A Bolt out of the Blue
So, we don't know what to call the Cleveland Thunderbolts' 23-10 win over the Chicago Blitz. But we can call it impressive. Chicago and Oakland were the co-favorites to win World Bowl III this season, according to the league's coaches' poll. Chicago is coming off a 15-1 season, while Cleveland was 8-8. The 'Bolts are under new leadership, and coach jabillups85 certainly has an impressive resume, but we thought rebuilding might take a little longer than this.
More amazing than the result, however, was the tenor of the game. Cleveland held the normally unstoppable Chicago offense to 204 net yards. Blitz QB Daniel McKee, the league's co-offensive MVP in 1974, ended the game with a QB rating of 40.30, threw two interceptions, and was sacked eight times. Cleveland never trailed after RB Adam Velasco opened the scoring with an 8-yard TD run in the first quarter. Velasco finished with 114 yards rushing and two TDs. FS Michael Rodriguez recorded eight tackles and DT Stephen Taylor two sacks.
The Curse of Juan Bonnett, Part 2
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| Juan Bonnett, SS, Hawaiians |
Bonnett, you will recall, was the No. 5 overall pick by Houston in last season's USFL/WFL draft. He busted so badly that the Gamblers sent him packing to Honolulu for a late third-round pick.
Los Angeles WR Santiago Smith caught four passes for 119 yards, two for TDs, including the clinching 57-yard score that widened a 17-16 lead to 24-16 — a drive that was kept alive on a face mask penalty called on (guess who) Bonnett.
Other Week 1 Games
- Rookie QB Eric Pierce passed for 317 yards in his Boston debut and the defense intercepted a pair of Doug Fluty passes as the Breakers knocked off the defending East Division champion New Jersey Generals, 29-21. The Generals drove from their own 8 to the Boston 49 late in the game before turning the ball over on downs. LDE Ryan Willey and SS Nathan Smith both had seven tackles for Boston.
- Birmingham's Roger Reed kicked a 45-yard field goal in overtime to give the Stallions a 19-16 win over the Shreveport Steamer in a big South Division game. Shreveport, after driving from its 20 to the Birmingham 6, tied the score on James Hooper's 44-yard field goal as regulation time expired. The Steamer got the ball back after Reed's field goal in OT, but CB Dusty Edwards ended the game when he intercepted a Fred Murphy pass.
- San Jose QB Dave Schmitt hit WR John Martin with a 4-yard TD pass with 1:51 to play, giving the SaberCats a 24-17 win over the Denver Gold. Two plays earlier, San Jose completed a 35-yard pass when Denver was penalized for overusing a play.
- New Detroit QB Mario Valencia came up big in his first start, throwing for 554 yards and six TDs in a 55-3 win over the Philadelphia Bell. Valencia, formerly of Jacksonville, fired scoring strikes of 70 yards and 71 yards on the Wheels' first two possessions. Detroit CB Bradley Mondragon pulled down three interceptions. Former Detroit starting QB Henry Prieto (the offensive equivalent of Juan Bonnett) threw one pass for the Wheels. It was incomplete.
- In a battle of 1974 and 1975 playoff teams, a game for the ages by Portland LDE Norman Paulk wasn't enough as the Storm fell to San Antonio, 27-13. Paulk had 11 tackles, 10 hurries, and five sacks, but the offense couldn't keep pace as QB William Hill was intercepted five times, twice by Gunslingers FS Kendall Burnett.
