while.
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Don't accept trades from anyone. Don't let anyone talk you into a trade.
