Week 3 Roundup

Another good sign of competitive balance in the USFL/WFL – we are only three weeks into the season, yet only three unbeaten teams remain.

William Hill, QB, Portland

The Portland Storm, Detroit Wheels, and Tampa Bay Bandits all improved to 3-0 with Week 3 victories. There are 16 teams at 2-1.

Portland edged the Los Angeles Express, 34-27, on Ivory Villanueva's 100-yard kickoff return with 9:28 remaining. Los Angeles got as close as the Storm 34-yard line in the final 2 minutes before turning the ball over on downs. Portland QB William Hill completed 27 of 35 passes, 10 of those completions going to WR Michael Black for 112 yards and a TD.

Jacksonville MLB Joseph Carter intercepted three passes, but his team fell to Tampa Bay, 35-7, as WR Michael Popa caught 12 passes for 229 yards and a pair of TDs.

The Wheels held off the Cleveland Thunderbolts, 19-9, in a battle for the Midwest Division lead. The Wheels picked off Cleveland QB Chester Dougherty three times, two by David Peralta and anther by Bradley Mondragon.

In other Week 3 games:

• Richard Lamar's 24-yard field goal with 1:11 to play lifted the Michigan Panthers to a 34-31 win over the Baltimore Stars. Michigan gained 37 yards on a defensive overuse penalty during its final drive.
• Birmingham Stallions LDE Timothy Pemberton had 14 hurries in a 23-9 win over the Shreveport Steamer.
• San Antonio QB Tony Smith threw for 417 yards and four TDs as the Gunslingers picked up their first win, 41-20, over the Memphis Showboats.
• Georgia LDE Matthew Robledo recovered a fumble by New Orleans RB Alex Flores on the 6-yard line with 11 seconds to play as the Force edged the VooDoo, 10-9.
• Denver scored the last 12 points of the game to edge the Houston Gamblers, 22-16. CB Roy Wiley's pickoff with less than 2 minutes to play sealed the Gold victory.

Week 4 Preview

The Detroit Wheels (3-0) host the Oklahoma Outlaws (2-1) in a battle of division leaders. Who will battle Detroit for first place in the Midwest? We may find out when the Michigan Panthers (2-1) host the Cleveland Thunderbolts (2-1). The three-way logjam atop the Pacific Division will be broken when LAX (2-1) hosts Honolulu (2-1) and San Jose (2-1) is at the Oakland Invaders (2-1). If the Denver Gold (2-1) can knock off the Portland Storm (3-0), there may be a four-way tie for first in the West Division when we wake up Tuesday morning.

Record Book

Jacksonville MLB Joseph Carter tied a USFL/WFL record during his team's Week 3 loss to Tampa Bay by intercepting three passes in the same game. Ten other players have recorded three pickoffs in the same game: David Asuncion (Memphis), David Bronson (Charlotte), James Jones (Memphis), Leon Crisman (San Antonio), Robert Newton (New Orleans), Timothy McLaughlin (Portland), Mike Williams (New Jersey), Bradley Mondragon (Detroit), Rick Edwards (Orlando), and Albert Welsh (Arizona, vs. Florida last week).