Gamblers Stun Stallions in OT Thriller

Gamblers 34 Stallions 31 (OT)

It took almost 5 quarters of football to decide the 1985 USFL/WFL Champion in Tempe, AZ today. Birmingham played their hearts out, but are left to ask themselves what went wrong as they had a 31-21 lead with 6:58 left before allowing Houston to score the last 13 points to steal the victory.

Birmingham received the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a TD, an 11 yard pass from David Schmitt to Leonard Robles. Houston responded with a TD drive of their own, a 32 yd pass from Tony Dean to TE Fredrick Skeen. Birmingham FS Fred Kyle seemingly had Skeen wrapped up, but Skeen broke the tackle before racing into the end zone. Birmingham got a 27 yd Gerald Hinton FG on their second drive for a 10-7 lead.

After trading punts, Houston scored on a 3 play TD drive. Tony Dean found Willie Nelson streaking down the sideline, only to be caught from behind by Stallions CB Gerald McCormick. Two plays later, Tony Dean found James Connelly for a 2 yard TD. The Daniel McCormack XP made the score 14-10 Houston. Birmingham answered on the next drive, going 75 yards in 9 plays, with this Schmitt to Mario Burton 5 yd pass.

That gave us a halftime score of Birmingham 17 Houston 14. For years, the USFL has been trying to get Iron Maiden to do the World Bowl halftime show, but couldn't because Bruce Dickinson was playing in the game. Dickinson is a talented individual, but it was a bit much to ask him to play and sing. With New Jersey being eliminated, Dickinson was finally able to perform and Iron Maiden did not disappoint.

The two teams traded punts to open the second half before Houston went on a 9 play, 79 yard TD drive to retake the lead 21-17. Bruce Edwards caught a 2 yard pass from Tony Dean for that score. The 3rd quarter would end with that 21-17 score.

Early in the 4th, Birmingham's David Schmitt found RB Mark Peterson in the flat for a 20 yard catch and run TD. Originally ruled out of bounds at the 1, a coach's challenge got the call overturned. That gave the Stallions a 24-21 lead. Following a Houston three and out, Birmingham got the ball back. A 9 play, 81 yard drive ended with this RB Richard Sutton TD reception from David Schmitt to put Birmingham up 31-21 with 6:58 left.

It was at this point of the game things started heating up. Houston QB Tony Dean was intercepted on the very next offensive play and the Birmingham fans were ecstatic. The euphoria didn't last long, as Schmitt tried one too many passes to his RB, giving the ball right back to Houston. The Gamblers marched down the field but had to settle for a Daniel McCormack 49 yd FG to cut the lead to 31-24 with 4:07 left.

Birmingham could not run out the clock, punting away to Houston. The Gamblers got the ball on their own 20 with all 3 time outs and 1:52 on the clock. Gabriel Ahrens broke free for a 53 yard catch and run, putting Houston on the doorstep of the red zone. Five plays later, Bruce Edwards's 2nd TD of the day plus the XP tied the game at 31.

Birmingham would not cross midfield and we are heading for OT for the second time in a World Bowl. The first one was World Bowl VIII. Houston got the ball first and punted, while Birmingham was intercepted on their first OT drive. CB Robert Sokol's INT set Houston up at the Birmingham 49 yard line. The Stallions defense stiffened, forcing a punt. More punts followed before the crazy last 2 minutes of OT.

Houston FS Alexander Morrison picked off a David Schmitt pass, but Morrison was flagged for pass interference, nullifying the play. The next play set Birmingham up for the Championship winning 30 yard FG but it was wide leftt. This is early 1986 so Scott Norwood's miss hasn't technically happened yet, but I found an interesting nugget about Mr. Norwood. He once really played for Birmingham in the USFL. Freaky.

Gabriel Ahrens then had another big catch and run, setting Houston up for a Championship winning FG of their own. Daniel McCormack's kick snuck inside the right upright for the Gamblers second World Bowl trophy in a row and third in four years.

Birmingham put up 592 yards of offense on Houston and they certainly played like a Champion today, but alas, there can be only one Champion and that is the Houston Gamblers. Congratulations, this was a hard fought title for your squad

Stallions and Gamblers Advance to World Bowl XII

Houston returns to the World Bowl to defend their Championship against the Birmingham Stallions at a location to be determined just before kickoff. That will make it difficult for fans, media and the teams to get there, but somehow it all works out in the end. Houston won the rubber game with Memphis 29-17 while Birmingham edged Baltimore 22-20.

All Pro voting is still going on for another day or two, if you haven't voted yet, please do so soon.

Stallions 22 Stars 20

Birmingham had the ball for most of the first half, but only led 13-7. The Stallions got the ball first and capped off a 7 play 75 yard TD drive with this David Schmitt TD pass to William Taylor. That 7-0 lead would last into the 2nd qtr when Birmingham K Gerald Hinton nailed a 51 yd FG to extend the Stallions lead to 10-0. Baltimore's Jeffrey Gentry returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards to cut the lead to 10-7. Birmingham added another FG, but could have had more points but they ran out of time just as they approached Hinton's range.

The Baltimore fans had to be feeling hopeful as they only trailed 13-7 at the break, despite being outplayed. Birmingham had 12 first downs in the first half, to just two for Baltimore and the yards were also in the Stallions favor 223-66.

Baltimore drove to the cusp of the red zone to start the 3rd qtr but Jon Snow's 2nd INT killed the scoring chance. Birmingham then went on a 13 play 70 yard drive where it seemed they would add to their lead. Baltimore WLB Charles Lyon had other ideas however, as this INT thwarted the Stallions scoring opportunity.

The 3rd qtr was scoreless so the game was still 13-7 Birmingham when Jon Snow threw his 3rd INT of the day. This one was a back-breaker, as Birmingham CB Gerald McCormick returned it for a TD. The Stallions were intercepted on the 2 point conversion attempt, making the score 19-7. Baltimore did not quit at this point however, instead taking just 5 plays to find the end zone. The Snow to Timothy Harmon TD cut the lead to 19-14.

Both teams punted back and forth until Baltimore turned it over on downs with 1:39 left on the clock. Three running plays, three time outs and a FG had Birmingham on top 22-14. Birmingham stayed in their base defense and got burned. Jon Snow found Timothy Harmon again, this time for 75 yards to cut the lead to 22-20, with a potential game tying 2 point attempt to come. Jon Snow's pass fell incomplete, the onside kick failed and 2 kneeldowns sealed Birmingham's first ever trip to the World Bowl.

Gamblers 29 Showboats 17

Houston took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field, but had to settle for a Daniel McCormick 21 yd FG. Memphis took their opening possession down the field with ease just like Houston. Also like Houston, they had to settle for 3. James Ewing's 28 yarder tied the game at 3.

The Gamblers were pinned at their own 5 after the teams traded punts, but they got out of the hole in a big way, with a 52 yard catch and run by Gabriel Ahrens. The drive ended with a Tony Dean 1 yd TD pass to Mark Lambert, giving Houston a 10-3 lead.

Right after the 2 minute warning, Houston RB Chase Miles fumbled with the recovery by the Showboat's Shawn Hicks. Hicks fumbled the ball back to Houston on the return, killing their momentary momentum gain. The very next play, Tony Dean found Gabriel Ahrens for a 6 yard TD and a 16-6 lead as Daniel McCormick's XP attempt was wide right.

Memphis got the ball first and drove for a FG, making the score 16-9. Houston then went on a 13 play 8 minute drive for a FG of their own to push the lead back to 10 points. Memphis then went three and out, putting their defense right back on the field. Houston had a 7 play, 81 yard TD drive capped off with a 31 yard Tony Dean to Willie Nelson TD pass for a 26-9 lead.

Memphis got a 6 yard TD run by David Austin and a 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 9 points early in the 4th qtr. Memphis forced a three and out, and were driving for a score when WR Ken Hubbard, playing RB, fumbled the ball away, effectively ending the Showboats hopes of another World Bowl appearance. Houston drained the clock and kicked a FG, giving us our final score of 29-17.

Houston is now seeking their second straight World Bowl victory which would be the franchise's third in four years.

Divisional Round Destruction

Stallions QB David Schmitt executing a play action pass for a TD.

Stallions 79 Generals 19

Birmingham set an all time playoff scoring record with the 79 points, shattering the previous mark of 66 by the Tampa Bay Bandits in 1978. QB David Schmitt threw 11 TD passes to nearly double the previous record of 6. RB Mark Peterson hauled in 5 TD passes breaking the previous record of 4, tied just last week by Willie Howland.

The Stallions had 891 yards of offense, 796 through the air. Birmingham won the toss and drove down the field for a TD. The Generals got the ball, drove down the field and missed a FG. The very next play was Schmitt's second TD pass to Leonard Robles.

That's when I turned the game off to check how bad I lost, and boy was I surprised. It was an embarrassing outcome for sure, but there was no doubt who the better team was. So, for the first time in 5 years we'll have a team other than New Jersey in the World Bowl.

Stars 44 Federals 14

The third meeting between these two Atlantic Division powers ended just like the first two, with a Baltimore win. This one was not as close though. Washington took a 14-10 lead in the second qtr with this Joe Richardson 48 yd TD pass to Luther Ellis.

Baltimore took the lead inside the 2 minute warning with this TD pass from Jon Snow to Brian Darden. Midway through the 3rd qtr it was still 17-14 Stars when Brian Darden blocked a punt and ran it back for a TD. That seemed to take the heart out of Washington as Baltimore scored 20 more 4th qtr points to give us the final margin.

Showboats 16 Gold 9

If you like defensive football then this game was up your alley. The first play of the 2nd qtr gave us the only TD of the day, Ernest McNeill catching a 32 yd TD from David Allen. The halftime score was 10-6 Memphis and the second half was scoreless until midway through the 4th when  Denver K Anthony Schaefer nailed a 57 yd FG.

That made the score 10-9 but Denver would get no closer. Memphis K James Ewing made 2 4th qtr FG's and Denver's last 2 drives ended in an INT and a turnover on downs.

Gamblers 24 Wranglers 15

This was a tale of 2 halves, with Houston having the better half for victory. Houston QB Tony Dean threw 2 first half TD's, one to Fredrick Skeen, one to Chase Miles. Lonnie Moore added an 8 yard TD run as the Gamblers raced to a 24-0 halftime lead.

Houston missed 2 FG's in getting shutout during the second half, but Arizona could not capitalize. The Wranglers came out firing in the 3rd qtr, as their first play went 75 yds to the house. Arizona was able to cut the lead to 9 late in the 4th. QB Jerry Montalvo found TE Shawn Hill for a 33 yd TD, and the subsequent 2 point conversion gave us our final margin. 
 

Wildcard Weekend

                                             Memphis WR Willie Howland

There was very little drama Wildcard Weekend as only one game was within one score entering the 4th qtr. Three wildcard teams were road favorites over division winners and they all won handily. Only New Jersey was favored at home and thanks to Mr. January, they took care of business.

Wranglers 38 Express 24

If you only looked at the box score, you would think this was a tight game, as the statistics are similar, however Arizona jumped out to an early lead en route to victory. RB Gary Clark caught this 18 yd TD to put the Wranglers up 14-0. Los Angeles had just cut the Arizona lead to 14-3 in the first quarter but this momentum shifting 102 yd kickoff return by Kevin Leach made the lead insurmountable.

Arizona QB Jerry Montalvo threw 3 TD passes, including this one to William Johnston to make the score 35-10 in the 2nd qtr. Los Angeles tried to make a second half comeback, led by QB Mario Valencia. He also threw 3 TD passes, including this one with 0:18 left to make the score more respectable.

Arizona travels to Houston to face the 14-2 defending champion Gamblers in the Divisional Round.

Showboats 34 Blitz 19

Chicago got the ball first and went on a 12 play 75 yard drive, ending with a Roy Rhine TD pass to TE Dennis Hall to give the Blitz a 7-0 lead. It was the Allen and Howland show after that, as Memphis scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-7 lead into halftime. QB David Allen threw 4 first half TD passes to WR Willie Howland, tying a league record for TD receptions.

Chicago won the second half but the first half was way too much to overcome.

Memphis travels to Denver to face the 13-3 Gold in the Divisional Round.

Federals 21 Bulls 9

The end zone was the do not enter zone in Jacksonville as the two teams combined for 10 FG's on the day. Jacksonville's Tommy Prather nailed 3 FG's but Washington's John Bazile went 7 for 7. Washington controlled the clock (35:44 - 24:14) and won the turnover battle 3-1. This game was actually just a 12-9 score entering the 4th qtr but Jacksonville could only manage 10 yards in that final quarter to send the Bulls fans home disappointed.

Washington travels to Baltimore to face the Stars in the Divisional Round.

Generals 34 Bandits 20

New Jersey is no stranger to home playoff games but Generals QB Ric Flair was making his first post season start under center after taking over for Stephen Labelle this season. The Generals had an up and down season but so did Tampa bay, so this was anybody's game to start. New Jersey put their best foot forward early, grabbing control of the game and not letting go until they were comfortably ahead 34-0.

Flair threw 3 TD's on the day as the Generals built a 20-0 halftime lead. RB Rudi Johnson is the USFL/WFL all time post season leading rusher, and Mr. January had another monster game today. Rudi ran 32 times for 182 yards and this 41 yd TD which pretty much sealed the victory. The Generals ran a ridiculous 59 running plays today for 274 yards, possessing the ball for just over 47 minutes.

It's a good thing Tampa Bay only had the ball for 13 minutes because they can hit big plays. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers found WR Thomas Whitley for 2 TD's to make the score appear respectable.

New Jersey travels to Birmingham to face the Stallions in the Divisional Round

Wild Wild Week 16

What a crazy Week 16 we had to conclude another great regular season of USFL/WFL football. Houston took back the #1 seed in the American Conference with some help from Denver. Baltimore defeated Washington in the battle for #1 seed in the National Conference. Georgia held the cards for the #6 seed but their loss to Shreveport opened the door for several teams to claim that spot. Jacksonville beat Florida for the Southeast Division title, which helped Tampa Bay immensely in tiebreakers. Tampa Bay defeated New Orleans in Week 6 34-28 which broke their 8-8 tie, giving the Bandits a playoff berth. It should be noted that loss was before current owner Smirt took over.

Stars 16 Federals 3

The winner of this game would be the #1 seed in the National Conference and defense ruled the day. Baltimore and Washington played 3 scoreless quarters before Washington's John Bazile nailed a 40 yd FG early in the 4th to open the scoring. Baltimore would not be denied however, as Jon Snow found Tommy Harmon for a 64 yd TD.

Later in the 4th, Washington forced a punt that pretty much sealed the game. Charles Lyon forced Jeffrey Danko to fumble, scooped it up and returned it for a back breaking TD.

Baltimore enjoys a BYE
Washington @ Jacksonville

Gold 18 Showboats 16

Denver chose not to rest their starters despite being locked into the #2 seed and sent the Memphis fans home disappointed. The Showboats just had to win to maintain the #1 seed, and they took the lead with 2:37 left. The defense couldn't prevent Denver from driving into FG position. Gold PK Anthony Schaefer's 52 yd FG as the clock hit 0:00 sent Memphis on the road for wildcard weekend rather than resting up on BYE.

Denver enjoys a BYE
Memphis @ Chicago

Gamblers 38 Stallions 13

The Memphis loss was Houston's gain as they rode the Stallions hard. Mark Lambert had 2 TD's today as they crushed Birmingham. The Stallions uninspired effort could be explained by the fact their fate was sealed before kickoff. They were locked into the #2 seed in the National Conference regardless of the outcome.

Houston enjoys a BYE
Birmingham enjoys a BYE

Bulls 26 Blazers 10

Depending on tiebreakers, the winner of this game was going to be Southeast Division champs. Jacksonville made sure there would be no tiebreakers needed in throttling the once blazing hot Florida Blazers. Florida started the season 0-6 before ripping off 6 straight wins to even their record at 6-6. That 12th game started a stretch run of facing playoff teams the final 5 weeks of the season. Florida swept Tampa Bay but got swept by Jacksonville sandwiching a loss to New Jersey. Despite falling short of the playoffs, kudos to Florida for remaining competitive when it would have been easy to give up.

Jacksonville more than doubled Florida's yards, 455-207 and possessed the ball for 39 minutes. The score was 13-7 at halftime and the first possession after was an 8 play 82 yard TD drive, culminating with this 26 yd TD by Dennis Burt.

Jacksonville vs Washington

Steamer 3 Force 0

Coming in 8-7, Georgia only had to beat struggling Shreveport to make the playoffs. In a game it seemed nobody was interested in, both teams combined for 451 yards of offense, or 4 less than Jacksonville had by themselves in their game. This James Hooper 26 yd FG at the 2 minute warning of the first half was the only score of the day.

Georgia's 8-8 record ties them with New Orleans and Tampa Bay but wildcard tiebreakers state we must eliminate all but 1 team per division. That uses the division tiebreakers and the VooDoo had the better division record.

VooDoo 27 (NY) Stars 3

New Orleans won their last 6 games to even their record at 8-8. The (NY) Stars could have finished 8-8 with a win and been involved in the tiebreaking process but 215 yards and 3 turnovers helped them lose.

Ever since taking over for Shavar, Smirt has had the VooDoo rocketing up the commish rankings and racking up wins. Had the switch been made 1 game earlier, New Orleans would be headed to Piscataway, NJ instead of Tampa Bay.

Speaking of Tampa Bay, their Week 6 win over Shavar's VooDoo keeps Smirt's VooDoo out of the playoffs. The rest of the league needs to watch New Orleans as they will be a factor for sure in 1986.

Bandits 17 Bell 6

Tampa Bay came in losers of 6 straight, and a once sure playoff spot slipping from their grasp. The tiebreaker scenarios didn't look good for the Bandits either, as they needed to win this game and have Jacksonville beat Florida and Shreveport beat Georgia.

Tampa Bay didn't play particularly well today, but they got the job done. The Bandits are hoping their season doesn't end where it began, with a loss at New Jersey.

Tampa Bay @ New Jersey

The rest of Week 16:

Breakers 20 Generals 13
Renegades 19 Wranglers 17
Invaders 19 Storm 12
Sun 16 Express 10
Thunderbolts 13 Panthers 9
Wheels 20 Blitz 6
Hawaiians 26 SaberCats 23 (OT)
Gunslingers 14 Outlaws 3
Maulers 23 Hornets 0 

 

Standings Glitch

First of all congratulations to Los Angeles, Denver, Arizona, Memphis, Houston and Chicago. Those are your six American Conference playoff teams, seeding to be determined. Congratulations are also in order for Birmingham, Baltimore, Washington and New Jersey as they are 4 of the 6 National Conference representatives.

The standings glitch has reared it's ugly head again, prematurely telling teams they are eliminated. First up is the Southeast Division. 7-8 Florida is at 8-7 Jacksonville and a Blazers win sends us to the tiebreaker. Tampa Bay could also factor into the equation with a win.

The loser of Baltimore at Washington will be the #5 seed and Georgia just has to beat Shreveport to be #6 with a 9-7 record. Things will get crazy if Georgia loses, as they would fall to 8-8, and we could have as high as a 4 way tie at 8-8.

There are 6 teams in the National Conference currently 8-7 or 7-8. If Florida wins, we'll end up with as many as 5 teams 8-8, with one being Southeast Champs. We also have the 7-8 New Orleans VooDoo @ the 7-8 (NY) Stars, so one team will be 7-9 for sure, or 7-8-1.

I did not attempt to figure out tiebreakers because I found out after the last World League season that MFN tiebreakers differ from NFL tiebreakers. I never did get an exact response as to what order is used here.

The TV executives are loving this.

Week 14 Roundup: Chicago, New Jersey and Tampa Bay Continue To Leave the Door Open

If they were remaking Seinfeld, Chicago, New Jersey and Tampa Bay would be auditioning for the role of the doorman. For the second consecutive week the Blitz and the Generals had a win and in scenario and failed to get the job done. Tampa Bay got off to a fast start and looked to be running away with the Southeast Division, but now they're stuck in a 7-7 quagmire with seemingly half the National Conference.

Federals 51 Blitz 8

Washington has had their playoff ticket punched awhile ago and this week they prevented Chicago from doing the same. The Federals have their eye on a Week 16 date with Baltimore but they obviously were not looking ahead as they dropped 51 points and 638 yards of offense on the Blitz. Federals QB Joe Richardson fired 6 TD passes, 4 of them to WR Luther Ellis, who now has 17 on the year, tied for most in the league.

Bulls 34 Generals 21

Another week of winning the turnover battle but losing the game for New Jersey. The Generals defense has shown cracks this year that we haven't seen much of in years past and that was on display this game. Jacksonville QB Charles Evans found WR Albert Anderson for not one, not two, but three long TD passes. Anderson finished with 8 catches for 279 yards. The victory puts Jacksonville in the middle of the 7-7 Southeast scrum while the Generals still need 1 more win or 1 (NY) Stars loss.

Blazers 44 Bandits 17

Tampa Bay really needed a win in this game to keep sole possession of first place but it was the red hot Blazers who dominated. Florida is now 7-7 after an 0-6 start and tied for first place with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville. Blazers QB Michael London was almost perfect, finishing 27-31, 338 yds and 4 TD's. Florida erupted for 20 2nd qtr points to take control of the game.

Express 21 Breakers 7

Los Angeles had also been in the running for the part of the doorman but not anymore after their division clinching win over the improved Breakers. Neither team cracked 280 yards but the Express had a much better running game.

Wranglers 28 Invaders 0

The MFN standings glitch is still there as Oakland is not really eliminated yet. If Arizona loses their last 2 and Oakland wins their last 2, the Invaders will be the #6 seed. Oakland will need a much better offensive game the last 2 weeks as the Wranglers shut down the Invaders offense to the tune of 109 total yards. Oakland had just 9 rushing yards on 16 carries. I'm a little concerned only 58,881 (84%) showed up at Sun Devil Stadium for such an important division game.

VooDoo 23 Hornets 17

In a battle of smoking hot under .500 teams, New Orleans kept their playoff hopes alive with this win. VooDoo RB Socrates Rogers set the tone early on his way to a 115 yard rushing day. This win snaps Charlotte's 4 game winning streak.

Stallions 41 Gunslingers 7

Birmingham keeps rolling as they scored 4 TD's in the first quarter and a half before coasting to the easy victory. The Stallions have earned a first round BYE.

Gamblers 30 Outlaws 13

Houston also keeps rolling as they pulled away after a tight 1st quarter for a comfortable win. The Gamblers are in the playoffs but will they be the #5 seed? #1 or #2 seed? Does it matter? I figure there are 6 or 7 teams with a very good shot to win it all even as a wildcard, and the defending champs are one for sure.

Showboats 40 Force 21

We know Memphis will be playing beyond Week 16 but will Georgia? The Force will have new ownership in 1986 but the question for now is, when will Greyghost's retirement from USFL/WFL start? Georgia is finally finished with the leagues upper echelon teams and their 7-7 record is right in the thick of the wildcard race. Their schedule is more than favorable down the stretch and a 9-7 record should at least put them in a tiebreaker for #6 seed.

(NY) Stars 30 Renegades 7

New York kept the heat on New Jersey with their win over Orlando. Even if the Generals quit choking and win a game, the Stars are in the thick of the wildcard race.

Stars 37 Wheels 0

Baltimore bounced back from their first loss of 1985 by dominating Detroit. The Stars held Detroit to just 120 total yards.

SaberCats 20 Thunderbolts 9

Cleveland turned the ball over 3 times in this crushing loss. The only path to the playoffs for the Thunderbolts is to win the Midwest Division, they can't be a wildcard now. Cleveland needs similar to Oakland, 2 Blitz losses and 2 Cleveland wins.

Maulers 27 Steamer 10
Panthers 34 Hawaiians 10
Sun 20 Bell 12
Gold 19 Storm 13