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.