1986 Hall of Fame Inductees

The votes have been counted and this year we will be inducting five players into the USFL/WFL Hall of Fame. Commissioner raidergreg69 declared the threshold for enshrinement be lowered this year, because there seems to be a flaw in the voting procedure. Any vote that doesn't include our league's top 2 TD scorers ever is broken. Let's meet this year's inductees.

Mario Valencia, QB Detroit Wheels
Twelve seasons (1974-85)
Jacksonville 1974-75, Detroit 1976-81, Houston 1982, Los Angeles 1983-85
48,322 yards, 60.8 pct, 374 TD, 155 INT, 94.77 QBR
6th all time passing yards, 3rd all time TD's, 5th all time QBR (1,400 or more attempts)
Offensive MVP 1976, 1982
All Pro 1976, 1982
1st all time postseason passing yards (6,852) and TD passes (47)
3 time World Bowl Champion

John Murray, RB Pittsburgh Maulers
 Twelve Seasons 1974-85
1,887 rushes, 8600 yards (4.6 ypc) 82 TD's
341 receptions, 3,268 yards (9.6 ypr) 23 TD's
59 kickoff returns, 32.0 avg, 3 TD's, 94 punt returns 7.3 avg
14,454 career total yards, 108 TD's
6th all time rushing yards, 1st all time rushing TD's, 2nd all time total TD's, 14th all time in total yards
All Pro 1975

Cory Robinzine, WR Arizona Wranglers
 Twelve Seasons 1974-85
Philadelphia 1974-75
835 receptions, 12,311 yards (14.7 avg) 100 TD's
419 rushes, 1,715 yards (4.1 ypc) 15 TD's
1st all time in receiving TD, 1st all time total TD's, 2nd all time receptions, 3rd all time receiving yards, 12th all time total yards
All-Pro 1976

Charles Bukowski, RT Boston Breakers
 Five seasons (1974-78)
Arizona Wranglers, 1977-78
Average per season: 1,297 plays, 2.2 sacks allowed, 571 pass blocks, 439 run blocks
Pass block 100 rating, run block 100 at retirement
All-Pro 1974, 1976

Leroy Selmon, TE New Jersey Generals
Ten Seasons 1976-85
Oakland Invaders 1985
583 receptions, 7,769 yards (13.3 ypr) 51 TD's
1st all time among TE's in receiving yards and TD's, 2nd all time in recptions by a TE
2nd all time among TE's in Postseason receptions (60) and receiving yards (582)
12th all time in postseason receptions
All-Pro 1978
2 time World Bowl Champion

World Bowl XIII: 19-0!!!

History was made in Shreveport, LA Friday morning as the Memphis Showboats completed the second perfect season in the USFL/WFL by defeating the New Jersey Generals 36-16 in World Bowl XIII. This marks the third World Bowl trophy for the Showboats but the first under Infinity on Trial, and Memphis completed their perfect run with only three "one score" games.

None of those "one score" games came in the playoffs, but Memphis had to play Michigan in the Divisional Round and the Panthers were the closest to defeating the Showboats at any point in 1986, losing in OT 12-6 back in Week 5. No problem, Memphis won going away, 32-13. Next up would be the Sun of Southern California but the big, bad Showboats caused an eclipse and won handily, 45-14.

Only one team stood in the way of perfection, the New Jersey Generals. New Jersey is no stranger to playing in the World Bowl as this is their 6th appearance in our leagues 13 years. The Generals came into World Bowl XIII with a 2-3 record in their previous 5 trips, including a loss to Memphis way back in World Bowl VI when they were run by Private Snowflake.

Memphis Showboats 36
New Jersey Generals 16

New Jersey got the ball first and punted after 5 plays while Memphis marched down the field in 5 plays on their first possession. Numbers Zielinski punched it in from the 1 and Jessie Cepeda ran in the 2 point conversion for an 8-0 Showboat lead. The biggest play of that drive was 3rd and 4 with New Jersey looking to force a three and out. David Allen found Jerome Betancourt for 21 yards, then The Donut Mogul Tim Horton broke loose on a swing pass, taking the ball inside New Jersey's 5 yard line, setting up the Zielinski score.

New Jersey fought back, going on an 11 play, 53 yard drive but had to settle for a Lucio Grant FG to trim the deficit to 8-3. On Memphis's next possession, sure fire HOF'er Willie Howland struck for a 55 yard catch and run to set up Ken Hubbard's 7 yard TD run. Jessie Cepeda ran in his second 2 point conversion for a 16-3 Memphis lead.

Following another New Jersey FG cut the lead to 16-6, the Generals got some bad news...the Memphis offense would get the ball back. Their first two TD drives were just 5 plays each, so to be different on drive #3, they took their time scoring, taking 12 plays. The Donut Mogul caught a 3 yard TD from David Allen for a 22-6 lead. One small positive for New Jersey, practice makes perfect in stopping the 2 point conversion as the defense held and the score remained 22-6. New Jersey finally had a highlight worthy play as Ric Flair found Aaron Paul for a 40 yard catch and run TD. That seemed to give the Generals a little boost, as they finally forced a Memphis punt, and Lucio Grant's 3rd FG of the first half gave us our halftime score of 22-16 Memphis.

Any momentum gained by New Jersey quickly vanished as Memphis took the second half kickoff and marched downfield for a 5 yard TD pass form David Allen to Numbers Zielinski. The conventional XP made the score 29-16. Late in the 3rd quarter, a Numbers Zielinski fumble started a series of bizarre plays involving turnovers. Ric Flair was intercepted, but Chris Elmore fumbled it away during the return, with Radar O'Reilly recovering to regain possession. New Jersey just couldn't stand prosperity though, as backup OL turned backup FB Jimmy Hoffa caught a pass in the flat and fumbled fighting for yardage, killing the drive.

The 4th quarter began with that 29-16 score and the final straw was this 38 yard TD from Allen to Willie Howland to give us our final score 36-16. Memphis QB David Allen won World Bowl MVP.

Conference Championships: Showboats and Generals In World Bowl XIII

Memphis and New Jersey will face off at an as yet undisclosed stadium to see which franchise will join the Houston Gamblers as 3 time USFL/WFL Champion. This will be the Showboat's first World Bowl appearance since winning back to back World Bowls (VI and VII), and at 18-0, they are aiming for the second perfect season in league history. No word on whether the 1977 Detroit Wheels will have a celebration like the '72 Dolphins do every year if New Jersey is able to make that 18-1. Memphis is 2-0 in the World Bowl under previous owner PrivateSnowflake, including a victory over the Generals in World Bowl VI. This may be the first title appearance in this league for Infinity On Trial, but across MFN, he is accustomed to being in this position.

The New Jersey Generals are certainly accustomed to playing in the World Bowl, as this is their 6th appearance in the last 8 seasons. This year is perhaps their most unlikely run yet, as they were losers of 5 of 6 games heading into wildcard weekend and seemed destined to get bounced by somebody in the playoffs before now. It's almost as if the players have a "playoff switch" and step up their performance. They certainly have had the breaks fall their way, especially late 2nd/early 3rd qtr against Baltimore. New Jersey is 2-3 in the World Bowl, including the aforementioned loss to Memphis.

MFN oddsmakers have installed Memphis as 4 point favorites.

Showboats 45 Sun 14

Memphis took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in 12 plays, scoring a TD on a 4 yard run by Tim "Donut Mogul" Horton. Jessie Cepeda ran in the 2 point conversion to give Memphis the early 8-0 lead. Southern California's first 3 drives ended with a punt, a fumble, and another fumble, both lost by Nicholas Wittrock. Memphis turned those turnovers into FG's for a 14-0 lead and another 2nd qtr FG made the halftime score 17-0.

The second half wasn't any better for the Sun as they went three and out three straight drives in the 3rd qtr. Memphis scored TD's after the first two to take a commanding 31-0 lead. The first TD was a hot read 83 yard TD to Jessie Cepeda, the second a Numbers Zielinski 1 yard TD run. Memphis would add two more TD's to take a 45-0 lead before the Sun scored twice in garbage time.

This loss may have ended the Southern California season, but it still was the best season in franchise history and there is no shame in losing to an 18-0 Memphis team.

Generals 38 Stars 13

This game was closer than the score indicates and a couple of breaks here and there for Baltimore could have made for a much different outcome. New Jersey got the ball first and GM raidergreg69 was quite surprised when the first 3 plays were all passes as the game plan was supposed to be run heavy. The Generals went three and out while Baltimore took the punt and marched 77 yards in 3 plays for the game's first score. Jon Snow found Brian Darden on a Flanker Hitch and 65 yards later it was 6-0, extra point made it 7. New Jersey finally got around to running the ball on their second drive, going 75 yards in 14 plays, with Rudi Johnson getting the final 3 yards to tie the score.

Baltimore's first drive gave us one theme for the day, the Stars were going to rack up yardage in chunks all game long. The Stars out gained the Generals 410-367. Their third drive gave us another theme, the turnover. New Jersey won the turnover battle 7-0, and they capitalized on that Bob Marley INT, driving 76 yards in 10 plays, with Marcus Allen doing the honors of punching it in from the 3. On Baltimore's next drive, RB Mark Numbers seemed to be on his way to the end zone with the tying TD but Bob Marley struck again, stripping Numbers short of the goal line and recovering in the end zone for a touchback.

Following 3 punts, Baltimore got the ball inside the 2 minute warning, still trailing 14-7. The Stars ran two plays and called their last 2 time outs, leaving themselves 44 seconds from their own 49 yard line. Jon Snow found Brian Darden on the Flanker Hitch again, but this time Generals SS Walter Moore was able to tackle Darden inside the 1. It set up a first and goal but with only 5 seconds and no time outs, Baltimore elected to kick the FG for a halftime score of 14-10 New Jersey.

New Jersey had to be feeling lucky at the break as they could have easily been down 28-14 the way Baltimore moved the ball. Baltimore got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and Jon Snow quickly turned it over. The very next play Generals QB Ric Flair found Aaron Paul streaking down the seam for a 49 yard TD. Baltimore's next offensive play was another INT of Jon Snow, this one by Lars Ulrich. New Jersey added a Lucio Grant FG for a 24-10 lead. Baltimore would kick a FG for a score of 24-13 New Jersey after 3.

It's tough to come back from an 11 point 4th qtr deficit on the road, but it's darn near impossible when your QB throws 3 INT while trying. The first one of the 4th was by Rod Martin and 5 plays later, Ric Flair tossed a 4 yard TD pass to Richard Hansen, making the score 31-13. The rest was garbage time, as Snow threw 2 more INT's for a total of 6, while Richard Hansen added a 7 yard TD run for the final score of the game.

Baltimore had an excellent season, losing their 3rd straight Conference Championship Game. If they keep knocking on the door like that every year, eventually they'll get in the World Bowl. GM 4343 is a proven MFN winner so no doubt they'll be a contender in 1987.

Divisional Round: The "Road" To The Championship

The Divisional Round of the playoffs saw 3 of 4 road teams win, with unbeaten Memphis the lone home winner. Southern California doesn't want to leave the playoffs now they've finally got here after 13 seasons. Baltimore won round 3 against division rival Washington, the third straight year the Stars have bounced the Federals from the playoffs. New Jersey got revenge on Birmingham for last year's playoff embarrassment, reaching their 6th Conference Championship Game.

Sun 23 Wranglers 20

The closest game of the weekend was in Tempe, Arizona between Southern California and the Arizona Wranglers. The first quarter and a half was a kicking contest, Arizona getting 2 FG's and a punt while the Sun got a FG and a punt. The last half of the second quarter was a different story as we saw 3 TD's scored. The first TD was scored by Southern California, a 1 yard pass from Christopher Kimbrough to Daniel Dungan to make the score 10-6 Sun. Following an Arizona punt, Southern California got the ball back and scored another TD. James Wise caught this TD pass from Kimbrough to put the Sun up 17-6 with 1:12 left before halftime.

There were more fireworks before the break however, as Arizona drove 75 yards in 4 plays, getting a 44 yard TD pass from Luis Gero to Desmond Kirkland. That cut the Sun lead to 17-13, but they scored too quick, allowing Southern California to kick a FG at the end of the 2nd qtr to take a 20-13 lead into halftime.

The second half saw 10 punts, 3 FG attempts (1 good) and 3 turnovers with 2 of those on one play. It wasn't all bad play in the second half as Arizona managed to tie the score at 20 thanks to this 7 yard TD pass  from Gero to Chris Goldberg. Southern California K Alan Grossi missed a go ahead 47 yd FG  with 2:13 left, but Wranglers QB Luis Gero gave the ball right back to the Sun.

Southern California twice almost blew a chance to win the game in regulation. The first time, RB Nicholas Wittrock fumbled but RG David Wilson was there to fall on it and keep the drive alive. The second time, Daniel Dungan was flagged for OPI, pushing back the game winning FG try. Kimbrough got those yards back and then some on the next play, setting up Alan Grossi's 28 yard game winning FG as time expired.

Showboats 32 Panthers 13

Michigan got the ball first and drove for a FG to take an early 3-0 lead. The Memphis offense started slow with a three and out before scoring on their next 3 possessions. The first TD was a familiar sight, David Allen to Willie Howland. The successful 2 point run made the score 8-3 Memphis. Two plays later, the Showboats defense stepped up, intercepting Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz. That set up a short Numbers Zielinski TD run. Jessie Cepeda added his second 2 point run to make the score 16-3. Memphis would add a FG to make the halftime score 19-3 Showboats.

The 3rd quarter saw an exchange of FG's, making the score 22-6 entering the 4th. Early in that 4th qtr, a 4 yard Jerry Ruiz TD to Albert Barraza cut the Memphis lead to 22-13. Two plays later, Memphis stopped that little bit of momentum and slammed the door shut on Michigan. This 75 yard TD from Allen to Jerome Betancourt did the trick. There was more football played, but it was just a formality as Memphis sails into the Conference Championship.

American Conference Championship: Southern California @ Memphis (-12)

Stars 33 Federals 21

These two divisional foes are quite familiar with each other, having faced off 3 times each of the last 3 seasons. Just like 1984 and 1985, the Baltimore Stars ended the Washington Federals season. Baltimore scored FG's their first 2 drives to take a 6-0 lead after 1 quarter. Early in the 2nd, Washington intercepted Jon Snow, with John Meyer returning it 22 yards, to the Stars 11. Two plays later, Joe Richardson found Cory Martin for a 2 yard TD pass to give the Federals a 7-6 lead. Following a Baltimore punt, Washingtom had their best drive of the day. Fifteen plays, 89 yards, culminating in another Joe Richardson TD pass, 6 yards to Patrick Begay. That made the score 14-6 Washington and that score would hold up until halftime.

Baltimore got TD's their first 2 drives of the second half to take a 20-14 lead. First, Jon Snow found Timothy Harmon for a short TD pass then Knob Creek ran it in from 7 yards out. Washington was able to retake the lead on this 32 yard Richardson to Luther Ellis TD pass. That's the only points the Federals got from 3 straight Jon Snow INT's following the 2 Stars scoring drives.

Washington carried that slim 21-20 lead deep into the 4th qtr until Fred Boyce nailed a 34 yard FG to take the lead with 3:30 left. Baltimore then forced a punt before scoring the game sealing TD with 1:40 left. That Snow to Brian Darden TD was preceded by a bad face mask penalty against Federal Matthew Minor. Washington fumbled the ball away on their last drive, enabling the Stars to tack on a last second FG. I'm interested to see if this "rubbing it in" FG will cause some Bengals/Steelers type brawl when these teams meet in 1987.

Generals 30 Stallions 13

Last year was on the minds of the Generals in this game as David Schmitt torched New Jersey for 11 TD passes in the 79-19 beatdown to knock New Jersey out of the 1985 playoffs. Birmingham got the ball first and punted while New Jersey went 80 yards in 11 plays for their opening drive, scoring on a short pass to Calvin Hobbes from Ric Flair. It didn't take long for Birmingham to tie the score at 7 as Richard Sutton took the kickoff 103 yards to the house. New Jersey kicked a FG to give the generals a 10-7 lead after a quarter.

Generals P Clark W. Griswold pinned the Stallions inside their own 10 and one play later, Lars Ulrich intercepted David Schmitt to set up an instant red zone opportunity. New Jersey capitalized a few plays later on this 5 yard Ric Flair TD pass to Justin Timberlake to give the Generals a 17-7 lead. Lucio Grant kicked his second FG to push the Generals lead to 20-7 before the back breaking play just after the 2 minute warning.

David Schmitt threw late across the field, getting intercepted by CB Bernardo Schoenberger who returned it 32 yards for a TD. That gave us our halftime score of 27-7 New Jersey. The second half was uneventful, with 3 FG's, 2 by Birmingham and a bunch of punts by both teams.

National Conference Championship: Baltimore (-2) @ New Jersey

Wildcard Weekend: A New Champion Will Be Crowned

Wildcard Weekend lived up to it's name as 3 of the 4 games were won by the underdogs. Southern California were the only favored team to earn a victory, and now they get to play the 2nd ever playoff game in franchise history. Michigan stunned 2 time defending champion Houston, guaranteeing us of a new champion. Baltimore was the lone road team to win, going to Florida and torching the Blazers. New Jersey defeated New Orleans despite losing 5 of 6 coming into this game.

Panthers 34 Gamblers 29

Michigan got the ball first and drove 75 yards in 11 plays, culminating in a Darrick Dutra 7 yard TD run. Houston responded with a 75 yard drive of their own, needing just 4 plays to get a 61 yard TD pass from Tony Dean to Bruce Edwards. Michigan's second drive also resulted in a Darrick Dutra TD, this time it was a receiving TD. That drive was a 75 yard 7 play drive, so 3 drives into the game, we have 3 75 yard TD drives. Houston made it 4 for 4 on their next possession, needing only 2 plays to cover the field, ending with this 73 yard TD pass from Tony Dean to Mark Lambert.

The first quarter ended 14-14, and Michigan scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter, including this 19 yard TD pass from Jerry Ruiz to James Hills with 1:09 left before halftime. Reigning MVP Tony Dean threw 2 INT's in the second quarter and Houston's problems continued in the second half.

The Gamblers missed a FG and saw Dean's 3rd INT their first 2 drives of the 3rd quarter. Houston's defense stiffened in the 3rd quarter and the 2nd Dean to Edwards TD pass cut the Panther's lead to 24-21.

That was our score entering the 4th quarter and Michigan extended their lead with Darrick Dutra's 3rd TD of the day, making the score 31-21. Houston fought back like the champions they are, getting a safety and another Mark Lambert TD to cut the lead to 31-29. Houston went for 2 points after Lambert's TD, but the pass failed and Michigan's lead was still intact. Houston's last 2 drives ended in Dean's 4th INT of the game, and the clock hitting 0:00.

Divisional Round: Michigan @ Memphis (-10)

Sun 23 Hawaiians 10

Southern California were playing their first ever playoff game and they got a familiar division foe in Honolulu. The Sun got the ball first and drove 66 yards in 7 plays, ending with an Alan Grossi 29 yd FG. Honolulu had a three and out their first drive and the Sun then drove 75 yards for a TD, Christopher Kimbrough to James Wise for 38 yards.

Honolulu fought back with Bruno Wilson finding Delmar Moeller for a 3 yard TD pass to cut the Sun lead to 10-7. The two teams then traded possessions, mostly punts or turnovers, and even traded FG's to give us a 13-10 game in the 3rd quarter.

Following the Hawaiians FG late in the 3rd qtr, David Grier took the kickoff 98 yards to the house, effectively sealing the victory. The Sun only completed 8 passes all day, but ran it 38 times and forced 2 turnovers.

Divisional Round: Southern California @ Arizona (-8)

Stars 45 Blazers 17

The first 5 drives of this game were INT, INT, missed FG, punt, INT. Baltimore got the ball first, and following Jon Snow's 2nd INT, Florida scored the first points of the game. Michael London found Lucas Irwin for the 23 yard TD, but it was all downhill from there as Baltimore scored their next 4 drives.

Jon Snow found Knob Creek for the tying TD, a 28 yard pass. Timothy Harmon caught a short TD pass, Fred Boyce kicked a FG, and Jon Snow hit Brian Darden for a 68 yard TD. That made the score 24-7 at the half.

Baltimore scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter on 2 more Jon Snow TD passes to put the game away. Baltimore had 557 yards of offense while holding Florida to only 196. Jon Snow tossed 6 TD passes on the day, tied for 2nd best all time in the playoffs. Nobody will likely ever tough the 11 that David Schmitt threw against New Jersey last season.

Divisional Round: Baltimore @ Washington (-3)

Generals 19 VooDoo 9

Speaking of New Jersey, this was their first playoff game since being torched by Birmingham last year, and they came in losers of 5 of 6 games. New Orleans has had an up and down history in the USFL, as Smirt is the 4th different owner to take the VooDoo to the playoffs.

New Orleans held New Jersey to a three and out on their first possession, then drove 73 yards in 7 plays for the game's first points. James Sheckler ran it in from 1 yard out but the 2 point conversion was no good, 6-0 VooDoo. The two teams then traded punts and FG's through 3 quarters.

Entering the 4th, New Orleans had a 9-6 lead. Early in the 4th, New Jersey tied the score at 9 with Lucio Grant's 3rd FG of the day, before the huge momentum swing. Bob Marley intercepted a James Perry pass at the VooDoo 29 yard line. The very next play Ric Flair hit Aaron Paul for a TD to give New Jersey their first lead of the day. From there, New Orleans had a three and out and two turnover on downs.

Divisional Round: New Jersey @ Birmingham (-10)

Week 16: Playoff Field is Set

The 1986 regular season is in the books and 12 teams are left to fight for the USFL/WFL Championship Trophy. Two time defending Champion Houston Gamblers have to take their show on the road if they want to win a 3rd consecutive title, qualifying as a wildcard. The Memphis Showboats and Washington Federals are the #1 seeds after battling it out for the top spot in the commish rankings all season.

We have 5 teams qualify this year that didn't qualify in 1985: Southern California, Honolulu, Michigan, Florida and New Orleans. Florida hasn't been to the playoffs since our inaugural season when they won World Bowl I and Southern California has never qualified before.

Four other teams also made the playoffs: Arizona, Birmingham, Baltimore and New Jersey. The Arizona Wranglers have qualified in back to back years for the first time in franchise history. Birmingham has now made the playoffs 5 years in a row, Baltimore 3. The New Jersey Generals seem to have a reserved spot every year, this is their 10th playoff season in a row and 11th total appearance in 13 seasons.

On to the Week 16 action.

Sun 6 Express 0

Southern California just needed to win and they would be Pacific Division Champs and make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They did just that with their less than thrilling 6-0 victory over Los Angeles. That's just what the Sun do, win ugly. They have won 6 of their last 7 games, scoring >20 just once. Their only loss in that stretch was to another playoff team, a one point loss vs Baltimore.

The Sun fan base finally gets a home playoff game after 13 seasons of futility.

Wildcard Round vs Honolulu

Hawaiians 17 SaberCats 3

With the Sun victory, Honolulu had no shot of winning their division but a victory of their own would give them the #6 seed. The Hawaiians put up 461 yards of offense, allowing San Jose just 181 and they secure the wildcard berth.

This is the first time Honolulu qualifies as a wildcard, their other 5 playoff trips were as division champs.

Wildcard Round @ Southern California

Gold 19 Generals 13

Denver needed to beat New Jersey and get some help to go back to the playoffs. The Gold held up their end of the bargain but did not get the help they needed and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1980.

New Jersey won their division forever ago but haven't done much right since. The Generals are limping into the playoffs losers of 5 of their last 6 games having only faced 3 playoff teams in that stretch.

Wildcard Round vs New Orleans

Outlaws 44 Blazers 20

Oklahoma needed a win and more help than Denver needed. Just like Denver, they held up their end of the bargain against a division winner but did not get the help they needed. The Outlaws ran the ball 51 times for 298 yards and won the turnover battle 5-1.

Florida will continue their season despite losing 2 of their last 3 games, averaging 32 points allowed on defense in that stretch. As noted above, this is Florida's first playoff appearance since 1974, when Tribewriter took the Blazers to our league's first championship.

Wildcard Round vs Baltimore

Federals 20 VooDoo 15

Both teams already qualified for the playoffs prior to kickoff but the game still had a playoff feel to it. New Orleans did everything right except take care of the football and score more points than Washington. New Orleans won the yardage, time of possession, and the turnover battle 4-3.

Wildcard Round New Orleans @ New Jersey...BYE Washington

Showboats 80 Blitz 0

Having the #1 seed all wrapped up, Memphis started backup QB Jerry Montalvo and boy did he deliver. Montalvo tied the USFL record of 10 TD passes in a game and his 762 yards are second only to the 836 Les Lacy put up in 1980. The Showboats blitzed the Blitz by the most lopsided score we've seen in awhile in this league.

BYE Week for Memphis

In other Week 16 action:

Invaders 21 Bell 13
Storm 12 Wheels 0
Renegades 16 Bulls 13
Gamblers 20 Gunslingers 13
Stallions 22 Bandits 7
Panthers 21 Steamer 18
Stars 31 Hornets 0
Maulers 20 (NY) Stars 6
Thunderbolts 12 Force 10
Wranglers 20 Breakers 12
 

 

Week 14: Memphis Clinches Home Field Advantage

Week 14 was an interesting week in USFL to say the least. The Memphis Showboats clinched home field throughout the playoffs, we have seven American Conference teams still alive for just 3 playoff spots, Birmingham lost their second in a row, opening the division door for the New Orleans VooDoo and Georgia Force, and speaking of Georgia, their now former owner, Lucky took his ball and went home.

Georgia will be temporarily run by USFLCommish in a similar manner as former USFL Commissioner tribewriter ran open teams. I'll do the bare minimum, no game planning other than scouting, managing the depth chart only in regards to injuries, etc. It's a tough break for the Force fan base as they are in the middle of the chase for the last wildcard spot and possibly the South Division.

Showboats 31 Renegades 6

Will Memphis chase 19-0 or will they rest players the last 2 weeks now home field is wrapped up? Memphis scored 28 first half points the hard way, going 2-4 on two point conversion attempts. It will be interesting to see how teams defend this growing 2 point trend. Showboats QB David Allen tossed 3 TD's and donut mogul Tim Horton rushed for 148 yards as Memphis sailed to victory.


Sun 19 Express 0

It was Interceptionpalooza in Los Angeles. Express QB Eric Roberge threw 3 while Sun QB Christopher Kimbrough threw 5 but Kimbrough also tossed the game's lone TD as Southern California gets one step closer to a Pacific Division title and the franchise's first postseason appearance.

Panthers 31 Stallions 24

Division leaders met in Birmingham and it was the previously 6-7 Michigan Panthers coming out on top. Birmingham won the yardage but lost the turnover battle 3-1, including turnovers on their last 2 drives of the game, helping Michigan win the 4th qtr 10-0 for the come from behind victory. The Panthers have a 2 game lead on Cleveland for the Midwest while Birmingham's two game slide has cut their lead to 1 over New Orleans and 2 over Georgia.

VooDoo 28 Blazers 16

 Rumor has it this will be the new VooDoo logo as their whole offense seems to be on the injury report. New Orleans still managed a balanced attack against the Florida defense and a ball hawking defense limited Florida's high powered offense. New Orleans won the turnover battle 4-2 and dominated in the red zone both ways. Offensively the VooDoo scored TD's on all 3 red zone possessions while holding the Blazers to a single FG in 2 trips.

Gold 20 Invaders 17

Denver had a 14-7 lead after 3 quarters, scoring a safety and 4 FG's. Oakland stormed back with 10 points in 3 minutes to take a 17-14 midway through the 4th. That was the score with 0:22 on the clock, Denver facing a 3rd and 10 from their own 27. Gold QB Dustin Nichols threw a short pass to WR Jose Buford before the missed tackle heard around the USFL. Oakland CB Ralph Hooks had tight coverage on the play but upon the completion, Buford escaped Hooks' grasp before outrunning the Invaders defense to the end zone.

That made the score 20-17 but the Gold inexplicably went for 2 and failed. Lucky for them they aren't the real life Chargers who lost a game like this last week, thanks to a PI flag and a last second FG. This victory gives Denver sole possession of the #6 seed in the American Conference.

Storm 24 Hawaiians 7

Portland won the battle between 2 of the 7 teams fighting for 3 playoff spots, keeping them 1 game behind Denver. Portland racked up nearly 500 yards of offense, 237 on the ground and the score could have been worse considering Storm K Donald Dosch missed 3 FG's.

Steamer 19 Bandits 14
Wheels 10 Thunderbolts 6
Force 17 Blitz 10
Generals 24 (NY) Stars 13
Federals 40 Maulers 0
Stars 30 Breakers 3
SaberCats 23 Hornets 10
Wranglers 31 Bell 10
Gamblers 36 Outlaws 22
Bulls 22 Gunslingers 10

Week 13: Showboats Win Second Showdown

If our current Memphis/Houston rivalry was happening in the 80's, the USFL might still be around. Is there anyone NOT expecting a 3rd game between these two heavyweights? Memphis got the regular season sweep and can wrap up the #1 seed with a victory in Week 14 over Orlando.

Showboats 29 Gamblers 21

If Houston is going to make it 3 straight World Bowl victories, they'll likely have to do it the hard way. Houston got the ball first with a drive ending in a missed FG, while Memphis got a 46 yard TD on their first possession. The Memphis coaching staff ran the numbers and decided to go for 2 points, with Numbers Zielinski plowing in for the conversion and the early 8-0 lead.

Reigning MVP Tony Dean found RB Chase Miles for the TD that cut the lead to 8-7. Memphis answered right away with a 75 yard TD pass from David Allen to Big Play Willie Howland. Memphis once again went for two but Numbers Zielinski was denied, 14-7 Memphis.

For a guy with just 12 yards on 7 touches, Numbers Zielinski had an active game. The first of two 1 yard TD runs by Zielinski gave Memphis a 20-7 2nd quarter lead and his second two point conversion made it 22-7. Zielinski's second TD was the game winner and he crossed the goal line 4 times in all.

Houston may be the likely #5 seed but it wouldn't be wise to write off the Gamblers yet. They have the roster and GM in place capable of running off 3 road wins in a row then winning a neutral site game.

Sun 16 Invaders 13 (OT)

There was actually 15 other games in the league this week and the Southern California Sun have been at the top of the Pacific division most of the season. The Sun have never made the playoffs, so perhaps some nerves were in play today as they struggled with the now 2-11 Oakland Invaders. There weren't many highlights in this game but this 31 yard TD from Christopher Kimbrough to Fred Bates and the ensuing XP tied the game at 13 late in the 4th qtr.

In the overtime period, Oakland got the ball first, going three and out. Southern California made sure Oakland never would see the ball again, driving for the game winning FG and keeping their slim division lead.

Hawaiians 14 Express 10

Honolulu came to the mainland and literally stole a victory from the LA Express. Los Angeles out gained Honolulu 315-225 but a 0-4 turnover ratio sealed their fate. The victory keeps the Hawaiians 1 game behind the Sun for Pacific supremacy.

Wranglers 34 Generals 24

Arizona bested New Jersey in a battle of division winners. The Generals clinched the East after Week 9, the Wranglers clinched the West after handing New Jersey their 3rd straight loss. The Generals have injury problems but that's nothing new for them. What is new to them is how efficiently Arizona carved up the defense. The Wranglers abused the Generals on the ground to the tune of 212 yards on 6.34 yard per carry. They moved efficiently through the air, completing 27 of 36 for 232 yards.

Basically, Arizona took New Jersey's playbook and used it against them. Greg Brady did used to play for New Jersey, maybe he did like his character in the TV show and pulled some schadenfraude with the playbook. In lieu of highlights (I don't want to watch those plays again, haha), here is a pic of the guy stealing the playbook that Greg left on the table.

Panthers 21 Thunderbolts 6

Michigan and Cleveland came into this game tied for the Midwest Division lead, and two first quarter TD's helped the Panthers to the win and the division lead. The two teams combined for less than 400 yards as Michigan ran 34 times for 33 yards. At least they didn't actually use leather helmets as they tried to recreate 1920's football. The Michigan defense smothered the Cleveland air attack.

Stars 24 Stallions 19

Birmingham has already clinched a playoff spot, though the division is far from wrapped up with both New Orleans and Georgia nipping at their heels. All 3 teams need Baltimore to lose, as one of the four won't have a playoff game. The Stars are 2 games behind the Federals in the Atlantic, so this was a huge win for Baltimore.

Birmingham won the yardage and time of possession but was just 2 of 4 in the red zone while Baltimore was 3 for 5 plus a FG.

Renegades 20 VooDoo15

New Orleans couldn't take advantage of Birmingham's loss as they fell to Orlando. The Renegades denied New Orleans the big play and won despite losing the turnover battle 2-0. New Orleans is still in good playoff position, though 2 of their final 3 games are against division leaders (Florida and Washington). 

Force 24 Wheels 6

Right now Georgia is on the outside looking in, but this win keeps them in position to pounce should New Orleans or Baltimore struggle down the stretch. The schedule seems to favor Georgia as well, with 3 games against sub .500 teams.

Gunslingers 16 Outlaws 6

Oklahoma's loss opens the door for several teams in the fight for the #6 seed, including victorious San Antonio. Not counting current division leaders, there are 7 teams fighting for 1 playoff spot. These last 3 weeks are HUGE for all of them.

Federals 23 Bell 3

Washington remains on track for the #1 seed.

Gold 19 Blitz 9

Denver's win puts them in a 3 way tie for the #6 seed.

Blazers 25 Steamer 3

All of a sudden, Florida is 9-4 and might overtake New Jersey for the #3 seed. Florida has 4 wins in a row,

Bandits 20 Bulls 19

Despite elimination from playoff consideration, they played an exciting game that came down to the wire.

(NY) Stars 30 Breakers 6

New York dominated Boston in the rain.

Maulers 25 Hornets 0

Pittsburgh keeps their slim playoff hopes alive with the shutout of Charlotte.

Storm 26 SaberCats 6

Portland is now just 1 game back of the 3 teams tied for the #6 seed.