Week 13:It's Go Time!

Half of the 12 playoff teams have been decided, and it's go time for the rest of the teams trying to claim an invitation to the postseason party. Memphis, Tampa Bay, Washington, and New York punched their playoff tickets this week, joining Portland and Baltimore. Speaking of Portland, Mark McKeon had 4 more sacks, increasing his record breaking season total to 65. Denver WR Jake Peralta is no longer on pace to break the single season receiving yardage record, but at 657 yards short, it's still within reach. Peralta has 20 TD catches and is within reach of the all time record of 26, first done by Los Angeles Express WR Santiago Smith in 1976 and tied in 1977 by teammate Robert Herrera.

Storm 19 Blitz 14

Portland is fighting with Memphis for home field advantage and today's win over Chicago eliminated the Blitz. Usually when a team holds their opponent under 200 yards, it's awesome, but in Portland's case, it's coming back down to earth. From weeks 5 to 11, taking out the aberration game at Denver where they gave up 503 yards, the Storm defense allowed games of 6 total yards, 35, 9, 12, (-69), and 76. Chicago put up 164 today and the whole league can't wait to see what McKeon does or doesn't do once the playoffs start.

QB Oscar Willis has had struggles this season with turnovers, but the Storm offense usually still has gaudy yardage numbers after most games. Today though, the Blitz defense was able to slow down the Portland offense, allowing 334 yards and no Storm skill player cracked 100 total yards. In fact, Chicago had a 14-13 lead after 3 quarters but two Donald Dosch FGs in the 4th gave Portland the win.

Showboats 24 Wranglers 3

Memphis clinched a playoff spot with today's victory, and it was all thanks to Mark Lambert and the Showboats defense. Lambert had 92 rushing yards and 104 receiving with a TD catch and WR James Wise hauled in 2 TD catches of his own as part of Memphis' 443 yard day. QB David Allen had an average yardage day but Memphis had to love his 3:1 TD:INT ratio. On defense, Memphis only allowed 129 yards all day, and of the 16 Arizona drives, 12 ended up as three and out. In fact, after the Wranglers early FG on their second drive, they went three and out on every drive except for 2, and those ended with lost fumbles.

Bandits 26 Force 10

Georgia outgained Tampa Bay but 4 INTs by Force QB Norris Thomas allowed the Bandits to win, clinching the Southeast division in the process. Besides the turnovers, Thomas was decent, completing 38/53 for 318 yards and Richard Donofrio caught 15 of those for 76 yards. Those 15 catches tied his own league best for a single game this season, and with 21 rushing yards, his 97 total yards tied him for this game's high. Tampa Bay WR Thomas Whitley also had 97 yards on 6 catches and a TD as the Bandits enjoyed great field position all game.

Federals 26 Maulers 14

The Federals got off to a rough start as Robert Sullivan fumbled on Washington's first offensive play, but the defense forced a punt. Second drive, QB Scott Bieber was intercepted by Pittsburgh WLB Fred Leeper, who returned it 14 yards for his 3rd INT return TD of the season. This has only been done two other times in league history, first in 1984 by Honolulu's Douglas Oneal, and the record of 4 was set last season by Jacksonville's Gordon Wong. The Maulers scored another 1st qtr TD for a 14-7 lead before the Federals chipped away with 2 Bieber TD passes and 4 John Bazile FGs for the victory.

Hornets 17 (NY) Stars 9

Charlotte fumbled on their opening drive, setting up a Willie Bust 27 yard TD pass to Damien Bierman for an early 7-0 lead for New York. The Stars went supernova after that, only scoring 2 more points on a safety in the 4th qtr as Bust threw 2 INTs and his teammates lost a fumble and missed a FG. That safety was the last score of the game, and Charlotte scored 17 points in between Stars scores for the victory. New York RB Cam Dalton had 130 combined yards in the loss.

The victory keeps Charlotte in the playoff race thanks to the Generals loss to Baltimore. That New Jersey loss plus Shreveport's loss mean New York clinches a playoff spot despite losing.

Express 27 Hawaiians 19

Two weeks ago, Honolulu looked like a lock to make the playoffs, needing only 1 win or 1 San Jose loss, and I said they could be the first team to clinch. If trslick had a picture of me, it would probably be tacked to a dart board or shooting target for him to take shots at me, because it seems I put the kibosh on the Hawaiians. In an ironic twist, Honolulu is really pulling for New Jersey to beat San Jose tonight because Honolulu's last 3 games are against Portland (12-1), Denver (11-2), and New York (10-3) while San Jose gets Southern California (3-10) and Los Angeles (5-8) after tonight.

This was a turnover free game, and Los Angeles jumped out 10-0, and 17-3 before Honolulu started to get back into it. The early deficit and the Los Angeles running game (33-230 yards) were too much to overcome.

Stars 16 Generals 10

Baltimore already had a playoff spot wrapped up, but the Stars still had a lot to play for. They have yet to clinch their division, but they also have the inside track on home field advantage, plus a chance to get some revenge on New Jersey. The Stars are trying to make it back for their second World Bowl, but it could be their 3rd, 4th, or 5th trip if it wasn't for New Jersey. These teams have met in 3 Conference Championship games with New Jersey winning them all, and despite the fact Baltimore is the better team right now, they probably don't want to see red when the postseason comes.

Speaking of New Jersey, they seemed a good bet for a wildcard berth 2 weeks ago, but with this second loss in a row, they are playing doorman, holding the playoff door wide open for Shreveport or Charlotte to take the last spot. New Jersey could not get their running game going without rookie Sam Beckett, who has yet to leap back into action following a serious leg injury. QB Ric Flair completed 32 passes but couldn't crack 200 yards. WR Jeffrey Zimmer led Baltimore with 4 catches for 105 yards and a TD.

VooDoo 6 Steamer 3

If Shreveport could have won, they would have forced a tie with New Orleans for the South lead, and they got off to a good start. They intercepted VooDoo QB Bruno Wilson on the game's first play to set up a FG for the early 3-0 lead. New Orleans would tie it on their next drive, then the points stopped for most of the rest of the game. Punts galore until New Orleans got the ball in a 3-3 game with 6:47 left to play. The VooDoo methodically marched 64 yards in 14 plays to set up the game winning FG from Jordan Fuller with 9 seconds left.

New Orleans hasn't clinched a spot yet, but their magic number is 1 and at the risk of another kibosh, they seem likely to play extra football in January. Shreveport will be hard pressed to win their division, but if New Jersey keeps choking on Kenny Rogers chicken, they could take a wildcard spot.

Gold 45 Blazers 13

Jake Peralta did very little offensively today (27 rushing yards, 1 catch 4 yards) but he made his presence felt before a lot of fans even reached their seats. Peralta took the opening kickoff 102 yards for the early 7-0 Gold lead. Offensively, Denver struggled in the first quarter before getting into gear for a 459 yard day with a balanced attack. Denver usually strikes through the air, but Andrew Brewer struggled, 20/39, 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT and Florida scored 2 FGs to cut the lead to 7-6. The Gold running game picked up the slack as Jose Buford and Richard Huff scored rushing TDs, and a FG just before halftime made the score 24-6 Denver.

Defensively, the Gold held Florida under 200 yards and the Blazers lone TD was a kickoff return of 106 yards by Freddy Mercury. Richard Huff finished with 2 rushing TDs and 113 yards, Richard Funkhouser caught 7 for 123 and a TD while Jose Buford had 161 combined yards (74 rushing and a TD, 87 receiving).

Gamblers 29 Outlaws 10

Houston struggled in the red zone, scoring no TDs on 5 trips, but K Daniel McCormack was 5/5 on FG tries and Gabriel Ahrens had a huge day as the Gamblers move closer to securing a wildcard spot. Ahrens had TD catches of 80 and 38 yards from Tony Dean as part of his 7-203-2 day. The Gamblers defense held Oklahoma under 200 yards for the game.

Panthers 21 Gunslingers 0

Adam Scales threw 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers and Nicholas Dorey ran for 123 yards to lead Michigan to victory. The Panthers defense held San Antonio to 131 total yards, almost exactly 1/3 of Michigan's 392 yards. Corey Martin didn't catch any of Scales' TD passes but he did catch 3 for 104 yards.

Wheels 9 Thunderbolts 6 (OT)

Detroit kicked a FG on their opening drive and the Wheels defense intercepted rookie QB Michael McGowan 3 times as they put a serious hurt on Cleveland's postseason hopes. Neither team could crack the end zone and 4 quarters of football was not enough to settle this FG kicking contest. Cleveland was led by Samuel Draper's 111 combined yards while Detroit was led by Thomas Mazzeo's 101 combined.

Invaders 27 Renegades 17

Oakland intercepted Elwood Savage twice and Andrew Moreno was 32/39, 229 yards with 2 TDs as the Invaders kept their playoff hopes alive with the victory. TE Christopher Sherrick led Oakland with 10 catches for 88 yards and a TD.


SaberCats 30 Sun 7

Only 3 teams are hotter than San Jose right now as the SaberCats are trying to put together an historic playoff run. San Jose has needed to win out and have Honolulu lose out for a couple weeks now, yet here we are still talking about them. San Jose tripled the offensive output of the Sun (456-148) without benefit of anyone cracking 100 combined yards. QB Tony Romo was 28/33, 305 yards and 2 TD and K Robert Rodriguez booted 5 FGs.


Bell 27 Breakers 6

Boston played their usual game today, great pass defense, horrible run defense and an offense that struggles to score. Philadelphia ran for 278 yards on 44 carries with Jamie Epperson accounting for 172 yards and a TD. QB Robert Hernandez didn't throw for many yards (86) but threw 2 TDs and the Bell defense shut down the Breakers run game.


Bulls 29 Stallions 20

Jacksonville and Birmingham may be home in January, but they were still playing hard today. Stallions QB Marvin Benford was just 13/25 but with 248 yards, he had nearly 20 yards per completion. His 76 yard TD pass to Larry Ceaser got the scoring underway and Ceaser finished with 3 catches and 140 yards. Jacksonville couldn't get much going on the ground but QB Joseph Serio was 30/46, 393 yards, 3 TD and an INT. Edward Maloney caught 6 for 128 and a TD while Timothy Richardson caught 7 for 111 and 2 TD. Jacksonville had a 19-10 lead after 3, and extended it to 22-10 early in the 4th, then held on as Birmingham got within 2 points late.


 

Week 12: Portland and Baltimore Clinch Playoff Spots

The all time season sack record only was extended by 2 this week, as Los Angeles went with a modified game plan, but Portland still won, clinching a playoff berth. The Baltimore Stars also clinched a playoff berth with their victory over Tampa Bay. To see the whole playoff picture, click here.

Storm 23 Express 6

Los Angeles went with a run heavy game plan in an attempt to neutralize the QB Killer, Mark McKeon, and it worked to a degree. McKeon still registered 2 sacks, but the Express had 154 offensive yards. It's not much, but more than Portland has given up in quite some time. Storm QB Oscar Willis had just his second turnover free game of the season, throwing for 345 yards. Fred Wink and Timothy Roquemore each had 105 receiving yards.

Stars 27 Bandits 9

Baltimore held Tampa Bay to 202 yards, handing the Bandits their second straight defeat. Stars QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TDs with 0 INT and 243 yards. Mark Numbers (52 rushing yards, 6-99-2 receiving) and Knob Creek (61 rushing yards, 6-40 receiving) did most of the chain moving.

Showboats 31 Gamblers 7

It was a frustrating day for the Gamblers as the Memphis defense shut down Houston's prolific offense, and former Gambler Mark Lambert had a double hundo game. Houston only had 2 drives longer than 20 yards and could not capitalize on 3 Memphis turnovers. Showboats QB David Allen was responsible for 2 of those, and Memphis also fumbled 4 times, though they only lost 1. Allen did throw 3 TDs and 370 yards, so he wasn't all bad. Lambert had 120 yards rushing on 17 carries and 6 receptions for 114 and a TD.

SaberCats 27 Hawaiians 22

Thomas Welker intercepted 2 Tony Romo passes, taking one to the house for a TD in the 1st qtr as Honolulu got off to a fast start, leading 19-3 early. San Jose would bounce back, closing within 19-17 by halftime, and they outscored the Hawaiians in the second half 10-3 for the victory which delays Honolulu's playoff berth another week. For Honolulu, Scott Stillings had 110 combined yards and a TD while Allen Grant caught a TD among his 6 for 102 yards. Cedric Reynolds and Tim Horton both had 118 receiving yards and The Donut Mogul had a TD as well.

Federals 37 Thunderbolts 10

The first half was a struggle for both teams as neither cracked 100 yards and the Federals did all the scoring with 2 John Bazile FGs for a 6-0 lead. Scott Bieber threw an INT right after halftime, allowing Cleveland to cut the lead in half, then threw a TD pass on 3 straight drives to seize control of the game. Bieber threw for 319 yards and his favorite target was Joseph Andrews who had 7 catches for 135 yards. Cleveland's rookie QB Michael McGowen threw 4 INT on the day.

Panthers 17 Blitz 13

Michigan held Chicago to 160 total yards and the Panthers rode an early 14-0 lead to victory. Nicholas Dorey was the only offensive player of note, rushing for 118 yards and a TD to go with 66 receiving yards. A Chicago win would have resulted in a 3 way tie for the division, but as it stands, Michigan has a 1 game lead on Cleveland, 2 over Chicago.

(NY) Stars 26 Bell 17

New York got out to a 17-0 lead in the 2nd qtr, and they led the whole game, but Philadelphia clawed back into it and made the Stars hold on for dear life. The Bell actually outgained the Stars 356-349 but that early deficit was too much to overcome. Stars RB Cam Dalton had a combined 129 yards while the Bell had a balanced attack.

Steamer 34 Bulls 8

Shreveport forced 5 Jacksonville turnovers, 3 INTs and 2 lost fumbles, holding the Bulls to 192 offensive yards. Steamer DT Emilio Parker had 3 sacks (a 300 lb guy with just 55/50 speed/acc) and they had more rushing yards than passing. Orville Barker ran for 103 yards and a TD to lead Shreveport.

VooDoo 14 Gunslingers 6

New Orleans marched 75 yards in 8 plays on the game opening drive which culminated in a Bruno Wilson TD pass to Joe Daniels, and the 2 point conversion gave the VooDoo an early 8-0 lead. That's it for the offensive highlights as the next longest drive by either team was 37 yards. Both teams punted 8 times and kicked 2 FGs, meaning the early TD was the difference in the game, helping New Orleans maintain their 1 game lead on Shreveport.

Gold 17 Wranglers 10

Arizona raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and held the high powered Denver offense under 300 total yards. After that 1st qtr however, the Wranglers had just one drive longer than 20 yards, and that ended in a fumble. Denver played some good defense themselves, limiting the Wranglers to 248 yards as they scratched and clawed their way back to tie it by halftime with a FG and an Andrew Brewer to Jake Peralta TD pass. Brewer found Richard Funkhouser for the only score of the second half to give the Gold victory. Brewer and Peralta usually have their stats mentioned as well, but not today as no player on either team topped 100 yards with Brewer only getting 207 yards.

Sun 17 Generals 10

New Jersey traveled cross country but they did not have fun in the Sun. The Generals won the turnover battle 3-1 but had trouble moving the ball offensively until late in the 4th qtr. Southern California QB Wilmer Kimble was 35/52 for 306 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, completing passes to 10 different receivers.New Jersey tied the game at 10 just before the two minute warning, but the Sun drove 75 yards in 7 plays as Kimble tossed the game winning TD to James Brough.

Breakers 20 Hornets 10

Sometimes it pays to stick with the game plan you know, sometimes the game plan needs to fit your opponent. Boston has struggled all season long, especially on run defense, but the Breakers are pretty good against the pass. Charlotte is an improving team, but they aren't quite ready to "impose their will" on opponents quite yet, as evidenced by this game. When the Hornets did run, they had success (24 for 154, 6.42 ypc) but they called 40 passes, completing just 15 for 109 yards with a sack. Charlotte's defense did force the Breakers into 9 three and outs, but they also allowed 2 drives of at least 80 yards. QB Robert Burns ended each of those drives with TD passes to lead Boston to their 2nd win of the season.RB Henry Young had 125 yards rushing and a TD for Charlotte.

Renegades 16 Blazers 3

Florida gained more yards than Orlando (216-160) but the Blazers suffered 2 INTs and 2 missed FGs, and those mistakes ended up costing them the win. The Renegades did not move the ball well at all, with just 2 drives longer than 20 yards, the longest being 29. Orlando had 4 scoring "drives" in the game totaling 49 yards (17 yards for a TD and FG drives of 29, 2 and 1 yards). The name of the game is to score points though, and the win enables the Renegades to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Wheels 27 Maulers 10

Detroit topped 20 points for the first time all season despite just 209 yards of offense. Detroit's defense was responsible for 14 of those points as Pittsburgh QB Will Allison was like Oprah, giving interceptions to everyone, tossing 5 today to 5 different Wheels defenders. Emmett Pennington and John Caddell took their INTs to the house. There were 18 three and out drives in this game as both offenses struggled. Detroit QB Gregory Skidmore was not productive at all, 16/26 for 105 yards but his key number was 0, as in zero interceptions.

Invaders 15 Outlaws 9 (OT)

The first 60 minutes of action was a kicking contest, with both teams getting 3 FGs for a 9-9 tie heading to overtime. Oklahoma only had 157 total yards as Oakland shut down their running game, holding the Outlaws below 1 yard per carry. Oakland's offense wasn't great today but RB Oliver Thomas is finally starting to look like himself after an injury plagued season, as he ran for 74 yards on 24 carries and caught 5 passes for 19 more. WR Nelson Martinez caught 9 for 110 and a walkoff 48 yard TD in OT for the Invaders win.

Stallions 16 Force 13 (OT)

This game was close to ending in a tie and the box score was pretty even as well. Georgia had 307 yards, Birmingham 292. Yards per carry were nearly identical and both teams committed 2 turnovers, all but one coming in the extra period. Georgia scored first and maintained the lead until late 2nd qtr, when Birmingham scored a TD for a 13-10 lead. All but 2 second half drives ended with a punt, as the Stallions fumbled once and the Force kicked a FG at the end of regulation to force OT.

There were 7 drives in OT, Birmingham got the ball first and went 3 and out and punted. Georgia threw an interception but Birmingham gave it right back with a fumble. Georgia K Javier Gill was wide left on a 54 yard FG try and the Stallions again went 3 and out. Force QB Norris Thomas then threw his second OT INT, setting up Gerald Hinton's 51 yard FG in the final minute of OT to give Birmingham the win.

Week 11: Playoffs coming into focus

No team has officially clinched a playoff spot yet, but we have a pretty good idea which 12 teams are likely to make it, with a couple of exceptions. Honolulu will clinch the Pacific with a win over San Jose tonight, but even with a loss, it's a longshot for San Jose to take the division. Portland and Denver should both make it, one as West champs, one as a wildcard. Ditto for the Southwest where Memphis and Houston look like locks to qualify. The only question in the American Conference really is who wins the Midwest. Michigan and Cleveland are tied at 6-5 but Michigan got the sweep/tiebreaker edge. There is a chance that Denver and/or Houston stumble badly down the stretch, but they are 3 games clear of everyone else with 5 to play.

In the National Conference, the 2 current wildcard teams (Washington and New Jersey) have a 2 game edge on the next in line. The BYES would go to both Stars teams right now, but Washington is just 2 games back of Baltimore while New Jersey is 1 game behind New York. Tampa Bay has a 3 game lead in the Southeast over Jacksonville. It's likely the South division only gets one spot and New Orleans currently has a 1 game lead over Shreveport. This conference isn't as cut and dry as the American, but the teams on the outside looking in still have their work cut out for them.

Storm 20 Gunslingers 3

Portland "only" had 8 sacks today, 6 by Mark McKeon to push the all time season record to 59 and counting. The Storm once again held an opponent under 100 yards as San Antonio finished with 76. WR Fred Wink caught 7 for 117 and a TD to lead the Portland offense.

Showboats 37 Steamer 10

Memphis QB David Allen didn't play well, again, but the Showboats turned up the ground game to defeat Shreveport. Despite Allen's bad game (12/25, 2 INT, 218 yards and a TD), WR Willie Howland had a big game, catching 4 for 140 and a TD. Memphis had a pair of 100 yard rushers, Mark Lambert had 131 yards while Mark Glenn had 116 and 2 TDs.

Stars 11 Panthers 5

A battle of division leaders resulted in a touchdownless game as the defenses came to play. Like the NFL, the USFL is a copycat league, and Baltimore WLB Jefferey Venable tried his best Mark McKeon impression. Venable "only" had 5 of Baltimore's 7 sacks, and one of the other sacks resulted in a safety when Barristan Selmy sacked Adam Scales in the end zone. Michigan scored a safety of their own, tackling Mark Numbers in the end zone on a swing pass, but the Panthers lost the FG contest 3-2.

Hawaiians 39 Breakers 3

Honolulu RB Scott Stillings ran 29 times for 220 yards and 2 TD as the Hawaiians defeated Boston. Defensively they held the Breakers to 66 total yards as QB Edward Swafford had a horrendous day (10/32, 66 yards, INT).

Gold 38 Bandits 17

This battle of probable playoff teams was the opposite of Baltimore/Michigan as the offenses shined. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers seems over his interception problems as he has thrown just 7 so far in 1989. Driggers was 34/51 for 264 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT and as a team, the Bandits had 327 yards. Denver has been a top 2 offense all season, and today they racked up 525 yards. QB Andrew Brewer had 395 passing yards and 4 TD with Jake Peralta catching 8 for 172 and a TD, but no rushing yards. Jose Buford only caught 4, but they went for 114 and a TD. Add in his 61 rushing yards and he outgained Peralta by 4.

Gamblers 42 Outlaws 7

Oklahoma ran for 119 yards, but they struggled through the air (64 yards) and on defense (555 yards) against the defending champs. Tony Dean tossed 4 TDs, 3 to Gabriel Ahrens covering 139 yards. Jett Black chipped in with 2 TDs, one rushing, one receiving as part of his 192 yard day (89 rushing, 103 receiving). Lloyd Ellis also had over 100 combined yards, 41 rushing with a TD and 76 receiving.

SaberCats 38 (NY) Stars 28

New York QB Willie Bust threw 4 TD passes overall, but the last one actually hurt, because it was a Pick Six by Champ Bailey. The first half was wild, as the teams began by trading TDs, before the Stars pulled away for a 28-17 halftime lead. New York barely had the ball in the second half however, as their 5 drives ended with a fumble, INT, punt, punt, and turnover on downs. San Jose scored 21 third quarter points, for a 38-28 lead after 3, and that was it for the scoring.

For New York, Tomas Abbott and Kenny Heasley had 5 catches each and a TD, with 110 yards for Abbott and 100 for Heasley. RB Cam Dalton had a rushing TD with a combined 102 yards. San Jose was led by RB Graham Peterson who ran for 2 TDs and 81 yards, adding 53 receiving, and Champ Bailey's 89 yard INT return was a serious momentum turner.

Wranglers 25 Thunderbolts 22

Arizona RB Desmond Kirkland ran for 121 yards, including a 51 yard TD as the Wranglers rode 4 Robert Allison FGs to victory. Cleveland missed an opportunity to take the Midwest division lead as 2 turnovers killed drives. The box score only shows 1 turnover, an INT, and it shows Cleveland's fumble, but not that it was lost. That fumble was recovered by a Wrangler defender, who then got hit late by the fumbling Thunderbolt, drawing a 15 yard flag. It may not have shown in the box score, but Arizona was awarded the ball.

VooDoo 28 Stallions 10

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson had 0 INT for the first time all season as the VooDoo broke open a tight game with 2 fourth quarter TDs for the victory. The VooDoo had a balanced attack led by Magic Johnson's 93 combined yards (12 rushing, 81 receiving) and Billy Brink's 80 combined (77 rushing, 3 receiving). The VooDoo defense kept Birmingham out of the red zone, allowing 251 yards.

Federals 32 Maulers 10

Washington did not play their best offensive game, but the Federals defense forced 5 turnovers, 4 of them interceptions as they defeated Pittsburgh. The Maulers had the offensive star of the game, WR Robert Wheeler, but his 8 catches for 110 yards was not enough to overcome Will Allison's mistakes. Federals QB Scott Bieber wasn't much better. He only threw 2 INTs, but one was returned for a TD by Fred Leeper and he only threw for 166 yards. Washington benefitted from several short fields as their longest drive was just 46 yards, enabling K John Bazile to boot 6 FGs. In contrast, Pittsburgh had three drives longer than that, but only scored 3 points from them.

Generals 34 Renegades 13

Orlando hung with New Jersey almost yard for yard, but the Generals won the turnover battle 3-0 and the Renegades also missed a FG to enable the Generals to win handily. Jose Rush had a TD and a combined 112 yards for Orlando while the Generals were led by "Dr." Sam Beckett's 2 rushing TDs and 103 combined yards.New Jersey RB Greg Ayala contributed a TD and 86 combined yards. The Generals have 14 rushing TDs on the year, 4th best, but half of those have come in the last 2 games.

Bell 15 Bulls 14

Jacksonville got 2 Joseph Serio TD passes to Edward Maloney in the first half as the Bulls built a 14-6 halftime lead. Jacksonville kept Philadelphia out of the end zone all game, but the Bell defense stiffened in the second half, allowing just 35 yards and no points. Philadelphia K Robert Albertson made all 5 FG tries to account for all of the Bell points. Philadelphia RB Richard Brown had 91 rushing yards and 101 receiving to continually put the Bell in range for Albertson.

Invaders 24 Wheels 17

Detroit QB Gregory Skidmore threw 2 first half interceptions to help Oakland score touchdowns and build a 24-3 lead. After halftime, Detroit's defense stiffened, shutting out the Invaders while the Wheels offense eliminated the turnovers and scored a couple TDs of their own. It was too little, too late though, as Oakland's first half surge stood up for the Invaders win. Oakland RB Oliver Thomas is getting healthier by the week, though he still has multiple injuries to deal with (ankle 70%, leg 75%, foot 69%). His stats are also looking healthier with 89 combined yards and a TD.

Blitz 26 Hornets 14

Charlotte has been alternating wins and losses the last 6 weeks and this was a loss week. The Hornets barely had the ball with just 16:25 of possession and they committed 3 turnovers. Chicago ran for 143 yards but it took them 49 carries to get that (2.92 ypc). Leon Rupe kicked 4 FGs for the Blitz and RB Ronald Miller had a combined 126 yards. The little time Charlotte had the ball was the Henry and Henry show. Henry Young had 39 rushing yards to go with 51 receiving and a TD while Harry Henry caught 3 for 102 and a TD.

Sun 33 Express 26

There is a lot to sort out looking at this box score. 35 combined drives, 5 turnovers, 12 scoring plays, including a kickoff return for a TD. Southern California got the scoring underway with a TD on their opening drive. Los Angeles tried to tie it with a TD of their own, but the XP was no good, leaving the score 7-6 Sun. That's when Billy Brown took the kickoff 105 yards to the house for a 14-6 Sun lead. Southern California would maintain that lead all game as Los Angeles could get no closer than 5 points. Gene Ingram led Southern California with 115 rushing yards and a TD while the Express were led by Erin Zimmer's 134 combined yards (118 receiving).

Force 24 Blazers 13

Florida had 419 offensive yards, including 351 passing from Sidney Maggard, but his 1:3 TD:INT ratio helped Georgia win. One of those interceptions was returned for a TD by Daren Rasberry and Georgia had 341 offensive yards of their own. Florida was led by ex Gold, ex General, and ex Force WR Corey True's 5-118-1 receiving line plus16 rushing yards. True spent his first 8 1/2 seasons with the Denver Gold before being traded to the Georgia Force. It's easy to forget True's time in Georgia, as the Force made no effort to extend his contract after that one half season, letting him sign with New Jersey for two seasons before signing with Florida this past offseason. It's safe to say True didn't forget his Georgia time, as he lit them up in his best game of the season. Georgia was led by WR Ruben Brannon's 6 catches for 127 yards.

Week 10: Stop me if you've heard this before but...

The single game sack record has been broken for the third time this season, all by Mark McKeon as Portland opponents have yet to get the memo not to throw long against them. The Storm were one of three teams to score 50+ this week, along with Memphis and New Jersey, but the Portland defense continues to be the story of the year. Today's opponent was the Oakland Invaders, and the only invading was done by Mark McKeon. The Invaders had 68 yards of offense if you don't count the 15 sacks for -137 yards, giving Oakland negative 69 for the game.

Portland, Memphis, Baltimore and New York are tied for the league's best record at 9-1, while Boston's victory over Pittsburgh means every team has at least one win and one loss. New Oklahoma owner pc2246 earned his first USFL win with a shutout of San Antonio.

Storm 58 Invaders 0

Come playoff time, Portland needs McKeon to continue being a disruptive force because QB Oscar Willis has been consistently inconsistent. Portland put up 58 points yet Willis only tossed 2 TD passes and failed to crack 300 yards. The Storm got 2 unconventional TDs, a Mark McKeon strip sack return and Fred Wink had the league's first punt return TD of 1989. WR Timothy Roquemore ran for 137 yards and 3 TDs.

Showboats 62 Force 3

Memphis flexed their muscles against the Force, racking up 635 yards with a balanced attack. Showboats QB David Allen has had his struggles in 1989 but today he was on point, tossing 4 TDs to just 1 INT for 383 yards. WR Willie Howland is making a push at Jake Peralta for the league receiving yards lead, but he's running out of time to close the 459 yard gap. Howland caught 7 for 172 yards and a TD, while RB Mark Lambert ran for 175 yards and 3 TD. Lambert now has a league best 1,111 rushing yards and his 7 rushing TDs are tied with Timothy Roquemore for most.

Panthers 25 Gold 22

While Michigan has struggled some in 1989, they are still fighting with Cleveland to represent the Midwest division in the playoffs. Denver has been neck and neck with Portland all season atop the West, with their split giving each team their lone loss before today. Denver spent too much time kicking the first three quarters, and their first five drives in particular. Three punts and 2 missed FG tries for the Gold had the game scoreless as the 2 minute warning approached, before 17 points were scored in a hurry. Michigan took the 7-0 lead on an Adam Scales TD pass to Trevor Wood, then the teams traded FGs for a 10-3 Panther lead at the break.

Two Denver FGs in the 3rd cut the lead to 10-9 before Panthers WR/RB Nicholas Dorey ran it in from 4 yards out. Dorey finished with 128 rushing yards on the day on 26 carries. Denver finally crossed the goal line very late in the 3rd on the first of two Andrew Brewer to Jake Peralta TD passes to make the score 17-16 Michigan. Nicholas Dorey's given position is WR, but with 26 carries and just 1 catch, he's more of a RB, at least today. That one catch went for all of 1 yard, but it was a TD in the 4th qtr, and Dorey also ran in the 2 point try for a 25-16 lead. The second Brewer to Peralta TD came with 4:24 left, but the Gold never got the ball back.

Gamblers 38 Sun 10

Tony Dean threw 5 first half TD passes as Houston jumped out 35-0 and never looked back. WR Gabriel Ahrens caught 2 TD passes, as did Jett Black. Ryan Dearing caught the other Dean TD as part of his 168 yard day (89 rushing, 79 receiving).Jett Black had 136 combined, 93 rushing, 43 receiving. Southern California had exactly 300 offensive yards, though most of the production came after the Gamblers were in firm control of the game.

Hawaiians 33 Express 19

Honolulu has flown under the radar thanks to the big stat producers McKeon and Peralta, but the Hawaiians might be the first team to clinch their division. A win by Los Angeles would have made the stretch run more interesting, but Honolulu's balanced attack was too much to overcome, giving them a 4 game lead on Los Angeles with 6 to play. The Express got on the board first with a FG, but Honolulu scored 24 unanswered points for a 24-3 lead. Los Angeles could get no closer than 11 points the rest of the game. Hawaiians QB Derek Henry threw for 317 yards and 2 TD, as Honolulu played turnover free football. The Express lost 2 fumbles and missed a FG.

Stars 26 VooDoo 14

This was a rematch of the 1988 National Conference Championship Game and the VooDoo were hoping for some revenge, or at least a win to take control of the South. New Orleans had their pass defense working, holding Jon Snow below 300 yards with a 2:3 TD:INT ratio, and the first INT was returned 22 yards for a TD by #22, Joseph Walton for the early VooDoo 6-0 lead. New Orleans would extend the lead to 14-3, but they were shutout the final 3 quarters. Baltimore kicked a couple of FGs to cut it to 14-9 before Jon Snow warmed up a bit, finding Timothy Harmon for a 74 yard TD. Harmon would finish with 110 receiving yards on 6 catches. The Stars had their ground game working well today, 203 yards as a team with 129 from Mark Numbers. Knob Creek added 56 more to go with 55 receiving for 111 combined.

(NY) Stars 28 Bell 3

New York is another under the radar team, as they quietly lead the league in scoring defense, giving up 87 points in 10 games. The Stars are the only team in the league to be below 100 and their offensive scoring is 10th best. Despite a record of 1-8-1, Philadelphia is improving with 4 of those losses being by one score or less, but the Bell made too many mistakes today to hang with the Stars. RB Cam Dalton ran for 105 yards, and had 90 more receiving with a TD. QB Willie Bust threw 4 TD for the game, 2 to Kenny Heasley.

Generals 52 Federals 20

These two teams are each chasing one of the 9-1 Stars teams while also chasing a playoff berth. In recent seasons, the Generals seem to shrink when facing solid teams so it was surprising to see the final margin of victory. It certainly helps to score 14 points in the first minute of the game. RB Greg Ayala ran it in from 59 yards then Washington QB Scott Bieber threw his first of 3 INTs, which was returned 21 yards for a TD by John Diehl. Washington had little trouble moving the ball against New Jersey, racking up 386 yards, but those 3 INTs plus a lost fumble allowed the Generals to win the turnover battle 4-0. New Jersey had 459 total yards, 209 rushing, 250 passing. New Jersey got 4 rushing TDs today, 2 by Greg Ayala and one each from Sam Beckett and Richard Hansen.

Bandits 24 Bulls 6

After a rough start to the season, Tampa Bay is quietly the hottest team in the league, having won 6 straight coming in. Jacksonville was also coming in hot, winners of three in a row and 4 of 5, so something had to give. Tampa Bay held Jacksonville out of the end zone all game and QB Melvin Driggers had 3 TD passes. Two of those went to Thomas Whitley as part of his 6-118 receiving line. Calvin Sipe had 116 combined yards for Jacksonville.

Thunderbolts 19 Wheels 6

Cleveland's rookie QB Michael McGowan threw the game's only TD pass to Bobby Colley and the Thunderbolts also won the FG kicking contest 4-2. Detroit had the lead at halftime 6-3, but only gained 62 yards after halftime. The victory enables Cleveland to keep pace with Michigan for the Midwest division lead.

Hornets 10 Steamer 6

A Shreveport win would have given them the South division lead, but 3 turnovers, 202 offensive yards and zero TDs kept that from happening. Charlotte's offense wasn't great either, but QB Robert Ament did fire a 63 yard TD pass to Randall Liles for the game's only TD. This win evens Charlotte's record at 5-5, the first time since 1984 the Hornets are .500 or better this late in a season.

Breakers 15 Maulers 13

Boston finally gets off the schneid with a victory in a game where they failed to crack 100 offensive yards. Breakers RB Rudi Johnson (still feels strange typing that after so long with New Jersey) was out with an injury and the running game suffered. 34 rushes netted 4 yards and they had 90 net passing yards for a total of 94. Pittsburgh had no trouble moving the ball against the Breakers defense as Allen Garcia ran 14 times for 110 yards, William Cox caught 7 for 118 and a TD, and QB Will Allison had 2 TD passes. Allison also threw 5 INTs, which led to a bunch of FGs after the Breakers offense stalled. In the end, Boston's 5/6 FGs were better than 2 TDs, 1/2 on XP and 0/1 on FG tries.

Outlaws 6 Gunslingers 0

Not much stat wise to talk about in this game as neither team topped 200 yards or crossed the goal line. Oklahoma got 2 Curtis Zuniga FGs and withstood a late San Antonio drive that stalled on the Outlaws 13 yard line to give pc2246 his first USFL/WFL victory.

Wranglers 20 Blazers 14

Arizona missed 2 FGs and had 2 turnovers, but the Wranglers defense held Florida's offense in check until the final 5 minutes. Despite the mistakes, Arizona built a 17-0 lead before having to hold on for dear life at the end of the game. Florida cut it to 17-8 before Arizona extended the lead to 20-8. Sidney Maggard then threw his 2nd TD pass for Florida, but a missed XP made the score 20-14. The Blazers recovered the onside kick, but Maggard threw an INT to thwart the Blazers comeback bid.

Blitz 26 SaberCats 16

Both teams moved the ball well with balanced attacks but they had trouble with turnovers and too many FG attempts. San Jose made 4 red zone trips but came away with just 1 TD, and the SaberCats committed 3 turnovers, the last of which was an INT return for a TD. Chicago had 2 turnovers of their own, but they got 4 Leon Rupe FGs and that previously mentioned INT return, by Herbert Brigham, was the game sealer for the Blitz.

Renegades 19 Stallions 9

Pumph up the volume, Orlando announced new ownership after the game. The Renegades sent the AI packing with a victory despite just 154 offensive yards. Orlando intercepted Birmingham QB Marvin Benford 5 times and K Jason Barger made 4 FGs as a result of the short fields. RB Jose Rush scored the game's lone TD and Ben Dehaven had 93 combined yards.

Week 9: Season sack record falls

Storm 38 Blazers 3

The 1989 Defensive MVP (yes I'm calling it now, as if it hasn't been obvious for weeks) Mark McKeon had 8 more sacks today, giving him 38 for the season. With 7 games left, McKeon has already crushed the previous record of 33, and now has his sights on the career sack record, which is currently held by current free agent/former New Jersey General James Lockette (140). If future Portland opponents don't stop this sack Storm, that record will fall sometime next season.

It's not just sacks for Portland either, as they held Florida to only 6 offensive yards. This is the 4th time in the last 5 games their opponent has gained less than 50 yards. Offensively, it was the Timothy Roquemore show. Roquemore didn't actually score any TDs but he ran 30 times for 168 yards and caught 11 for 118.

Showboats 24 Gamblers 18

Memphis wins round 1 of The Clash of the Champions as the Showboats overcame 4 David Allen interceptions to defeat the Gamblers. It wasn't all bad for Allen as he found Willie Howland for 2 TD passes and Howland finished with 174 yards on 8 receptions. Tony Dean failed to crack 200 yards as the Showboats defense kept the Houston offense in check.

Gold 25 SaberCats 24

Denver has the league's #1 offense thanks to Andrew Brewer and Jake Peralta but today, Southern California jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held that lead until the final 2 minutes of the game. QB Michael Temples tossed 2 TD passes for the SaberCats and Graham Peterson had a combined 145 yards and a TD. Denver had trouble getting their running game going, but the Gold scored 3 second half TDs, the last coming with 1:32 left. Richard Huff caught the game winning TD from Andrew Brewer and Jake Peralta had 186 combined yards, 166 receiving, and 2 TDs.

Stars 31 Hornets 27

Charlotte gave Baltimore all they wanted as there were seven lead changes in this game. The Hornets had 517 yards of offense, 416 of that through the air. Charlotte QB Robert Ament tossed 2 TD passes to Steve Tarry and two Henrys got the most yards. WR Harry Henry caught 6 for 116 while teammate Henry Young had a combined 109. Baltimore's defense struggled all day and QB Jon Snow tossed 2 first half interceptions, but also had 4 TDs, leading the Stars to a 10-0 4th qtr for the come from behind win.

(NY) Stars 18 Breakers 13

Boston's defense hung tough, intercepting Stars QB Willie Bust 4 times, but their run defense continues to be their downfall. New York ran for 227 yards, 136 by Cam Dalton and K Daniel Hall booted 3 FGs to lead the Stars to victory. The Breakers offense has looked better since signing Rudi Johnson (98 combined yards today), but it has yet to translate into points and wins.

VooDoo 28 Steamer 19

Shreveport could have had a huge divisional advantage with a win against New Orleans and VooDoo QB Bruno Wilson did his best to help the Steamer out. Wilson threw 2 interceptions today, giving him 22 so far which is one more than David Allen for most in the league. Wilson was also sacked twice, once for a safety and once with a lost fumble which was scooped up by Jim Sigler who took it 8 yards for a TD. The VooDoo defense played just well enough to keep the offense in the game and 255 rushing yards helped to overcome Wilson's mistakes for victory.Billy Brink had 126 rushing yards and a TD.

Panthers 29 Maulers 24

Michigan WR Nicholas Dorey had 2 first quarter TDs, one rushing, one receiving as the Panthers got out to a 20-7 lead. Pittsburgh stormed back to take a 21-20 halftime lead thanks to the second and third TD passes from Will Allison. The second half was a FG contest which Michigan won 3-1 for the final score of 29-24. For the Maulers, William Cox caught 11 for 107 and a TD while Michigan's Nicholas Dorey had 166 combined yards (140 rushing) and 2 TDs.

Thunderbolts 31 Outlaws 6

Cleveland ran for 217 yards and rookie QB Michael McGowan threw 3 TD passes to Wayne Boutwell as the Thunderbolts defeated Oklahoma. The win keeps Cleveland in a first place tie with Michigan in the Midwest.

Wranglers 41 Hawaiians 16

There were a lot of 200+ yard rushing games this week, and Arizona had 203, 151 and a TD from Desmond Kirkland. The star of the game was WR Eric Duncan, who caught 5 passes, 4 for TDs to go with 225 yards. Scott Stillings had 152 combined yards for Honolulu.

Bandits 21 Renegades 3

Orlando RB Ben Dehaven had a combined 189 yards but the Renegades could not cross the goal line, scoring only 3 points today. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers has seemingly remedied his INT problem from past years with only 6 through 9 games. Driggers threw 2 TD passes and Thomas Whitley caught one of those as part of his 4-116-1 day.

Federals 34 Bell 16

Philadelphia hung tough in the first half, down just 14-13, but the Washington aerial attack was just too much. The Bell were led by Richard Brown's 107 rushing yards. For Washington, Scott Bieber threw for 3 TDs and 419 yards and his favorite target was Robert Sullivan (14-213-2).

Generals 30 Stallions 3

Speaking of Robert Sullivan, the Washington WR has to be salivating looking at next week's opponent New Jersey. The Generals gave up yet another big game to a WR despite winning by 27 points. Larry Ceasar caught 6 for 135, but the Generals defense held everyone else in check, forcing 4 turnovers (2 INT, 2 fumbles) while QB Ric Flair played turnover free football. New Jersey P Clark W. Griswold nailed all 5 punts inside the 20 yard line and rookie RB Sam Beckett had 130 combined yards.

Blitz 26 Wheels 8

Chicago took an early 7-0 lead on a Jason Rambo 7 yard run in the 1st qtr before QB Ronald Brown was sacked in the end zone for a Detroit safety. The Wheels added 2 more FGs, one in the 2nd qtr and one in the 3rd to take an 8-7 lead. Chicago would take the lead back just before the start of the 4th on a FG, and add 16 unanswered 4th qtr points to pull away from Detroit and seal the win.

Gunslingers 15 Force 10

San Antonio held Georgia to 202 total yards and RB Charlie Shanks ran for 144 yards and a TD to lead the Gunslingers to victory. San Antonio K Brian Johnson missed the XP after Shanks' TD but he made all 3 FG tries while P A.J. Winehouse nailed 5 of 8 punts inside the 20.

Express 20 Sun 6

Southern California scored the first 6 points of the game on a pair of 52 yard FGs by K William Ferguson, but the Sun only gained 206 total yards and those 6 points did not hold up. Los Angeles had a missed FG, fumble and interception among their first 4 drives but the Express settled down after that to score 20 unanswered points for the victory. Los Angeles converted 9/16 3rd downs and defensively they held the Sun to 2/15.

Bulls 9 Invaders 6

The defenses of both teams shined today as neither team cracked 200 yards and both teams committed 3 turnovers. Jacksonville got 99 combined yards from Calvin Sipe and Paul Sidwell nailed all 3 FG tries to lead the Bulls to victory despite losing 3 fumbles. Oakland kept injured RB Oliver Thomas in the lineup despite him being one legged, and he struggled again. QB Andrew Moreno also struggled for the Invaders, completing 28/52 for an underwhelming 138 yards with 3 INTs. 



 

1989 Week 8: Sack Record Broken Again

We're halfway through 1989 and with the Tampa Bay win over the New York Stars, every team has lost a game now. Our league's record for most sacks in a game was broken again by the same player who broke it 4 weeks prior. Mark McKeon recorded 11 sacks today, bringing him up to 30 for the season which is 3 short of the season record of 33. We have 3 divisions with a tie for the lead and just Honolulu has a division lead of more than 2 games.

Bandits 16 (NY) Stars 12

New York came into the game as the lone undefeated team and the Stars outgained Tampa Bay 423-180. The Stars ran the ball better and passed better, save for 3 Willie Bust INTs. New York would also lose a fumble and have a punt blocked, legally. In between the mistakes, the Stars moved the ball but could not cross the goal line at all, kicking 4 FGs for their 12 points.

Tampa Bay took advantage of the great field position after turnovers and booted 3 FGs of their own. The Bandits got the game's only TD late in the first half as Melvin Driggers found Thomas Whitley for the 7 yard score. Stars RB Cam Dalton was the stat king with 75 yards rushing and 99 receiving.

Storm 34 Sun 0

Week 4 was the week Mark McKeon put the league on notice with 9 sacks in a game vs Denver to break a record that had been in place for more than a decade. The new single game sack record lasted all of 4 weeks as McKeon broke his own record today with 11 sacks. The Portland defense had 14 sacks overall for -117 yards, leaving the Sun with 9 total yards for the game. That defense means it doesn't really matter how many INTs Oscar Willis throws, so long as they can get in the end zone once. Willis threw 3 today, giving him 15 for the season. Only Bruno Wilson and David Allen have thrown more. Alfred Gale had a rushing TD, a receiving TD and 142 combined yards for the Storm.

Showboats 71 Express 7

Memphis scored 44 points in the 2nd qtr, which is probably a league record, and they outgained Los Angeles by a nearly 7:1 ratio (753-111). The Showboats defense recorded 7 sacks and QB David Allen had his best game of the season, tossing 6 TD passes to just 1 INT with 510 yards. Willie Howland caught 7-170 and a TD, Thomas Saunders caught 2 passes, both TDs for 121 yards and Mark Lambert had 147 yards on the ground with a TD. Los Angeles was led by Fredrick Whidden who had 130 yards receiving, or more than 100% of his team's total.

Gamblers 33 Panthers 14

This was a rematch of the 1988 American Conference Championship, and it ended the same way, a Houston victory. The Gamblers defense gave up 139 combined yards and a TD to Nicholas Dorey, but they forced 2 Panther turnovers as Houston got out to a 24-3 lead. Tony Dean tossed 2 short TD passes to Jett Black and Ryan Dearing had a double hundo, 106 rushing (and a TD), 176 receiving.

Gold 27 Wranglers 20

This was a back and forth game with 3 lead changes and Jake Peralta only had 54 receiving yards. Richard Huff did the heavy lifting for the Gold today, combining for 145 yards and 2 TD while the Wranglers stat king was WR Eric Duncan, who had 168 yards on 4 receptions. Arizona took an early 3-0 lead before Denver scored 13 straight. Arizona took the lead back before halftime, 17-16 and they extended it to 20-16 after 3 quarters. The Gold scored a TD, 2 point conversion, and a FG in the 4th for the come from behind victory.

Hawaiians 7 Outlaws 6

The offenses must have been on vacation in Honolulu as the teams combined for only 345 offensive yards. They combined for 21 punts and no offensive player on either side topped 60 yards. The lone TD of the game was an 11 yard pass from Honolulu QB Derek Henry to Allen Grant.

Stars 28 Maulers 6

Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Justin Coffey and the Stars defense held Pittsburgh to 230 offensive yards with an INT. Mark Numbers had 79 rushing yards (1 TD) and 77 receiving yards to lead the Baltimore attack.

Steamer 19 Force 10

This was another game where both teams struggled to move the ball. Georgia only had 172 yards for the game, but they had the lone offensive TD, an 18 yard pass from Norris Thomas to Richard Donofrio. Shreveport had 229 yards for the game, but trailed 10-6 after 3 quarters. James Hooper booted 2 4th qtr FGs, the last with 1:50 on the clock to give the Steamer a late 12-10 lead. Georgia would have time for one last drive, but Norris Thomas was intercepted by Christopher Landreneau who returned it for the game sealing TD.

Hornets 10 Thunderbolts 6

Cleveland scored first and last, but Charlotte got the game's only TD and escaped with a 10-6 victory. Hornets RB Henry Young ran for 40 yards and that TD, adding 54 receiving yards to lead the Charlotte offense. The Hornets defense held Cleveland to 196 yards with a fumble, and kept them out of the end zone all day.

Wheels 13 Gunslingers 6

Detroit got the ball first and took nearly 8 minutes off the clock as they punched it in the end zone for an early 7-0 lead. That 13 play, 75 yard drive was capped off by a 1 yard Thomas Mazzeo TD run. The Wheels only threw 9 times all game, opting for a ground attack that produced 137 yards on 44 carries. Detroit only outgained San Antonio by 7 yards (188-181) but the Wheels kept the Gunslingers out of the end zone all game, as they held on for their first victory of 1989.

Generals 27 Bell 22

New Jersey led 21-10 entering the 4th qtr, but the Generals bugaboo, giving up big games to opposing WRs, reared it's head in the final quarter. James Jones caught 2 long TD passes from Robert Hernandez as part of his 7-204 day. The last TD pulled Philadelphia within 5 with 1:16 left in the game but both the 2 point try and onside kick failed, allowing the Generals to hold on to the win. Sam Beckett had 126 combined yards and a TD to lead New Jersey.

SaberCats 33 Breakers 6

Boston has a tough pass defense, 4th best completion % and 10th best yards per attempt, but their run defense is awful. They give up an average of 221 yards a game on the ground, and today, San Jose got exactly 300 on 40 carries. Graham Peterson ran for 159, Stephen Demmer 112, and Tim Horton caught 3 passes for 135 and 2 TDs. Boston had nearly 300 yards of offense, but they need to find a way to score TDs instead of FGs. Placekicker Kevin Baker made just 2 of 5 FG tries and is 9/16 on the season, including 1/7 on 40+ tries.

Invaders 16 Blazers 10

This was a tale of two halves, turnovers, and a ton of punts. Oakland scored 16 points in the first half as they built a 16-0 lead, but Florida won the second half 10-0, but turned the ball over on downs their last 2 possessions as they just couldn't get over the hump. The Blazers turned it over 5 times (3 INT, 2 lost fumbles) and punted 10 times, while Oakland had 3 turnovers (1 INT, 2 fumbles lost) and 12 punts. RB Oliver Thomas returned to the Oakland lineup despite his ankle only being 40% healthy, and he struggled. WR Nelson Martinez led the way with a TD catch and 113 yards on 8 receptions.

VooDoo 38 Stallions 14

Bruno Wilson threw 3 TD passes for New Orleans but also 4 INTs to push his league leading total to 20. The VooDoo defense had his back though, intercepting 3 passes of their own and only allowing Birmingham 155 total yards. In between the interceptions, Wilson threw for 395 yards, 108 to Billy Brink. WR Socrates Rogers continues to fill the stat sheet with 25 rushing yards, 78 receiving and an INT on defense.

Bulls 41 Renegades 33

A wild game in Jacksonville as there were 16 scoring plays and 3 lead changes. The Bulls got things started as Calvin Sipe took the opening kickoff 108 yards for the early 7-0 lead. They would extend that lead to 22-7 early in the 2nd before Orlando came back with 2 quick touchdowns to pull within 22-21. Jacksonville would boot a FG before Orlando scored a TD for a halftime score of 28-25 Renegades. The 3rd qtr saw an exchange of FGs and the Bulls put the game away in the 4th qtr.

The Jacksonville defense intercepted 3 Orlando passes, none by All Pro Gordon Wong. In addition to the kickoff return, Calvin Sipe chipped in 91 combined offensive yards and WR Timothy Richardson caught 5 for 141 and 2 TDs. Kicker Paul Sidwell booted 7 of 8 FG tries.RB Ben Dehaven led Orlando with 150 combined yards and 2 TDs.

Federals 31 Blitz 9

Washington QB Scott Bieber tossed TD passes to 4 different receivers and WR Robert Sullivan ran for 74 yards with 55 more receiving to lead the Federals to victory. Chicago held their own in the box score, gaining 313 yards to 354 for Washington, but the red zone was the zone of doom for the Blitz. Washington scored TDs on all 3 of their red zone possessions while the Blitz did not cross the goal line at all, kicking 3 FGs in 4 trips inside the 20. Jay Kinder had 116 receiving yards for Chicago. 

1989 Week 7...Seeing Stars

The New York Stars are the last remaining undefeated team after losses by Portland and Baltimore this week. Denver WR Jake Peralta is now up to 1,297 yards and 15 TD, and has a 593 yard lead over second place Willie Howland. For perspective, that 593 yard lead is more than every receiver in the league except for Howland and Robert Sullivan. Portland's Mark McKeon had 1 sack to push his season total to 19 and Jacksonville's Gordon Wong has 11 INT already.

(NY) Stars 23 Generals 16

New York was actually outgained by 146 yards but the Generals turned it over 4 times and failed to capitalize on any of 5 red zone trips (3 FG) as the Stars seem headed for their second consecutive East title. The New Jersey defense did force 4 fumbles but the ball bounced New York's way as the Generals only recovered 1. New Jersey also allowed a big game to an opposing WR, this time Damien Bierman who caught 10 for 119 yards. Kenny Heasley caught both Willie Bust TD passes and Cam Dalton had 125 combined yards.

For the Generals, rookie RB Sam Beckett had a combined 109 yards and fellow RB Richard Hansen had a combined 108. QB Ric Flair tossed 3 INT however and New Jersey ran out of time as the game ended with the Generals just outside the Stars red zone.

Gold 50 Storm 23

Denver and Portland had their rematch 3 weeks after Mark McKeon set the league on fire with his record breaking 9 sacks in a 47-13 Storm win. Whatever the problem was in that game, it was corrected for this one as Mark McKeon and the Storm defense only sacked Andrew Brewer 1 time. Denver was also able to get Jake Peralta back on track after Portland held him to his second lowest output of the season (121 yds) in the first meeting.

The first half was all Denver as the Gold crossed the goal line on each of their first 3 drives, while Portland struggled out of the gate with an INT, turnover on downs and a FG. Brewer tossed 5 first half TDs, 2 to Peralta en route to a commanding 35-6 halftime lead.

The second half looked like it was going to be a repeat of the first after Brewer and Peralta hooked up for a 75 yard TD on the first play of the 3rd to make the score 42-6. Most teams would throw in the towel at this point, but not Portland. The Storm had an incredible 32 first downs today and outgained Denver 622-503, and Portland went on a 20-0 run to pull within 42-26 midway through the 4th. The last score of the game came on a 75 yard TD pass, the 7th of the day for Brewer, 4th to Peralta. The two point conversion was successful, giving the Gold 50 points for the game. 50 is the magic number triggering the Bullwinkle's Bar and Grill free Rocky Mountain Oysters promotion, and all fans in attendance gets a free order with a ticket stub.

Stat stars of the game were Denver's dynamic duo Andrew Brewer (24/36, 497, 7 TD, 0 INT) and Jake Peralta (8-342-4) and Portland's Oscar Willis (35/62, 439, 2 TD, 1 INT) and Timothy Roquemore (102 rushing yards 84 receiving).

Federals 30 Stars 27 (OT)

This game played out more like we've come to expect whenever Washington and Baltimore play, a nip and tuck affair often decided on the last possession. It was sort of like basketball where everybody makes a run. The Federals scored the first 10 points, the Stars then ripped off 24 straight points for a 24-10 lead. Washington fired right back late in the game with 17 unanswered for a 27-24 lead that would hold up until the clock hit 0:00 at the end of regulation. That's when Baltimore's K Fred Boyce knocked through a short FG to send the game to OT. John Bazile would make a 57 yard FG on Washington's first drive and the Federals defense held on for victory.

Showboats 27 Thunderbolts 23

Memphis went back to David Allen at QB after Jerry Ruiz underwhelmed last week and despite going 26/35 for 285 yards, Allen tossed 2 more INTs. Allen was outplayed by Cleveland's rookie QB Michael McGowan, who went 26/34 for 262 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Cleveland took an early 3-0 lead, then gave up 8, scored 3 and gave up 3 before McGowan's 76 yard TD pass to James Bull gave Cleveland a 13-11 lead. Two Memphis FGs followed by a Cleveland FG made it 17-16 Memphis midway through the 3rd. The teams then exchanged TD runs for a 24-23 Showboats lead after 3. Cleveland fell behind 27-23 before turning it over on downs twice.

Mark Lambert had a combined 165 yards with a TD while Willie Howland hauled in 9 for 179 yards.

Gamblers 20 VooDoo 10

Houston and New Orleans are 2 of just 6 teams with 200+ points on the season, so it figures this game was all about defense. Both offenses turned the ball over 3 times and were held well below their average yardage output. Both QBs threw 2 INT although every Tony Dean pass was caught by a WR. New Orleans has been using WR Socrates Rogers in their defensive backfield and his 2 INT today give him 7 on the year on only 17 passes thrown at him. Houston jumped out to a 17-3 lead then held on in the second half for victory.

Hawaiians 16 Sun 9

One week after suffering their first loss of the season, Honolulu turned the ball over on their first two possessions today. One of those INTs led to the first of 2 Southern California early FGs for a 6-0 Sun lead. Honolulu finally got the offense on track in the 2nd qtr, scoring 13 unanswered for a 13-6 lead at the break. The second half saw just one FG each and the Hawaiians come away with the win. Gene Ingram had 119 rushing yards for the Sun while Honolulu RB Scott Stillings  had 110 rushing, 141 receiving.

Panthers 16 Wheels 0

Michigan's offense didn't have a great game but Nicholas Dorey finally filled the stat sheet. Adam Scales found Dorey for an early 80 yard TD pass and Dorey added 103 rushing yards to support the Panthers defensive effort. Detroit struggled to move the ball all day, amassing just 120 total yards and crossing the 50 only twice.

Bandits 38 Stallions 19

Tampa Bay scored TDs on 3 of their first 4 drives as the Melvin Driggers to Thomas Whitley connection was on fire. Driggers finished the game 29/42, 366 and 5 TDs and Whitley caught 7 for 190 and 4 TD. Birmingham had 341 yards of offense but lost 2 fumbles with problems on 3rd down on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Stallions converted 3/11 third downs, defensively they allowed Tampa Bay to convert 10/17.

Steamer 13 Bell 6

Shreveport jumped out to a 13-0 2nd qtr lead before Philadelphia booted a FG just before halftime. The Bell added a FG midway through the 4th to pull within 13-6, but QB Robert Hernandez threw 2 INTs late in the game to thwart the comeback attempt. RB David Oldham led the Shreveport attack with exactly 100 combined yards.

Bulls 30 Blazers 27

Florida QB Sidney Maggard threw for 340 yards but the Jacksonville defense intercepted him 4 times while also sacking him 5 times. The Bulls committed 3 turnovers of their own, including giving up a Pick Six to Brandon Gonzalez, but Joseph Serio tossed 4 TDs as Jacksonville holds on for the win. Timothy Richardson only caught 4 passes but 3 were touchdowns and he finished the game with 135 receiving yards. All 4 interceptions Maggard threw were picked off by Gordon Wong, who now has 11 for the season.

Renegades 14 Force 7

Orlando scored 2 early touchdowns, then held on defensively for the win. Renegades RB Ben Dehaven got the scoring underway with a 69 yard TD run. Dehaven finished with 215 combined yards, 165 of that on the ground as he was the star of the game. Georgia WR Ruben Brannon caught 8 for 88 yards and a TD.

Maulers 23 Hornets 16

Charlotte jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the 1st qtr and Pittsburgh tied it by halftime with the first of  3 Will Allison TD passes. The extra point was no good after that one, but he made the XP in the 3rd after Allison's second TD toss for a 13-6 Maulers lead. Charlotte would pull within 4 after a FG before Allison's 3rd TD pass and a FG extended the lead to 23-9. The Hornets got a late, long TD to narrow the final margin. For Charlotte, RB Henry Young had 112 combined yards and James Lombardo caught 4 for 98 yards and a TD. For Pittsburgh, Allison's 3 TD passes went to 3 different receivers, but his favorite target was Bobby Cantu, who hauled in 8 passes for 108 and a TD.

Express 29 Breakers 0

This game boiled down to the rushing attack. One week after veteran Rudi Johnson had an impressive Breakers debut, he hit the proverbial wall against Los Angeles. Johnson ran 20 times for negative 9 yards while on offense, Los Angeles used a 4 man committee to gain 184 yards on 29 carries. Express QB Christopher Pringle tossed 2 early TD passes, then the defense and ground attack did the rest.

Gunslingers 16 SaberCats 14

San Jose RB William Smalling had a 15 yard TD run to get the scoring underway, but inexplicably, that was Smalling's only touch of the game. San Antonio RB Charlie Shanks tied it with an 11 yard TD run as part of his 133 yard day (79 rushing, 54 receiving). The Gunslingers would add a FG, then San Jose would get a Michael Temples to Stephen Demmer 6 yard TD pass for a 14-10 halftime lead. The second half was mostly uneventful, but the Gunslingers did kick 2 FGs, the last of which was the game winner with 5 seconds left.

Blitz 33 Outlaws 3

Chicago QB Ronald Brown threw 2 TD passes and the Blitz defense made life miserable for QB Shane Falco and the Outlaws offense. For the game, Oklahoma was held to 116 yards and committed 4 turnovers, 3 of those being Falco INTs. One of those interceptions was returned for a TD by George Caraballo and K Leon Rupe booted 4 FGs to complete the scoring.

Wranglers 21 Invaders 0

This was a defensive struggle as the teams combined for 421 yards, 5 turnovers and 4 sacks. Neither team was able to get into the red zone and there were 26 combined punts. The offensive star of the game was Arizona WR Eric Duncan, who had the lone offensive TD of the game along with 4 catches for 97 yards. The Wranglers forced Oakland into 4 turnovers, 3 INT and a fumble. One of those INTs was returned for a TD by Anthony Dyer in the 4th qtr. 

1989 Week 6

Storm 31 SaberCats 3

The current record for sacks in a season is 33 by Washington's John Broussard in 1980. Portland's Mark McKeon had 5 more sacks today, giving him 18 through 6 games. Unless future Storm opponents figure out how to stop him, the sack record will be obliterated by season's end. Portland's defense isn't all about sacks either, as they held San Jose to 35 offensive yards, 5 yards per completion and less than 2 ypc. Alfred Gale led the Storm offense with 3 TDs and QB Oscar Willis did not throw an INT.

(NY) Stars 17 Express 3

New York RB Cam Dalton had a combined 145 yards and a TD to lead the Stars to victory in the cross country road game. Dalton's TD was the game sealer as the Stars jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and kept the Express out of the end zone all game. Next week, the Stars travel to New Jersey, and if they beat the Generals, they will have a 3 game division lead.

Stars 41 Breakers 17

Boston's 17 points scored is a season high, and that was thanks to Generals castoff RB Rudi Johnson. The Breakers signed the 11th year veteran off waivers and he showed there is still gas left in the tank, rushing for 130 and 2 TDs. Unfortunately for Boston, their defense couldn't stop Baltimore from gaining yards. The Stars did turn it over 3 times, but QB Jon Snow passed for 5 TDs to 5 different receivers and Mark Numbers ran for 152 yards to lead Baltimore to victory.

Invaders 24 Hawaiians 17

Honolulu entered the game 5-0, while Oakland needed a win to keep pace with the red hot Portland Storm and the Denver Gold. Hawaiians QB Derek Henry threw for 402 yards and RB Scott Stillings had a combined 189 yards but mistakes cost them a win. Honolulu had a fumble and missed FG on their first two possessions, falling behind 10-0 after 1 and eventually down 24-3 before the attempted comeback. Oakland RB Juan Davis ran for 100 yards and 2 TDs subbing for injured Oliver Thomas and the Invaders offense as a whole played turnover free football. WR Nelson Martinez chipped in for Oakland with 5 catches, 130 yards and a TD.

Gamblers 28 Gunslingers 3

Houston's defense kept San Antonio out of the end zone all game and QB Tony Dean tossed 4 TD to lead the Champs to victory. With injuries eating away at the Gamblers backfield, WR Jett Black was asked to fill in at RB and the rookie had his best game so far. Black ran 20 times for 120 yards and caught 7 for 127, though he did not find the end zone. Two of Dean's 4 TD passes went to Gabriel Ahrens, who returned to the lineup after an injury.

Showboats 35 Stallions 0

Tired of the turnovers, Memphis went with newly acquired QB Jerry Ruiz, and though his stat line was minimal, the important number was 0, as in zero interceptions. The Memphis defense intercepted 3 passes of their own as part of a 4 turnover day that saw Birmingham possess the ball for a mere 16 minutes. Mark Lambert had 114 yards rushing and Mark Glenn added 79 more for the ball hogging Showboats offense.

Gold 48 Sun 17

Portland's Mark McKeon isn't the only player putting up video game like stats. Denver's Jake Peralta is now up to 955 receiving yards and 11 TDs after today's stat line of 6-160-3. Gold QB Andrew Brewer tossed 4 first half TDs, 5 overall as Denver went on a 27-3 run after the Sun got within 21-14 in the 2nd qtr. Denver's defense had 4 turnovers and held Southern California to 238 offensive yards.

Panthers 21 Thunderbolts 9

Michigan could not afford a loss in this game if they had hopes of winning the division and things didn't look good after a lost fumble on the first snap of the game. The Panthers defense pushed the Cleveland offense back 6 yards, holding them to a FG. That effort seemed to spark the offense as they scored the next 3 times they had the ball, two Adam Scales TD passes to Albert Barraza and a FG for an 18-3 lead. That lead was extended to 21-3 at halftime and the Panthers defense held on to that lead in the second half for the division tightening victory.

VooDoo 41 Blazers 7

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson had another nice game today, 34/55, 464 yards, 4 TD 1 INT. WR Socrates Rogers had a combined 208 yards and a TD and Stanley Kerr added 126 yards on 7 catches. Rogers even returned an INT for a TD in the 4th qtr as part of his 2 INT day as a 2 way player.

Steamer 31 Outlaws 10

Shreveport K James Hooper tied the league record with 8 FGs today. Hooper also did it back in 1980 as did then New Jersey K Dustin Henry. Steamer RB Orville Barker ran for 116 yards and James Brown caught 5 passes for 144 yards and Shreveport's lone TD. The Steamer defense forced 5 turnovers, 2 INT and 3 fumble recoveries.

Bandits 31 Wranglers 7

Tampa Bay has won 3 in a row after a rough start to 1989, and they have a 2 game division lead. The Bandits defense held Arizona to just 160 yards and 22 minutes of possession. WR Thomas Whitley was the star for Tampa, catching 2 TDs as part of his 7-125 day. RB Paul Meade had a combined 120 yards and QB Melvin Driggers topped 300 yards with a 3:1 TD:INT ratio.

Blitz 27 Maulers 20

It's a shame only 40,396 fans showed up because this was a good, back and forth game. Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 14-0 lead thanks to a Will Allison to Robert Wheeler TD pass and a fumble return by Thomas Chau. Chicago would then tie the game on a Ronald Brown TD pass to Ronald Miller and a 59 yard run by Jay Kinder. Pittsburgh got the last 3 points of the first half and the only 3 points in the 3rd to take a 20-14 lead into the 4th. Blitz QB Ronald Brown then threw his 2nd TD pass to give Chicago the lead for good and 2 Leon Rupe FGs helped seal the win.

Hornets 25 Wheels 3

Charlotte got their lone TD of the game on the second play from scrimmage and K Lawrence Linville added 6 FGs as the Hornets stung the Wheels. That 67 yard TD was James Lombardo's only catch of the game but he sure made it count. The Hornets defense turned Detroit over twice and held them to 142 yards of offense.

Generals 26 Bell 14

New Jersey got 2 TDs and 92 rushing yards from rookie RB Sam Beckett in the Generals first game in 11 seasons without Rudi Johnson on the roster, and Beckett added 38 more yards on 7 receptions. The Generals defense did alright overall, holding Philadelphia to 269 yards with 2 INTs, but they once again allowed an opposing WR to have a huge day. Today it was Bell WR James Jones. Jones only caught 3 balls, but they covered 155 yards with a TD.

Federals 34 Renegades 20

Orlando K Jacob Barger kicked 4 first half FGs, 3 from 50+ as the Renegades held a 12-7 lead late in the first half. Washington would kick a FG just before halftime, then came out on fire in the second half. QB Scott Bieber threw 3 of his 4 TD passes the first 3 drives of the second half as the Federals scored 27 unanswered points to propel them to victory. WR Joseph Andrews caught 2 of Bieber's TD passes as part of his 6-133-2 day while fellow WR Robert Sullivan caught 9 for 123 and a TD.

Force 9 Bulls 7

Georgia held Jacksonville to 180 offensive yards, 65 of that came on a Joseph Serio TD pass to Jordan Frederick in the second qtr. That was all the points the Bulls would score today. Jacksonville's defense allowed 362 yards but kept the Force out of the end zone all day. Georgia K Javier Gill made 3 of 4 FG tries, the last a 52 yarder midway through the 4th to give the Force a 9-7 lead. Jacksonville punted with about 5 minutes left in the game and never saw the ball again, as Georgia ran out the clock to preserve victory. Georgia RB Richard Donofrio had a combined 148 yards to lead the Force attack.

 

1989 Week 5

We're down to 4 undefeated teams after Memphis and Houston lost today and four divisions already have 2 games of separation between first and second place. We also had an ownership change, as CoachNorm packed up and left without warning.

Storm 29 Invaders 3

Mark McKeon had 4 more sacks today and Portland had 7 total, so future opponents need to protect their QB. Storm RB Alfred Gale ran for 123 yards and 2 TD while Oakland's Oliver Thomas played despite being IR eligible. Thomas has a severely injured ankle (6%) and it showed as he rushed for negative 3 yards on 11 carries and caught 1 pass for a 4 yard loss. Oakland managed all of 14 offensive yards for the game.

Hawaiians 13 Generals 6

Honolulu RB Scott Stillings had a combined 122 yards and a TD to lead the Hawaiians to victory over visiting New Jersey. The Generals won the yardage, turnovers, and 3rd down conversions but failed to cross the goal line. The win makes Honolulu 5-0 with a 3 game division lead already.

(NY) Stars 22 Maulers 3

The only TD of the game was a 72 yard Cam Dalton run and Stars K Daniel Hall nailed 5 FGs in the victory. Pittsburgh could only manage 170 offensive yards, a number Cam Dalton surpassed by himself. Dalton ran for 144 yards on 23 carries and caught 7 passes for 41 more. New York is now 5-0 with a 2 game lead on New Jersey in the East.

Stars 35 Federals 21

It's always a battle when Baltimore and Washington play, and today, the Federals jumped out to a 21-7 2nd qtr lead only to be shutout the rest of the game. Early on, Baltimore's defense had no answer for the Scott Bieber to Joseph Andrews connection as the pair connected 6 times for 149 yards and all 3 TDs. The Federals couldn't hold onto the ball after that initial flurry, turning it over 3 times to none for Baltimore. Stars QB Jon Snow threw 2 of his 3 TD passes in the second half as Baltimore improves to 5-0 with a 2 game lead on Washington.

Gold 36 Gamblers 34

Football fans certainly hope these two will meet again in the playoffs, as this was a back and forth battle that went down to the wire. Houston is missing some offensive playmakers but they still managed 389 offensive yards, with Wesley Hull combining for 183 of that with 2 scores. Denver's Jake Peralta had little success on the ground but he caught 9 for 141 and a TD, giving him 795 receiving yards through 5 games.

Just before the 2 minute warning, Tony Dean found Anthony Fulks for a 69 yard TD to give Houston a 34-30 lead. Denver marched down the field afterwards and scored the game winning TD on a 1 yard Andrew Brewer pass to Richard Funkhouser with 0:38 left in the game. This was the first loss of the season for the defensing Champion Gamblers.

Gunslingers 19 Showboats 15

The Memphis defense came ready to play as they held San Antonio to 193 offensive yards but forced no turnovers. That was a problem for the Showboats as Memphis QB David Allen was extremely generous with the football, completing 6 passes to San Antonio defenders. Those turnovers led to a flurry of FGs and San Antonio handed Memphis their first loss of 1989.

Thunderbolts 10 Blitz 7

Cleveland is a quiet 4-1 now as the Thunderbolts survive 4 interceptions by rookie QB Michael McGowan. McGowan did find Samuel Draper for an 8 yard TD pass in the 4th qtr to lift Cleveland to victory. Thunderbolt WR Mark Howe caught 5 for 115 yards today.

VooDoo 54 Force 3

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson has been an INT machine so far in 1989, as only Memphis QB David Allen has thrown more (14) than Wilson's 13 INT but today he posted a 4:1 TD/INT ratio and the VooDoo offense exploded for 54 points. New Orleans scored 3 1st qtr TDs and converted for 2 points after each for a 24-0 lead. Following a scoreless 2nd qtr, the VooDoo came out for the second half and continued to light up the scoreboard. New Orleans ran for 270 yards and passed for 389 more, led by Leonard Robles' combined 191 yards and 2 TD.

Hornets 13 Panthers 12

It's been a rough year so far for Michigan and today continued that trend. The Panthers gave up a kickoff return TD and their offense failed on a 2nd qtr 2 point conversion try and John Bibler was short on a late 57 yard game winning FG attempt. Michigan outgained Charlotte and committed no turnovers, yet couldn't score enough points for victory. Panther fans are wondering if all that money is weighing Nicholas Dorey down, because he's not producing like his contract says he should.

Stallions 23 Steamer 3

Birmingham RB Mark Peterson ran for 129 yards and a TD while the Stallions defense held Shreveport to 176. The Steamer have now lost 2 in a row after a 3-0 start and the South Division is now all bunched up.

Bulls 16 Renegades 7

The shine has come off for Orlando, as they have now lost 4 straight games, killing the momentum they had coming into the season. Fortunately for them, nobody is running away with the Southeast. Timothy Richardson caught 7 passes for 111 yards to lead Jacksonville, who now find themselves alone in second place following their first victory of 1989.

Bandits 29 Blazers 16

It's round robin day in the Southeast as all 4 teams had division games. Florida played tough, leading 16-13 after 3, but 2 turnovers in the 4th, plus a turnover on downs spelled defeat for the Blazers. Tampa Bay got 3 FGs and a 74 yard Melvin Driggers TD pass to Burt Johnson in the 4th qtr to get the win. Bandits RB Paul Meade combined for 129 yards and a TD while Florida was led by Ray Parker and his 6 catches for 153-1.

SaberCats 23 Wranglers 20

Both teams had 365 yards but San Jose scored 10 points in the last 1:39 for the come from behind victory. Arizona had a 7 point lead after a 4th qtr FG made the score 20-13, but the Wranglers failed to run much clock on their ensuing possessions, going three and out twice with an INT thrown in. San Jose K Robert Rodriguez booted a 54 yard FG as time expired to send the crowd home happy.

Outlaws 27 Wheels 9

Oklahoma RB Clint Young ran 21 times for 256 yards and 2 TDs and the Outlaws defense prevented the Wheels from crossing the goal line. Some time yesterday or today, former Oklahoma owner/GM CoachNorm packed up his office and left town, leaving a front office void since filled. No word on why he left.

Express 8 Bell 7

Los Angeles benched QB Christopher Pringle for Allen Rose but the INTs didn't go away for the Express offense. Rose tossed 3 of those but he also found Erin Zimmer for a short TD pass in the final minute to elevate Los Angeles to victory over Philadelphia. The Bell had shut out the L.A. offense up to that point, with the only Express score coming on a safety, when Stephen Coleman sacked Robert Hernandez in the end zone.

Sun 35 Breakers 6

These two teams combined for 9 turnovers, 5 by Boston. Southern California rushed for 264 yards as a team, 160 by Gene Ingram (2 TDs). Sun QB Walter Kimble had an inefficient game, completing <50% and throwing 3 INTs. James Brough still hauled in 5 passes for 136 yards and a TD. Through 3 quarters, the score was 14-6 Sun, before 3 4th qtr TDs made the score lopsided.

1989 Week 4

We are down to 6 undefeated teams in 1989, Honolulu, Portland, Houston, Memphis, and both Stars teams, Baltimore and New York. We also have 5 teams seeking their first win, but one of those teams, Jacksonville, is just 1 game out of first place.

Storm 47 Gold 13

Both teams were 3-0 coming into the game, but Denver couldn't weather the Storm, giving up 11 sacks in defeat. Gold WR Jake Peralta has been the talk of the league so far, and he had a nice game today, 7-121-1, but Timothy Roquemore outshined him. The 1987 Offensive ROY and All Pro WR had a down 1988, and he "only" had 115 yards today but anytime a player bests Al Bundy by a TD, he deserves mention. Roquemore rushed 11 times for 72 yards and 3 TD while also catching 6 passes for 43 yards and 2 TD, for a total of 5 on the day.

Roquemore was just part of the talk after the game, as we also had a league record broken. Prior to this game, the record for most sacks in a game by an individual player was 8, done 5 times. Baltimore's Les Lacy did it first @ Georgia in 1977. The feat was accomplished 3 times in 1979 by Southern California's Tony Newby @ Georgia, Baltimore's Felix Long, also @ Georgia, and Pittsburgh's Robert Keese vs Baltimore. The last time it was done was in 1980 by Pittsburgh's Eric Reed @ Houston.

Congratulations to WLB Mark McKeon on his 9 sacks today, a record which may not ever be broken.

Hawaiians 18 Bell 12

Not much to write about in this game as Philadelphia continues to play tough defense and struggle on offense. The Bell gave undefeated Honolulu all they wanted though, holding a 12-10 lead over the Hawaiians midway through the 4th qtr. That's when Honolulu MLB Kenneth Rea intercepted a Luis Gero pass and returned it 23 yards for what turned into the game winning TD.

Gamblers 26 Blitz 10

Chicago's defense kept Houston's big play offense in check, holding them to 304 yards but the Gamblers defense intercepted 4 passes. Houston shut Chicago out in the second half to remain undefeated.

Showboats 34 Outlaws 17

This was not one of QB David Allen's best games for Memphis, but the Showboats still racked up 521 offensive yards in the victory. Allen threw 5 INTs but Oklahoma could only generate 163 yards offensively. Mark Lambert did the heavy lifting with 129 rushing yards, 53 receiving yards and 2 TD.

Stars 27 Wheels 7

Baltimore's defense shutout Detroit's offense and held them to just 142 yards. Stars QB Jon Snow threw 4 total TD passes, 3 to his teammates and 1 to Detroit's Leonardo Kissner (25 yard pick 6).

(NY) Stars 41 Breakers 6

Willie Bust threw 4 TD passes, 3 to Tomas Abbott and the New York defense held Boston to 172 offensive yards. Cam Dalton chipped in with a TD and 144 combined yards.

Force 12 Steamer 8

Not much offense to speak of in this game and Georgia won despite not entering the red zone at all. Force K Javier Gill booted 4 FGs, 3 from 50+ and held on late for the victory. Shreveport had been undefeated, and they were trying for a late go ahead TD, but turned it over on downs at the Georgia 21 yard line before the Force extinguished the clock.

Bandits 27 Invaders 17

Oakland headed to Tampa 3-0 and left Florida with not only their first loss, but without the services of RB Oliver Thomas for 8-10 weeks, maybe even an IR stint. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers threw 2 TDs and 0 INTs while RB Paul Meade had a combined 209 yds and 2 TD (1 rushing, 1 receiving).

Thunderbolts 21 Gunslingers 3

Cleveland's rookie QB Michael McGowan isn't setting the world on fire, but he didn't make any mistakes today, and his 2 TD passes helped lead the Thunderbolts to victory. Cleveland had the field position advantage and even got a TD pass from backup QB Joseph Haight one play after McGowan was briefly knocked out of the game due to injury.

Generals 16 Maulers 7

Not much offense in this game as New Jersey got 3 Lucio Grant FGs and a TD run by Richard Hansen in their victory at Pittsburgh. Both teams came out of the game banged up and the Generals had to bring back 2 former OL for Week 5 and beyond. New Jersey has to cut 2 players before kickoff and 11th year vet Rudi Johnson was a healthy scratch for this game. Could he and his big contract be on the way out of town?

SaberCats 23 Express 16

San Jose's Albert Buckland caught 6 passes for 125 yards and 2 TD to lead the SaberCats to victory over Los Angeles. Express QB Christopher Pringle threw 3 INT and L.A. also lost a fumble as HC Jack Aponte will be focusing on ball security this week in practice.

Stallions 13 Blazers 9

For the most part this was a battle of the kicking Geralds. Florida K Gerald Harmon booted 3 FG to just 2 for Birmingham's Gerald Hinton, but the Stallions got the game's only TD. Mark Peterson's 23 yard TD run helped Birmingham get past Florida.

VooDoo 34 Renegades 12

Orlando traveled to New Orleans for a game of hot potato. The VooDoo were gracious hosts, giving the ball to Orlando 4 times, all Bruno Wilson interceptions. Orlando was also in a giving mood as Elwood Savage completed 5 passes to the wrong team  and the Renegades also lost a fumble to give them 6 of this game's 10 turnovers. In between all the turnovers, New Orleans got the better of Orlando, gaining 444 yards with a balanced attack.

Wranglers 19 Bulls 10

This was a strange box score to view. Jacksonville ran for negative 1 yard on 13 carries and the teams combined for just 403 yards, yet Arizona was 7/18 on 3rd down, Jacksonville 9/20. Both teams found the end zone once, but Arizona got 4 FGs from Robert Allison while the Bulls added just 1 FG.

Panthers 28 Sun 13

There were only 17 drives in this game, 8 of which got into the red zone. Michigan reached it 5 times, Southern California 3, and each team scored 1 TD and 2 FGs once there. The Panthers finally got Nicholas Dorey on track as he rushed 17 times for 146 yards and a TD. Michigan also got a pick six from Jess Woodward.

Federals 27 Hornets 13

Washington had more drives, 18, than Michigan and Southern California combined for in their game, and Charlotte had 17. That tends to happen when teams combine for 17 three and outs. In between the 21 punts, Washington got 2 TD passes from Scott Bieber and scored 17 unanswered 4th qtr points for the home victory over Charlotte.

1989 Week 3

We still have 9 undefeated teams as all the 2-0 teams won this week. In a statistical oddity, there are only 3 of 32 teams with 2 wins and 13 with 1 win. We've also had 2 tie games already, blowing Donovan McNabb's brain.

Gold 51 Bulls 0

It's early in the season but the Denver Gold look like a legitimate threat to end the Houston/Memphis stranglehold on the World Bowl. Jake Peralta had set the league on fire the first two weeks, so much so that today's 144 combined yards with a TD seems like an off game. QB Andrew Brewer threw for 542 yards and 4 TD, and with Peralta getting so much defensive attention, the Gold will need others to step up. Step up they did, as Jose Buford caught just 3 passes, but they were all long TDs covering 195 yards (69, 46, 80yds). Richard Huff chipped in 150 total yards and 2 TD, 1 each rushing and receiving.

Denver's defense is overlooked because of their offensive firepower, but the Gold have only given up 11 points a game. Three of Denver's next 4 games are against other 3-0 teams, Portland, Houston, then after a game against the Sun, they face Portland again.

Gamblers 12 Stallions 10

Birmingham has struggled offensively this year, but their defense held Tony Dean in check today. Dean was 18/31 for 255 yards, which isn't bad but it's a subpar game for Mr. MVP. Houston's whole offense had a subpar game, but to be champions, you need to be strong on both sides of the ball. The Gamblers defense had Dean's back, sacking Joe Richardson 5 times, one for a safety by Charles Wallace that proved to be the difference in the game.

Showboats 41 VooDoo 11

Memphis is 3-0 and one of 3 teams to have scored over 100 points this season (Denver and Houston the others) but their defense has been equally good. Only the Baltimore Stars have given up less than the 20 Memphis has allowed. For New Orleans, new QB Bruno Wilson is struggling to acclimate himself with the VooDoo offense. The VooDoo did put up 340 yards of offense, but losing the turnover battle 3-1 won't help against an offensive juggernaut like Memphis.

Willie Howland had over 100 yards again as did Mark Lambert. The score was close at halftime, 17-11 Showboats, but Memphis shutout New Orleans in the second half, adding 24 points to their total for the lopsided win.

Hawaiians 10 Wheels 7

If you like low scoring, turnover filled games, then you would enjoy this game. Detroit turned it over 4 times, Honolulu twice. The teams also combined to go 1-3 on FG attempts, so this was an ugly win for the Hawaiians. Detroit's Frederick Barron was the only player with a 100 yard game, as his 76 rushing yards and 29 receiving yards gave him 105 for the game. Honolulu held a 10-0 lead until 1:10 left in the game, when the Wheels finally crossed the goal line, but the onside kick failed and Honolulu ran out the clock.

Storm 17 Bandits 9

Portland is 3-0 despite QB Oscar Willis and his 6/8 TD/INT ratio. Willis threw 2 more today and his counterpart, Melvin Driggers, who has INT issues of his own, threw none. That's usually good news for the Bandits but the Storm defense kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone all game and rode an early 17-3 lead to victory. The offensive star was Portland WR Fred Wink who caught 4 for 118 and a TD. Tampa Bay's last drive went all the way to the Storm 17 yard line, but they turned it over on downs.

Invaders 23 SaberCats 10

San Jose rookie QB Tony Romo took his lumps today and if this continues, this Romo will start his broadcast career well before RL Romo did in 2018. Oakland intercepted 6 passes today, taking one to the house for a TD. That came in the 4th qtr of a 10-10 game, and that momentum swing was all she wrote for San Jose. Oakland's Nelson Martines caught 11 for 103 and a TD while teammate Oliver Thomas had a combined 118 yards.

Steamer 17 Gunslingers 10

The first 2 weeks, Shreveport won despite not cracking 300 yards of offense. This week the defense continued their fine play but their offense not only eclipsed 300 yards, they topped 400. Orville Barker ran for 149 and a TD and Zachary Goudy had 100 receiving yards. The Steamer defense intercepted 3 passes and led 17-3 until the final minute of the game.

Stars 27 Blitz 13

Baltimore is now 3-0 thanks to their #1 ranked defense. They have given up the fewest yards and points in this young season. Oh by the way, their offense is ranked 5th in yards so they're continuing where they left off last year. There were a lot of turnovers in this game, 4 by Chicago and 3 by Baltimore. In between the turnovers, the Stars had 489 yards of offense but could not pull away from the Blitz until the final 3 minutes of the game. Mark Numbers had 169 combined yards and Knob Creek had 102 and a TD.

(NY) Stars 24 Sun 0

There was a solar eclipse in New York as their Stars shut out Southern California, holding them to a mere 127 offensive yards. QB Willie Bust was an efficient 31/37, 261 and a TD but the Stars stars of the game were Cam Dalton and Ernest Lynch. Lynch punched in 2 short yardage TDs while Dalton did the heavy lifting otherwise, with 82 rush yards and 90 receiving.

Thunderbolts 27 Express 10

Live by the punter, die by the punter. Huh??? One week after Dwain Yu pinned New Jersey deep many, many times, the tables turned this week. Cleveland P Thomas Brott nailed 7 of 8 punts inside the 20 and the Express offense had trouble moving all game. Cleveland held Los Angeles to 185 yards and Samuel Draper had a combined 127 yards and 2 TD. Thunderbolt RDE Eric Taft had a strip sack in the end zone for a TD to help the cause.

Federals 16 Panthers 10

What's up with Michigan? The Panthers have struggled out of the gate in 1989, already losing more games than they did in 1988. The schedule hasn't been kind for sure, but coming off such a fine season, it's shocking their offense is ranked 18th, defense 19th. We were asking what's up with Washington last week but the Federals bounced back today, despite 3 turnovers. The Federals defense held Michigan under 200 yards and John Bazile kicked 3 FGs for the win.

Generals 48 Hornets 24

New Jersey's pass defense isn't as feared as it once was, as yet another WR had a big day against them. Charlotte WR James Lombardo caught 5 for 100 yards and 2 TD, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Generals offense today. QB Ric Flair was 28/31 for 362 yards and 4 TD, 2 of those to Marcus Medina. TE Calvin Hobbes had 125 yards on 8 catches and rookie RB/WR Duncan Meyer ran for 100 yards and a TD.

Outlaws 23 Force 14

The box score was pretty even in this game, but it doesn't reflect field position. Oklahoma had the advantage there all game, enabling them to kick 3 FGs, which was their margin of victory. Oklahoma RB Clint Young ran for 120 yards and a TD.

Wranglers 12 Renegades 10

Orlando held Arizona to 7 rushing yards on 21 carries and outgained the Wranglers 379-312, but 2 lost fumbles and a late missed FG spelled doom. Despite the lack of a running game, Arizona had 305 yards through the air, with TE William Fey catching 9 for 123. The missed Orlando FG was their last drive of the game and would have given them a 13-9 lead, forcing the Wranglers to stick it in the end zone. As it was, the 10-9 lead enabled Arizona to drain the clock and kick the GW FG as time expired.

Maulers 13 Bell 13 (OT)

Pittsburgh probably wants to kick themselves worse than Orlando. The Maulers outgained the Bell 422-145 and missed 2 long FGs as 70 minutes of football could not determine a winner. Pittsburgh also had the time of possession advantage but 3 INTs hurt their cause. Pittsburgh WR Robert Wheeler was the star of the game, catching 8 for 135 and a TD.

Blazers 9 Breakers 7

This was a classic defensive struggle, as Florida had 231 offensive yards, Boston 149. Florida won the turnover battle 3-1 and a 3rd down almost always meant a punt. The teams combined to go 3-29 on 3rd down and there were 5 total sacks.