American Conference
Wranglers 31 Panthers 23
The first 3 quarters were a sort of feeling out period for both teams, but the gloves came off in the 4th. Arizona K Christopher Meade made a 37 yard FG at the start of the 4th to knot the game at 10. On the ensuing drive, Michigan QB Adam Scales threw an interception which was returned 48 yards for a TD by John Louis. The next big play came when Michigan forced an Arizona punt deep in their end of the field. Panthers WR Cory Martin broke through the line, blocking the punt and recovering it in the end zone for the game tying TD.
With 3:35 left, Wranglers QB Joseph Jones found Eric Duncan for a 16 yard TD pass for the tiebreaking TD. Just a couple minutes later, the duo would hook up again, this time for 11 yards and a 31-17 lead. Michigan would make it interesting, with a TD to LG Patrick Blue with 1:05 left, but the onside kick failed and Arizona advances.
The box score was pretty even on both sides, as no runner topped 40 yards and no receiver had more than Arizona WR Eric Duncan's 80 yards. Duncan also reeled in all 3 of Joseph Jones TD passes.
Arizona Wranglers @ Memphis Showboats (-7)
____________________________________________________________________________
Gamblers 36 Express 24
Houston took the opening kickoff and drove for a FG and the early 3-0 lead. A couple drives later, the Gamblers defense struck for the game's first TD. RDE Luis Torres intercepted Los Angeles QB Robert Burns in the end zone, giving Houston a 10-0 lead. The Gamblers would tack on a couple of FGs for a 16-0 lead before the Express finally got on the scoreboard. Robert Burns found RB Chuck Mayfield for a 1 yard TD pass, cutting the lead to 16-7. Each team would add a FG for a halftime score of Houston 19, Los Angeles 10.
Houston would add a 2 yard Ryan Dearing TD run to extend their lead to 26-10 before the Express struck back via the big play. Robert Burns hit Dane Britt for a 59 yard catch and run TD to pull within 26-17. The next big play came from the Houston defense as Ronnie Stahl sacked Burns, causing a fumble. That fumble was recovered by Houston's Charles Wallace, who out ran everyone, thanks to a head start and a broken tackle, in returning it 46 yards for a 33-17 Gamblers lead. Los Angeles would cut the deficit to 33-24 on this 73 yard catch and run TD from Robert Burns to Stephen Tavera.
Los Angeles put up a whopping 474 yards on the Houston defense but the Gamblers didn't break. They sacked Robert Burns twice and intercepted him 4 times and recovering 2 fumbles. Houston didn't turn the ball over at all, so that 6-0 turnover advantage was absolutely huge. The Gamblers used a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 104 and passing for 259.
Houston Gamblers @ Portland Storm (even)
______________________________________________________________________________
National Conference
Bulls 20 Bandits 13
These Southeast division rivals got together in Jacksonville for their 3rd meeting of 1987. The Bulls won the first two and they got off on the right foot today. Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 10 plays for the 7-0 lead. Joseph Serio found Jason Harper for the 1 yard TD pass. Following several punts, Tampa Bay finally got on the board just before halftime. QB Melvin Driggers found his favorite target Thomas Whitley for a 60 yard TD to tie things at 7.
Fast forward to the 4th quarter and it's 13-10 Jacksonville. Bulls QB Joseph Serio threw an INT deep in Bandits territory to thwart a potential scoring drive. On the very next play, Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers gave it right back. Two plays later, Bulls WR/RB Timothy Richardson ran it in from 5 yards out to give Jacksonville a 20-10 lead midway through the final quarter.
Tampa Bay would add a FG while Jacksonville missed one, giving the Bandits one last chance to tie the game and send it to OT. Tampa Bay would get the ball all the way down to the Jacksonville 8 yard line, but on 3rd and 4 from the 8, Jacksonville LDE Donald Babb sacked Driggers and the 4th down pass was short of the line to gain. The Bulls ran out the final 1:03 off the clock to advance.
Jacksonville out gained Tampa Bay 426-287 but lost the turnover battle 3-2. Both teams struggled in the red zone and Jacksonville missed a FG. Tampa Bay WR Thomas Whitley caught 3 passes for 122 yards and a TD in the loss. Jacksonville WR Stanton Redmon caught 5 passes for 142 yards.
Jacksonville Bulls @ Birmingham Stallions (-3)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Generals 34 VooDoo 11
For the second year in a row New Orleans traveled to New Jersey for a wildcard round game against the Generals. New Jersey got the ball first, driving for a FG and the early 3-0 lead. On the VooDoo's first drive, WR/RB Billy Brink caught a swing pass and broke free from the defense, only to be caught from behind by Bruce Dickinson. The Generals would force a FG attempt which was good to tie things at 3. New Jersey would then drive 76 yards in 8 plays, ending it with a short TD run by WR/RB Richard Hansen for a 10-3 Generals lead. Following a VooDoo punt, Generals big game RB Rudi Johnson took a swing pass 72 yards to the house for a 17-3 New Jersey lead.
New Orleans bounced back and cut the lead to 17-11 on this 19 yard TD pass from James Perry to Ricky Hash and the 2 point run by Socrates Rogers. The VooDoo defense needed a stop but those wouldn't come until later, as the Generals once again drove the field for a TD. Free agent WR Corey True was huge in the first half of the season but has taken a back seat as the Generals started to run the ball more down the stretch and he only caught one pass today. That catch was a big one though, as the 18 yard TD gave New Jersey a 24-11 lead. New Orleans would turn the ball over on downs and 24-11 was our halftime score.
In the second half things settled down as the VooDoo finally started to stop the Generals offense. New Orleans was moving the ball well on offense at times, and they out gained New Jersey on the day, but turnovers hurt their chances at a comeback. The second of James Perry's two 4th qtr INT's was the back breaker, as Bob Marley returned it 34 yards for the final score of the game.
New Jersey RB Rudi Johnson added 73 rushing yards to his leading all time playoff total and caught 8 for 147 yards and a TD. In 23 career post season games, Johnson has 2,196 rushing yards and 987 receiving yards.
New Jersey Generals @ Washington Federals (-5)
