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.
