We aren't even through 40% of the season yet, but the Denver Gold and Florida Blazers look like they are on a collision course to meet in World Bowl XIX. They both kept their undefeated records intact by shutting out their opponents and Denver scored a USFL season high 75 points today. Florida has given up 39 total points in 6 games, putting them on pace to allow 104 points, which would break the record of 110 set by the 1990 Portland Storm. The Michigan Panthers are just off the record setting pace, allowing 45 points so far. Despite all the domination, nobody has more than a 2 game division lead and we look like we'll have some exciting divisional/wildcard races as we get closer to Week 16.
Gold 75 Wranglers 0
This week's Wrangler QB Roulette Wheel landed on Danny Nash and he got the scoring started for Denver with a Pick 6 midway through the 1st qtr. A few minutes later, Raymond Caviness scored on a short TD run, then added a TD reception later in the 1st. In between Caviness touchdowns, Andrew Brewer had a 62 yard TD to Richard Funkhouser and the Gold led 27-0 after 15 minutes.
The rest of the game went pretty much like that as Denver scored 14 in the 2nd qtr, 21 in the 3rd and 13 in the 4th. Nash threw 5 INTs in all, and even had a second Pick 6. Andrew Brewer finished with 497 yards and 4 TD passes, all to different receivers. Jake Peralta had a 90-90 game, with 93 rushing yards and 90 receiving, but was held out of the end zone. Brian Thornton only had 75 total yards, 16 rushing, but he popped 3 short TD runs as Denver cruised to victory.
Blazers 27 Stallions 0
Florida has had some huge offensive games this season but today wasn't one of those, as they only had 260 total yards. What they lacked in yardage, they got in points as Sidney Maggard tossed 3 TD passes and Gerald Hinton nailed 2 long FGs, 53 and 54 yards. Games like today are why New Jersey parted ways with Ric Flair, as he was inaccurate, turnover prone, and couldn't get the ball downfield when he did find the right colored jersey. Flair finished 23/55, 91 yards and 3 INTs.
Storm 30 Gamblers 27
Portland and Houston are in the thick of 3 team division races, so this was an important early season game to help shape the post season. This played out like a basketball game, with both teams making long scoring runs. The Storm ran first, jumping out 10-0 before the Gamblers came back to tie it at 10. This game would be back and forth throughout, and they combined for 101 passes thrown, although short on efficiency with just 55 combined completions and 3 INTs. Houston's Tony Dean was 33/59, 412 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT while Melvin Driggers completed 22/42, 256 yards with 1 TD, 2 INT. Portland also had their running game going as Jose Moses ran for 126 and Timothy Roquemore 85. Houston didn't run much but they did have a pair of 115 yard receivers, Ryan Dearing (10 receptions) and Jett Black (5 receptions, 2 TDs).
On the first play of what would become a wild 4th quarter, Portland's Alan Grossi booted a short FG to give Portland a 27-10 lead. A few minutes later, Melvin Driggers threw his 2nd INT, setting up Houston with a FG opportunity, cutting the Storm lead to 27-13. Dean then found Black for a TD to make it 27-20 with almost 9 minutes to play. Portland would have to punt, pinning the Gamblers at their own 7, but Tony Dean led Houston on an 11 play TD drive, finding Jett Black again to tie the game at 27. There was just 1:18 on the clock and Houston forced a three and out, and starting at their own 18 following the punt.
Tony Dean completed a pass to Peter Henderson when a blast from the past made a game changing play. Mark McKeon, he of the 71 sacks and ensuing controversy in 1989, stripped Henderson of the ball and recovered it to set Portland up in FG range. Driggers almost got a game winning TD but Richard Robinson was ruled short of the goal line. That left enough time for Grossi to boot the short game winner.
Federals 24 Stars 17
The first half was an offensive showcase and it looked like we'd have a shootout. Jon Snow got Baltimore on the scoreboard first with a 32 yard TD pass to John Warkentin. Scott Bieber caught fire after that, leading Washington to 3 consecutive scoring drives for a 21-7 lead. All 3 TDs were courtesy of Bieber's arm, 2 of the 3 going to Ronald Matthews, who had 156 yards on 5 catches today. Jon Snow would toss his 2nd TD pass later in the 2nd qtr and our halftime score was 21-14 Washington. The second half was rather uneventful until the end of the game. With 4:19 left, the Stars defense intercepted Bieber but Jon Snow immediately threw one of his own, allowing the Federals to drain the clock under 2 minutes. Baltimore's last drive ended on downs just outside the red zone and the Federals win, taking sole possession of the Atlantic division lead.
SaberCats 18 Hawaiians 17
Honolulu could have had an early 2 game lead over San Jose with a victory and the Hawaiians held a 14-3 lead early in the 4th following a Scott Stillings 12 yard TD run. San Jose would get a Jake Plummer TD pass and a 2 point conversion to pull within 3 points and another TD pass to Mark Hsu for an 18-14 lead. Hsu was bottled up most of the day, with 3 catches and 23 yards before his 22 yard TD reception with 1:50 left. Honolulu faced a 4th and 10 at the San Jose 27 and opted to kick a FG, then try an onside kick, which was successful. They had plenty of time to get into FG range but Derek Henry threw an interception to seal the win for San Jose.
Panthers 18 Breakers 10
Michigan got 116 rushing yards from Walter Simmons and 6 field goals from Robert Moulton as the Panthers run their record to 5-1. Michigan is using a 2 QB system we haven't seen in quite some time, although neither one was particularly effective against the tough Boston pass defense. Michigan out gained Boston 373-176 and they held the ball for over 40 minutes.
VooDoo 21 Steamer 9
New Orleans and Shreveport had similar stats and game plans, spreading the ball around to several different runners and receivers. Neither QB topped 200 yards, but Bruno Wilson was able to find Nicholas Dorey for a TD pass, and the VooDoo added a pair of rushing scores while the New Orleans defense kept the Steamer out of the end zone all game.
Generals 20 Wheels 15
Arizona and Michigan are not alone in searching for a franchise QB as New Jersey started their 3rd different QB of the season tonight, 2nd year pro Paul Marcum. Detroit was able to run the ball, complimenting their passing attack but the Wheels had to settle for too many FGs, yet they held a 9-7 lead in the middle of the 3rd qtr. New Jersey's TD was a 48 yard Marcum TD pass to Duncan Meyer. Meyer caught 5 passes in all for 145 yards but suffered an ankle injury and will miss multiple games. New Jersey would get another Marcum TD pass and an Al Borland FG to take a 17-9 lead early in the 4th. Gabriel Flanagan then fired a 37 yard TD pass to Matthew Houston but the 2 point try failed, and Detroit still trailed 17-15. The Generals would add another Borland FG that turned out to be huge, as it forced the Wheels to score a TD to win instead of a FG. Detroit was marching for that game winning TD but they ran out of time 11 yards short, making both teams 4-2 this year.
Bandits 23 Bulls 17
There were some big stat games today for both teams. Jacksonville QB Christopher Kimbrough completed 30/44, 302 yards and 2 TDs, Tyron Bailey had 116 combined yards (16-95 on the ground, 10 for 21 receiving) and William Morrison had 182 yards and 2 TDs on 5 catches. Tampa Bay QB Thomas Lawson completed 28/47, 323 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. One TD went to RB Paul Meade, who had a rough day on the ground (10-26) but caught 12 passes for 66 yards. The other TD went to who else, Thomas Whitley. The likely future HOFer caught 5 for 166 yards today and I missed the fact that Whitley broke the record for most career receiving TDs with his first one this season. He has 114 now, but his first one this season was #109, besting Gabriel Ahrens 108.
There were also 6 total turnovers, 3 apiece and the defenses finally took over in the second half. Tampa Bay got a pair of 4th qtr FGs to turn a 17-17 tie into victory.
Showboats 13 Outlaws 6
David Allen found Mark Glenn for a 2 yard TD pass early in the 4th to break a 6-6 tie, giving Memphis the win. The Showboats ran the ball well and were 7/15 on 3rd down, but both teams struggled through the air, combining for 5 INTs.
Maulers 26 Hornets 7
Pittsburgh nearly doubled the yardage of Charlotte 354-180, and they forced 13 punts. Maulers QB Will Allison tossed 2 TD passes and completed passes to 12 different receivers as Pittsburgh controlled the game throughout. The Maulers were up 26-0 before Charlotte finally dented the scoreboard.
Blitz 13 (NY) Stars 6
Chicago took a 7-0 lead on a 2nd qtr 4 yard TD run by Jay Kinder, then the teams exchanged a pair of FGs each the rest of the way as the Blitz win their 2nd in a row after an 0-4 start. The Blitz could have won more comfortably but they only converted 1/3 red zone possessions into TDs, allowing New York to hang around. Chicago had a ball control running and passing attack as QB Ronald Brown completed 20/25 for just 159 yards and the team ran for 114 yards on 36 carries.
Thunderbolts 27 Gunslingers 6
Cleveland QB Tony Romo completed 18/21, 188 yards and 2 TDs, with James Bull accounting for 113 of that on 5 catches and a TD. The Thunderbolts defense forced two turnovers and held San Antonio under 200 total yards, and shut them out after halftime to even both team's record at 3-3.
Invaders 17 Force 13
Oakland RB Oliver Thomas opened the scoring with a 2 yard TD run and closed the scoring with a 5 yard TD reception, and in between, he had 71 yards rushing and 61 receiving yards on 10 catches. Andrew Moreno completed 26/33 passes for 270 yards and that TD to Thomas as the stats show Oakland had the better stats. Georgia had the lead late in the 4th however, as the Invaders had to settle for FG attempts 3 times, making just 1, but the Force couldn't hold that lead.
Express 24 Sun 17
Los Angeles QB Tristan Arnold didn't exactly push the ball downfield, but he did complete an efficient 25/31 for 140 yards and a TD to lead the Express to their first win of the season. The Express running game chipped in with 114 yards, enabling them to convert 7/14 3rd down conversions. The defense got in on the scoring too, as Cornell Torres returned an interception 14 yards for a score. Southern California turned the ball over 5 times, with QB Wilmer Kimble responsible for 3 INTs and a lost fumble. Kimble did throw a pair of TD passes, the 2nd coming late in the 4th to get the Sun within 7. Los Angeles recovered the onside kick and ran out the final 1:45.
Bell 23 Renegades 16
The first half was dominated by Orlando but they only had a 16-10 lead to show for it, as they had to settle for FGs on their first 3 drives. The Renegades had over 400 yards of total offense but 312 came in the first half. Orlando had a 16-13 lead in the 4th and were in the Philadelphia red zone, but rookie QB Emory Howard threw an INT to kill the drive. The Bell then got a 50 yard TD pass from Robert Hernandez to Craig Hines just after the 2 minute warning to give Philadelphia a 20-16 lead. Orlando would turn it over on downs, leading to a Philadelphia FG and our final score of 23-16. For Orlando, Howard completed 23/39, 306 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, with David King catching 5 for 150 yards and that TD. Hernandez completed 24/34, 315 yards and 2 TD passes to Craig Hines, who finished with 156 yards on 7 receptions.
