Week 5 Roundup

Michael Estrada (58), LDE, Georgia Force

Four unbeaten teams remain in the USFL/WFL after five weeks. Which is the biggest surprise?

Not the Georgia Force, who came back from a 13-6 deficit late in the third quarter to outscore the Portland Storm, 22-16. Georgia was 15-1 during the 1975 regular season before falling to the Pittsburgh Maulers in the National Conference championship game. Portland QB William Hill's fumble was recovered by Georgia RDE Michael Estrada, leading to Force QB Phillip Anderson's go-ahead TD pass to RB Allen Benefield early in the fourth quarter.

Maybe not the Tampa Bay Bandits, who forced six turnovers in beating the Orlando Renegades, 50-12. The Bandits have been upwardly mobile since the day Macarovil took over as head coach. Bandits MLB Martin Wilbermuth sacked Orlando QB William Carter on the third play from scrimmage, stripped him of the ball, then returned the fumble 43 yards for a TD, dragging Carter on his back into the end zone..

Maybe the Cleveland Thunderbolts? The 'Bolts tore apart East Division leader Boston's defense, mauling the Breakers, 76-26. Cleveland, 8-8 last season, led, 52-7 at halftime. 'Bolts QB Brandon Robertson was 21-for-26 passing for 639 yards and nine TDs, a QB rating of 158.33. Robertson tied the USFL/WFL record for TD passes in a game (Vincent Goode, New Orleans, and Les Lacy, Oakland) and fell 6 yards short of the single-game passing yardage record held by Goode. Cleveland's Adam Velasco returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a TD.

Maybe the Arizona Wranglers? The Wranglers, 3-13 last season, moved to 5-0 by beating the Memphis Showboats, 35-26. Coming up big for Arizona was the firm of Welsh (Albert, CB, nine tackles) and Welch (Ryan, DT, two sacks),

In other Week 5 games:

• The New York Stars have won back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history. Rookie WR Alan Howard returned a kickoff 105 yards with 50 seconds to play, giving the Stars an 18-15 win over the Chicago Blitz. Chicago's Roland Ellis attempted a 59-yard field goal as time expired, but it fell just short.
• There is now a race for the top of the Southwest Division after the previously winless Washington Federals stunned San Antonio, 26-18. The Gunslingers are now 3-2, while Houston, Memphis, and Oklahoma are all one game behind. Washington QB Joe Richardson had a nice day, accumulating a 147.74 QBR while throwing a pair of TD passes.

Week 6 Preview

The surprising New Orleans VooDoo (4-1), who finished 7-9 last season, travel to Oakland (4-1) to meet the defending World Bowl champion Invaders. The San Jose SaberCats (3-2) and Los Angeles Express (3-2) will try to break what is currently a three-way tie with the Honolulu Hawaiians atop the Pacific Division. Something's got to give when the New Jersey Generals (0-5) host the Philadelphia Bell (0-5). The Portland Storm (3-2) will host the Denver Gold (1-4), the first time all season Portland has not faced a team unbeaten at the time of their meeting.