Week 8: Baltimore Takes Down Portland

 Halfway through 1991 and the American Conference has a cluster of 6 teams at the top, thanks to Baltimore defeating Portland this week. The current playoff field are all 2 games clear of the competition in that conference so some team(s) will need to go on a run. Home field advantage would be a mess to figure out, but there is still half a season to play. It's not quite as clear cut in the National Conference, but Orlando is on fire. The Renegades are tied with Houston for the longest current winning streak at 5 and their win over Tampa Bay gives them sole possession of the Southeast. The New York Stars turned back New Jersey to take a 2 game lead in the East. 

Stars 27 Storm 3

Baltimore forced Portland QB Oscar Willis into a horrible game, as he tossed 3 interceptions and lost a fumble. The Stars also sacked Willis 4 times and held Timothy Roquemore to 44 combined yards. Aside from the opening drive, the Baltimore offense did not have a good day, but Jon Snow did throw for 2 TD passes and Courtney Wright returned an interception for a TD late in the 4th to seal the win.

(NY) Stars 13 Generals 10

A New Jersey win would have forced a tie atop the East, but the Stars took control, winning a Woody Hayes 3 yards and a cloud of dust type game. The Generals were in control in the middle of the game, leading 10-6, when Sam Beckett lost a fumble which lead to the eventual game winning TD, a Willie Bust 10 yard pass to Tomas Abbott. William Hall ran for 134 yards to pace the New York offense.

Gamblers 37 Gunslingers 0

Tony Dean threw for 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers, Donald Turner only ran for 1 this week, but still had 109 rushing yards, and the Houston defense completely shut down the San Antonio offense. Ryan Dearing also chipped in with 144 combined yards to help Houston improve to 7-1.

SaberCats 22 Sun 0

San Jose won despite only throwing 16 passes all game and not getting the ball to Mark Hsu. The SaberCats ran 43 times as a team, led by Rodney Richardson's 25 for 106. The defense did the rest, intercepting Wilmer Kimble twice and forcing 2 lost fumbles as San Jose improves to 7-1 and a 3 game Pacific lead.

Gold 38 Outlaws 3

Andrew Brewer had a perfect QBR today and nearly had a perfect throwing afternoon as he completed 21/23 for 313 yards and 4 TDs. Jake Peralta had a double triple, catching 2 of the TD passes as part of his 6-120 receiving day, and he added 106 on the ground. The win improves Denver to 7-1, good for a first place tie in the West with Portland.

Showboats 33 Blitz 9

Chicago scored the first 2 times they had the ball but they were both field goals, while Memphis scored their first 5 drives for a commanding 27-6 lead. David Allen threw 3 TD passes, 2 to Arthur Devore as Memphis cruised over Chicago. Memphis sacked Ronald Brown 3 times and intercepted him once to thwart the comeback attempt.

Panthers 26 Thunderbolts 10

Michigan benched QB Adam Scales in favor of William Mauriello, and he did what the coaching staff wanted, secure the football. Cleveland QB Michael McGowan did his part to fill the air with errant passes as he threw 5 to the Michigan defense. RB/WR Walter Simmons ran for 114 yards and 2 TDs in support of Mauriello, who did not throw a TD pass. He did fine though, as the main thing was zero INTs, and he had 262 yards on 21 completions.

VooDoo 36 Hornets 3

New Orleans came through their rough schedule patch 2-2, and they have won 4 in a row overall, including the last 3 by lopsided margins. Don't look now but their schedule only has one team with a winning record left on it, so it's possible the road to the World Bowl goes through New Orleans if Baltimore doesn't win out. Today, Bruno Wilson was not efficient, completing 33/61, 432 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, but he didn't need to be as the VooDoo defense shut down Charlotte. Thomas Thomas, he of cruel parents, caught 8 passes for 100 yards and 2 TDs for New Orleans.

Renegades 29 Bandits 10

Orlando QB Bradley Austin completed 25/35 for 259 yards and 3 TDs and RB Ben Dehaven ran for 174 yards with 51 more receiving. The bad Melvin Driggers showed up today as he threw 3 INTs and the Orlando win gives them sole possession of first place in the Southeast.

Federals 32 Wranglers 6

Arizona still has QB issues, but the Washington offense was the Wranglers problem today. Scott Bieber was 24/34, 371 yards and 3 TDs to 3 different receivers and Robert Sullivan had a combined 246 yards as Washington rolled to victory. 

Blazers 37 Bulls 17

Florida is probably the quietest 5-3 team in the league and the Blazers find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt. Sidney Maggard led a balanced Blazers offense with 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers and the defense forced 3 Jacksonville turnovers. 

Force 37 Steamer 21

This game featured zero turnovers and every red zone possession produced a TD, and there was a kickoff return for a TD to boot. Georgia had 2 early rushing TDs and the kickoff return for an early 21-7 lead and Thomas Jacobi tossed 2 TDs to seal the win to improve the Force to 3-4-1, second place in the South.

Hawaiians 19 Wheels 17

Honolulu RB Scott Stillings ran for 133 yards, adding 72 receiving yards and a TD as the Hawaiians overcame several mistakes to post a narrow victory over Detroit. Honolulu turned the ball over twice on interceptions, twice on downs and missed a FG, but did enough in between, thanks to the defense, which turned Detroit over 3 times. The Wheels cut the deficit to 19-17 with a TD early in the 4th but could not move the ball after that point, even after a Derek Henry INT left them at midfield.

Maulers 23 Stallions 7

Pittsburgh has won 2 in a row and the Maulers are now 3-5 on the season, matching last year's win total. Today the Maulers did it with a ball hog, balanced approach as the box score was stuffed with contributors. Pittsburgh held the ball over 42 minutes and converted 9/16 3rd downs while the Maulers defense kept Birmingham out of the red zone, allowing just a late game 39 yard TD in garbage time.

Express 17 Invaders 13

If Los Angeles is playing, odds are the game will be decided by one score or less and today is no exception. It was a pretty even game according to the box score except Oakland had 3 red zone trips (10 points) to none for the Express. Los Angeles was trailing 13-10 early in the 4th when Andrew Moreno was sacked in the end zone by Robert Gallegos, causing Moreno to fumble. Joseph Taylor fell on the ball for the eventual game winning Los Angeles TD.

Bell 8 Breakers 3

Philadelphia beat Boston in a game similar to a 1-0 baseball game where there are like 5 total hits. Former Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman (the old Hall of Famer, not his homophobe son Thom) used to call these type of games "good old good one's". Philadelphia led 6-3 late when the defense tackled RB Charles Brockman in the end zone for a game clinching safety as the Breakers never got the ball back.

Week 7: Battle of the Unbeaten/Memphis vs Houston Part 1

 I'm still doing the allocation draft so my blog time is short. Most games will be touched on briefly but Week 7 saw a pair of games with huge implications for January. Headlining the week is the battle of the undefeated, 6-0 Portland @ 6-0 San Jose. The winner would have the upper hand for home field advantage in the American Conference, although the winner of the first Memphis/Houston game would be right on their heels. Portland won the game but San Jose still enjoys a 3 game lead in the Pacific despite the loss, so all is still good in San Jose.

Storm 23 SaberCats 19

The game started with 3 punts before mistakes created some early scoring. San Jose's second punt pinned Portland at their own 8 and Abraham Jackson sacked Oscar Willis in the end zone for an early 2-0 SaberCats lead. San Jose got the ball right back on the free kick but Jake Plummer was sacked himself, fumbling in the process to set up the Storm in scoring range. Oscar Willis threw a 24 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Frost for the 7-2 Portland lead. The Storm defense has been the best in the league, but they had no answer for Mark Hsu today (5-187) and the first of his 2 TD receptions allowed San Jose to retake the lead 9-7 after 1 quarter of play.

Portland would take the lead back for good on the second Oscar Willis TD pass, this one to Jose Moses, and the Storm led 14-9 at the half. That lead would be extended to 17-9 before the second Plummer to Hsu TD pass cut the lead to 17-16 late in the 3rd. The rest of the game was field goals and Portland shut down the SaberCats offense in crunch time as they didn't threaten to score after a FG made the score 20-19. 

Gamblers 51 Showboats 31

The first Memphis/Houston game featured 82 points, 979 total yards including over 300 rushing, 39 first downs, 11 red zone trips and 4 early lead changes. Both QBs threw 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers but Tony Dean was turnover free on 26/32 passing while David Allen threw 4 INTs. It would take way too long to recap all of the scoring in this game, but Donald Turner's second rushing TD gave Houston the lead for good at 17-14. Turner had  3 rushing TDs for the second consecutive week, though his 122 yards weren't quite last week's 206. Memphis was led by Mark Glenn who caught 4 passes for 160 yards, and his 37 rushing yards gave him 197 total for the game. 

Stars 21 Hornets 19

Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Knob Creek to help the Stars maintain a 1 game division lead. Charlotte went toe to toe with Baltimore all day, but red zone inefficiency cost them, as they had just 1 TD and 4 FG in 5 red zone trips while the Stars cashed both of their trips in for TDs.

Federals 23 Bandits 19

Two likely playoff teams battled today and Tampa Bay amassed over 500 yards of offense but could not convert any of their 4 red zone trips into TDs. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers threw for 435 yards and a TD to Thomas Whitley but he also tossed 2 INTs. Tampa held a 19-13 lead early in the 4th, but Scott Bieber led Washington to 10 unanswered points for the come from behind win.

Panthers 20 Bulls 19

It's not often a 1st place team has QB issues but the Panthers do at the moment. Adam Scales has been turning the ball over a lot lately so Michigan opted to let 3rd year QB William Mauriello take some snaps, and it was even worse. Scales got the majority of playing time and finished 19/26, 240 yards with a TD and 2 INTs. Mauriello completed 2/11 for 12 yards and an INT. Two of the 3 total interceptions came in the 4th quarter, enabling Jacksonville to turn a 17-10 deficit into a 19-17 lead with just over 5 minutes to play. The Michigan QB duo led the Panthers down the field (1 of Mauriello's completions came on this drive) for the game winning FG inside the 2 minute warning.

Stallions 23 Force 23 (OT)

Georgia played their second straight OT game and settled for the walk off tie with a FG at the final gun of the overtime period. Birmingham had 447 offensive yards but scored just 6 points in 2 red zone trips and Gerald Hinton was wide right on a 49 yard FG attempt at the end of regulation that would have won the game for the Stallions. In the OT period, Birmingham got the ball first and kept the ball 7:45 as they drove to the Force 1 yard line, but had to settle for the 18 yard FG. Georgia then drove for the tying FG and Donovan McNabb is dumbfounded somewhere.

Express 20 Sun 16

Gene Ingram had 177 total yards, 144 receiving and a TD to lead Southern California but it wasn't enough to overcome 2 Tristan Arnold TD passes as Los Angeles defeats the Sun. This was a back and forth game with 3 ties and 4 lead changes. The last lead change came inside the final 2 minute warning on a short Arnold TD pass to Daniel Franks.

Wheels 12 Thunderbolts 9

The first 58 minutes of football produced 4 field goals, 2 for each team, before Cleveland broke the 6 all tie with 1:51 to play. Detroit then drove for the game tying FG with 0:48 to play. Cleveland's Michael McGowan was trying to lead the hurry up offense when he tossed a costly interception, setting up Kent Olden to boot the game winner.

Gold 34 Wranglers 9

Arizona got their best game out of a QB in a long time but the Wranglers defense gave up over 500 yards to Denver in today's loss. Jake Peralta had a double eighty/double TD day with 82 rushing (1 TD) and 80 receiving (1 TD) on 6 catches. QB Andrew Brewer tossed 3 TDs and 305 yards through the air while Brian Thornton ran for 102.

Renegades 38 (NY) Stars 16

David King had 169 yards receiving with 2 TDs to lead Orlando over New York. The Stars led 10-7 early in the 2nd qtr before the Renegades went on a 24 point run to close the half and seize control of the game. The final points of that flurry came on a fumble recovery return for a TD by Chung Hill.

Blazers 21 Bulls 3

Sidney Maggard completed 29 of 33 passes, albeit for 213 yards, to lead Florida to a ball control victory over Philadelphia. Maggard threw 2 TD passes to Ray Parker and the Blazers were a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone. 

Maulers 29 Invaders 10

Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 15 more minutes than Oakland, yet were out gained. Pittsburgh held a slight 12-10 lead in the 3rd quarter when the Maulers defense came up with 2 huge plays to propel Pittsburgh to victory. First, Preston Gervais returned an Andrew Moreno interception 30 yards for a score, then Brett Korn returned an INT 25 yards for a score. The 4th qtr was non dramatic and Pittsburgh gets the W.

VooDoo 31 Steamer 7

Bruno Wilson threw for 329 yards and 4 TD passes as the VooDoo rolled the Steamer today. Eric Duncan caught 2 of the TD passes as part of his 4-123-2 afternoon. Shreveport could only generate 181 offensive yards and William Neal missed 2 FG attempts.

Generals 17 Breakers 7

New Jersey got a TD run from Sam Beckett and a Ric Flair TD pass to Roger Rabbit as the Generals won an offensively challenged game today. The box score was pretty similar for both teams except red zone and penalties. The Generals were the more penalized team coming into the game but the Generals were only flagged once while Boston committed 5 penalties and all of the game's points came in the red zone.

Blitz 38 Hawaiians 24

The first 3 quarters saw 3 ties and 3 lead changes before Chicago scored 14 unanswered 4th quarter points to defeat Honolulu. The Hawaiians offense racked up the yards and scored 21 points in 4 red zone trips, but QB Derek Henry tossed 2 INTs and the Honolulu defense allowed Chicago to run for 227 yards. Jay Kinder ran for 157 yards and a TD while Walter Lemay ran for 98 and 2. The Blitz also got a TD run on Donald Brown's lone rush of the game, as Chicago ran for an Al Bundy-esque 4 TDs today.

Gunslingers 20 Outlaws 3

This was the anti Memphis/Houston game as the teams combined for 340 yards and 1 offensive TD today, a Willie Benge TD pass in the 1st qtr to give San Antonio a 7-0 lead. The other Gunslingers TD came on the second half kickoff as Thomas Earl Petty returned it a league record 110 yards (29th different player with a 110 yard return), extending the lead to 17-3. 
 

Week 6: Maulers Take Portland to the Limit

 Late edition of the blog this week, busy weekend at work and busy life otherwise last few days. The blog will be shorter than normal as a result. The Portland Storm have been one of the best teams ever the first 5 weeks, with power ranking numbers lower than we've ever seen, so of course they don't score a TD against 1 win Pittsburgh, and it takes a whole 5 quarters plus a personal foul to come away with a 9-6 win. Any given Sunday I guess. Six of the 8 divisions are either tied or have a 1 game separation, with the New York Stars joining San Jose in having  big division leads.

Storm 9 Maulers 6 (OT)

Portland came into the game #1 or #2 in every major statistical category, including points for and against, and has an extremely low power ranking number. Pittsburgh came into the game ranked 30th, and the expectation was a huge Storm win. Reality was Pittsburgh keeping Portland out of the end zone, and the Storm turning the ball over on downs, missing a FG and throwing 2 interceptions. Pittsburgh barely moved the ball on offense, gaining 185 yards in 5 full quarters, but their defense kept the Maulers in it. The game nearly ended in a tie, but an unnecessary roughness penalty helped Portland get in FG range for the game winning kick as the OT clock ran out.

SaberCats 20 Panthers 15

Mark Hsu caught 6 passes for 178 yards and a TD and San Jose intercepted 3 passes by Michigan QB Adam Scales to remain undefeated on the season. 

Force 20 Express 17 (OT)

Georgia led 14-7 until 1:11 left in the game when L.A. QB Tristan Arnold fired his 2nd TD pass of the game, tying the score. The Express got the ball to start overtime and they were able to put a FG on the board, leaving 6 minutes for Georgia to try and win the game with a TD. That's just what the Force did, as Thomas Jacobi tossed his 3rd TD of the day, a 1 yard toss to John Huynh, culminating an 11 play, 75 yard drive. That was Hyunh's 2nd TD reception of the game, as he also opened the scoring today.

Gold 22 Invaders 16

Oakland scored the first 16 points of the game, but it could have been more with better red zone efficiency. That would hurt later, as Andrew Brewer tossed 2 TD passes in the final 18:42, leading Denver to a come from behind 22-16 victory. 

Steamer 24 Stallions 21

This game was tied at 7 in the first half before they had 5 lead changes the rest of the way and both teams suffered 3 turnovers. Orville Barker had 105 yards rushing for Shreveport, adding 69 receiving yards and a TD. Despite all of the lead changes, the 4th quarter saw no points scored and 7 punts.

Gunslingers 21 Wranglers 16

Ugly QB play continues to haunt Arizona, as Zachary Kinkead was a dreadful 8/37, 1 TD, 5 INT for 184 yards. Incredible yards per completion, but throw in 2 fumbles and it's easy to see why Arizona got wrangled.  San Antonio led 21-10 until Stanley Snyder tossed a TD pass in the final minute. The Wranglers recovered the onside kick but could not move the ball.

Showboats 48 Outlaws 0

Memphis QB David Allen threw for 5 TDs and 473 yards, with Arthur Devore catching 5 for 182 yards and 2 TDs as the Showboats rolled. 

Gamblers 38 Hawaiians 22

Tony Dean had a mediocre game, tossing 2 interceptions along with 2 TD passes, yet Houston still won thanks to the ground game and Derek Henry throwing 3 INTs. Donald Turner ran for 206 yards with 3 TDs to lead the Gamblers to the win. Scott Stillings had 94 yards rushing and 94 receiving for Honolulu.

Renegades 17 Wheels 6

Bradley Austin threw 2 early TD passes as Orlando amassed a 17-0 lead, then the Renegades defense did the rest. The victory allows Orlando to keep pace with first place Tampa Bay, as the whole division won this week.

Bulls 16 Thunderbolts 3

Jacksonville's offense wasn't great today, but it was good enough to convert most of their scoring chances, even if it was mostly FGs. That's because the Bulls defense made life rough for Cleveland QB Michael McGowan, holding him to 15/32 passing, 109 yards and 2 INTs. 

(NY) Stars 26 Breakers 3

William Hall ran for 233 yards and a TD to help the New York Stars rebound from their first loss of the season. Boston only had 156 total yards, thanks to only having the ball less than 20 minutes.

Stars 14 Generals 5

Baltimore scored touchdowns on both red zone trips, while New Jersey kicked a FG on their lone trip. The only other scoring was  a safety by Indiana Jones of the Generals, but that wasn't enough to win.

Federals 26 Hornets 3

Scott Bieber threw 2 TD passes and John Bazile kicked 4 FGs to lead Washington to the victory over Charlotte. 

Blazers 17 Blitz 3

Sidney Maggard threw two TD passes in the first half for Florida as they led 14-3 at halftime. The Blazers defense intercepted Ronald Brown twice in the second half to preserve the win.

VooDoo 40 Sun 3

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson threw for 448 yards and 4 TDs and the VooDoo shut down the Southern California offense, limiting them to only 131 total yards.

Bandits 38 Bell 12

Melvin Driggers threw 5 TD passes and 0 INTs on 28/40 passing for 371 yards to lead Tampa Bay to the victory that keeps them at the top of the Southeast. 

Week 5: And Then There Was 2 (Undefeated Teams)

 We entered the week with 4 undefeated teams and we exit the week with 2, San Jose and Portland. The SaberCats and Storm face off in Week 7 in an early battle that could end up determining home field advantage. San Jose is the only team with a division lead greater than 1 game. The Pittsburgh Maulers got off the 0-fer schneid with a win over Shreveport today.

Storm 21 Gold 3

Portland traveled to Denver for a battle of 4-0 teams, and more importantly the winner would have sole possession of 1st place in the West. Denver did a good job holding down the prolific Storm offense, allowing just 21 points and 313 total yards. The problem for the Gold was Portland's stifling defense, as they held Jake Peralta to 48 yards rushing and 48 yards receiving, and shutting down everyone else and allowing just 3 points. That made Timothy Roquemore's 2nd qtr TD run stand up as the game winner. Roquemore was the offensive star today, but even he had a down game. Roquemore had 88 rushing yards and that TD to go with 40 receiving yards.

SaberCats 34 Hawaiians 22

Honolulu needed a win to force a tie atop the Pacific with San Jose and a win by the SaberCats would give them a 2 game division lead. Defense was optional today, save for turnovers, as the teams combined for 830 yards of offense. San Jose got out to a 17-0 lead before Honolulu got within 20-13 in the 3rd qtr. I'll get to the 4th qtr shortly, but Derek Henry passed for 324 yards for the Hawaiians today with 3 TD but also 2 INTs. RB Scott Stillings ran for 62 yards, adding 96 receiving yards and a TD on 7 receptions. Brian Vizcarra also caught 7 and a TD, amassing 109 yards in the process. 

San Jose welcomed Mark Hsu back from injury today and he announced his presence with authority, catching 5 for 157 yards and 2 TDs. The day belonged to RB Graham Peterson however, as he had 22 rushes for 145 and a TD, and 34 receiving yards, but his biggest play came on special teams. Honolulu had just cut the lead to 27-22 midway through the 4th when Peterson took the kickoff at the 1 and took it 99 yards for the game clinching TD.

Showboats 24 (NY) Stars 12

Defending Champion Memphis welcomed 4-0 New York to town and the Showboats were rude hosts, sending the Stars home with their first loss of the season. Neither team's offense was in top form, but Memphis QB David Allen was an efficient 16/20 passing, 217 yards and 2 TDs and the Showboats played turnover free football. No skill player on either side topped 100 total yards or had more than 1 TD. New York actually possessed the ball 9 minutes more than Memphis, as the Stars had success on the ground, but Willie Bust had trouble generating a passing attack. Bust was 22/29 but with an INT and only 144 yards.

VooDoo 29 Federals 24

New Orleans and Washington played a back and forth game that left fans hoping they play again sometime in January. New Orleans has been going for it on 4th down rather than punt, but the VooDoo special teams coach did not forget to coach up his own return team, as we had a punt return TD for a second straight week in the USFL. More on that later, as it was Washington that got out to an early 10-0 lead, as Scott Bieber tossed the first of his 3 TD passes to Matthew Cuevas and John Bazile nailed a 43 yard FG. The VooDoo's first 3 drives ended INT, downs and downs again, before Jose Little got the VooDoo back in the game in a huge way. Little fielded the punt on his own 7, broke 2 tackles then sprinted down the sideline, getting caught from behind but somehow staying upright, stumbling the last 10 yards for a 93 yard punt return TD. The 2 point conversion made the score 10-8.

New Orleans would add a TD and 2 in the second qtr for a 16-10 halftime lead. Washington scored a TD on their first second half possession for a 17-16 lead, and New Orleans took the lead back 23-17 on their first second half possession. The teams then punted some before Bieber's 3rd TD pass gave the Federals the lead again. The 23 yard TD pass to Robert Sullivan gave Washington a 24-23 advantage. Bruno Wilson then threw an interception but John Bazile missed a 51 yard FG try, leaving the margin at 1 point. New Orleans then drove down to the Washington 38 before facing a 4th down and an expiring clock. Jordan Fuller drilled a 56 yard FG to give New Orleans the lead for good, 26-24. Washington only had 32 seconds for a FG drive, and they turned it over on downs. Washington still had all 3 time outs, so New Orleans had to run plays then added a FG at the gun for the 5 point win.

Generals 23 Bell 20

Philadelphia had their best offensive game of the season, amassing 329 total yards but it wasn't quite enough to get their first win of 1991. New Jersey got out to a 10-0 lead thanks to an Al Borland FG and a Radar O'Reilly TD run before Philadelphia got on the board with a FG. Al Borland added a second FG and the banged up Generals took a 13-3 lead into the locker room at the break. Philadelphia got within 13-6 with a FG early in the 3rd qtr, then nearly tied it up on an INT return for a TD but Edward Fowler was tackled at the New Jersey 2 yard line. Jamie Epperson ran in the tying TD on the very next play for the Bell. Following Al Borland's 3rd FG of the day that gave the Generals a 16-13 lead, Philadelphia got a 60 yard TD pass from Robert Hernandez to Andres Freeman, retaking the lead 20-16. Just before the 2 minute warning, Ric Flair hit Roger Rabbit with a 51 yard TD pass and the Generals defense did not allow the Bell to cross the 50 on their last drive to seal the win.

Stars 20 Hornets 14

Baltimore scored the first 20 points of the game, then held on as Charlotte scored 14 points in the 4th quarter and were driving for another late TD before running out of downs. Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 2 TD passes and the Stars did not turn the ball over today. William Halford caught 1 of those TDs and had 122 combined yards. Turnovers did not help the Hornets as they lost their fumble and Robert Ament tossed a pair of interceptions before his 4th qtr comeback attempt fell short.

Blitz 20 Thunderbolts 17

Chicago QB Ronald Brown completed 22/26 for 228 yards and a TD while Jay Kinder chipped in with 97 combined yards and a rushing TD to lead the Blitz to victory. Chicago scored the first 20 points then held off a late Cleveland rally for the win. Third year Cleveland QB Michael McGowan has developed into a top 10/15 QB but the Thunderbolts just can't seem to turn that into wins right now. 

Renegades 34 Blazers 31

It was the David King Show today as he made a run at a couple league records before ultimately falling short. There is no shame in a stat line of 5 catches, 333 yards and 5 TDs though. That's how you score 34 points in a game without any red zone trips, as Orlando did today. The Renegades amassed 497 yards but the defense allowed 421 to Florida. While Orlando was bombs away, the Blazers had a balanced approach, rushing for 221 as a team. Robert Romero had 103 of that plus a TD. The teams alternated scores throughout the game with Orlando scoring first and Florida not being able to get any closer than 3 points.

Maulers 13 Steamer 7

Pittsburgh and Shreveport played a relatively even game according to the box score, as most stat categories are similar. The big difference to help Pittsburgh finally crack the W column was red zone efficiency. Pittsburgh only got FGs from their 2 trips, but Shreveport only had 7 points from 3 red zone trips, thanks to 2 missed short FG attempts by William Neal. Shreveport RB Calvin Sipe was the stat leader, rushing for 99 yards, adding 8 yards and a TD on 4 receptions. Pittsburgh was led by QB Will Allison's 221 yards and a TD passing. That TD pass to Travis Vargas ended up being the game winner.

Panthers 26 Wheels 13

Michigan QB Adam Scales overcame 2 early interceptions to fire 3 TD passes to lead the Panthers to victory and sole possession of 1st in the Midwest. Both teams moved the ball well and turned the ball over 3 times, but the Panthers ability to score touchdowns prevailed over the FG prone Wheels offense. Detroit had no answer for James Hillis today, as he caught 5 for 150 and 2 TDs. Walter Simmons added 126 combined yards, 67 rushing, 59 receiving and Adam Scales ended up throwing for 320 yards. 

Gamblers 18 Gunslingers 0

When was the last time Tony Dean did not throw a TD pass? I don't know, but I bet it's been a long time. San Antonio is just 1-4 on the season but it's not the fault of the defense, as they've only given up 97 points in 5 games. It wasn't just Tony Dean they kept out of the end zone, it was all of the Gamblers as Houston had to settle for 6 Daniel McCormack FGs. Unfortunately for the Gunslingers, the offense could only generate 118 total yards and never reached the red zone. 

Bandits 28 Bulls 10

Melvin Driggers giveth and Melvin Driggers taketh away. Driggers gave 2 interceptions to Jacksonville but he also threw 3 TD passes to his good buddy Thomas Whitley. Whitley caught 7 total passes for 136 yards and Paul Meade added 99 rushing yards (and a TD) to go with 30 receiving yards to lead the Tampa Bay offense. The Bandits defense forced the Bulls into 2 turnovers, and the red zone defense was the difference. Both teams got into the red zone 3 times, with Tampa Bay getting 21 points and Jacksonville 10.

Express 27 Stallions 7

Los Angeles won their second game in a row and they did not need late game heroics this week. Birmingham took a 7-3 lead early in the second qtr, then Tristan Arnold tossed 2 TDs before halftime for a 17-7 lead. Arnold threw a 3rd TD in the second half and the Express converted 12/20 3rd downs. That helped Los Angeles control the ball nearly 38 and a half minutes, along with holding the Stallions to 2/11 on 3rd down. Overall, Arnold was 21/29, 249 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT and the leading receiver was Fredrick Whidden, who caught 7 for 126 yards and a TD. 

Sun 22 Force 10

Georgia got out to a 10-7 lead mid 2nd quarter before Southern California closed the game on a 15-0 run to improve to 3-2 this season. Wilmer Kimble threw 2 TD passes to Gene Ingram, the second one gave the Sun the lead for good. Ingram had no running room rushing against the Force defense, but once he got out into space in the passing game, he was dangerous. The Southern California defense was lights out in the second half, holding Georgia to 3 punts, 2 turnovers on downs, 2 interceptions, and a safety for the Sun's final 2 points of the game.

Invaders 31 Wranglers 17

The 2 teams had nearly identical yardage, but turnovers doomed Arizona today. The Wranglers ran for 160 yards but Zachary Kinkead threw 3 interceptions. The last INT came late in the game as Arizona was driving for the tying TD. Instead, Ralph Hooks returned it 30 yards, turning a 24-17 lead into a 31-17 margin. Oakland QB Andrew Moreno threw for 260 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Nelson Martinez, who caught 9 for 126 overall.

Breakers 17 Outlaws 3

I bet in real life, this game took like only 2 and a half hours to complete, as the teams combined for 71 rushing attempts to 45 pass attempts. Both teams were basically 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but given the past struggles of the Breakers run defense, they'll take it. Boston had the more efficient passing game as Edward Swafford completed 11/14 for 178 yards and 2 TDs to James Wise. Wise only caught 3 today, but that was good for 124 yards. The Breakers defense held the Outlaws to 140 total yards.

Week 4: 4 Undefeated Teams/4 Winless Teams

 Four weeks into the 1991 season and we have 4 undefeated teams: San Jose, Portland, Denver, and New York, and we have 4 teams seeking their first win. Hall of fame voting is underway, vote here if you have yet to do so. We also had 7 one score games so let's see what happened.

Gamblers 27 Generals 21

This is a rematch of World Bowls IX and XI, both won by Houston. The Gamblers got the ball first and marched down the field, scoring first on a Tony Dean 1 yard pass to Jett Black. Houston forced a three and out, then drove down the field again. This drive also ended on a Tony Dean TD pass, this one to Francisco Russell. Generals went three and out again, and this time the defense held Houston to a FG attempt, which was good for the early 17-0 1st quarter lead. New Jersey would bounce back with a pair of 2nd quarter Eric Davis touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. 

That made the halftime score 17-14 and New Jersey got the ball to start the 3rd qtr, but went three and out. Houston then scored on the second Dean to Russell TD pass for a 24-14 lead. The Gamblers would extend the lead to 27-14 before the Generals went on a long drive, deep in Houston territory. Facing a 4th and goal from the 2, down 13 with just over 6 minutes left, New Jersey had to go for it, and the 4th down pass was knocked down by Richard Simons. New Jersey would later get an 85 yard TD pass from Ric Flair to Duncan Meyer, but the onside kick failed. The Generals would get the ball one last time, although Robert Rankin pinned New Jersey at their own 5 yard line with 1:49 to play. Ric Flair marched New Jersey down the field, getting as far as the Houston 22 before the clock ran out.

Gold 23 Thunderbolts 17

The Cleveland defense hasn't had the best 3 games to open this season, but today they bottled up Jake Peralta, who had 152 scoreless combined yards. Cleveland was able to generate nearly 300 offensive yards (Denver had 324) but 3 turnovers did them in. Denver QB Andrew Brewer tossed 2 TD passes to Brian Thornton as the Gold built a 23-10 lead that lasted until late 4th qtr. Cleveland got a TD pass from Michael McGowan at the 2 minute warning to cut the lead to 23-17. The Thunderbolts recovered the onside kick and drove down to the Denver 40 before turning it over on downs.

SaberCats 19 VooDoo 14

San Jose scored a FG on the opening drive and a TD on their second for a fast 10-0 lead. A huge kickoff return by Jose Little set up the VooDoo in San Jose territory, and Bruno Wilson marched New Orleans down the field for a 6 yard TD pass to Leonard Robles. The two point pass was good and just like that it was 10-8 SaberCats. Graham Peterson had a nice stat game today, rushing for 100 yards and a TD to go with 48 receiving yards, but his fumble set up the VooDoo in San Jose territory once again. The VooDoo got a TD run from Stanley Kerr to take a 14-10 halftime lead. 

New Orleans turned the ball over 3 straight times in the second half, once on downs, once on an interception, and once on a fumble. That enabled San Jose to boot a pair of FGs for a 16-14 lead. New Orleans faced a 4th and 2 from the San Jose 24 with 10:44 to play and opted to go for it rather than try a FG. The pass was knocked down, and the SaberCats drove for a FG and a 19-14 lead. The VooDoo got into SaberCat territory one more time, although barely, and turned it over on downs again. San Jose then ran the final 1:49 off the clock to remain undefeated.

Hawaiians 23 Sun 20 (OT)

Southern California kick returner Billy Brown got the scoring started right away with a 102 yard return of the opening kickoff, and the rest of the first half saw only field goals as the Sun held a 13-3 halftime lead. Honolulu would get a 3rd qtr Derek Henry to Allen Grant TD pass and an early 4th qtr TD run by Robert Schuler to take a 17-13 lead. RB Gene Ingram led the Sun offense today with 50 rushing yards, 64 receiving yards and a TD catch with 1:26 left, giving Southern California a late 20-17 lead. Derek Henry led the Hawaiians down the field for the game tying FG at the end of regulation, then did it again in OT following an INT by Sun QB Wilmer Kimble.

Blazers 17 Panthers 15

Michigan more than doubled Florida's offensive output (366-154) but Adam Scales tossed 2 interceptions and the Panthers special teams allowed a rare punt return TD. That punt return went for 70 yards by Robert Romero and that gave the Blazers an early 7-0 lead. James Hillis was the offensive star for Michigan, catching 6 passes for 143 yards and a TD that was sandwiched by a pair of John Bibler FGs to give Michigan a 13-7 lead. 

Early in the 4th, Sidney Maggard found Ray Parker for an 11 yard TD that gave Florida a 14-13 lead. That lead lasted until Maggard was sacked in the end zone for 2 points by Ramon Carter. Michigan received the free kick up 15-14 and they faced a 4th and 3 from their own 40 with 2:45 to play. Time to punt right? Well not for Michigan, as they went for it and failed, setting up Florida at the edge of game winning FG range. The Blazers took the ball into the Panther's red zone and Gerald Harmon booted the game winner at the final gun.

Hornets 17 Breakers 12

Charlotte got 2 TD passes from Robert Ament as the Hornets built a 17-0 lead. Charlotte held Boston to 206 offensive yards but had to survive a late Breakers rally for the victory. Boston QB Edward Swafford threw a pair of 4th quarter TD passes to pull the Breakers within 17-12 (the 2 point tries failed) but it was too little too late. 

Express 16 Outlaws 13

Los Angeles won a defensive game against Oklahoma today as the teams combined for just 479 yards of offense. The game saw only field goals until the 4th quarter and the score was 9-6 Los Angeles midway through. That's when Oklahoma scored the game's first TD, a 1 yard pass from John Crisp to Kevin Reeves with just 1:14 to play. Tristan Arnold then fired a 44 yard TD pass to Roger Taylor in the final minute to steal a victory from Oklahoma.

Federals 19 Stars 3

Washington and Baltimore have been battling for Atlantic supremacy for the last several years and the Federals get the early upper hand with today's victory. Both teams are 3-1, tied with Charlotte for the division lead but Washington would love nothing more than a home playoff game and a BYE. Scott Bieber led the Federals to a TD on the game opening drive and the Federals defense made that stand up, intercepting Jon Snow 3 times and keeping the powerful Baltimore offense out of the end zone all day. James Dunn had a combined 135 yards to lead Washington and the TD was caught by Robert Sullivan.

Showboats 61 Wranglers 7

Memphis QB David Allen threw 4 TD passes on 23/28 for 316 yards. Arthur Devore caught 2 of those TD passes and Mark Lambert caught the other 2 to go with 118 combined yards. Mark Glenn ran for 87 yards and 2 TDs as the Showboats ran for 216 as a team. The Memphis defense intercepted 3 Arizona QBs a total of 5 times, as the Wranglers continue searching for someone to take control of the offense.

Storm 40 Invaders 11

Portland continued to dominate the opposition, as they hold Oakland to 200 total yards. They did allow Invaders QB Andrew Moreno to complete 33/48 passes but they sacked him 5 times and kept them out of the end zone. Oakland scored on 3 field goals and a safety, but the Invaders defense could not stop the Storm offense today. Oscar Willis was 21/28, 331 yards with 4 TDs to 4 different receivers. Timothy Roquemore had 98 yards rushing and a TD to go with his 77 receiving yards, and Portland got 100 yard receiving games from Richard Robinson and Jeffrey Frost.

Stallions 38 Force 16

This game was a little sloppy as the defenses gave up a combined 748 yards, but they also each intercepted 2 passes, recovered a fumble and allowed a combined 6 for 28 on 3rd down. Birmingham could not run the ball but Stephen Ponder overcame 2 INT's with his 4 TD passes to 4 different receivers. Michael Holt had 120 receiving yards, Joseph Oliver 113, and Larry Ceasar 98. Regardless of this outcome, both teams have improved a great deal over their 1990 versions.

Bandits 21 Steamer 9

Melvin Driggers continued his Jekyll and Hyde season, tossing 3 interceptions, but it wasn't all bad as he also threw for a pair of scores. The Tampa Bay defense bailed Driggers out by forcing 3 turnovers of their own and they held Shreveport out of the end zone, allowing just 3 FGs. The Bandits also scored 2 points, tackling RB Orville Barker in the end zone in the 4th qtr. The win gives the Bandits sole possession of 1st place in the Southeast.

(NY) Stars 31 Maulers 13

The box score was relatively even but the Stars got a pair of defensive TDs to lead New York to victory. New York only out gained Pittsburgh by 2 yards and they turned it over 3 times themselves. New York MLB Alfred Payeur was responsible for both defensive touchdowns, taking his interception 23 yards for a score and he forced the fumble that teammate Scott Joplin returned for a TD. New York RB William Hall had a combined 29 touches, rushing 19 times for 56 yards and catching 10 for 71 and a TD. 

Blitz 23 Wheels 13

Chicago QB Ronald Brown threw for 275 yards and a TD while Jay Kinder had 72 rushing yards with a TD and 55 receiving yards to lead the Blitz to victory. Chicago got out to a 17-0 lead, then 20-3 before Detroit got within 7 points in the 3rd qtr. Most of the Chicago offense came in the first half, but they were able to add a 4th qtr FG to extend their lead to 10 points and their defense made sure that lead held up.

Renegades 24 Bulls 3

Orlando's defense held Jacksonville to 202 total yards, 2/13 on 3rd down and forced 7 turnovers. Offensively, Orlando got a 73 yard TD run by Dexter Elmer and a TD reception by David King, but the defense was the story. The Renegades forced Joseph Serio into a very bad day, 16/36, 140 yards and 4 INTs and they forced 3 fumbles, all of which they lost. The Renegades offense was not on top of their game today but they didn't need to be.

Gunslingers 13 Bell 3

San Antonio won the punt fest as each team punted 9 times and combined for 465 offensive yards. Willie Benge tossed a 1 yard TD pass to Michael Stott with 1:15 to go before halftime for the game's only TD. The Gunslingers would add a FG for a 10-0 lead and the defense did the rest, as San Antonio improves to 1-3 on the year.

Week 3: There Is A Storm Brewing/Barker Has Monster Rushing Game

 It's too early in the season to get worked up over stats and point differentials, but after the Storm's 46-7 win over Oklahoma, they have a +101 point differential during their 3-0 start. They are clearly the best team through 3 weeks but the schedule gets tougher and there are 5 other teams with 3-0 starts plus a handful of very good 2-1 teams so we aren't crowning anyone just yet. 

We had 2 games this week featuring a pair of 2-0 teams squaring off, so we'll take a look at those games first.

Gold 34 Gamblers 28

This game started back and forth before Denver seized control late 2nd/early 3rd to take a 31-10 lead before having to hang on as the Gamblers made a late run. Houston out gained Denver 499-371 and neither team turned the ball over, but the Gamblers lost due to red zone efficiency. The Gold scored touchdowns on all 3 red zone trips while the Gamblers had just 1 TD and 2 FGs from their 4 trips. 

This loss wasn't Tony Dean's fault as he threw for 411 yards on 29/48 passing with 2 TDs, one to Jett Black who caught 6 for 117 yards total. Denver QB Andrew Brewer only threw for 236 yards but he had 3 TD tosses and got the win. The Gold were led by the resurgent James Peralta, who had a combined 223 yards today. Peralta was a beast in 1989, threatening seasonal records for receiving yards and TDs before having an average 1990. He's back this year, running and receiving as he ran for 69 yards with 154 receiving today.

Stars 16 VooDoo 14

New Orleans opted to play the analytics game in the first half by going for it on 4th down instead of punting, converting 5/12 4th down tries. Analytics has taken over baseball and recently has been creeping into the NFL and I've often heard that analytics say you should go for 4th down way more often than the conservative NFL coaches opt for. You can say a lot of things about Smirt, but conservative is not one of those. 

The gamble did not pay off today however, as Baltimore took advantage of two short fields for 10 points, helping them to a 13-0 halftime lead. The VooDoo defense did their part today, as Baltimore QB Jon Snow came in with over 800 yards and 9 TDs through 2 games and was held to a season low 162. VooDoo QB Bruno Wilson nearly led New Orleans back with 2 second half TD passes, but the rally fell short. Wilson completed 37/59 for 338 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT and he completed passes to 10 different receivers. Nicholas Dorey was the closest any player got to 100 combined yards with 25 rushing yards and 7 catches for 71 yards and a TD.

Storm 46 Outlaws 7

Portland obliterated the Oklahoma running game, allowing negative 20 yards on 21 carries. The Outlaws had an efficient passing game and did not turn the ball over, but that lack of rushing put them behind the chains all day. No matter since Portland pretty much did whatever they wanted on offense. Timothy Roquemore ran for 172 yards and a TD, adding 72 receiving yards and a TD catch. QB Oscar Willis completed 27 of 39 for 389 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. The other 3 TD passes went to Richard Robinson, who caught 8 for 215 yards overall.

Generals 23 Renegades 17

This was a defensive struggle as the teams combined for 454 yards and 7 interceptions. Orlando QB Bradley Austin threw 5 interceptions and New Jersey took advantage of the short fields all day. The Generals longest drive of the game was just 48 yards, and their lone TD drive went all of 21 yards. Four of Austin's 5 INTs came in the 4th qtr, helping New Jersey score the last 14 points of the game and steal a win.

It was the rookie show for New Jersey as K Al Borland made 5/6 FG attempts, including all 3 from 50+ and their lone TD was scored by Kurt Cobain. Sam Beckett ran for exactly 100 yards today and added a 2 point conversion.

Bandits 17 Blazers 10

Florida scored a TD and a FG on their first 2 possessions, then the Bandits forced them to punt the rest of the game until the last drive. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers bounced back from last weeks game to throw for 2 TDs and 284 yards with no interceptions. The Bandits had trouble scoring during the first 3 quarters, trailing 10-3 heading into the final 15 minutes. Driggers first TD to Thomas Whitley came in the first minute of the 4th to tie the game and his TD pass to Garry Flower with 6:32 left put the Bandits ahead for good. Florida's Freddy Jones was the stat king, catching 10 passes for 134 yards.

Sun 12 Wheels 10

Southern California couldn't crack the end zone but 4 FGs from William Ferguson were enough to send Detroit home with their first loss of the season. The Sun had the ball 11 more minutes than the Wheels and were led by Gene Ingram's 98 combined yards. Detroit's Kent Olden had made 11 FGs in the first 2 games, but his miss from 33 yards loomed large when Detroit scored a TD inside the 2 minute warning. That TD got the Wheels within 12-10 but the onside kick failed and the Sun ran out the clock.

Thunderbolts 16 Hawaiians 13

Every red zone trip by both teams resulted in FGs and a late INT by Honolulu's Derek Henry set up Cleveland for the game winning FG at the gun. This game saw alternating scores as Cleveland scored first for a 3-0 lead then Honolulu tied it at 3. Cleveland scored on a 68 yard Michael McGowan pass to Mark Howe which was answered by Derek Henry with a 24 yard scoring toss to Brian Vizcarra.

Late in the 3rd, Cleveland took a 13-10 lead then Honolulu tied it at 13 midway through the 4th. Honolulu had the ball at their own 12 with 1:30 left and opted to attempt to drive the field, but Henry tossed his INT and that was the ballgame after Brian Haworth's 21 yard FG at the gun.

Panthers 15 Blitz 13

Michigan made life rough on Chicago QB Ronald Brown, sacking him 4 times and intercepting 3 passes as the Panthers take early control of the Midwest. Michigan still found themselves trailing 13-9 after 3 quarters, but scored a TD early in the 4th following one of those Brown INTs. That gave Michigan a 15-13 lead, but the 2 point try failed, meaning it would only take a Chicago FG to lose the game. The Panthers defense would not allow that to happen, and they hold on for the win and a 3-0 start.

Federals 39 Maulers 14

Washington nearly tripled the Pittsburgh yardage 623-209, as the rebuilding Maulers continue to take their lumps. Maulers QB Will Allison tossed 2 INTs but the defense had trouble stopping the powerful Federals offense today. James Dunn and Robert Sullivan were both the top 2 Washington rushers and receivers, Dunn with 94 and a TD rushing to go with 10 catches, 180 yards and another TD. Sullivan didn't score, slacker, but he did run for 64 yards while adding 122 receiving yards on 6 receptions. QB Scott Bieber threw for 450 yards in all, with 2 TDs on 29/45 passing.

Steamer 40 Stallions 13

The Orville Barker Show was on display in Shreveport today. The media was all over Birmingham WR Joseph Oliver, as he had monster games the first 2 weeks. The Shreveport defense shut him down (1 catch, 6 yards), but at the expense of leaving lesser coverage on RB Larry Ceasar, who caught 5 for 146 yards and a TD. Shreveport QB Shane Falco tossed 2 TD passes to James Brown, but the day belonged to Steamer RB Orville Barker.

Shreveport ran the ball 48 times total, and Calvin Sipe had 92 yards on 20 carries while David Oldham had 3 yards on his lone run. Barker ran 27 times for 284 yards and 3 TD today. The 284 yards is the 4th highest all time, and the most since 1985 when then Panther Nicholas Dorey ran for 288.

Hornets 29 Force 17

Charlotte QB Robert Ament threw for 283 yards and 2 TDs while the Hornets defense forced 3 Georgia turnovers. RB Henry Young had 124 total yards and his 30 carries helped Charlotte possess the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Georgia got oit to a 10-3 lead before Charlotte scored 16 in a row for a 19-10 lead. Georgia would cut that to 19-17 before Charlotte scored the game's last 10 points for the win.

(NY) Stars 33 Gunslingers 14

New York had a balanced offensive attack (196 yards rushing, 187 passing) and the Stars defense intercepted 3 passes while also shutting down the San Antonio running game to improve to 3-0. New York scored 1 rushing TD, 1 passing TD, and 1 defensive TD as Alfred Payeur returned 1 of his 2 interceptions for a TD. The Stars also got 4 FG from Ed Jetton.

Showboats 21 Breakers 3

Boston scored first, then Memphis ran their way to victory. The Showboats ran 33 times for 204 yards to set up 2 short TD passes, and David Allen tossed 3 overall. Two of those TD passes went to Arthur Devore, who led Memphis with 58 receiving yards. Mark Lambert ran for 104 yards to lead the Showboats runners. Boston had an efficient passing day but ran for less than 2 ypc and had the game's lone turnover.

Bulls 28 Bell 14

Philadelphia ran for 200 yards as a team, getting 132 and a TD from Jamie Epperson but the Bell passing attack generated very little. Jacksonville ran decently and their passing attack was able to generate yards and they scored TDs all 3 red zone trips in their victory today. Joseph Serio tossed 3 TD passes for the Bulls while Charles Ayers led the way with 112 receiving yards and one of the TDs. 

SaberCats 20 Express 9

San Jose ran for 147 yards as a team although they fumbled 4 times, losing 3. The SaberCats defense forced 3 turnovers of their own however, and San Jose was in control of the game throughout. San Jose scored the first 13 points of the game and led 20-3 until midway through the 4th, when Los Angeles cracked the end zone. RB Graham Peterson led the way with 81 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards as the SaberCats move to 3-0. 

Invaders 26 Wranglers 10

Arizona is still trying to find an answer at QB as they rotated Caldwell and Kinkead today. If today's stats are any indication, it will be Joseph Caldwell going forward, as he at least didn't turn the ball over. Zachary Kinkead is a rookie who should eventually develop into a decent QB, but he struggled mightily today, tossing 3 INTs. Once they figure that out, they need to work on their leaky defense, as Oakland faced little resistance throwing the ball. Arizona ran the ball much better than Oakland, led by Desmond Kirkland's 97 yards but Invaders QB Andrew Moreno was 31/35, 359 yards and a TD to Nelson Martinez, who caught 5 for 126 yards. RB Oliver Thomas had 85 receiving yards to go with his 42 rushing yards to lead the Invaders attack.

Week 2: Ten One Score Games

 Week 2 saw 10 of 16 games decided by one score or less and left us with 9 undefeated teams and 9 winless teams.

Stars 37 Stallions 31 (OT)

These aren't your 1990 Birmingham Stallions. Stallions QB Stephen Ponder was 32/43, 400 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. Both TD tosses went to Joseph Oliver, who caught 6 for 148 overall. Birmingham also got 2 Richard Sutton TD runs as they built a 31-16 lead early in the 4th qtr. Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 406 yards and 4 TD passes but also had 3 interceptions. Three of Snow's TD tosses came in the last half of the 4th qtr/OT.

Baltimore cut the lead to 31-24 with just over 6 minutes to go on a Snow to Justin Coffey 11 yard TD pass, and William Halford ran in the 2 point conversion. Birmingham would punt, as would Baltimore, and Birmingham again, with a 30 yard return by Jeffrey Gentry setting the Stars up just outside the red zone at the 2 minute warning. Four plays later, Snow found Timothy Harmon for the TD and Fred Boyce tied it with the XP.

Birmingham still had 1:09 left to get in FG range, and Stephen Ponder did just that. The Stallions lined up for a 37 yard FG at the gun for a chance to go 2-0, but Gerald Hinton's kick was wide right and we were getting free football.

Baltimore got the ball first in the extra period and Jon Snow threw an interception, setting up Birmingham just inside Baltimore territory. One or two first downs would have allowed Hinton another chance at a game winning FG, but the Stallions went three and out. The punt left the Stars at their own 8 yard line but Jon Snow led Baltimore on a 7 play, 92 yard drive which ended on a walk off 7 yard TD pass to Justin Coffey.

Showboats 10 Invaders 6

Memphis got out to a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter then Oakland came back with 2 FGs before halftime, cutting the deficit to 10-6. The second half was scoreless and the Showboats defense made the 10 points hold up for victory. Memphis held Oakland to 0/12 on 3rd down and 185 total yards.

Gold 23 Maulers 19

Denver, led by Jake Peralta's 199 combined yards, got out to a 20-0 lead, then had to hold off a late Pittsburgh rally for victory. Unlike Peralta's huge 1989, which was mostly receiving yards, he is doing his damage on the ground this season. Peralta ran for 146 yards today, giving him 276 on the year to pace the USFL. He also added 53 receiving yards and a TD reception. Pittsburgh cut the lead to 20-7 early in the 4th on a Robert Erickson TD run, then following a Gold FG, Will Allison tossed two late TD passes to scare Denver. For some reason, Pittsburgh only tried for 1 point after cutting the lead to 23-13, which meant they still had to score twice even if the kick was good, which it was not. The Maulers got the ball back with 3:09 left and scored a TD with 0:50 on the clock. So now they go for 2 instead of 1, which left them down 4 instead of 3. Pittsburgh managed to recover the onside kick and drove to the Denver 26 before time ran out.

Steamer 17 Sun 16

Orville Barker ran for 116 yards and Shane Falco tossed 2 TD passes to lead Shreveport to victory over Southern California. The Sun had a 16-14 lead, but a lost fumble inside the 2 minute warning allowed Shreveport a chance at a 52 yard FG to win the game and William Neal split the uprights.

Storm 17 Federals 13

An early season game between 2 upper echelon teams turned into somewhat of a defensive struggle. Washington held Portland to 315 total yards, which is just less than half of what they put up Week 1. The Federals couldn't quite contain the Oscar Willis to Timothy Roquemore connection though, as the pair hooked up for two 2nd qtr TDs and the Storm defense made that hold up. Portland bottled up Washington's James Dunn, holding him to 70 combined yards and they sacked Shane Bieber 5 times.

Hawaiians 16 Express 15

This turnover free game produced an odd looking box score. Los Angeles out gained Honolulu 378-253 but was just 1/12 on 3rd down conversions while the Hawaiians converted 7/17. 254 of those yards were on the ground, and Gary Sappington had perhaps the oddest stat line for a RB, 6 carries, 159 yards but 0 TD. In fact the Express did not score a TD all game, settling for 5 Mario Price FGs. That was good for a 15-13 late lead but Honolulu drove to the brink of a TD before settling for a game winning 19 yard FG from David McInnis as time expired.

Blazers 20 Renegades 17

Florida built a 17-0 lead thanks to Sidney Maggard and Ray Parker. The pair hooked up for 2 TDs as part of Parker's 5-144-2 day and the Blazers withstood a late Orlando rally for the win. Renegades QB Bradley Austin threw for 358 yards and David King caught 9, 2 for TDs and 159 yards to lead the Orlando offense, but they lost the turnover battle 4-2. Orlando cut the lead to 3 points late but the onside kick failed.

Blitz 16 Bulls 10

Neither team topped 300 offensive yards today and no player had a big stat game worth mentioning. Chicago's Jay Kinder got the Blitz on the scoreboard first with a early 3 yard TD run and a FG gave them a 10-0 lead. Jacksonville would tie it up with a FG and a TD in the final minute of the first half, a Joseph Serio 2 yard pass to Edward Maloney. The second half scoring consisted of two Leon Rupe FGs, giving Chicago the win.

Wheels 15 Gunslingers 13

Detroit is 2-0, thanks to 5 more Kent Olden FGs today. Olden made 6 in Week 1, and the Wheels will need to find a way to convert some of these drives into touchdowns if they want to stay atop the Midwest. Detroit doubled San Antonio's yardage, 313-142 but had to withstand a late Gunslingers rally to hold onto victory. San Antonio turned the ball over on downs near midfield in the final 2 minutes.

Breakers 13 Bandits 10

Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers was Dr. Jekyll last week with 452 yards and 5 TDs, today he was Mr. Hyde, with 226 yards and 3 INTs, including one on each of the last 2 drives. While Boston's defense frustrated Driggers, the Breakers had trouble scoring points, trailing late 10-6. Boston finally broke through for a TD with 1:19 to play, as Edward Swafford tossed a 9 yard TD pass to Nathan Fogle for a 13-10 lead. Tampa Bay had time for a game tying/winning drive but Driggers tossed an interception and Boston ran out the clock.

SaberCats 27 Force 10

Georgia had the yardage advantage and time of possession advantage, but were less successful in the red zone and lost the turnover battle 2-1. The Force held Mark Hsu to just 95 yards and a TD, but allowed the SaberCats to score 13 unanswered points after cutting the lead to 14-10 late in the 3rd. San Jose was aided in that run by a fumble and 3 straight turnovers on downs.

Hornets 17 Wranglers 7

Henry Young caught 2 TD passes from Robert Ament and Charlotte held Arizona to 178 yards as they defeat the Wranglers to even their record at 1-1. The Hornets had just 258 yards themselves and each QB tossed 2 interceptions. 

Gamblers 38 Thunderbolts 26

The teams combined for 933 yards today as the Gamblers got out to a big 31-6 lead before holding on for the 12 point victory. Tony Dean threw for 368 yards and 3 TDs to 3 different receivers to lead Houston. The Gamblers also had big games from Ryan Dearing (78 rushing yards 2 TD, 74 receiving yards and a TD catch) and Loyd Ellis (68 rushing, 57 receiving). Cleveland was led by Bobby Colley who ran for 113 yards and a TD to go with 119 receiving yards and a TD. 

VooDoo 30 Generals 16

New Orleans defeated New Jersey.

(NY) Stars 19 Bell 7

New York QB Willie Bust was an efficient 25/29 passing but the lofty yardage totals from last week were nowhere to be found. Instead the Stars opted to chew up the clock, and they held the ball for over 38 minutes as they built a 19-0 lead. Philadelphia was 0/10 on 3rd down and had just 168 offensive yards. The Bell scored a TD with under 30 seconds to play, avoiding the shutout.

Panthers 37 Outlaws 10

Michigan out gained Oklahoma 579-140 and built a 34-10 halftime lead, with the Outlaws TD coming on a 105 yard kickoff return by Eric Hollar. Gregory Clark ran in 2 touchdowns and Adam Scales threw for 457 yards and 2 TDs. Colin Jones led the Panthers receivers with 5 catches, 165 yards and a TD and right behind him was James Hillis with 10 catches, 157 yards and a TD.

Opening Day 1991

 The journey to World Bowl XVIII began this morning with the opening week of the regular season. We had four one score games, two shutouts and two teams score over 50 points, so let's see what happened in Week 1.

VooDoo 20 Express 17 (OT)

New Orleans has been a threat to reach the World Bowl the last few years, and the VooDoo are clearly in win now mode. Los Angeles had to play spoiler down the stretch in 1990 and are hoping to be contenders in 1991. New Orleans jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a pair of 1st quarter TDs, both Bruno Wilson passes. The VooDoo were 1 for 2 in two point tries. The Express got back into the game with 2 second quarter FGs and a sack of Wilson in the end zone to trail 14-8 at halftime. 

More field goals in the second half, as the Express kicked 2 to tie the game at 14. New Orleans would take the lead with 2:48 left on a Jordan Fuller FG. Los Angeles would drive into FG range and very nearly won the game on this play. Mario Price converted the chip shot FG as time expired, giving us extra football.

In OT, the teams exchanged two three and out drives before Jordan Fuller nailed a 52 yard FG with 1:35 left to give New Orleans the hard fought victory. No huge statistical games to speak of as both teams spread the ball around. Seven players rushed for the VooDoo, none over 50 yards and they had 10 different players catch a pass, none more than 4 for 46 yards. Los Angeles had 9 different receivers catch a pass.

Gold 23 Showboats 19

12uKnights has a tough task taking over the champion Memphis team, as the fan base has lofty expectations. The Denver Gold are a tough team in their own right, and would love nothing more than to get off to a good start in their very tough division. Denver took a 20-10 halftime lead and following a scoreless 3rd quarter, Memphis pulled within 20-16 on a TD pass from David Allen to David Austin. For some reason, Memphis went for 2 and failed, which meant they were down 4 instead of 3. It didn't matter much because Denver then drove for a FG and a 23-16 lead with 3:47 left. Memphis drove for a long FG of their own, but the onside kick failed and the Gold ran out the clock.

David Austin caught 7 passes for 141 yards and a TD for Memphis while Denver was led by Jake Peralta's 130 rushing yards (1 TD) and 83 receiving yards (1 TD) on 7 catches.

Panthers 17 Invaders 12

Michigan got out to an early 10-0 lead and held on for the victory in a defensive battle. Michigan QB Adam Scales threw 2 INTs but Oakland QB Andrew Moreno tossed 3 of his own as the Invaders comeback effort fell short. Oakland was down 17-6 in the 4th quarter when they finally broke through for a TD to pull within 17-12. The 2 point try failed but there was still 6:35 left in the game. Michigan took the clock down to the 2 minute warning before punting, and Julius Horowitz pinned Oakland at their own 7. The Invaders went nowhere and Michigan ran out the clock.

Wheels 32 Blazers 27

Detroit outlasted Florida in a wild, back and forth game thanks to 6 field goals from Kent Olden. Florida out gained Detroit 377-285, but field position went against the Blazers today. Detroit's average starting field position was their own 43, Florida at their own 24. The game was tied at 4 different points of the game, the last at 20-20 midway through the 3rd. Detroit could not stop the Sidney Maggard to Richard Carstens connection, as Carstens caught 3 passes, 2 for TDs with 172 yards. Maggard threw for 321 yards overall but his lone INT came late in the game as the Blazers were going for the game winning TD.

Storm 58 Wranglers 0

Portland flexed their muscles today as Oscar Willis had an excellent game. Willis was 25/31, 448 yards with 3 TDs. Richard Robinson was Willis' favorite target, catching 5 for 184 and 2 TDs. Timothy Roquemore added 155 combined yards (111 rushing) with 2 TD runs, and the Storm had 4 rushing TDs in all. The Storm were up 27-0 after 3 quarters then put up 31 in the 4th qtr alone. We don't have an Elias Sports Bureau but I can't imagine we've had very many 30 point quarters.

Federals 31 Hornets 0

Washington shut down the Charlotte running game and QB Scott Bieber threw for 408 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Federals to victory. Washington punted on their first possession before scoring on the next 5 to put the game away early. Matthew Cuevas caught 3 of Bieber's TD passes as part of his 4-103-3 receiving day but James Dunn was the offensive pace-setter. Dunn didn't score a TD but he ran 15 times for 54 yards and caught 14 passes for 129 yards.

Bandits 52 Thunderbolts 37

If you like offense, you'll love this game as the teams combined for 1074 yards and 11 touchdowns, 10 passing. The first half was back and forth, ending in a 24 all tie before the Bandits pulled away a bit in the 3rd qtr with 13 unanswered points. Tampa Bay extended the lead to 45-24 with 6:00 to play before Cleveland roared back to within 8 at 45-37. The Bandits answered with a TD and won the game.

Cleveland's Michael McGowan was 31/52, 445 yards 5 TD, 1 INT. Samuel Draper ran for 47 yards but added 114 more on 8 receptions and the Thunderbolts had 2 more receivers on the cusp of 100 yard games. Tampa's Melvin Driggers, subject of trade rumors, also tossed 5 TD passes, but he also didn't turn the ball over. Thomas Whitley led the Bandits WR group with 7 catches, 142 yards and a TD and RB Paul Meade chipped in 121 rushing yards and a TD.

Stallions 34 Hawaiians 19

Birmingham has already surpassed their win total from 1990 with their victory today as Stephen Ponder tossed 4 TD passes to Joseph Oliver. Ponder threw for 345 yards, 227 to Oliver, as the Stallions used the big play to take an early 17-0 lead. Honolulu scored the next 13 before Birmingham went on another 17-0 run to take control of the game. Honolulu had 5 red zone trips to just 1 for Birmingham and the Hawaiians had a nice, balanced offensive game but their inability to cover Oliver cost them.

Force 26 Breakers 10

Georgia only won 4 games in 1990, 2 of those over winless Birmingham, so starting out 1-0 is huge for the Force. Boston improved a lot in 1990, and many media pundits pegged the Breakers as a surprise team this year. It's just 1 game, so it could still happen for Boston but their leaky run defense showed up again today. Georgia ran for 188 yards, allowing the Force to control the clock. QB Thomas Jacobi was efficient, passing for 220 yards and 3 TDs with no INTs and Richard Donofrio led the rushing attack with 90 yards.

Sun 28 Gunslingers 13

Yet another week 1 game between teams who struggled in 1990. Southern California (3-13) and San Antonio (1-15) combined for 4 wins last season, so whichever team won would certainly gain some confidence heading into Week 2. The Sun got out of the gates quickly, scoring a TD and a FG on their first 2 drives. The Sun defense held the Gunslingers offense in check and the California boys had a 28-0 lead early in the 4th qtr. San Antonio made a run, but too little too late at this point. The Sun nearly doubled the yards of the Gunslingers, 416-209 and won time of possession 36-24.

Stars 48 Maulers 3

The tribewriter era of the Pittsburgh Maulers did not get off to a good start as the Baltimore Stars mauled Pittsburgh today. Jon Snow threw for 417 yards and 5 TDs to 5 different receivers while the Stars defense held Pittsburgh to just 142 yards. William Halford had a combined 136 yards (64 rushing, 72 receiving) and Mark Numbers had 114 combined yards (37 rushing, 77 receiving) to lead the Stars.

Gamblers 52 Bell 7

Houston traveled to the city of brotherly love and proceeded to hate all over Philadelphia today. The Gamblers defense held the Bell to 2 first downs, 155 total yards and only 19:24 minutes of possession. We all know about Tony Dean, and he was himself today, passing for 388 yards and 5 TDs (a lot of 5 TD games today) completing 23 of 27. Francisco Russell had a combined 170 yards, 91 on 13 rushes to go with 6 catches, 2 TDs and 79 yards.Wesley Hull had 125 yards receiving and 2 TD catches as Houston racked up 622 total yards today. Donald Turner and Lloyd Ellis also had over 100 combined yards for Houston.

Generals 34 Bulls 13

New Jersey QB Ric Flair completed 26 of 28 passes, including his first 15 in a row to lead the Generals to victory. Flair tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to TE Calvin Hobbes and RB Dr. Sam Beckett had 80 yards rushing and 62 receiving. Rookie RB Kurt Cobain smelled like 2 touchdowns today, getting a rushing TD on his first ever carry while adding a receiving TD later. Cobain combined for 94 yards in his debut, 10-61 rushing and 3 catches for 33 yards. 

Renegades 38 Blitz 24

Orlando gave up 384 yards to Chicago's offense, but the Renegades forced 5 turnovers, the last one a game sealing Pick Six in the final minute of the game. Orlando racked up 470 offensive yards and had a 28-10 lead at one point. Chicago had cut the lead to 28-17 before Orlando sacked Ronald Brown in the end zone for a safety. Chicago cut the lead to 30-24 with just under 5 minutes left, and the Blitz would actually get the ball 3 more times before the end of the game. Chicago's defense got the Renegades offense off the field only to see Ronald Brown toss an interception on the first play after the 2 minute warning. The Blitz then forced a 3 and out, only to see Brown throw another interception, this one returned 50 yards for a score by Luis Fellows, game over.

Orlando WR David King caught 9 passes, 3 for TDs for a whopping 281 yards.

(NY) Stars 34 Outlaws 3

New York out gained Oklahoma by more than 400 yards, 587-185, rushing for 203 as a team as they corral the Outlaws today. QB Willie Bust was 18/25 passing with 4 TDs and 384 yards. Most of that damage was done by Stephen Tavera who caught 4 for 225 yards and 2 TD. William Hall ran for 118 yards and former All Pro RB Cam Dalton (remember him?) had a combined 114 yards with a receiving TD to help New York control the ball for nearly 37 minutes.

SaberCats 34 Steamer 7

The first half saw just 1 TD and San Jose had a 7-0 lead at the break. In fact it was still 7-0 late in the 3rd when San Jose scored again to take a 14-0 lead with 5:31 left in the 3rd. Shreveport cut the lead in half during the final minute of the 3rd but the SaberCats answered that quickly to take back control of the game. Reigning Offensive ROY Mark Hsu caught a 68 yard TD pass that extended the lead to 21-7 and following a FG that extended the lead, Aqib Talib put the game away with a Pick Six. Hsu only caught 4 passes today, but that TD was important and those 4 receptions were good for 179 yards, so no sophomore slump so far.