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| Joseph Ring, RB, Shreveport Steamer (35) |
Like a rather plain girl with a makeup kit and some fancy new clothes, the Shreveport Steamer underwent a nearly miraculous transformation in the course of a few days.
Shreveport, mauled 94-9 by Oakland in its season opener, faced an even more daunting opponent in Week 2—perennial league superpower Tampa Bay. And, like the Bandits, we never saw what was coming.
After Tampa Bay scored on its first two drives, Shreveport dominated the rest of the game. Rookie QB Edgar Jones fired a pair of TD passes and Joseph Ring rushed for 92 yards and another score as the Steamer stunned the Bandits, 36-24, at Tampa Stadium. Shreveport outscored Tampa Bay, 26-7, over the final 41 1/2 minutes.
Tampa Bay still led, 24-20, in the third quarter until Jones found Alex Flores from 10 yards away to give the visitors a 27-24 lead. James Hooper then kicked three field goals to help put the game on ice.
In other Week 2 games:
- Bryant Wiles found Kevin Harvick for the game-winning TD pass with 35 seconds to play, giving Philadelphia a 34-30 win over New Jersey, the Bell's first-ever victory over the Generals after 12 consecutive losses. New Jersey drove to the Philadelphia 8 in the final seconds, but ran out of time.
- The Cleveland Thunderbolts scored 27 points in the second quarter and went on to a 44-14 triumph over Memphis, handing the defending World Bowl champions their first loss. Chester Dougherty threw five TD passes for the 'Bolts, including four in a row of 48 yards or longer during the first and second quarters.
- The San Antonio Gunslingers forced four turnovers and stopped a crucial 2-point conversion attempt late in the game to take home a 38-29 win over the Pittsburgh Maulers.
- The Detroit Wheels improved to 13-0 all-time against the Michigan Panthers with a 29-17 victory. Rookie DB Clifford Blackburn had 10 tackles for the Panthers.
- Donald Lopez intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble as the Denver Gold took a 37-10 halftime lead and went on to whip the Arizona Wranglers, 50-24.
- Portland Storm QB William Hill passed for 604 yards and eight TDs during a 69-37 destruction of the San Jose SaberCats. The eight TDs were two short of the single-game league record held by former Birmingham Stallions QB Agustin Crook. The 604 yards rank No. 13 all-time for a single game.
- Gene Nowlin's 408 passing yards and six TDs led the Los Angeles Express to a 52-10 romp past the Florida Blazers.
- The Boston Breakers had been 1-21 in their last 22 regular-season games before claiming a 31-27 decision over the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte recorded 25 first downs to Boston's 6, but Boston MLB Dewey Wade stopped Hornets WR Jorge Dougherty a yard short of the goal line with 58 seconds to play.
Week 3 Preview
Which Shreveport Steamer (1-1) defense will show up against the Portland Storm (1-1)? If it's the same one that gave up 94 points to Oakland, heaven help them against Portland's high-octane offense. If its's the same one that shut down Tampa Bay, heaven help the Storm. The Los Angeles Express (2-0) host the Honolulu Hawaiians (2-0) in a battle for sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division. LAX has won five in a row against Honolulu since the final game of the 1977 regular season. The Invaders (2-0) at New Orleans (2-0) sure looks like an intriguing matchup. So does the Philadelphia Bell (2-0) at the Detroit Wheels (2-0).
History Lesson
It occurs to me that many of our coaches may not be old enough to remember the real USFL and WFL. I thought a little history of each team might be entertaining to some.
The Detroit Wheels were owned by a group of 33 people, including singer Marvin Gaye and Little Caeser's pizza founder Mike Ilitch. However, the team was a financial disaster. They had to play in Ypsilanti, 37 miles away from Detroit, and the stadium there had no lights until the Wheels paid to have them installed. An open tryout was attended by 600 hopefuls and produced zero signings. The team won one of the 14 games it played, declared bankruptcy, and folded in October of 1974. The more notable players included QB Bubba Wyche (Sam's brother) and pro wrestler Stan Hansen.
