Week 13 Roundup
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| Fred Murphy, QB, Shreveport (10) |
Shreveport earned a huge win in Week 13, solidifying its hold on the final National Conference playoff spot and snapping Birmingham's 10-game win streak by beating the Stallions, 15-10, at State Fair Stadium.
Shreveport scored its only TD on Fred Murphy's 34-yard pass to WR Johnny Brennan. Nine catches for 155 yards was a good day for Brennan, but defense was the key. Stallions QB Agustin Cook was held to 205 yards passing, his fourth-lowest output of the season, and star RB Jordan Devers managed just 49 yards on 14 carries, his lowest output since being traded to the Stallions. CB Gerald Gerrish had eight tackles for Shreveport, which forced Birmingham to turn the ball over on downs on the Steamer 35 with 1:43 to go.
The Stallions (11-2) fell a game behind the Georgia Force (12-1) in the South Division standings. Shreveport (9-4) now leads the Tampa Bay Bandits (7-6) and Baltimore Stars (7-6) by two games for the second Wild Card spot in the National Conference.
In other Week 13 games:
- The Chicago Blitz remained unbeaten and snapped Tampa Bay's six-game win streak by steamrolling the Bandits, 58-21. Chicago WR John Ayala returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a TD and the Blitz led, 31-7, midway through the second quarter. Chicago CB Ronald Williams returned a pickoff 29 yards for a TD, one of six interceptions by the Blitz.
- Baltimore surprised the Atlantic Division-leading Pittsburgh Maulers, 48-33, keeping the Stars' faint playoff hopes alive. Baltimore led, 45-19, early in the third quarter. Stars QB Victor Gorman threw for 512 yards and five TDs and CB Earl Bueno was muy bueno, making nine tackles.
- The Detroit Wheels remained a game back of Oklahoma in the American Conference playoff chase, beating the Florida Blazers, 27-18. Wheels QB Henry Prieto fired three TD passes to help Detroit turn a 12-6 deficit into a 27-12 lead.
- The Cleveland Thunderbolts are 7-3 since an 0-3 start, beating the Michigan Panthers, 30-9. Cleveland RDE George Ye concluded the scoring by returning an interception 2 yards for a TD.
- Memphis CB James Jones and SS David Asuncion both intercepted three passes during a 20-7 Showboats win over the San Jose SaberCats.
- San Antonio QB Tony Smith threw for 540 yards and six TDs in a 58-7 win over the Southern California Sun.
Week 14 Preview
The Oakland Invaders (12-1) will try to wrap up the West Division title when they travel to Portland to face the Storm (10-3). The Jacksonville Bulls (9-4) will try to wrap up the Southeast Division title with a win at Tampa Bay (7-6). The Oklahoma Outlaws (9-4) can force a tie atop the Southwest Division with a victory at San Antonio (10-3). Something has to give when the Philadelphia Bell (3-10), who have lost seven in a row, travel to New York to face the Stars (0-13), who have lost 20 in a row.
