1981 Week 13 Roundup

Corey True, WR, Denver

A lot of "firsts" are being accomplished during the 1981 USFL/WFL season, and the Week 13 results contributed to some of them.

Denver WR Corey True rushed for 157 yards and a TD and caught two passes for 48 more yards and WR Duane Cunningham ran for two more TDs as the Gold clinched the first West Division title in franchise history via a 36-9 victory over the Arizona Wranglers. Arizona and the Detroit Wheels, both 7-6, are currently tied for the final American Conference playoff spot with Cleveland (6-6-1) a half-game back.

The Charlotte Hornets (7-6) continue to work toward the first postseason berth in franchise history by holding off the Florida Blazers, 27-20. Stanley Snyder passed for three TDs for Charlotte. Charlotte and the Georgia Force are tied for the final National Conference playoff spot.

The Baltimore Stars have sewn up the first Atlantic Division title in franchise history and improved to 12-1 by edging the Michigan Panthers, 8-3. A third-quarter safety proved to be a key play for Baltimore.

The Philadelphia Bell (8-5) looked to be a shoo-in for the first playoff spot in franchise history, but Philly has dropped three of its last four, including a 19-10 decision to the New York Stars as Eric Roberge threw an 81-yard TD pass to Allen Howard. The Stars are one game back of Georgia and Charlotte in the wild-card chase.

Tampa Bay QB Henry Prieto and Orlando QB Elwood Savage staged quite a quarterback duel. Prieto was 26-for-27 passing for 378 yards and four TDs and Savage was 27-for-30 passing for 290 yards and three TDs. The Bandits eventually prevailed, 31-28, when Savage lost a fumble at the Tampa 32 with 1:43 to play.

Week 14 Preview

Cleveland (6-6-1) will try to keep its playoff hopes alive when the Thunderbolts visit the Chicago Blitz (10-3). The Jacksonville Bulls (7-6) really, really need a win over the Pittsburgh Maulers (3-10) to put safe distance between themselves and Tampa Bay in the Southeast Division. The Denver Gold (10-2-1) are at Detroit (7-6) in a possible postseason preview.

1981 Week 12 Roundup

Daniel McKee, QB, Chicago

The last four weeks of the season are going to provide some serious playoff drama, especially in the American Conference.

After 12 weeks, only one game separates the Arizona Wranglers (7-5), the current No. 6 seed, and five other potential playoff entrants--the Cleveland Thunderbolts, Michigan Panthers, Houston Gamblers, Portland Storm and Detroit Wheels.

The Chicago Blitz (9-3) are in the driver's seat for the Midwest Division championship and one of the automatic berths after handing the Baltimore Stars their first loss of the season, 13-6, to highlight Week 12 action.

The Stars (11-1) managed only two drives that netted more than 20 yards--one of them coming on Baltimore's final possession of the game. The Blitz recovered the ensuring onside kick with 1:53 to play and ran out the clock.

Daniel McKee's 25-yard pass to WR Wendell Pinegar accounted for the game's only TD. McKee ended the day with a 137.27 QBR on 14-for-18 passing, Max Howard had 68 yards passing and 70 receiving, and DT Buford Leblanc had a pair of sacks.

The National Conference is a bit less crowded, with the Charlotte Panthers (6-6) and Georgia Force (6-6) knotted up at No. 6 and the New Orleans VooDoo (5-7) and New York Stars (5-7) a game behind.

In other Week 12 games:

• Jacksonville QB Charles Evans was a perfect 18-for-18 passing with three TDs as the Bulls extended their Southeast Division lead to three games with a 28-11 win over the Florida Blazers.
• Washington WR Allen Boyer caught six passes for 216 yards, including fourth-quarter TDs of 81 and 97 yards, to lift the Federals to a 16-9 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Maulers.
• New York DT Jimmy Atwell and LDE Howard Zacharias combined for six sacks as the Stars won their third in a row, 25-3, over the Birmingham Stallions.
• New Orleans MLB Anthony Munoz made nine tackles and intercepted a pass as the VooDoo edged the Boston Breakers, 13-9.
• Tampa Bay led Arizona, 30-20, with 42 seconds to play. But a TD pass, a recovered onside kick, a 59-yard field goal on the final play of regulation time, and a 61-yard TD pass in overtime gave the Wranglers a 36-30 win.
• In Week 11 action, the Southern California Sun snapped an 0-14 history against Los Angeles by beating the Express, 21-19, stopping a 2-point conversion pass attempt with 15 seconds to play.
• In other Week 11 action, Arizona WR Quincy Adams had 86 yards rushing and 221 receiving during  a 27-3 win over the Florida Blazers and Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz was 24-for-25 passing as the Panthers outlasted the Oakland Invaders, 17-9.

Week 13 Preview

The Cleveland Thunderbolts (6-5-1) are at the Detroit Wheels (6-6) in a critical Midwest Division game. The Portland Storm (6-6) will try to keep its playoff hopes alive with a win at Honolulu (10-2). The Arizona Wranglers (7-5) will try to maintain their wild card lead with a victory at Denver (9-2-1).

1981 Week 10 Roundup

The once-mighty Los Angeles Express was mighty again Friday.

Joseph Deslauriers, WLB, LAX

The Express, who had lost 5 of their last 6 and were slogging along near the Pacific Division basement, rose up and knocked off the previously unbeaten Oklahoma Outlaws, 32-15, to highlight Week 10 action in the USFL/WFL.

Los Angeles (4-6) forced five turnovers and led, 32-7, before Oklahoma (9-1) scored a consolation TD with 6:16 to play. The Outlaws are still the No. 1 seed in the American Conference, but now only a game ahead of the Honolulu Hawaiians for that honor.

The game's momentum turned in the second quarter when Express WLB Joseph Deslauriers sacked Outlaws QB Dale Brown, stripped him of the ball, picked up the fumble, wriggled away from a defender, got a helping nudge forward from a teammate, and sprinted 41 yards the other way for a TD that gave his team a 13-7 lead.

LAX quarterback Gene Nowlin was 24-for-27 passing with two TDs. Brown was picked off four times and fumbled twice.

In other Week 10 games:

Hawaiians 38, Showboats 17: Honolulu scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from the defending World Bowl champions. QB David McBroom was 35-for-45 passing for 433 yards and four TDs and RB Ronald Boatman caught nine passes to extend his league-leading total to 101.
Gold 37, Renegades 17: Denver WR Duane Cunningham had quite a day. He ran the ball eight times for 106 yards (13.25 per carry) and two TDs and caught four passes for 117 more yards (29.25 per catch) and two more TDs.
Bulls 14, Storm 6: Jacob Mummert's 16-yard interception return with 10:05 to play provided the insurance TD in Jacksonville's win over Portland. That was the lowest total for the Storm's high-powered offense since a 38-3 loss to the Detroit Wheels in Week 7 of the 1979 season and only the fourth time in franchise history Portland has been held to single digits.
Sun 13, Breakers 12: Sun MLB Edward Standley made 12 tackles and intercepted a pass and SS Thomas Koenig picked off a pass with 1:10 to play to preserve Southern California's victory.
Wheels 51, Federals 42: Washington QB Joe Richardson passed for 490 yards and six TDs but was also picked off three times as Detroit scored 44 points in the first half.
Stars 15, Thunderbolts 10: Fred Murphy's third-quarter TD pass to WR Randy Christmas proved to be enough for Baltimore (10-0), now the league's only unbeaten team.

Week 11 Preview

The Philadelphia Bell (7-3) hosts the Shreveport Steamer (7-3) in what may be a National Conference playoff preview. The Chicago Blitz (7-3) will try to hold on to their Midwest Division lead against the Portland Storm (6-4). The Honolulu Hawaiians (8-2) are at Detroit (6-4) in a vital game for the Wheels.

1981 Week 9 Roundup

Edgar Jones, QB, Shreveport Steamer

The Shreveport Steamer have been quietly sneaking their way to the top of the South Division, but it will soon be impossible for them to operate under the radar.

Shreveport (6-3) won its fourth in a row and extended its division lead to two games by knocking off the red-hot Charlotte Hornets, 13-10.

Robert Tuttle's 1-yard TD run midway through the third quarter provided the margin of victory for the Steamer. Charlotte never moved closer than the Shreveport 48 the rest of the game and the Steamer ran out the final 4:09 by twice converting on third down.

Shreveport QB Edgar Jones was 31-for-37 passing, Tuttle rushed for 88 yards, and CB Douglas Hill made eight tackles. Hornets FS Thomas Vasquez was in on eight tackles and LDE Morris Sterling had two sacks.

Charlotte (6-3) was going for its seventh win of the season, which would have been a franchise record.

Panthers 28, Wheels 27

The Michigan Panthers were 0-13 against Detroit, but have now beaten their crosstown rival twice in a row. Michigan followed up last season's Week 9 victory by scoring twice in the final 2 minutes to claim a 28-27 win Wednesday.

Detroit was penalized for defensive overuse on back-to-back plays that led to Jerry Ruiz's 20-yard TD pass to Cristobal Robinson with 1:36 to play, drawing Michigan within 27-20. The Panthers then recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Michigan scored four plays later when RB Lonnie Wooding took a pass from Ruiz and ran through a defender for the game-winning 20-yard TD. Michigan scored on the PA TE Drag despite Detroit being in a 4-3 pass key defense. Ruiz was 36-for-42 for 404 yards and three TDs.

Other Week 9 Games

Outlaws 17, Hawaiians 10: Oklahoma (9-0) emerged unbeaten from this battle of division leaders. Aaron Levenson broke a 10-10 tie when his 25-yard TD run with 9 minutes to go capped a 73-yard, 10-play drive. Levenson rushed for 102 yards and RDE Albert Cruz recorded four sacks.
Invaders 10, Blitz 3: Oakland (4-5) won its third in a row by knocking off Midwest Division leader Chicago (6-3) on Christopher Curtis' 80-yard catch-and-run TD from Les Lacy with 16 seconds to play.
Wranglers 19, Storm 14: Arizona WR Quincy White rushed for 178 yards and caught six passes for 69 more as the Wranglers edged Portland, knocking the Storm out of a first-place tie in the West Division. Portland MLB William Bennett made 13 tackles, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble.

Showboats 14, VooDoo 9: Memphis RDE Martin McMeans returned a fumble 19 yards for a TD with  3:11 to play, giving the Showboats the win. New Orleans DT Felipe Crowell had 10 tackles and two sacks.
Bulls 31, Bandits 14: Jacksonville took a two-game lead in the Southeast Division and completed its first regular-season sweep of Tampa Bay since 1975 after trailing, 7-3, at halftime. Edward Fields rushed for 120 yards and a TD and Tampa Bay managed only 184 yards total offense against a defense led by RDE Nathan Sherrard (three sacks and a forced fumble).
Stars 32, Renegades 6: Baltimore (9-0) and Oklahoma remain the league's only unbeaten teams. Randy Christmas caught TD passes of 59, 57, and 80 yards from Fred Murphy — 196 yards receiving on three catches.

Week 10 Preview

The Honolulu Hawaiians (7-2) will try to bounce back from their loss to Oklahoma, but have a tough opponent for this task — the two-time defending World Bowl champion Memphis Showboats (6-3). Chicago (6-3) is at Charlotte (6-3) in a game with playoff implications for both the Blitz and Hornets. So is the game between the Portland Storm (6-3) and Jacksonville Bulls (5-4). A Shreveport (6-3) victory over the Birmingham Stallions (4-5) will pretty much sew up the South Division for the Steamer.

1981 Week 8 Roundup

Max Howard, RB, Chicago Blitz

The Chicago Blitz have returned to the top of the Midwest Division.

The Blitz were division champs during the first two USFL/WFL seasons (1974/75) and played in World Bowl I. Chicago then watched the playoffs on TV for the next five seasons. Now it appears they are ready to rejoin the league's elite.

Chicago limited Cleveland to 197 net yards and recovered three fumbles during a 20-6 victory over the Thunderbolts. Detroit's loss to Baltimore left the Blitz all alone atop the division at 6-2, followed by the Wheels (5-3) and 'Bolts (4-4). Both of Chicago's losses have been to Detroit.

Two plays after recovering a fumble at the Cleveland 16, Chicago QB Daniel McKee completed a 13-yard TD pass to RB Max Howard to widen a 10-3 lead to 17-3. Howard finished the game with 75 yards rushing and 70 receiving. SS David Feng made seven tackles and forced a fumble.

In other Week 8 games:

• The Baltimore Stars remained unbeaten (8-0) by edging the Detroit Wheels, 33-30. Baltimore's Hector Morris returned kickoffs 107 and 100 yards for TDs. The only player in league history to return three kickoffs for TDs in the same game is Gregory Shea of Memphis, who did so against Detroit in 1977. Both teams committed five turnovers, including Detroit's fumble at the Baltimore 31 that was recovered by Strs DT Henry Kellogg with 1:04 remaining to seal the outcome.
• The Oklahoma Outlaws are the league's other unbeaten team after nipping the Denver Gold, 15-14. Oklahoma QB Dale Brown was 25-for-27 passing, including a 34-yard TD to TE Chuck Mayfield. Denver scored with 1:28 remaining to pull within a point, but the Outlaws ran out all but the last 20 seconds.
• A safety with 3:14 to play gave the Charlotte Hornets an 18-16 win over Pittsburgh, their second victory over the Maulers this season after losing 14 in a row during the league's first seven seasons. Charlotte is riding the first four-game win streak in franchise history and, at 6-2, has already tied the franchise record for victories in a season.
• The Portland Storm are known more for their offensive thunder, but it was the defense that shone during a 27-2 defeat of defending World Bowl champion Memphis. The Showboats managed 138 total yards as MLB William Bennett made eight tackles and picked off a pass.
• Jacksonville Bulls K Tony Manero booted a 54-yard field goal on the final play of regulation time, then converted another following an Arizona fumble with less than 2 minutes to play in OT as the Bulls pulled out a 13-10 win.
• Boston CB Charles Bowles made 15 tackles and intercepted a pass, but the Breakers fell to the Georgia Force, 9-6, in OT.
• Tampa Bay Bandits QB Henry Prieto was 29-for-35 passing for 511 yards and six TDs and veteran RB Herschel Walker ran for 107 yards in a 56-20 win over the Florida Blazers.
• In Week 7 action, Arizona WR Quincy White rushed for 118 yards and caught two passes for 86 more during a 40-7 win over the Orlando Renegades.

Week 9 Preview

The second half of the season begins with a titanic struggle between the Honolulu Hawaiians (7-1) and Oklahoma Outlaws (8-0) at Tulsa. The Hawaiians have won seven in a row after dropping their opener to the Philadelphia Bell. The Shreveport Steamer (5-3) hosts the Charlotte Hornets (6-2) in a game that could have playoff implications. The Jacksonville Bulls (4-4), clinging to a one-game lead over Orlando and Tampa Bay (both 3-5) in the Southeast Division, host the Bandits.

1981 Week 6 Roundup

David Schmitt, QB, San Jose

San Jose snapped an 18-game losing streak spanning two seasons Wednesday when QB David Schmitt fired a 48-yard TD pass to WR Chad Carter, giving the SaberCats a 23-17 overtime victory over the Southern California Sun.

The game went into OT after Sun kicker Alan Grossi misfired from 45 yards away with 1:02 to go in regulation time. SoCal had tied the score on Ronald Miller's 7-yard TD run with 3:20 to play.

The Sun won, 31-17, when the team met in the 1981 season opener. San Jose's last victory prior to Wednesday was a Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Bandits in 1980.

Schmitt was 28-for-38 passing for 263 yards and two TDs. Seth Wynn caught six passes for 74 yards and RDE Nickolas Taylor had six tackles and a sack. MLB Edward Standley recorded 11 tackles for the Sun.

In other Week 6 games:

• The Shreveport Steamer took over the South Division lead with a 27-24 OT win over the Georgia Force. Georgia's Donald Gary kicked a 46-yard field goal on the final play of regulation to force OT, but James Hooper's 41-yard field goal in OT won it for the Steamer.
• The Chicago Blitz forced a three-way tie atop the Midwest Division at 4-2 by beating the Washington Federals, 16-9. behind 15-for-20 passing from QB Daniel McKee and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD.
• Honolulu RB Ronald Boatman rushed for 69 yards and a TD and caught 10 passes for 28 more during a 20-9 win over the Houston Gamblers. Boatman ranks No. 8 in the league in rushing (476) and leads the league with 70 pass receptions.
• Oklahoma joined Baltimore as the only 6-0 teams in the league by pulling away from the San Antonio Gunslingers, 26-7. Oklahoma TE Chuck Mayfield caught six passes for 219 yards and a TD, which ranks No. 3 for single-game receiving yardage so far this season. Outlaws RB Patrick Hiebert leads the USFL/WFL in rushing yardage (647).
• New Jersey's Rudi Johnson contributed his league-leading eighth rushing TD during the Generals' 34-0 whitewash of the Boston Breakers.
• Arizona SLB Jeffrey Crossman was credited with 16 tackles, tied for most by a USFL player this season, but the Michigan Panthers ran out the final 5:53 after recovering a fumble and edged the Wranglers, 16-14.
• Los Angeles K Roger Ruzich booted a field goal with 27 seconds to play in regulation time, then added another in OT to give the Express a 6-3 win over the New York Stars.

Week 7 Preview

The Memphis Showboats (5-1) will try to climb back into a first-place tie with the Oklahoma Outlaws (6-0) in the Southwest Division. The Charlotte Hornets (4-2) will try to continue their surprising early season success against the Washington Federals (2-4). The Denver Gold (5-1) host the Jacksonville Bulls (3-3) in a battle of division leaders.

1981 Week 5 Roundup

Five weeks into the season, the Baltimore Stars and Oklahoma Outlaws remain the only unbeaten teams in the USFL/WFL.

Albert Cruz, RDE, Outlaws

The Outlaws did it with defense in Week 5. Although Oklahoma's high-powered offense managed only two field goals and a safety, the New Orleans VooDoo managed only 143 total yards as the Outlaws won, 8-0.

WLB Timothy Hall compiled 10 tackles and a sack for the Outlaws (5-0) and RDE Albert Cruz had two sacks. The VooDoo (2-3) were hurt by poor field position all day during their debut under new head coach 02Tahoe. New Orleans began only one drive beyond its own 35.

The VooDoo did prevent future Hall of Fame WR Dusty Heckman from catching a pass. Heckman had caught a pass in every game since Week 5 of the 1978 season before that 60-game string came to an end against the San Jose SaberCats in Week 2.

In other Week 5 games:

• Honolulu RB Ronald Boatman continues to dominate opposing defenses, rushing for 115 yards and catching eight passes for 28 more and a TD as the Hawaiians rolled past the New Jersey Generals, 40-16. Boatman ranks No. 6 in the league in rushing (62/407/6.6) and is far and away its No. 1 receiver (60 catches, 228 yards).
• Five of the top six receivers in the league so far are RBs: Boatman (60), Portland's Michael Leonard (43), San Jose's Daniel Bailey (39), Ernest Lynch of the New York Stars (37) and San Antonio's Travis Tucker (33).
• Denver CB Lucius Vernon returned an interception 55 yards for a TD as the Gold maintained first place in the West Division with a 26-7 win over the Los Angeles Express.
• Charlotte CB Robert Mason made 10 tackles and three other players picked off Pittsburgh passes as the Hornets defeated the Maulers for the first time ever, 17-9. Charlotte had been 0-14 all-time against Pittsburgh. The Mauler drove to the Hornets' 26-, 23-, and 16-yard lines in the fourth quarter, but were turned away every time.
• Birmingham's Bernard Warner was 21-for-25 passing and threw for three TDs as the Stallions overpowered the Shreveport Steamer, 31-10, to force a four-way tie for the South Division lead at 2-3.
• In Week 4, Jacksonville RB Edward Fields ran for 219 yards and a TD during a 31-3 win over the Orlando Renegades. That is the highest rushing output for a league RB this season. The all-time single-game record is 305 yards, by Philadelphia's Jose Medina in 1974.

Week 6 Preview

The Cleveland Thunderbolts (4-1) host the Portland Storm (3-2) in a battle of 1980 playoff teams. The Detroit Wheels (4-1) are at Memphis (4-1) in another playoff reunion. The Showboats advanced to World Bowl VII by defeating the Wheels, 41-27, in last season's American Conference championship game.

1981 Week 3 Roundup

There is a new leader in the Atlantic Division, and it's not who you think.

Eric Harris, LDE, Baltimore

The Washington Federals knocked Pittsburgh off its throne last season after the Maulers had won six consecutive division titles. Now that the door is open, everyone is giving it a kick. The Baltimore Stars (3-0) took over the division lead by shutting down the Charlotte Hornets, 28-7.

Baltimore scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 28-7 halftime lead. Stars QB Fred Murphy passed for four TDs, RB Michael Gonzales caught 11 passes, and Donald Ramsey, Felix Long, and Eric Harris combined for 11 sacks. Hornets CB Jim Abernathy made seven tackles, intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble.

The Stars are off to a 3-0 start for the first time in franchise history.

In other Week 3 games:

• Denver WR Joseph Garner rolled up 168 receiving yards on just five catches, including TDs of 87 and 57 yards from QB Dustin Nichols, as the Gold took over the West Division lead by edging the Portland Storm, 14-13. Portland got no closer than the Denver 43 in the fourth quarter.
• Honolulu Hawaiians RB Ronald Boatman continues to tear up the turf. Boatman rushed for 127 yards and caught 14 passes for 60 more in a 20-3 defeat of the New York Stars. He had set a league record with 21 receptions against the Southern California Sun a week earlier.
• Cleveland's Adam Velasco had 81 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, 7 punt return yards and 109 kick return yards during a 20-14 victory over Arizona. Three safeties by the Cleveland defense provided the difference in scoring. The Bolts held onto the ball for the final 3:46. Wranglers WLB Joseph Graham was credited with 10 tackles and intercepted a pass.
• The Florida Blazers led the Orlando Renegades, 16-3, in the fourth quarter. Orlando QB Elwood Savage found fullback John Croskey for a 70-yard TD on a Florida defensive overuse penalty with 39 seconds to play, giving the Renegades a 20-19 win.
• The Los Angeles Express allowed only 153 net yards to San Jose, but needed a Roger Ruzich field goal with 5 minutes remaining in OT to edge the SaberCats, 19-16.

Week 4 Preview

Division leaders square off when the Cleveland Thunderbolts (3-0) host the Oklahoma Outlaws (3-0). The Baltimore Stars (3-0), leading the Atlantic Division, take on last year's division winner, the Washington Federals (2-1).

1981 Week 2 Roundup

Version 4.4 has a lot of MFN coaches scratching their heads, but no one is scratchier right now than PrivateSnowflake and the Memphis Showboats.

Irvin Balzer, RDE, Houston

The Showboats managed only 15 net yards in a 25-15 loss to the Houston Gamblers, who won despite accumulating only 163 net yards. The QBs were sacked a combined 24 times and threw five INTs.

We hope results will eventually stabilize, but this one is in the books. It was Houston's second win in 15 games against Memphis all-time.

The Gamblers recorded three safeties with sacks of Memphis QB James Perry, two in the fourth quarter as Houston pulled away from a 15-15 tie. Houston RDE Luis Torres and RDE Irvin Balzer combined for eight sacks. Memphis RDE Martin McMeans had four and WLB Brian Davis had 10 tackles and two interceptions.

In other Week 2 games:

• Honolulu Hawaiians RB Ronald Boatman set a USFL/WFL single-game record with 21 receptions during a 28-16 win over the Southern California Sun. All those catches only netted 86 yards (4.1 per catch) with a long of 12. The former record of 17 was set by Oklahoma's James Rosenzweig against the Denver Gold in 1979.
• The Jacksonville Bulls knocked off the Tampa Bay Bandits, 28-12, behind three TD passes from QB Charles Evans. Jacksonville snapped the Bandits' 26-game win streak against Southeast Division opponents dating back to Week 10 of the 1976 regular season. It was the Bulls' first win over Tampa Bay since 1975.
• The Charlotte Hornets (2-0) and Baltimore Stars (2-0) are tied atop the Atlantic Division for likely the first time ever after both recorded Week 2 victories over Orlando and Florida, respectively.
• New Jersey Generals WR Aaron Paul and New Orleans VooDoo WR Aaron Ramsey both ran kickoffs back 110 yards for TDs. There have been 14 110-yard kickoff returns in league history. Those returns came during big intra-division games, the Generals beating the Philadelphia Bell, 21-3, and the VooDoo falling to the Shreveport Steamer. New Orleans MLB Paul Rivera recorded 15 tackles. Shreveport DT Raymond Downing had a pair of sacks as the Steamer limited the VooDoo to 101 net yards.
• Oklahoma Outlaws RB Patrick Hiebert ran for 180 yards during a 31-6 victory over the San Jose SaberCats.
• Birmingham Stallions QB Bernard Warner was 23-for-27 passing in a 31-6 romp over the Georgia Force.
• San Antonio Gunslingers RDE Ron Gonzales had a huge day—11 tackles and 7 sacks—during his team's 20-14 victory over the Los Angeles Express.
• William Hill was 50-for-69 passing for 450 yards and three TDs as Portland stormed past the Detroit Wheels, 29-15, in a battle of defending division champions. The Storm had only one rushing attempt all day—by Hill.

Week 3 Preview

Who knows what 4.4 insanity will take place this week? But, isn't parity great? The Portland Storm (2-0) and Denver Gold (2-0) meet for the West Division lead. The Baltimore Stars (2-0) and Charlotte Hornets (2-0) meet for the Atlantic Division lead.