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| Mario Valencia, QB, Houston |
In the second half of Monday's World Bowl IX, the Houston Gamblers finally unveiled the unstoppable offense that had averaged nearly 40 points per game during the team's nine-game win streak that led up to the USFL/WFL's championship game.
The Gamblers scored 27 points after intermission, including 20 unanswered points over the final 17:20, to pull away from the New Jersey Generals, 37-20, and claim their first World Bowl title.
Houston RB/WR/KR James Connelly was named unofficial MVP. He rushed for 94 yards, including a 58-yard TD, and caught seven passes for 131 yards, including TD receptions of 75 and 2 yards from QB Mario Valencia.
The Gamblers trailed, 20-17, late in the third quarter. A fumble and an interception by New Jersey gave Houston some help with short fields that led to a TD and a field goal.
Daniel McCormack kicked field goals of 56 and 57 yards for Houston, which finished the regular season with the league's best record (15-1), but struggled to score during playoff victories over Memphis (13-10) and Michigan (16-13, OT).
Stephen LaBelle threw a pair of first-quarter TD passes for New Jersey, which was attempting to duplicate its World Bowl VIII victory.
Houston was 11-for-19 on third-down conversions, while the Generals were 3-for-12.
The USFL/WFL tips its collective hats to Gamblers coach setherick, who took over a team on life support three seasons ago and built a championship club while staying $56 million under the salary cap.
