1980 Week 7 Roundup: Invaders Unstoppable Again

Somebody better figure out how to stop Oakland's 113 passing game, or we are all in trouble.

Les Lacy, QB, Oakland

Les Lacy threw for a league-record 836 yards as the Invaders stomped the Georgia Force, 72-21. Lacy completed 25 of 43 passes and his eight TDs were two shy of the league record. The former record of 709 passing yards was shared by Georgia's Philip Anderson (against Arizona earlier this season) and former Birmingham great Agustin Crook.

WR Christopher Curtis also set a league record with 490 yards receiving. Five of his 11 receptions went for TDs. The former single-game mark was 418, set by Oklahoma's Dusty Heckman against Boston last season.

The Invaders (5-2), operating almost exclusively out of the 113 personnel set, are averaging 49 points per game through seven games. They led the Force (6-1), 62-21, at halftime. Oakland scored a league-record  94 against Shreveport in its season opener and 61 against the Southern California Sun in Week 4.

In other Week 7 games:

• Rookie RB Max Howard rushed for 181 yards and a TD that accounted for 77 of those yards as the Chicago Blitz ended a nine-game losing streak at the hands of the Detroit Wheels with a 14-13 victory over the previously unbeaten Wheels. The Blitz ran out the final 5:14 with a 12-play drive that ended the game.
• The Memphis Showboats extended their Southwest Division lead over Oklahoma to two games by beating the Outlaws for the second time in three weeks, this time 45-31. The outcome was not decided until Memphis scored the clinching TD with 1:28 to play when Nathan Branch returned Outlaws QB Dale Brown's fumble 2 yards.
• Denver WLB Blaine Hernandez had a great day -- 8 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a sack -- as the Gold overwhelmed the San Jose SaberCats, 59-0.
• Baltimore Stars QB Fred Murphy and New York Stars QB Eric Roberge had a nice duel, passing for 423 and 438 yards during New York's 41-35 victory.
• Houston QB Andrew Reece passed for four TDs as the Houston Gamblers picked up the first win of the Setherick Era, beating the Michigan Panthers, 45-34.
• Robert Bonfiglio's 96-yard kickoff return gave the Charlotte Hornets a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Bell. The Philadelphia loss allowed the New Jersey Generals to pull into a first-place tie atop the East Division.
• The Jacksonville Bulls won their debut under new head coach hectorg93, beating the Boston Breakers, 30-9, behind 190 yards rushing and two TDs from RB George Webb.
• The Los Angeles Express led, 28-7, after one quarter but had to recover an onside kick with 1:22 remaining to preserve a 35-33 win over the Cleveland Thunderbolts, who lost despite accumulating nearly 600 yards of offense.

Week 8 Preview

The Honolulu Hawaiians (5-2) are at the Detroit Wheels (6-1) in a battle of division leaders. Another battle of division leaders sees the Washington Federals (5-2) travel to Memphis to meet the Showboats (6-1). Yet another battle of division leaders occurs when the Tampa Bay Bandits (4-3) host the Georgia Force (6-1). The Denver Gold (7-0) will put their unbeaten streak on the line against the prolific offense of the Oakland Invaders (5-2). The New Orleans VooDoo (4-3) host the Pittsburgh Maulers (4-3) in a game that could later prove to have important application to the postseason aspirations of both.