This season sure is flying by, seems like we just started the season, yet here we are nearly half way done. Shreveport hosted undefeated Denver and they sent the Gold home steamed, handing them their first loss of the season. Denver saw their lead on Portland and Oakland trimmed to 1 game. That leaves Florida as the USFL's last undefeated team, although they had their hands full with division rival Tampa Bay. Had the Bandits won, they would have trailed the Blazers by 1 game in the standings, but the loss leaves Tampa Bay 3 games behind. Let's see what happened in Week number 7.
Blazers 20 Bandits 17
Tampa Bay really needed to win this game if they had any hopes of winning the division and the Bandits defense started and finished great, shutting out the Blazers in the 1st and 4th qtrs. The quarters in between were another story, as Sidney Maggard tossed a pair of TD passes, finishing with 304 yards in the air, as Florida took a 20-10 lead into the final 15 minutes. Early in the 4th, Thomas Lawson threw his 2nd TD pass, cutting the lead to 20-17. That TD went to RB Paul Meade, who once again struggled in the running game but contributed 10 receptions for 165 yards in the passing game. Tampa's last 2 drives produced nothing however, and Florida escapes with a win.
Steamer 35 Gold 25
Denver racked up 440 offensive yards, but they also suffered 4 turnovers and the Gold defense allowed 485 yards themselves. Neither team was efficient in the red zone, getting a pair of TDs in 4 trips each, but while that was it for Denver, Shreveport also had 2 red zone FGs and the Steamer's lone turnover was a lost fumble. The Steamer ran the ball 50 times in all, with Orville Barker leading the way with a 75 yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage en route to a 30 carry, 217 yard, 2 TD game. For Denver, QB Andrew Brewer threw for 339 yards and 2 TDs but he also threw 2 INTs and completed just 15 of 37 passes. Richard Huff caught 9 for 165 and a TD while Brian Thornton caught 3 for 151 and a TD.
Shreveport got out to leads of 19-0 and 26-3 before Denver pulled within 26-17 in the 4th qtr. The Steamer then added 3 FGs, and led 35-17 with less than a minute to play before the Gold got a TD and 2 to lose by 10.
Panthers 26 Generals 10
Michigan is a quiet 6-1 after defeating the East leading Generals in New Jersey. The Panthers aren't flashy, but they now have the stingiest defense in the league, giving up 55 points in 7 games (Florida is 2nd with 56 PA) and they forced 4 turnovers today. New Generals starting QB Paul Marcum had a rough game, getting sacked twice and tossing 3 interceptions. The running game offered no support either, leading to a miserable 2/13 3rd down conversion rate. Michigan did get 350 yards of offense, but it was far from rosy on that side of the ball. The Panthers turned it over 3 times themselves and scored just 1 TD (and 3 FGs) in 5 red zone trips. It was enough to get the victory today though.
Federals 34 Maulers 7
Washington shredded the Pittsburgh defense for 456 yards and the Maulers offense was held to just 204 yards as the Federals dominated this game. Scott Bieber threw for 331 yards and 3 TDs as Washington built a 24-0 lead and never looked back. Those TDs went to 3 different receivers, none named Robert Trammell, but Trammell did have a double 90 game, with 91 rushing and 94 receiving. Washington is now 6-1 on the season with a 1.5 game lead in the division.
Stars 24 Gamblers 24 (OT)
The reason for Washington having a 1.5 game lead is this tie game today. 60 minutes wasn't enough to decide a winner, so they played 10 more minutes and still couldn't decide a winner so everyone just went home. Despite no winner, this game was a pretty good, competitive battle between a pair of perennial powerhouse teams. Both Tony Dean and Jon Snow started off shake as in the 1st qtr, Dean was intercepted twice, Snow once. They both turned it around though, as Dean finished with 2 TDs and 364 yards while Snow had 3 TDs and 385 yards and 18 different receivers caught passes. Houston's Lloyd Ellis ran 7 times for 84 yards, adding 106 on 9 catches while William Halford had 141 combined yards for Baltimore. Stars K Fred Boyce was wide right on a 43 yard FG attempt inside the final minute that could have prevented extra football.
Storm 24 Hawaiians 10
Portland QB Melvin Driggers needed just 14 completions (19 attempts) to throw 3 TD passes and 323 yards to lead the champs to their 3rd straight victory. Honolulu nearly matched Portland yard for yard, but they turned it over on downs twice on failed 4th and shorts as they fell behind 17-7 at halftime. Early in the 4th Driggers hooked up with Richard Robinson for their 2nd TD, giving the Storm a commanding 24-7 lead they would not relinquish.
Force 21 VooDoo 13
Georgia QB Milton People completed less than 50% of his passes (15/32) but still tossed 3 TD passes to lead Georgia over South leading New Orleans. Two of those TDs went to Matthew Taylor and all of the Force scoring came in the first half. Bruno Wilson had trouble moving the VooDoo offense today as 50 passes netted just 177 yards, but they got a short TD drive following one of People's INTs to pull within 8 points heading into the 4th. The last 4 drives for New Orleans ended with a punt, turnover on downs and a pair of interceptions, allowing the Force to hold on for victory.
Invaders 19 Stallions 13
This game featured 10 punts, 6 field goals and 2 touchdowns and not much good offense. Oakland got 4 of the 6 FGs and the Invaders defense intercepted Ric Flair 3 times, twice after Flair got Birmingham within 16-13 in the 4th qtr with a TD pass. Andrew Moreno and the Invaders offense took care of the ball, and converted 8/18 3rd downs as they improve to 5-2 on the year.
SaberCats 34 Bulls 20
Jacksonville started out on fire, getting 20 points in the 1st qtr to lead 20-7. San Jose turned the ball over twice in that 1st qtr to help the Bulls fast start, but the Bulls decided to return the favor 5 times the rest of the game, helping the SaberCats secure a come from behind win. Jake Plummer had 358 passing yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs,, with Mark Hsu not grabbing any of those scores. Hsu still had 108 receiving yards but was outshined by Dave McEntee, who caught 2 passes, both for scores covering 112 yards.
Blitz 37 Wheels 17
Detroit's offense has improved a lot over recent seasons but the turnover bugaboo bit them today. Both teams moved the ball well with sustained drives in the first half that ended 17-17, but a missed FG in the 3rd qtr signaled the end of the Wheels offense for the day as they turned it over 3 times and punted every other drive. The Blitz didn't move the ball all that well either in the 2nd half, but those turnovers allowed Chicago to win the 2nd half 20-0 and come away with their 3rd straight win after an 0-4 start. Chicago QB Ronald Brown led the Blitz with 213 yards and 2 TDs on 22/28 passing.
Thunderbolts 20 Showboats 13
Cleveland has given up the 3rd fewest points in the league, and despite giving up 340 offensive yards, the Thunderbolts defense forced a pair of turnovers and allowed just 1 TD on 3 red zone trips (also 2 FGs). Memphis WR Mark Glenn and Cleveland WR James Bull both caught 8 passes with Glenn amassing 144 yards and Bull 126 and a TD.
Gunslingers 13 Outlaws 6
Charlie Shanks ran for 106 yards for San Antonio but there were no offensive TDs in this game. Yards were tough to come by as well, as the teams combined for 421 yards and the score was tied 6-6 late in the 4th qtr. That's when Oklahoma QB John Crisp threw a Pick 6 to Louie Perry for the game winning score.
Sun 56 Wranglers 17
Southern California QB Wilmer Kimble threw 4 TD passes and 324 yards, with WR Joseph Baker caught 8 for 116 yards and 2 TDs as the Sun wrangle Arizona. The Sun ran for 210 yards as a team with Stanley Gordon accounting for 127 and a TD. Southern California scored in all 3 phases today, getting a sack in the end zone for a safety and returning the free kick for a score in addition to their 5 offensive TDs and 4 FGs. On a side note, the Wranglers QB Roulette Wheel landed on Zachary Kinkead today.
Express 16 Renegades 13
Orlando came into this game 1-5, with 4 of those losses by one score or less, and Los Angeles was looking for their 2nd straight win after an 0-5 start. The Express got an 85 yard Tristan Arnold TD pass to Fredrick Whidden in the final minute of the 2nd qtr to tie the game at 13. Los Angeles would add a FG in an uneventful 2nd half, handing Orlando yet another close defeat.
Breakers 26 Hornets 10
I can't remember the last time I wrote about Boston gaining 400 yards or more, but the Breakers exploded for 424 today, 164 of that on the ground. Boston converted 8/19 3rd downs and got 110 rushing yards and a TD from James Nash as they sting Charlotte today. The much maligned Breakers run defense held strong today, allowing 2 yards a carry and the pass defense recorded a pair of sacks and a pair of INTs.
(NY) Stars 7 Bell 0
For more than 3 quarters, this game resembled a soccer match between players wearing strange pads and helmets as neither team could dent the scoreboard. New York got a 2 yard TD run by Tomas Abbott and the defense made that stand up for the win. Philadelphia had their best drive last as they attempted to tie the game, but the drive stalled at the New York 25.
