The Tampa Bay Bandits were the consensus pick of the league's coaches to win the 1979 USFL/WFL championship. The Los Angeles Express won World Bowl V. The Detroit Wheels won the two World Bowls before that.
Cleveland LDE Jim Zarate, the reigning league defensive MVP, had 7 tackles, 6 sacks, and 13 hurries. Zarate has 17 sacks and 45 hurries in five games.
Tampa Bay QB Tyrone Harvell had perhaps his worst day as a pro (16-for-39, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 36.59 QBR) as Monte Cherry and Steven Flanagan both had a pickoff for Cleveland. Chester Dougherty fired a pair of TD passes for the 'Bolts.
In other Week 5 games:
- The rest of the Midwest Division may be playing for second place behind Cleveland, and they're doing a good job of it. Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago are all 3-2. The Blitz held off a determined Houston comeback to edge the Gamblers, 29-28, and Detroit QB Mario Valencia, playing on an injured knee, threw for 457 yards and four TDs during the Wheels' 31-6 victory over the Panthers.
- The Florida Blazers are 3-2, their best start since 1975, after a 57-16 destruction of the Jacksonville Bulls. Michael London threw for 405 yards and five TDs for Florida and WR Arthur Strickland caught nine passes for 235 yards and four TDs.
- New York CB Wayne Mashburn picked off three passes as the Stars handed the Memphis Showboats their first loss, 47-14.
- The Oklahoma Outlaws joined Cleveland and New York as the only 5-0 teams by edging the Honolulu Hawaiians, 29-27, as Patrick Hiebert rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown.
- Southern California rookie QB Oscar Willis threw a 3-yard TD pass to Thomas Dayton with 1:13 remaining, lifting the Sun to a 22-21 victory over the Georgia Force. SoCal remains all alone in first place in the Pacific Division.
- An interception by MLB Mike Weddington set up the game-winning field goal and another by FS Daniel Tosh snuffed out the last Pittsburgh drive as the New Jersey Generals edged the Maulers, 13-10, in a matchup of 1978 playoff teams.
- Charlotte FS Thomas Vasquez was credited with 13 tackles in a 52-20 loss to the Oakland Invaders.
Week 6 Preview
The Denver Gold (4-1) host the Pittsburgh Maulers (3-2) in a battle of division leaders. The Los Angeles Express (2-3) will go for their 11th consecutive series victory against the Southern California Sun (3-2).
Record Book
- Cleveland's Jim Zarate has 17 sacks in five games, putting him on pace to break the league record for sacks in a season (31), shared by Ryan Moore of Georgia (now Orlando) and Tampa Bay's William Lewis. Zarate already owns the single-season record for hurries (145).
- Memphis RB Gregory Shea had his USFL/WFL-record 13th kickoff return for a TD during his team's Week 5 loss to New York.
- The 1979 league leader in passing yardage (2,450) and passing TDs (25) through five games is Michigan's Jerry Ruiz, last season's first-round draft pick.
- Oklahoma WR Dusty Heckman is on pace to accumulate more than 4,000 receiving yards this season, which would shatter his own record of 2,548, set in 1976.
