We are 2 weeks into the 1992 season and if I asked each of you before the season to tell me the 9 teams to start 2-0 and I bet nobody would get more than 6 or 7 correct. San Jose, Portland, Denver, Michigan, Baltimore and Pittsburgh would have been on a lot of lists, but that's just 6 of our 2-0 teams. Florida nearly made the playoffs last season, finishing 10-6 so I could see a few people picking them to be 2-0. The other 2-0 teams are the San Antonio Gunslingers and Boston Breakers. The Gunslingers and Breakers are winning with defense, and while it's certainly very early in the season, it's nice to see franchises have some success after a lot of losing seasons.
Week 1
Maulers 13 Gamblers 12
Pittsburgh and Houston both have championship aspirations, yet one has to start the season 0-1. The Gamblers out gained the Maulers 350-288 but could only get field goals instead of touchdowns, which wasn't enough to win the game. Tony Dean completed 28/37 but for just 235 yards and an INT, while Donald Turner ran for 89, adding 52 receiving yards to be the game's stat leader. Pittsburgh's Will Allison only threw for 210 yards but he also threw a TD pass for the game's only TD, a 6 yard pass to Michael Merlino in the 2nd quarter. Pittsburgh wins ugly again.
Stallions 17 Force 13
This game is being highlighted for it's wild final 2 minutes, as the first 58 minutes of action saw a score of 7-6 Birmingham. Gerald Hinton booted a FG just after the 2 minute warning, extending the Stallions lead to 10-6. The Birmingham defense forced Georgia to go three and out and the offense just needed to run the clock down, but they decided to pass instead. Bad decision, as Stephen Ponder threw an interception and 2 plays later, Force QB Milton People tossed a 23 yard TD to Matthew Taylor. That score gave Georgia a short lived 13-10 lead, because Stephen Ponder responded with a 75 yard TD pass to Theodore Turner to retake the lead 17-13. Georgia would have 41 seconds to try for another TD but time ran out on them and Birmingham escapes with the W.
Storm 41 Wranglers 9
New Portland QB Melvin Driggers threw for 356 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Champions to an impressive win over Arizona. Tough draw for the Wranglers in Week 1 as Portland is expected to have another double digit win season.
Stars 17 Showboats 3
Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw 2 TD passes to lead the Baltimore offense, and the Stars defense held Memphis to only 207 offensive yards in the victory.
VooDoo 15 Steamer 10
The new look New Orleans VooDoo failed to score a TD and fell behind 7-0 early, but 5 Jordan Fuller FGs were enough to earn the victory over division rival Shreveport. QB Bruno Wilson was asked after the game how it felt throwing just 24 passes..."I don't care if I throw 24, 124 or 4 passes, just as long as we win."
Thunderbolts 17 Generals 3
New Jersey out gained Cleveland, but the Thunderbolts scored first on a fumble return for a TD. The mistakes would continue throughout the game for the Generals as Ric Flair tossed 4 INTs. The performance was so bad, Flair was cut and is currently on waivers.
SaberCats 35 Renegades 14
The teams combined for over 800 yards of offense but Orlando turned the ball over twice and had no answer for WR Mark Hsu. San Jose's 3rd year WR has had many huge statistical games in his short career, but a 306 yard, 4 TD day is still pretty special.
Federals 33 Bandits 13
Tampa Bay is throwing rookie QB Thomas Lawson right into the fire, with his first test coming against a powerhouse Washington team. The Federals boast one of the best defenses in the league and they made life rough for the rookie, who will have better days ahead. The Federals already potent offense got better during the off season with the addition of Robert Trammell, who had 85 rushing yards and 75 receiving. Scott Bieber threw for 306 yards and 3 TDs to lead the balanced attack.
Panthers 17 Wheels 5
Michigan got 2 TD passes from William Mauriello and the Panthers defense forced 3 turnovers and eliminated the Detroit ground game. It was an ugly game, 5 fumbles combined, 5 total turnovers (2 lost fumbles, 3 INTs), and the Panthers scored 3 points total in 3 red zone trips, but they will gladly take the win.
Hawaiians 30 Express 14
Honolulu QB Derek Henry threw for 340 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Hawaiians to victory. Los Angeles put up 336 yards of offense, led by WR Milton Pearce's 7 catches for 197 yards and 2 TDs, but the Express lost the turnover battle 3-1 and the game 30-14.
Invaders 26 Sun 7
Oakland QB Andrew Moreno was an efficient 27/32 with a TD and 232 yards to lead the Invaders to the victory. The Oakland defense held Southern California to 139 offensive yards and recorded 3 sacks and 2 takeaways.
Blazers 34 Bulls 10
Florida QB Sidney Maggard only completed 17 passes but they covered 311 yards and produced 4 TDs as the Blazers run the Bulls. The Jacksonville defense could not cover Ray Parker today as he caught 5 passes for 235 yards and 3 TDs.
Hornets 30 Bell 24
Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez threw for 268 yards and 3 TDs (0 INT) but it wasn't enough to beat Charlotte on this day. Hornets QB Robert Ament threw for 346 yards and 2 TDs to Randall Liles (3-123-2) as Charlotte built an early 21-3 lead, then held on for the win.
Gold 22 Blitz 14
Chicago got out to a fast 14-3 lead but the Blitz had trouble running the ball all game long, enabling Denver to chip away at that lead. Jake Peralta was the stat king of the game (187 combined yards) and his 2nd qtr TD got the Gold within 14-10, and 2 FGs gave the Gold a 16-14 lead after 3 quarters. The score remained that until a late Richard Huff TD pushed the Denver lead to 8 points, and that stood up for the Gold as they go to 1-0.
Gunslingers 19 Outlaws 3
San Antonio held Oklahoma to 124 yards of offense, forced 3 turnovers and recorded 3 sacks to start the season 1-0. Neither teams running game did much outside of Charlie Shank's 75 yard TD run, as he was 18 for 29 yards on the rest of his carries, but that TD clearly gave the Gunslingers the momentum, and the defense did the rest.
Breakers 9 (NY) Stars 6
New York had an efficient offense but lacked the big play in this game as their longest play from scrimmage was 14 yards. Willie Bust completed 18/29 for just 116 yards, as it seems Boston still has their tough pass D from last season. The Stars ran the ball well but the offense never could crack the end zone, scoring 2 FGs for a 6-0 lead in the 3rd qtr. Boston RB James Nash scored on a 9 yard run late in the 3rd but the XP was no good, so we were tied at 6. With 0:13 left, New York K Ed Jetton attempted a 57 yard FG, which was short. Boston took over, got a quick 22 yard completion to set Ellis Devoe up for a game winning 50 yard FG at the gun. The kick was good and Boston starts 1-0.
