World Bowl XIV Memphis Showboats Back to Back Champs

Showboats 27 Federals 7

World Bowl XIV kicked off in Portland, Oregon, the first World Bowl not in the South or a "sunny" western destination. National Conference Champion Washington got the ball first and punted, then forced American Conference Champion Memphis to go three and out. The Federals went three and out on their second drive, then we had some action. The Showboats went on an 11 play 68 yard drive, finishing it off with a 36 yard FG by James Ewing for a 3-0 Memphis lead. The first quarter would end in the middle of the ensuing Washington drive.

The Federals answered that scoring drive with a 10 play 75 yard drive of their own, ending with an 8 yard TD run by Cory Martin for a 7-3 Washington lead. Memphis answered that blow like they have done many times before, as David Austin got behind the defense for a 75 yard catch and run TD on the very next offensive play. James Nash ran it in for 2 points and the 11-7 Showboats lead. The next time Memphis got the ball, they took their time scoring, going 80 yards in 11 plays for the TD. That score was a 1 yard plunge by Donut Mogul Tim Horton. This 2 point try failed so the score was 17-7 Memphis, and that held until halftime.

Memphis received the second half kickoff and salted the game away with 2 time consuming drives. This drive covered 56 yards in a whopping 17 plays, but the Showboats could only muster 3 points to take a 20-7 lead. Washington is certainly capable of coming back from 13 points, but their first drive of the second half lasted all of 2:10 as they went three and out. Memphis got the ball back and the 3rd quarter ended in the middle of the Showboats drive.

The first Memphis drive of this half took 8:47 off the clock and their second drive extended into the 4th quarter, going 75 yards in 11 plays. Tim Horton had his second short TD run of the game to extend the Showboats lead to 27-7. Those 2 long drives took the wind out of the Federal's sails, as the rest of the game was a punting contest with Memphis winning by that 27-7 margin.

World Bowl MVP voting was split, but Memphis QB David Allen takes home the hardware and a brand new 1988 Corvette.

Conference Championships: Memphis and Washington to meet in World Bowl XIV

The Memphis Showboats/Infinity on Trial are going for back to back Championships against first time World Bowl participant Washington. The Federals have been one of the better regular season teams the last 4-5 seasons but it hasn't translated into post season success until this year. So, how did these teams advance?

Showboats 47 Gamblers 22

These two division foes played two tight games in the regular season, with Memphis winning by 5 and by 2, so most fans felt another nail biter was coming. Houston had some problems with slow starts to games in 1987, and today was no exception. The Gamblers punted on their first 3 drives while Memphis kicked a FG on their first drive for an early 3-0 lead. The Showboats second drive ended with a 5 yard TD by former Gambler Mark Lambert. Brian Kuss ran in the 2 point conversion for the 11-0 Memphis lead. The third Memphis drive ended like the second, with a Mark Lambert  TD run and a Brian Kuss 2 point run for a 19-0 lead. Houston would finally dent the scoreboard inside the 2 minute warning as Tony Dean found Bruce Edwards for a 4 yard TD to make the halftime score 19-7 Showboats.

The second half started with a bang for Memphis as David Allen sandwiched a Houston FG with 2 long TD passes. The first one covered 52 yards to David Austin, while the second one went for 80 yards to Mr. Big Play Willie Howland. That flurry made the score 33-10 Memphis. Houston would add a FG for a 33-13 score, then the defenses chipped in. Memphis QB David Allen was sacked in the end zone by an unnamed Houston player for a safety, cutting the lead to 33-15. With 4:21 left, and Houston desperately trying to mount a comeback for the ages, Tony Dean threw a pick six. Donald Guo returned that errant pass 21 yards to put the game out of reach, 40-15. The scoring closed with one more TD for each team.

Despite the 4 degree temperature, the offenses were on fire. Memphis had 489 yards and Houston had 470. The Gamblers did most of their damage through the air, while Memphis ran all over Houston. The Gamblers Tony Dean threw for 444 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. Gamblers WR Gabriel Ahrens caught 6 for 171 and a TD while fellow WR Bruce Edwards caught 10 for 105 and a TD. As a team, Memphis ran for 255 yards and passed for 234. WR Willie Howland caught 6 for 117 yards and a TD, while the ground game produced 2, 100 yard runners. Donut Mogul Tim Horton ran 15 times for 115 yards while former Houston RB Mark Lambert burned his old team for 127 yards and 2 TD's on 15 carries.

Federals 23 Stallions 20

No matter what happened in either game, one of these teams was going to get a shot at their first Championship against a 3 time Champion. Birmingham made it all the way to World Bowl XII before falling in OT to the Houston Gamblers while Washington was seeking their first ever World Bowl berth.

Washington got the ball first and punted, then the Federals defense turned in the game's first big play. Birmingham QB David Schmitt was intercepted by Washington FS Francis Vanhoose and the Federals turned that into 3 points. The Stallions would bounce right back, driving 75 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a Schmitt to Christopher Henderson 5 yard TD pass. Birmingham would add a FG for a 10-3 lead before Washington tied it inside the 2 minute warning. Scott Bieber hit Luther Ellis for the 30 yard TD.

The second half began with a BANG for Birmingham as Richard Sutton fielded the kickoff 9 yards deep, broke 3 or 4 tackles and went 109 yards for the TD. That gave the Stallions a 17-10 lead and from there, both teams would add a FG for a 20-13 Birmingham lead after three quarters.

Washington would add another John Bazile FG to cut it to 20-16 with 8:37 left. Birmingham went three and out, electing to punt away with over 6 minutes left. The defense couldn't get off the field however, as Washington drove 68 yards in 9 plays for what turned out to be the game winning TD. QB Scott Bieber threw a frozen rope 22 yards to Allan Boyer, just over the outstretched hand of CB Steven Minton. Birmingham would have 1:51 to work with, but they turned it over on downs and the Federals joyously kneeled down.

Divisional Round: Gamblers Survive Storm

Gamblers 23 Storm 19

Portland got the ball first and promptly threw an interception on their very first play. Four plays later, Tony Dean found a very wide open Albert Buckland for the early 7-0 lead. It would be 6 scoreless drives before the scoreboard would be dented again as Portland had a three and out, INT, and a lost fumble while Houston went INT, three and out, and a punt. Portland would tie the game at 7 late in the first on a 26 yard TD pass from Oscar Willis to Fred Wink.

Houston would then take a 10-7 lead on a 31 yard Daniel McCormack FG only to have the Storm tie on a Donald Dosch 55 yard boot. The first half scoring ended after Albert Buckland's second TD reception, this time hauling in a desperation heave from Dean. Portland would attempt a 59 yard FG as the first half came to a close, but it was short and our halftime score was 17-10 Houston.

The second half was a kicking contest, with the teams alternating FG's. Portland was first, making it 17-13, then Houston took it back up to a 7 point lead at 20-13. Portland would cut it to 20-16, and 23-19 after the next Houston FG. The last score of the game for Portland came with 4:44 on the clock and the Storm opted to kick away. Portland would force a punt and have 2:21 to win the game but the Storm turned it over on downs and the Gamblers killed the clock to advance.

Portland had 397 yards, compared to 361 for Houston, and it was mostly through the air as the Storm only ran 9 times all game, opting for 62 passes. Racking up yards was about the only thing Portland did right, thanks to Timothy Roquemore's 15 catches for 214 yards. Portland was miserable in the red zone, coming away with just 3 FG's in 4 trips and Oscar Willis tossed 4 INT's. Despite the measly 9 rushing attempts, the Storm fumbled twice, losing both, and Willis was sacked twice.

This is the second week in a row the Houston defense has 4 INT's and 2 fumble recoveries.

Showboats 40 Wranglers 17

Following an Arizona three and out, Memphis went 78 yards in 9 plays to take an 8-0 lead, thanks to a 2 yard TD pass from David Allen to Mark Lambert  and a James Nash 2 point run. Nine plays later, Wranglers QB Joseph Jones found Desmond Kirkland for a 32 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 8-7. Defending Champion Memphis responded how you would expect...with a 16 play, 75 yard drive. This TD was a Dave to Dave hookup, Allen tossing to Austin. Memphis was again successful going for two and pushed the lead to 16-7. The game log lists Arizona QB Joseph Jones as being injured on the 2 point conversion despite him not being in the field of play. The cameras didn't catch what happened but rumor has it, he slammed his helmet to the ground, twisting his finger and cutting his lip when the helmet bounced off the ground and smacked him in the mouth.

Memphis would extend the lead to 19-7 before Arizona cut it to 19-14 on this 2 yard Joseph Jones TD pass to John Didonato. The Showboats got the ball to start the second half and they promptly drove 75 yards in 9 plays, the last of which was a 3 yard TD run by The Donut Mogul, Tim Horton. That gave Memphis a 26-14 lead and following a three and out, the Daves struck again. The Allen to Austin pass was 36 yards this time and pushed the lead to 33-14. It was already going to be tough for Arizona to come from behind, but it would prove impossible today after Willie Howland's 23 yard TD reception on the first play of the last quarter made the score 40-14.

Arizona played tough but it was too much of an uphill climb against the defending champs on a day when the Showboats offense was on point. Neither team had a 100 yard rusher or receiver though both QB's topped 300 yards. David Allen had a 4/0 TD/INT ratio today while Joseph Jones was 2/2.

Stallions 17 Bulls 10

Birmingham drove 90 yards in 7 plays on their first offensive drive, capping it off with a 16 yard TD pass from David Schmitt to Daniel Tedrow for an early 7-0 lead. Two drives later the Bulls cut the lead to 7-3 only to see the Stallions gallop down the field for another TD. This one 64 yards to Christopher Henderson, making it 14-3 Birmingham after 1. Most of the rest of the game was all punts except for a FG by Birmingham midway through the 2nd quarter for a 17-3 lead.

Despite being down 14 much of the game, Jacksonville stuck with their run first approach, completing only 3/8 for 78 yards while running 60 times at 4 yards a pop. Both teams had 320 yards of offense but the Bulls fumbled twice, losing both.

We did have some late game excitement as Jacksonville cut the lead to 17-10, capping off a 10 play, 90 yard drive with this 9 yard TD run by Dennis Burt. With less than 3 minutes remaining, Jacksonville opted for the onside kick. The first attempt went out of bounds but the second one was recovered by the Bulls. Facing a 4th and 6 inside the 2 minute warning, Timothy Richardson took the handoff and gained 13 yards but WLB Roy Buckle stripped the football, ending that threat. Birmingham could not drain the clock to 0:00 so they punted but Jacksonville could not cross their 40 and time ran out on the Jacksonville season.

Birmingham WR Christopher Henderson caught 3 for 118 and a TD while Jacksonville WR/RB Timothy Richardson ran for 136 yards on 29 carries.

Federals 20 Generals 15

The game started slowly, with a punt for both teams on their opening drives. Washington also had to punt after their second drive, with Wayne Lange pinning New Jersey at their own one yard line. Ric Flair tossed a short pass to TE Calvin Hobbes, who was hit by LDE Elwood Valdez, causing a fumble which he recovered himself at the Generals 5. Three plays later, a 5 yard Bieber to Boyer TD pass gave Washington the 7-0 lead. The Federals seemed to be driving for more points late in the first but "Lethal Weapon" Martin Riggs bailed out the Generals defense with an INT on the first play of quarter number 2 at the New Jersey 15, keeping the score 7-0.

Heading toward the 2 minute warning of the first half, New Jersey had to be feeling pretty good. The Generals offense was doing next to nothing while the defense bent but didn't break, only allowing a 5 yard TD "drive". Just after the 2 minute warning, Scott Bieber would toss his 2nd TD of the first half, this one covering 33 yards to Luther Ellis for a 14-0 Federals lead. New Jersey KR Aaron Paul fumbled the ensuing kickoff return which was recovered by the Washington kicker, John Bazile. Three plays later, Bazile nailed a 41 yard FG for a 17-0 halftime lead for Washington.

New Jersey got the ball to start the 3rd and punted, then both teams traded FGs, Washington first for a 20-0 lead then New Jersey cutting it to 20-3. That was our score with just under 9 minutes left when all of the sudden, New Jersey decides to do something. Ric Flair found Rudi Johnson for an 8 yard TD pass, but rather than kick the XP, Head Coach Eddie Doggett elected to go for two, which failed. Just before the 2 minute warning, Flair and Rudi hooked up again, this time for a 7 yard TD to cut the lead to 20-15. The previous failed 2 point necessitated we go for two again, which also failed, leaving the score 20-15.

There were still 2:02 left on the clock and New Jersey had all 3 time outs, but Doggett decided to try the onside kick anyway, despite how well the Generals were playing defense in the second half. It worked, and now the decision to go for 2 is looming large because the end zone must be crossed. Three pass plays result in -3, 3, and incomplete, making it 4th and 10. After the onside kick, surely Doggett will go for it on 4th down, right? Wrong. Clark W. Griswold did his job despite not getting box score credit (they gave him a punt attempt but did not add the yards), pinning Washington at their 1 yard line. Three plays and three New Jersey time outs later, the Federals punted and Aaron Paul returned it 11 yards to the Washington 47. Four plays later and the Generals had the ball at the Federals 25, threatening to score but no way to prevent the clock from hitting 0:00.

Talk radio in New Jersey has been centered on the mistakes on the field and on the sidelines, while word has it private security has been hired to guard the Doggett's home in Warren from overzealous "fans" doing damage.

Washington deserves all the credit for winning though. The Federals took care of business, took care of the ball better and did what they needed to do to continue playing deep into January.

Wildcard Weekend

American Conference

Wranglers 31 Panthers 23

The first 3 quarters were a sort of feeling out period for both teams, but the gloves came off in the 4th. Arizona K Christopher Meade made a 37 yard FG at the start of the 4th to knot the game at 10. On the ensuing drive, Michigan QB Adam Scales threw an interception which was returned 48 yards for a TD by John Louis. The next big play came when Michigan forced an Arizona punt deep in their end of the field. Panthers WR Cory Martin broke through the line, blocking the punt and recovering it in the end zone for the game tying TD.

With 3:35 left, Wranglers QB Joseph Jones found Eric Duncan for a 16 yard TD pass for the tiebreaking TD. Just a couple minutes later, the duo would hook up again, this time for 11 yards and a 31-17 lead. Michigan would make it interesting, with a TD to LG Patrick Blue with 1:05 left, but the onside kick failed and Arizona advances.

The box score was pretty even on both sides, as no runner topped 40 yards and no receiver had more than Arizona WR Eric Duncan's 80 yards. Duncan also reeled in all 3 of Joseph Jones TD passes.

Arizona Wranglers @ Memphis Showboats (-7)
 ____________________________________________________________________________

Gamblers 36 Express 24

Houston took the opening kickoff and drove for a FG and the early 3-0 lead. A couple drives later, the Gamblers defense struck for the game's first TD. RDE Luis Torres intercepted Los Angeles QB Robert Burns in the end zone, giving Houston a 10-0 lead. The Gamblers would tack on a couple of FGs for a 16-0 lead before the Express finally got on the scoreboard. Robert Burns found RB Chuck Mayfield for a 1 yard TD pass, cutting the lead to 16-7. Each team would add a FG for a halftime score of Houston 19, Los Angeles 10.

Houston would add a 2 yard Ryan Dearing TD run to extend their lead to 26-10 before the Express struck back via the big play. Robert Burns hit Dane Britt for a 59 yard catch and run TD to pull within 26-17. The next big play came from the Houston defense as Ronnie Stahl sacked Burns, causing a fumble. That fumble was recovered by Houston's Charles Wallace, who out ran everyone, thanks to a head start and a broken tackle, in returning it 46 yards for a 33-17 Gamblers lead. Los Angeles would cut the deficit to 33-24 on this 73 yard catch and run TD from Robert Burns to Stephen Tavera.

Los Angeles put up a whopping 474 yards on the Houston defense but the Gamblers didn't break. They sacked Robert Burns twice and intercepted him 4 times and recovering 2 fumbles. Houston didn't turn the ball over at all, so that 6-0 turnover advantage was absolutely huge. The Gamblers used a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 104 and passing for 259.

Houston Gamblers @ Portland Storm (even)
______________________________________________________________________________

National Conference

Bulls 20 Bandits 13

These Southeast division rivals got together in Jacksonville for their 3rd meeting of 1987. The Bulls won the first two and they got off on the right foot today. Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 10 plays for the 7-0 lead. Joseph Serio found Jason Harper for the 1 yard TD pass. Following several punts, Tampa Bay finally got on the board just before halftime. QB Melvin Driggers found his favorite target Thomas Whitley for a 60 yard TD to tie things at 7.

Fast forward to the 4th quarter and it's 13-10 Jacksonville. Bulls QB Joseph Serio threw an INT deep in Bandits territory to thwart a potential scoring drive. On the very next play, Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers gave it right back. Two plays later, Bulls WR/RB Timothy Richardson ran it in from 5 yards out to give Jacksonville a 20-10 lead midway through the final quarter.

Tampa Bay would add a FG while Jacksonville missed one, giving the Bandits one last chance to tie the game and send it to OT. Tampa Bay would get the ball all the way down to the Jacksonville 8 yard line, but on 3rd and 4 from the 8, Jacksonville LDE Donald Babb sacked Driggers and the 4th down pass was short of the line to gain. The Bulls ran out the final 1:03 off the clock to advance.

Jacksonville out gained Tampa Bay 426-287 but lost the turnover battle 3-2. Both teams struggled in the red zone and Jacksonville missed a FG. Tampa Bay WR Thomas Whitley caught 3 passes for 122 yards and a TD in the loss. Jacksonville WR Stanton Redmon caught 5 passes for 142 yards.

Jacksonville Bulls @ Birmingham Stallions (-3)
_____________________________________________________________________________

Generals 34 VooDoo 11

For the second year in a row New Orleans traveled to New Jersey for a wildcard round game against the Generals. New Jersey got the ball first, driving for a FG and the early 3-0 lead. On the VooDoo's first drive, WR/RB Billy Brink caught a swing pass and broke free from the defense, only to be caught from behind by Bruce Dickinson. The Generals would force a FG attempt which was good to tie things at 3. New Jersey would then drive 76 yards in 8 plays, ending it with a short TD run by WR/RB Richard Hansen for a 10-3 Generals lead. Following a VooDoo punt, Generals big game RB Rudi Johnson took a swing pass 72 yards to the house for a 17-3 New Jersey lead.


New Orleans bounced back and cut the lead to 17-11 on this 19 yard TD pass from James Perry to Ricky Hash and the 2 point run by Socrates Rogers. The VooDoo defense needed a stop but those wouldn't come until later, as the Generals once again drove the field for a TD. Free agent WR Corey True was huge in the first half of the season but has taken a back seat as the Generals started to run the ball more down the stretch and he only caught one pass today. That catch was a big one though, as the 18 yard TD gave New Jersey a 24-11 lead. New Orleans would turn the ball over on downs and 24-11 was our halftime score.

In the second half things settled down as the VooDoo finally started to stop the Generals offense. New Orleans was moving the ball well on offense at times, and they out gained New Jersey on the day, but turnovers hurt their chances at a comeback. The second of James Perry's two 4th qtr INT's was the back breaker, as Bob Marley returned it 34 yards for the final score of the game.

New Jersey RB Rudi Johnson added 73 rushing yards to his leading all time playoff total and caught 8 for 147 yards and a TD. In 23 career post season games, Johnson has 2,196 rushing yards and 987 receiving yards.

New Jersey Generals @ Washington Federals (-5)

Week 16: The "Playoffs" Before The Playoffs

With so many teams still fighting to qualify for the post season, Week 16 had the feel of an extra playoff week. Let's see just how the dominos fell.

Storm 38 Invaders 20

This was THE game in the American Conference everyone was looking at since the result would have a trickle down effect. Oakland would have won the division with a victory and they got off to a good start, leading 17-7 at halftime. The Invaders had 360 yards for the game and won the turnover battle, but the Oakland defense had no answer for Portland WR/RB Timothy Roquemore, who ran 16 times for 128 yards and caught 9 passes for 268 and 3 TD's.

The second half was stormy as Portland dominated 28-3 thanks to Roquemore's huge game. The win gives Portland a 13-3 record, good enough for the West division crown and the #2 seed. Oakland fell to 11-5, and would need results from other games to go their way.

Thunderbolts 19 Gold 17

With the Oakland loss, Denver had a chance to get into a 3 way tie for the #6 seed with a win. The Gold were in this position thanks to 3 last second wins, but sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. Denver lost on a last second FG to Oakland last week and Cleveland kicked the game winner with 0:10 left.

Denver fumbled away the kickoff so there was no last play magic forthcoming. That was Jake Peralta's second lost fumble of the game, as he fumbled a punt away as well. Denver had 3 turnovers on offense in total plus a missed FG so the Gold had their chances in this game. The loss eliminates Denver, so who will be the #6 seed?

Wranglers 32 Wheels 15

Given the other scores, Arizona would be the #6 seed if they could defeat the Wheels. Detroit's offense put up 314 yards, but only had FG's in their 2 red zone trips. Arizona was a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone as the Wranglers offense was too much for the Wheels defense. Arizona jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and outscored the Wheels 15-5 after the Wheels cut the deficit to 17-10. Arizona RB Desmond Kirkland had 158 yards rushing/receiving and a TD.

Federals 20 Stars 17 (OT)

One of the key games in the National Conference, these bitter division rivals needed extra time to decide this one. Washington was already in the playoffs, but a win would give them home field advantage. Baltimore would qualify for the playoffs with a win but would need to scoreboard watch with a loss.

Baltimore had a late 17-10 lead and Washington had just turned it over on downs at their own 28, so it seemed victory was within their grasp. Stars QB Jon Snow would throw an INT however, and Washington drove down the field for the tying TD with just under a minute left in regulation. Baltimore got the ball first in OT and promptly went three and out. Washington got the ball after a punt and played keep away, holding the ball until there was just 1:13 left in OT when John Bazile nailed the game winning chipshot.

Panthers 32 Bandits 15

To determine Baltimore's fate, we must see other results, and we need to sort out the Southeast division. Tampa Bay would be the division winner with a win over Midwest champs Michigan, but the Panthers intercepted 6 passes, 5 off Melvin Driggers as the Panthers took advantage of the frequent short fields.

The win pushes Michigan to 12-4, good for the #3 seed in the American Conference. The loss takes Tampa Bay to 11-5 and scoreboard watching.

Bulls 27 Hornets 13

If Jacksonville could defeat Charlotte, they would be Southeast division champs, thanks to the Bandits loss and the Bulls regular season sweep of the Bandits. Jacksonville had 401 yards of offense, compared to just 194 for Charlotte and the Hornets tossed 4 INT's. Despite all that, it was a 13-13 game midway through the 3rd, thanks to sloppy play by Jacksonville. The Bulls had 3 turnovers of their own and Paul Sidwell missed 2 of 4 FG tries as the Bulls did their best to keep the game close.

Two Joseph Serio to Stanton Redmon TD passes in the 3rd quarter was the difference in the game, taking that 13 all tie to a 27-13 Bulls lead. The victory makes Jacksonville 11-5 and Southeast division champs. Tampa Bay loses the division on a tiebreaker but the Baltimore loss gives the Bandits a wildcard berth.

VooDoo 19 (NY) Stars 17

Just two things left to decide at this point, the East winner and the last wildcard spot. Given the results of other games, New Orleans just needed to win, while New York would need a win and a New Jersey loss. These two teams put on an aerial show, combining for 112 pass attempts. A back and forth first half saw the Stars of New York with a slim 17-16 lead.

Late in the 3rd quarter, still down 17-16, the VooDoo decided to go for it on 4th and 4 from the 16 rather than try a go ahead FG. The pass fell incomplete and the Stars still led by 1 going into the 4th. With 3:08 left, Stars K Daniel Hall was wide right on a 30 yard FG try, meaning the VooDoo just needed 3 for the win. New Orleans drove down the field, using all of the clock as K Jordan Fuller drilled the game winning FG.

New Orleans improves to 11-5 and I would guess the tiebreaker was net points before common games. If NFL tiebreakers were used, the VooDoo would be the #6 seed based on common games, but they are the #5 seed according to MFN.

Generals 31 Steamer 0

The (NY) Stars loss gave New Jersey the East, but the Generals needed a good game anyway for a confidence boost, as they've struggled down the stretch for the second straight year. For one week anyway, the Generals defense looked like the Generals defense of past seasons as they shutout Shreveport, holding them to 119 total yards. Offensively, the star was RB Rudi Johnson, who had a combined 202 yards and a TD, rushing for 114 with 88 receiving.

New Jersey wins the East at 10-6 and host a wildcard game as the #4 seed against New Orleans again.

Stallions 22 Breakers 3

Birmingham's defense held Boston to 64 yards passing and 166 total yards, enabling the Stallions offense to keep settling for FG's. Gerald Hinton made all 5 attempts as Birmingham wraps up the all important second BYE with their 13-3 record.

Outlaws 13 Showboats 6

With home field wrapped up, the Showboats opted to rest some starters, including their QB. Rookie QB Ronald Brown has the skill set to succeed in this league, but his play showed he still has a learning curve to get over. Brown was 13/44 on the day for 197 yards and an INT. Oklahoma continued their ground and pound attack, although it didn't generate many yards today. 40 rush attempts got just 59 yards, but a Shane Falco TD pass to Leroy Jenkins midway through the 4th for the game's only TD enabled Oklahoma to rope up a victory.

Gamblers 26 Bell 10

Houston had the #5 seed all wrapped up and opted for a balanced attack. The Gamblers settled for FG's on all 3 red zone trips, but the Houston defense intercepted 3 passes and had 2 sacks. There were no 300 yard passers or 100 yard skill guys in this game.

Hawaiians 19 Express 17

This was a strange looking box score. Los Angeles ran 24 times for 296 yards against the Honolulu defense, and they completed almost as many passes to the Hawaiians as they did to themselves. Express QB Dale Pritchard had a brutal day, going 6/34 for 100 yards and 5 INT's, while also taking 3 sacks. Hawaiians K Howard Bury had a nice game to end his rough rookie season, connecting on 4/5 FG attempts including the game winning 50 yard FG inside of 2 minutes.

Despite their second straight loss, Los Angeles wins the Pacific with their 7-9 record and hosts Houston in the wildcard round.

Renegades 23 Blitz 7

Despite losing the turnover battle 3-0, Orlando was all over Chicago in this game. The Renegades held the Blitz to 182 yards while gaining 495, 381 in the air. Orlando led 23-0 before Chicago scored a garbage time TD to avoid the shutout.

Blazers 13 Maulers 6

Pittsburgh is ownerless again, so if you know anyone send them our way please. This game featured 338 combined yards from both teams, 15 punts and 7 FG attempts. The usually reliable Pittsburgh K Bret Curley was just 2/5 on FG's, his 3 misses today being 1/3 of his 9 misses all season.

Force 20 SaberCats 13

Georgia had 318 yards of offense while holding San Jose to 163, 75 of that coming on the SaberCats lone TD late in the game. San Jose ran for 12 yards on 20 carries and rookie QB Ellis Soza had a rough game, 8/39 for 151 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. Georgia had nearly a 41-19 advantage in time of possession.

Gunslingers 16 Sun 13 (OT)

The box score was about as even as the scoreboard in this overtime game. Neither QB topped 170 yards, no receiver topped 50 yards and no rusher topped 75 yards. The difference in the game was Wilmer Kimble's OT INT, as it set San Antonio up at midfield. From there, the Gunslingers drove 22 yards and Brian Johnson kicked the ball through the uprights for the game winning 46 yard FG.  

Week 15: Chaos and Blowouts

I can't remember a season where we still have so many unanswered playoff questions heading into Week 16. I won't rehash scenarios here, you all know where to find them (in the League Discussion forum). I'm on a deadline, so let's get to the games.

Invaders 18 Gold 15

There were no 300 yard passers in this game, nor any 100 yard rushers or receivers but these two playoff hopefuls sure had a wild 4th quarter. Oakland and Denver were both 10-4 and the winner would have a leg up on the loser for a playoff spot. The first half was a FG contest, which Oakland won, leading 9-6. Following a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Gold scored the game's only TD on the first play of the 4th to take the lead 12-9. Rather than kick the XP, the Gold went for 2 and failed, leaving the score 12-9 Denver.

The teams would exchange FG's to give us a score of 15-12 Gold at the 2 minute warning. Oakland would tie it with 1:47 left and force a Denver three and out. Invaders QB Dustin Nichols needed 3 plays to get Oakland in position for a possible game winning FG, and John Hensley nailed the 51 yarder for the win. Hensley was 6 for 6 on FG's and isn't ready to hand the All Pro spot to Roger Ruzich just yet.

Stars 14 VooDoo 6

This game also had nobody get 300 or 100 as defense ruled this game. New Orleans won the turnover battle 2-0 and out gained Baltimore 271-218 but struggled in the red zone. Offensively, the VooDoo scored just 2 FG's in 3 red zone trips, including turning it over on downs late in the first half following a failed 4th and goal from the 3. Baltimore, on the other hand, scored TD's on both of their trips to help the Stars win their 4th in a row.

(NY) Stars 30 Steamer 20

This was an elimination game as the loser would fail to make the playoffs. Shreveport jumped out to leads of 10-0 and 17-6 before the Stars cut it to 17-13 before halftime on the first of 3 Cam Dalton TD receptions. The Steamer would extend the lead to 20-13 and kept the lead through the 2 minute warning. New York had cut it to 20-16 by now, and the second Willie Bust TD pass to Cam Dalton gave New York the 23-20 lead. Shreveport got the ball back with time, but Steamer QB Edgar Jones got caught staring down Michael Popa, who was having a huge day (6-141-2), and his 3rd INT of the day would allow New York to run out the clock. Except they didn't. Despite just 0:44 on the clock, the Stars opted not to run and force Shreveport to use their timeouts, instead focusing on extending their lead to 2 scores. They did, as Willie Bust found Cam Dalton for a 3rd TD as part of his 407 yard passing day. Dalton wound up with 122 yards on 10 catches, adding 53 rushing yards as part of his big game.

Stallions 34 Generals 16

Birmingham and New York both did their part to keep New Jersey out of the playoffs as the Stallions racked up 454 yards of offense, including exactly 200 rushing in the pounding of the Generals. New Jersey put up 408 yards themselves but lost the turnover battle 3-1 and did nothing in the second half, after only trailing 21-16 at halftime. The Generals defense isn't what it used to be, especially outside the East division. This was a good game to be a lead RB, as Richard Sutton of Birmingham ran for 167 yards and a TD, adding 60 receiving for a 227 yard day. New Jersey RB Rudi Johnson had 226 himself, but no TD's. Rudi ran for 89 on 13 carries, catching 9 passes for 137.

Federals 6 Wranglers 0

Washington put a hurting on Arizona's playoff hopes while taking a huge step toward getting the #1 seed by winning this defensive struggle. This was a scoreless tie for nearly 58 minutes until Washington K John Bazile nailed a 40 yard FG with 2:16 left to play. Arizona would turn the ball over on an INT, setting John Bazile up for another FG try 30 seconds later, and he nailed it. That's it, the box score is as ugly as you'd expect.

Storm 48 Express 6

Los Angeles got off to a good start, taking a 3-0 lead on the opening drive but it was stormy after that. Portland flexed their muscles and showed the new kid on the block what's what. The Storm put up 558 yards of offense and scored in every quarter. The Storm led 14-3 after a quarter, 24-3 at halftime and 31-6 after 3. Los Angeles could only muster 143 yards against the Storm defense and allowed a pair of Portland wideouts to have huge stat games. Patrick Jackson caught 7-196 and 2 TD's while teammate Fred Wink made the most of his 2 catches, taking both to the house covering 138 total yards.

Showboats 38 Bell 0

The Memphis defense had very little problems handling the Bell offense as they held Philadelphia to just 103 total yards on the day. The Showboats intercepted 3 passes, had 3 QB sacks and recovered a fumble as they limited the Bell to 4 first downs and 20:05 time of possession. Even against the defending Champions, the Philadelphia run defense hung tough as 38 Memphis rushes only netted 93 yards.

Panthers 34 Thunderbolts 0

Memphis wasn't the only division winner to pitch a shutout in a playoff tune up game as Michigan made sure Cleveland's misery continued. The Thunderbolts have now lost 4 in a row as their once promising looking season turned bad. The Panthers scored in every quarter and on all 5 red zone trips (3 TD/2 FG). Michigan QB Adam Scales had a solid game, going 21/30, 273 yards and 3 TD's. The Panthers also did not turn the ball over while forcing 2 Cleveland turnovers.

Bulls 36 Blitz 13

The box score says it was 70 degrees and sunny in Chicago on December 13, 1987 yet the stats look like a wind and snow game. Neither offense could hang onto the ball as Chicago QB Daniel Briggs tossed 4 INT's and his counterpart, Jacksonville QB Joseph Serio threw 3 and each team lost a fumble. The first three quarters were a FG kicking contest, with Jacksonville making 5 to just 1 for Chicago for a 15-3 Bulls lead. Jacksonville scored 2 quick TD's at the beginning of the 4th for a 29-3 lead, effectively salting the game away.

Bandits 37 Renegades 32

Tampa Bay needed this win to maintain their 1 game lead over Jacksonville and it seemed they were well on their way to doing just that early in the 4th quarter. Melvin Driggers had just thrown his 4th TD pass to give the bandits a seemingly safe 34-10 lead. Orlando might only be 4-11 on the year, but the Renegade players are still putting in max effort. The light switch was turned on and the Renegade offense exploded in the 4th quarter, as 15 unanswered points got Orlando within 34-25 with plenty of time left (5:40). Tampa Bay would add a FG though, and a last second Orlando TD made the score close.

Gamblers 47 Gunslingers 6

Houston clinched the #5 seed as they start fast against San Antonio and kept the pressure on all game. The Gamblers balanced attack produced 165 yards rushing and 277 passing with 6 red zone trips (4 TD/2 FG), 0 turnovers and 9 for 16 on 3rd down. Houston held the Gunslingers to 245 yards, forcing 4 turnovers, including 3 INT's. Tony Dean tossed 5 TD passes as part of his 277 yard day.

Sun 17 Hawaiians 16

Honolulu "only" threw 35 times today, 15 times less than normal. The balanced attack worked for 2 and a half quarters as Honolulu built a 16-0 lead before the scoring completely dried up for them. Southern California ran for 164 yards and scored 2 TD's after falling behind to cut the Hawaiian lead to 16-14. Sun K Alan Grossi hit a 41 yard FG inside the 2 minute warning for the final points of the game. Southern California's 3rd win in 4 games gives them a 4-2 division record

Outlaws 24 SaberCats 7

Oklahoma continued the ground and pound offense, pummeling San Jose with 48 rushes for 237 yards. Clint Young led the way with 2 rushing TD's and 123 yards on 25 carries. Nathan Fogle ran 14 times for 113 yards. Oklahoma also had a more efficient passing game, completing 10/15 for nearly 6 yards per pass play. The SaberCats threw it up 42 times, only completing 16 for less than 3 yards per attempt.

Force 9 Breakers 6 (OT)

The Georgia Force got back into their one score game groove after 2 weeks of blowouts and shutouts. This was a true kicking contest, as neither team could cross the goal line and they combined for 21 punts. Boston K Willie Putnam missed a chipshot 22 yard FG attempt at the 2 minute warning while Force K Javier Gill made all 3 of his attempts, including the game winning 52 yarder in the final minute of OT.

Hornets 12 Maulers 7

Pittsburgh got on the board first, taking a 7-0 lead on a TD pass from Ryan Tate to Robert Wheeler. Maulers RB Alfred Gale had 199 total yards, though just 20 rushing yards in 10 attempts. He had 7 receptions for 179 yards, but the rest of the Pittsburgh offense wasn't up to the task. Charlotte did give up 300 gross passing yards, but it took 50 pass attempts to get there (22 completions, or 44%) and the Hornets defense recorded 3 sacks and 3 INT's. That was enough to help the Charlotte offense kick 4 FG's and give the Hornets their 4th win of 1987.

Wheels 16 Blazers 10

This was one of those flip the script at halftime MFN seems to love so much. Florida ruled the first half, holding Detroit to just 50 yards while piling up 161 of their own. That was only good for a 10-0 lead at the break though, and the second half was all Detroit. The Wheels forced 3 second half turnovers and used the short fields to score 3 FG's and a TD, giving Detroit the win over Florida. 

Week 14: Magic 8-Ball Says "Reply Hazy, Try Again"

Following Week 14 action, I consulted my Magic 8-Ball for the playoff scenarios, and it told me "Reply Hazy. Try Again Later". Click the link or just check the league forum for the scenarios as they are now. Half of our division titles are still up for grabs and only four teams have their playoff ticket punched, while we have 13 teams still in play for the last 8 spots. 1987 could go down as the most exciting season in league history and we're still 2 weeks away from the playoffs.

One crazy standings tidbit...while this isn't the first season with all four teams in a division at .500 or better, it is the first time all four will be above .500. The West division was the first to have all four teams at least 8-8, doing it in 1979 and 1980. The Midwest did it in 1982 and the Atlantic in 1983. All of those times, the last place team was 8-8, so the fact this year's last place team will have at least 10 wins is absolutely nuts.

Express 18 Sun 15 (OT)

It wasn't pretty but Los Angeles won the game and gets to hang a pretty banner up in their stadium, saying 1987 Pacific Division Champions. They played the full 70 minutes in this game, yet the box score gives a combined 75 minutes of possession. It's most likely a display bug, and it's been submitted for review. Los Angeles racked up 456 yards of offense to 275 for Southern California but turnovers and red zone failures helped the Sun stay in the game. Southern California's second TD of the day early in the 4th gave the Sun a 15-12 lead. The Express tied it with a FG inside the 2 minute warning, then won it with a FG at the final gun.

Showboats 26 Gunslingers 3

Memphis doubled the yardage of San Antonio (404-197), and the Showboats defense intercepted a pass, had 2 sacks, and held the Gunslingers to 3 for 12 on 3rd down. Memphis was 8 for 16 on 3rd down with 5 red zone trips (3 TD/2 FG) and the win means the road to World Bowl XIV goes through Memphis, Tennessee.

Stallions 29 Bell 10

Birmingham QB David Schmitt completed 90% of his passes (27/30) while the Stallions defense intercepted 3 passes and held Philadelphia to 200 yards on the day. Birmingham led 13-7 at the half and the Bell cut it to 13-10 early in the 3rd, but that was it for Philadelphia. The Stallions scored the game's last 16 points for the victory that sends Birmingham to the playoffs for the sixth straight season.

Wranglers 42 Maulers 16

Pittsburgh won the turnover battle 1-0 and equaled the number of first downs and red zone trips of Arizona, but the Wranglers offense mauled the Pittsburgh defense. Arizona QB Joseph Jones threw for 440 yards and 5 TD's as part of a 542 yard day for the Wranglers offense. Arizona was 9-12 converting 3rd downs in the Wranglers 5th straight victory.

Federals 19 Invaders 16

Washington has the 3rd highest scoring offense and they faced Oakland and their second stingiest scoring defense. The Federals boast the 4th stingiest defense so it's no surprise both offenses struggled. In the first half, it was Oakland's time to shine on defense, shutting out the Federals and allowing only 66 yards, building a 13-0 lead. Oakland was still leading 16-7 early in the 4th before the self inflicted wounds began. Fred Hall sacked Dustin Nichols in the end zone for a safety, then Washington scored 3 more after the free kick, making it 16-12 Oakland. Nichols then threw an INT, leading to the go ahead Federals TD, then threw another one to salt the game away for Washington.

Gold 43 Panthers 19

One thing I've noticed looking over so many box scores, is the propensity of the game engine to split games into 2 halves. Time and time again, I've seen one team dominate the first half only to have everything completely flipped in the second half. I realize it happens, but it seems to me it's happening too often.

Michigan had a 13-3 halftime lead, going 4-7 on 3rd down with a yard advantage of 235-138. Denver won the second half 40-6, holding Michigan to 0-6 on 3rd downs in forcing 5 three and outs along with 2 INT's. Gold QB Walton Vasquez threw for 465 yards and 3 TD's and the scoring was capped by a record tying 110 yard kickoff return TD for Jake Peralta of Denver. The Gold converted 2 point tries on all 3 of their 4th qtr TD's while adding a FG in the quarter, as Denver took a 16-13 lead after 3 and made it a blowout.

Storm 31 Hornets 12

Portland had 403 yards of offense while holding Charlotte to 9 yards rushing and dominated both red zones as the Storm pull away from the Hornets in the second half for the win that keeps them alone at the top of the West. Charlotte was 6-17 on 3rd down and entered the red zone 3 times but couldn't cross the goal line while Portland scored 4 TD's and a FG on their 6 trips.

Bandits 30 Steamer 16

Shreveport had won 5 in a row as they make a late playoff push but they ran into a Tampa Bay team that's been solid all season and fighting for a playoff spot of their own. The stats were close but turnovers and red zone made the difference. The Bandits defense intercepted 2 passes, returning one for a TD and kept the Steamer out of the end zone in their lone red zone trip. Tampa Bay played turnover free football as QB Melvin Driggers threw for 3 TD's and the offense was 2 for 2 in the red zone. Shreveport got within 20-16 early in the 4th but the Bandits scored the last 10 points to seal victory.

Stars 40 Bulls 21

Yet another regular season playoff game as neither team could afford to lose this game if they want to play into January. Baltimore came out like shooting stars, scoring 17 first quarter points en route to a 30-21 halftime lead. The Stars scored on 6 of their first 7 possessions of the opening half as Jacksonville's defense had no answer for Brian Darden. Darden caught 3 first half TD's, one for 97 yards as part of a 4 catch, 210 yard day. Baltimore QB Jon Snow had 400 yards and 4 TD's and the Stars defense pitched a second half shutout, helping Baltimore keep their playoff hopes alive.

VooDoo 28 Force 0

After Week 12, Georgia had played 11 one score games, losing all but 2 as they were eliminated from the playoffs. Since Week 12, the Force has not been with Georgia, as they suffer their second consecutive shutout loss. Is it a case of nothing to play for, or is it their competition playing well? Hard to tell since the losses have been to Birmingham and New Orleans, but they close out with Boston and San Jose, so a strong finish is possible.

New Orleans needed this win after last week's loss and the VooDoo were on point. They outgained Georgia 357-154, won the turnover battle 3-0, went 8-18 on 3rd downs and 5 red zone trips (2 TD/3 FG) while dominating time of possession (38:31-21:29). New Orleans scored TD's with 2 point conversions on their first 2 drives, adding a FG on their 3rd and never looked back in the shutout victory.

Gamblers 24 Outlaws 17

Oklahoma continues to ground and pound and they hung in their against the Houston Gamblers as the 1-15 season of 1985 is a distant memory now. Despite the improvement, Oklahoma will miss the playoffs again but the foundation is there for future success. Both teams scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions but Houston scored all TD's while Oklahoma had a FG to go with 2 TD's as Houston had a 21-17 lead at the break. The second half saw just a lone Houston FG and the Gamblers defense intercepted 2 passes in the 4th qtr to stifle the Outlaws comeback bid.

(NY) Stars 57 Breakers 7

New York broke Boston today as the Stars rolled up 725 yards, 184 rushing and 541 passing, had 7 red zone trips (3 TD/4 FG) and almost a 2-1 time of possession advantage. New York RB Ernest Lynch had 108 rushing yards and RB Cam Dalton had 227 combined yards and 4 TD's (14-63-1 rushing, 7-164-3 receiving). TE Carmen Nelson caught 11 for 177 as part of Willie Bust's 32/44, 541 yard, 4 TD day.

Whatever happens these last 2 games, the Stars have put New Jersey on notice that the East won't be so easy to win in the future.

Generals 38 Blazers 7

New Jersey ran for 208 yards and Ric Flair tossed 4 first half TD passes as the Generals doused the Blazers. New Jersey won the yardage battle 462-241, the turnover battle 2-0 (Generals fumbled 3 times though, losing none) and converted 9 of 16 3rd downs. There were no 100 yard rush/rec games nor a 300 yard passer.

Hawaiians 13 SaberCats 10

Honolulu mixed in 30 rush attempts with their usual 55 passes for 397 offensive yards. The Hawaiians converted 3 of 4 4th down attempts, yet they found themselves trailing 10-6 after 3 quarters. Bruno Wilson threw his only TD pass to Allen Grant with 1:28 left for the game winning score. Honolulu RB Ronald Boatman rushed 21 times for 112 yards and caught 7 passes for 61 yards. Hawaiians K Howard Bury is digging his own grave with his lack of accuracy this season. Bury missed 2 of his 4 FG tries and is just 12/22 overall while also missing 3 XP.

Renegades 20 Wheels 13

Detroit has been putting up more yards in recent weeks including 357 today, but the Wheels still have trouble scoring points. They had a 13-10 lead on Orlando before the Renegades tied it with a FG just outside the 2 minute warning. Three plays later, Wheels QB Gregory Skidmore threw an INT, setting Orlando up in plus territory. WR/RB Charles Ayers ran it in from 27 yards for the game winning score with 1:21 left.

Blitz 20 Thunderbolts 3

This game had no 100 yard runners or receivers, and neither QB broke 150 yards in this titanic struggle. The box score was close, except for red zone and time of possession. Cleveland lost the game's only turnover and scored just 3 points in 2 red zone trips, converting 3-15 3rd downs. Chicago was 7-17 on 3rd downs while scoring on all 3 red zone trips (2 TD/1 FG). The Blitz had the time of possession advantage 34:55 to 25:02.

Week 13: Wild, Wild West

Following the Week 13 games, all four teams in the West are separated by just 1 game as they all have 9 or 10 wins. It's also not a given the West gets both wildcards as the Houston Gamblers are 10-3, and would currently qualify for the post season. The last 3 weeks will be an old fashioned shootout and the teams who emerge from the quagmire will be battle tested come playoff time.

We have two playoff spots clinched, Michigan wins the Midwest Division while the 12-1 Memphis Showboats will at least be a wildcard if they lose the division. The Los Angeles Express and Washington Federals can wrap up their respective divisions with wins in Week 14.

Wranglers 33 Storm 30

It has truly been the Wild, Wild West in 1987 as the Arizona Wranglers have been in last place most of the season, still are technically, yet they find themselves 1 game behind the division lead after knocking off Portland. This game had a playoff feel to it and we had 4 lead changes in the 4th quarter alone.

The box score was similar on both sides, except turnovers. Portland committed 3 to just 1 for the Wranglers. Portland had a halftime lead of 17-13 and 2 Wranglers FG's in the 3rd made the score 19-17 Arizona entering the 4th. Portland scored a TD but the 2 point try failed, giving the Storm a 23-19 lead. Arizona answered with a TD for a 26-23 lead before Portland answered that score with a TD to retake the lead 30-26. On the first play following the 2 minute warning, Arizona QB Joseph Jones threw his 3rd TD of the day, this one to William Johnston to give the Wranglers a 33-30 lead. Portland had time for one last drive to at least send it to OT if not win, but Oscar Willis threw his 2nd INT of the game to seal the Arizona win.

Portland WR Fred Wink had 7 catches for 153 yards and 2 TD's in the loss. Arizona WR Eric Duncan caught 10 for 168 and 2.

West Standings

Oakland 10-3
Portland 10-3
Denver 9-4
Arizona 9-4

Maulers 24 Gold 20

Pittsburgh was eliminated a couple weeks ago, but the Maulers are still fighting as they put a damper on Denver's own playoff chances with the upset win. The Gold had a 20-10 lead entering the 4th but QB Andrew Brewer threw 2 INT's in that quarter, allowing Pittsburgh to score 14 unanswered points for the victory.

At 9-4, Denver is currently on the outside looking in.

Invaders 51 Hornets 3

Oakland bounced back nicely after last week's loss to Detroit, jumping out to a 38-0 halftime lead en route to the blowout win. The Invaders didn't amass a ton of yards because they had multiple short fields to work with, thanks to 5 INT's. The road to the West Division crown goes through Oakland as the Invaders still have games left against Portland and Denver the last 3 weeks.

Panthers 34 Blitz 9

The Michigan Panthers are the first team to clinch their division with their win over Chicago and they are still in play for a BYE week. The Panthers out gained the Blitz 447-177, forced 3 INT's and held Chicago to 2-13 on 3rd down. Panthers WR/RB Nicholas Dorey had 191 combined yards and a TD.

Showboats 40 (NY) Stars 13

Memphis out gained New York 556-246 and QB David Allen bounced back from last week's horrible game with 412 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT's. The Showboats built a first half lead of 27-6 and coasted to victory, clinching a playoff spot in the process. Despite being 12-1, they haven't clinched their division yet, but a victory next week will do the trick. If Memphis and Michigan end up with the same record, Michigan will be the higher seed thanks to them giving Memphis their lone loss. New York remains 1 game behind New Jersey in the East.

The Showboats had 2 WR with huge stat lines, David Austin (5-149-1) and Willie Howland (3-139-2).

Gamblers 37 Thunderbolts 21

Houston is a very tough team to beat when they don't start slow, and Cleveland found that out today. The Gamblers amassed a 30-3 halftime lead in improving to 10-3 and keeping their playoff hopes alive. Houston has an outside shot at winning the division, but I doubt Memphis will lose their last 3.

It was snowy in Cleveland, but that didn't affect MVP Tony Dean. The Gamblers QB was an efficient 32/41 for 310 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT. Houston was 13-20 on 3rd down and scored 3 TD's and a FG in 4 red zone trips, while holding Cleveland to just 2 FG's in their 4 trips inside the Houston red zone.

Express 18 Hawaiians 9

Honolulu keeps chucking up passes with diminishing returns. The Hawaiians only threw 43 passes, well below their average and had just 166 yards to show for it. Los Angeles recorded 4 sacks and used a ball control offense to control the clock. The Express ran for 284 yards and converted 6 of 16 3rd downs while holding Honolulu to 0-13. Daniel Franks ran for 140 yards and Chuck Mayfield ran for 120.

These two teams have a Week 16 rematch, but it will only be meaningful if the Express lose their next 2 while Honolulu wins their next 2.

Bulls 55 Blazers 26

This seems like a hair on fire game, as all kinds of crazy stuff happened. The first quarter and a half was back and forth before Jacksonville pulled away. The game was 14-13 Bulls at that time, and Florida's TD was an INT return. Jacksonville would increase the lead to 24-13 before we saw a play we haven't seen all year. Raymond Hampton fielded a punt from his own 21, broke 3 tackles, and took it to the house for a 79 yard punt return TD, the only one in the league in 1987.

That gave Jacksonville a 31-13 halftime lead, which Florida cut to 31-19 before 24 unanswered Bulls points sealed the game. Jacksonville had 508 yards of offense, led by WR/RB Timothy Richardson who combined for 272 yards (206 receiving) and 2 TD's. Jacksonville improves to 9-4, still tied with Tampa Bay for the Southeast lead.

Bandits 27 Wheels 14

Detroit had 317 offensive yards, one of, if not the best offensive performances of the Wheels season. It wasn't enough however, as Tampa Bay put up 453 yards on the usually stout Detroit defense. Detroit got off to a fast start, leading 14-3 before the Wheels fell off. Tampa Bay scored the last 24 points of the game led by WR Thomas Whitley (4-144-1) and RB Jimmy Clark (12 rushes 119 yards and a TD). Bandits QB Melvin Driggers threw for 341 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT in the victory.

Tampa Bay improves to 9-4 to keep pace atop the Southeast with Jacksonville.

Stallions 20 Force 0

No one score loss for Georgia this week, as Birmingham scored once each quarter for the shutout win. The Stallions had a modest 345 yards of offense but their defense allowed just 221 and intercepted 3 passes, 2 by Howard Hutchinson. Birmingham RB Richard Sutton took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score and ran for 96 yards on the day.


Birmingham improves to 10-3, good for first place in the South.

Steamer 34 VooDoo 27

There are just 2 teams hotter than Shreveport right now, Memphis and Houston. The Steamer win their 5th straight game as they try and climb back into the playoff picture after a 3-5 start. This game was all about turnovers, as Shreveport won that battle 5-1. Despite the lopsided turnover ratio, New Orleans almost won anyway.


This 4th quarter wasn't quite as crazy as Arizona/Portland, but it was close. Shreveport had a 19-0 lead at one point and it was 19-7 after 3. The VooDoo took the lead 20-19 midway through the 4th, before Shreveport retook the lead with a TD and 2 point conversion with 3:31 left. It didn't take long for New Orleans to tie the game at 27 on a 75 yard TD pass from QB James Perry. Following a Steamer punt, Perry threw his 4th INT of the game, setting Shreveport up inside the VooDoo red zone. Two plays later, Zachary Goudy punched it in from 5 yards out for the game winning TD.

Despite the loss, New Orleans (9-4) would qualify as a wildcard today, while Shreveport (8-5) needs to continue their hot streak to qualify.

Federals 41 Generals 10

A matchup of division leaders turned out to be a dud as New Jersey just couldn't hang with the Federals firepower on offense. The Generals defense had no answer for Luther Ellis who lit New Jersey up for 210 yards and 3 TD's on 7 receptions. RB Cory Martin also ran for 124 as part of a 482 yard day for Washington. Federals QB Scott Bieber threw 5 TD passes but also threw 3 INT's. New Jersey couldn't take advantage though, as Ric Flair threw 3 INT's of his own and the Generals also lost a fumble and were just 1-13 on 3rd down.


Washington improves to 10-3, fighting for the #1 seed while trying to hold off Baltimore in the Atlantic. New Jersey falls to 8-5, yet maintain their 1 game lead in the East over the (NY) Stars.

Stars 31 Renegades 3

Baltimore didn't dominate the stat lines but they did dominate the scoreboard, blowing out Orlando 31-3. Orlando turned the ball over 3 times and failed to reach the red zone, while the Stars turned it over just once while scoring 3 TD's and a FG in 4 red zone trips. Baltimore won the yardage 383-296 and both teams were decent on 3rd down, Orlando 7 for 18, Baltimore 7-16. Knob Creek ran for 102 yards in the win.


Baltimore improves to 8-5, one game out of the wildcard spots.

Sun 20 SaberCats 17 (OT)

San Jose jumped out to a 17-3 lead after 3 quarters but it was all Sun after that. Southern California got a FG, TD and 2 point conversion to pull within 3, then kicked the tying FG at the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime. The extra session began with punts by the Sun and the SaberCats before the Sun went on a 9 play 69 yard drive for the game winning FG. Southern California had a nice offensive day in a true team effort. 43 rushing attempts by 5 different ball carriers netted 159 yards, nobody had more than 66. In the passing game, 27 completions were distributed among 10 different players with nobody gaining more than 77 yards.


Southern California improves to 4-9, 2 games behind Week 14 opponent Los Angeles. If the Sun win, they're still alive, lose and they're eliminated.

Outlaws 28 Gunslingers 9

Oklahoma is still using a ground and pound offense, rushing 49 times for 177 yards while throwing just 14 passes. San Antonio had 335 yards but 4 turnovers (3 INT's) and just 3 points in two red zone trips. The Outlaws had 5 red zone trips but they got their 28 the hard way. Oklahoma had 4 FG's and a TD in those 5 trips and K Roger Ruzich made 3 additional FG's, giving him 7 on the day. Ruzich now has 35 FG's on the season in just 36 attempts as he pushes for an All Pro nomination.


The victory improves Oklahoma to 8-5, yet still on the outside looking in.

Bell 34 Breakers 10

A pair of one win teams squared off and Philadelphia shut down the Boston ground game while committing zero turnovers in the win. Bell RB Richard Brown ran for 107 yards on 22 carries while chipping in 5 receptions for 75 yards and a TD. Philadelphia intercepted a pass for the game's lone turnover, sacked Roy Rhyne 3 times and held the Breakers out of the red zone. 


 

Week 12: Commish Jinx?

Last week I pointed out that Tampa Bay had the longest win streak and they lose, prompting Mcarovil to say thanks for the jinx. Prior to that, I had mentioned Portland had the longest win streak and Memphis lost their long streak right after I pointed out how close they were to the Wheels record. Is there something to the commish jinx? We'll find out about the jinx soon enough as Memphis again has the league's longest current win streak at 6.

Storm 41 Panthers 38 (OT)

These two division leaders met in Portland and it was a wild tale of two halves, plus overtime. Michigan scored touchdowns on their first 5 possessions as the Panthers built a 35-7 halftime lead. Portland had 2 turnovers, both in the first half but the Storm forced 3 Panthers turnovers in the second half as they came all the way back to take the lead 38-35 with Oscar Willis's 3rd TD pass of the game with 1:18 left in regulation. With Portland shutting down Michigan in the second half (4 punts, 3 INT's) it seemed the home fans would go home happy once the clock hit 0:00 but the Panthers would move the ball into FG range. John Bibler nailed a 52 yarder at the gun to send the game into a 5th quarter. Portland got the ball first and punted, then forced a Michigan three and out before they kicked the game winning FG on their second OT drive.

Both teams were a perfect 4 for 4 scoring red zone TD's and Michigan was 10 for 17 on 3rd down, but losing the turnover battle was costly. Panthers WR/RB Nicholas Dorey had a combined 310 yards (86 rushing, 224 receiving) and 3 TD's in the loss, while the Storm had two 100 yard receivers.

Portland improves to 10-2 and is the current #2 seed in the American Conference. Michigan falls to 9-3 with this loss perhaps costing them the BYE week but they still have a 3 game lead over Cleveland in the Midwest.

Wheels 13 Invaders 10

Oakland missed a great chance to remain tied with Portland atop the West, despite holding Detroit under 200 yards. The Wheels had a 10-0 lead until 3:04 left in the 3rd, when the Invaders finally got on the scoreboard with a TD. Detroit had amassed just 130 yards of offense before their final drive of the game, which came with 1:14 left after Oakland tied the game at 10 with a FG. The Wheels saved their best drive for last, needing 7 plays for 61 yards to move into FG range. Robert Moulton booted the ball through the uprights at the gun to give Detroit the upset win.

Oakland falls to 9-3, one game behind Portland in the West and part of a 3 way tie for the 2 wildcard spots with Houston and Denver. In a 3 way tie, head to head only counts if one team swept the others, or one team was swept.

Gold 11 Blitz 6

Chicago intercepted Denver QB Andrew Brewer 4 times and sacked him 3 times while holding the Gold to 2-11 on 3rd down. Denver's defense had Brewer's back though, limiting the Blitz to 216 yards and keeping them out of the end zone. The only TD of the game came with 4:17 left as Brewer tossed an 8 yard pass to Richard Funkhouser, and the two point try was successful.

Denver is 9-3, tied with Oakland and Houston for the two wildcard spots.

Wranglers 27 Thunderbolts 10

Arizona got the ball first and drove for a TD and Cleveland did the same on their first drive, then the teams traded punts. The Wranglers third drive is when the game started to turn in Arizona's favor, as they drove 89 yards in 13 plays to take a 14-7 lead. Cleveland punted and Arizona got another TD for a 21-7 lead. Arizona would add 2 FG's after 2 more Cleveland punts and it was 27-7 Wranglers, allowing Arizona to coast to victory over the final quarter and a half.

Cleveland is 3 games out of a playoff spot with 4 to go, so their playoff hopes are becoming a faded dream. Arizona is still in last place but at 8-4, they are 1 game behind the 3 teams tied for the wildcard spots and just 2 out of the division lead. Portland comes to visit Arizona in Week 13 in a de facto playoff game for the Wranglers, as a loss pretty much takes them out of division contention and would likely make them 2 games behind the wildcard.

VooDoo 29 Express 10

The Express have had a roller coaster season on and off the field, but still find themselves at the top of the Pacific despite a 5-7 record. The VooDoo entered the game tied with Birmingham for the South lead, and had the added challenge of facing a new owner with a 1 game track record. I don't know how others feel but I don't like facing brand new owners because of the lack of track record.

New Orleans struggled to put up offensive yards, finishing with 261, but when you have two TD drives covering 18 and 26 yards, the stat lines don't fill. That second short TD drive came with 4:08 left in the 3rd to give the VooDoo a 15-10 lead. For the game, New Orleans allowed 298 yards and 7-19 on 3rd down, but held them out of the red zone all game thanks to the 5 turnovers they forced. Four of those turnovers were INT's and midway through the 4th, VooDoo CB Robert Shuler took one to the house to give New Orleans a 22-10 lead. At the 2 minute warning, Billy Brink took his only handoff and raced 63 yards to the end zone for the game clinching TD.

Los Angeles falls to 5-7 but maintain their 1 game lead on Honolulu while New Orleans maintain their tie atop the South with Birmingham.

Stallions 19 Blazers 6

Birmingham won the turnover battle 2-1 and held Florida out of the red zone all game. Neither team ran the ball great but the Stallions were efficient through the air, completing 26/38 for 287 yards. Birmingham had 3 red zone trips of their own, but only managed 2 FG's. That was enough for the victory though as Birmingham remains tied with New Orleans at the top of the South.

Stars 33 Bandits 10

Coming into this game, Baltimore had lost 4 in a row while Tampa Bay had won 6 in a row, so of course Baltimore won. Both teams had 1 turnover each but Baltimore doubled the Bandits in yardage, thanks in large part to the Stars ground game. Tampa Bay ran 14 times for just 23 yards while the Stars ran twice as much (29 times) for more than 6 times the yards (146). The Bandits never had a red zone possession while Baltimore had 3 TD's and 1 FG in 5 red zone trips. Baltimore RB Mark Numbers had 220 combined yards, 75 rushing and 145 receiving.

Tampa Bay remains tied for the Southeast lead at 8-4 with Jacksonville while Baltimore is now 7-5 on the outside looking in.

Renegades 27 Bulls 23

Stat lines were pretty close: total yards 412-411 Bulls, rushing yards Renegades 118-114, passing yards 298-293 Bulls, third down conversions (4-13 Renegades, 4-14 Bulls), 3 red zone trips each (3 TD for Renegades, 2/1 Bulls) and time of possession 31-29 Bulls. Jacksonville threw 3 INT while Orlando lost 2 fumbles.

Jacksonville built a 17-0 lead and still led 23-13 early in the 4th after a FG. Orlando QB Elwood Savage threw 2 of his 4 TD passes in the 4th qtr as the Renegades score the last 14 points of the game for the come from behind, upset win.

Jacksonville maintain their tie atop the Southeast despite the loss.

(NY) Stars 12 Outlaws 10

This was almost a playoff game as the loser will have a much tougher road to the post season. Oklahoma scored the game's only TD with their ground and pound attack, rushing 44 times versus 11 passes. New York was opposite, running 14 times while throwing 47 passes. All that passing didn't help the Stars find the end zone but it was enough for K Daniel Hall to boot 4 FG's, giving New York the 12-10 victory.

New York improves to 7-5, 1 game behind New Jersey in the East and 1 game behind in the wildcard race. Oklahoma falls to 7-5, 9th place in the American Conference.

Generals 33 Bell 16

New Jersey started fast in this game, jumping out 17-0 and 20-3 before settling in and running out the clock. The Generals ran for 3.89 ypc against the Bell's tough run defense and Ric Flair only threw 1 INT as New Jersey out gained Philadelphia 390-258. The Bell had success running the ball but the Generals sacked Philadelphia QBs 3 times and CB Bruce Dickinson intercepted Steven Moore twice.

New Jersey improves to 8-4, maintaining their 1 game lead on New York in the East.

Federals 57 Hornets 0

Washington only had a 31-0 lead after 3, piling on with 26 4th qtr points for the blowout victory. The Federals had 414 offensive yards yet nobody had 100 yards rushing or receiving, nor 300 yards passing. Washington played sloppy at times, but the Federals defense was doing such a great job shutting down the Charlotte offense, it didn't matter. Charlotte gained all of 46 yards on the day, 88 if you don't count sacks and the Hornets turned the ball over 7 times (6 INT).

Washington (9-3) maintain their 2 game lead over Baltimore in the Atlantic.

Showboats 26 Gunslingers 14

Memphis jumped out to a 16-0 lead before San Antonio cut it to 16-14 early in the 4th. The Showboats closed out the scoring with the final 10 points as they win sloppily. Memphis got to the red zone 5 times but only scored 2 TD's and 1 FG, they lost a fumble, gave up 3 sacks and David Allen threw 4 INT's. San Antonio's offense just couldn't take enough advantage though, as their longest play from scrimmage was 24 yards.

Memphis is 11-1 and the current #1 seed in the American Conference.

Gamblers 31 SaberCats 6

Houston got off to a fast start, building a 24-0 halftime lead and Chase Miles had 2 TD's and 215 yards rushing/receiving. San Jose had extreme difficulty through the air, averaging less than 1 yard per attempt. The SaberCats did have success on the ground (21-113) and they forced four turnovers. Three of those were lost fumbles as the Gamblers had ball security issues but the one dimensional San Jose offense couldn't take advantage.

Houston is 9-3, tied with Oakland and Denver for the 2 wildcard spots. I have not looked at the 3 way tiebreaker to see who has it right now, still too much football left to be played.

Sun 32 Hawaiians 15

Honolulu was once 4-3, at the top of the Pacific, but they've lost 5 in a row since. The Hawaiians still throw a ton, 57 times today, but it was the running game that made the difference. Honolulu ran 20 times for 30 yards while Southern California ran 32 times for a whopping 337 yards. Nicholas Wittrock accounted for almost half, with 163 yards on 13 carries.

Southern California improves to 3-9, but that's only 2 games behind Los Angeles for the Pacific playoff spot. Honolulu is in 2nd place in the Pacific at 4-8, 1 game behind the Express.

Steamer 23 Breakers 6

Shreveport dominated 3rd down conversions, red zone opportunities and time of possession for their 4th straight victory. The Steamer were 7-16 on 3rd down (Boston 1-14), had 3 red zone opportunities (2 TD/1 FG) to just 1 for the Breakers (1 FG), and a 36-24 time advantage.

Shreveport stay 2 games behind Birmingham and New Orleans in the South and are now 1 game out of the #6 seed.

Maulers 6 Force 3

Georgia loses yet another one score game as their kicker missed 2 FG's on the day. Both teams combined for 391 offensive yards as Pittsburgh snaps their 9 game losing streak.

Week 11: Tampa Bay Wins 6th In A Row

Portland lost to division rival Denver so Tampa Bay now has the league's longest current win streak. The Boston Breakers won their first game of the year, which means every team has won and lost at least once. The Los Angeles Express are on their 3rd owner of the season after previous owner Zennarius was booted for lack of participation (not logging on for 10 days). Dash is the new owner, and he has previous USFL/WFL experience (Georgia 1974). This week's blog will be short, I've had a long weekend of work/car problems.

VooDoo 27 Stallions 20

Birmingham could have taken a major step toward a division title with a win over New Orleans. The Stallions had the first 3 scores but they were all FG's while the VooDoo had a TD in the first half, but missed the 2 point conversion for a 9-6 Birmingham lead at the half. New Orleans scored 2 3rd qtr TD's to take a 20-9 lead, but Birmingham would score the next 11 points with a FG, TD, and 2 point conversion. New Orleans would break the tie with the second of James Perry to Clayton Worthey TD passes with 1:38 left. Both teams had trouble holding onto the football (New Orleans threw 3 INT's while Birmingham threw 2 and lost 2 fumbles) but the VooDoo owned the red zone and had the better rushing attack.

The New Orleans win pulls them into a tie with Birmingham atop the South with identical 8-3 records.

Gold 33 Storm 21

It seems the only time West teams lose is divisional games (24-2) and the Storm fell to the Gold this week. Denver jumped out to a 24-0 second quarter lead before Portland stormed back with 2 TD's in the 4th to pull within 27-14. Denver scored 2 late FG's to pad the final score as Portland turned the ball over 4 times.

Portland is now tied atop the West with the Oakland Invaders while Denver would be the current #6 seed at 8-3.

Bulls 28 Federals 24

This was a game between likely playoff teams and it certainly had a January feel to it. The box score is close up and down the stats and this was, by definition, a back and forth game. Jacksonville went up 7-0, Washington then went up 10-7, before the teams alternated TD's. Washington's Scott Bieber hit Cory Martin for a TD pass with 1:14 left for a 24-21 Federals lead but 33 seconds later, Jacksonville QB fired a 44 yard TD pass to Peter Henderson for the win.

The win keeps Jacksonville tied with red hot Tampa Bay atop the Southeast at 8-3 while Washington (8-3) still has a 2 game lead over slumping Baltimore despite this loss.

Wranglers 22 Stars 19 (OT)

The Arizona Wranglers continue to be the best last place team in the league as the West division continued their dominance over the rest of the league. The Wranglers are 7-4 and may be the best last place team in history, although that's a dubious distinction nobody wants. On the bright side, they are just 2 games out of the division lead and 1 game behind Denver and Houston for the final wildcard.

Baltimore kicked a FG just inside the 2 minute warning for a brief 19-16 lead but Arizona would tie the game with a FG of their own on the final play of regulation. Both teams had 2 overtime possessions with Arizona kicking a FG with 1:25 left for the victory. Baltimore loses their 4th straight and find themselves 2 games out of a playoff spot.

Bandits 20 Renegades 19

Orlando may be having a rough season but the Renegades were up for this division game against in state rival Tampa Bay. Orlando QB Elwood Savage found Dexter Elmer for a 63 yard TD early in the 3rd for a 19-10 Renegades lead. That was it for Orlando though, as the Bandits scored 10 unanswered points to escape with the 1 point win.

As noted above, Tampa Bay has the longest current win streak at 6, and they remain tied with Jacksonville atop the Southeast.

Outlaws 38 Generals 16

I said a few weeks ago that in addition to Oklahoma needing to win the games they "should", they also needed an upset or two to get into the playoffs. The Outlaws pulled off the "upset" today, but is it really an upset when you win by 22? Despite the win, the Outlaws are still currently on the outside looking in though they are banging on the door. The once proud New Jersey defense was drug through the mud in this game as Oklahoma ran the ball 53 times for 198 yards and converted 11 of 16 3rd downs. Generals QB Ric Flair has been erratic lately, tossing 3 picks to claim 3rd place in that department. Flair has 18 INT on the season, 7 in the last 3 games.

Oklahoma is 7-4, knocking on the playoff door while New Jersey still leads the East at 7-4, although they are holding the door wide open for the (NY) Stars to walk through.

Gunslingers 20 (NY) Stars 14

New York jumped out to a 14-3 halftime lead but it was all San Antonio in the second half as the Stars fail to take advantage of the Generals loss. Perhaps they had one eye on the scoreboard instead of both eyes on the field in the 3rd quarter. That's when Oklahoma began to pull away from New Jersey but San Antonio was also mounting a 3rd qtr comeback. Mainly it was Gary Wiggins to Calvin Harper for 2 long TD passes (84 and 70 yds).

San Antonio has won 3 of 4 to improve to 4-7 while the (NY) Stars (6-5) are 1 game behind New Jersey in the East and 2 games behind in the wildcard race.

Express 31 SaberCats 6

The Los Angeles players show no ill effects from all the ownership changes as they are now 2-0 this season following an in season owner switch. Tough draw for San Jose, as I know firsthand how difficult it is to accurately game plan for a new owner in their first game. Dash had his new Express team ready to roll as they overcame 2 turnovers by nearly doubling San Jose in total yards.

The win gives Los Angeles sole possession of 1st place in the Pacific.

Breakers 20 Bell 17

Both teams seem headed for a top 3 draft pick, but Boston came into the game 0-10 and the motivation was high to get off the schneid. Most weeks I talk about Philadelphia's stout run defense, but a quick look at the box score makes it seem like Boston ran all over them. They sort of did, albeit all in one play as Boston extended their lead to 20-10 when RB Robert Cagle broke loose for an 80 yard TD run. If you take that out, Boston ran 22 times for 50 yards (2.5 ypc), but you can't take it out.

Showboats 39 Hawaiians 14

Honolulu took a 14-11 lead with 9:51 left in the 3rd but Memphis outscored the Hawaiians 28-0 the rest of the game for the blowout victory. Memphis QB David Allen tossed a TD pass to 3 different receivers and the defense recovered a fumble in the end zone on a strip sack in the second half Showboats surge. RB Mark Lambert ran for 197 yards and a TD in the victory.

Memphis improves to 10-1, only team in the league with double digit wins and they hold their own destiny concerning home field advantage. Honolulu's 4th straight loss leaves them 1 game behind Los Angeles in the Pacific.

Invaders 20 Maulers 13

Oakland had 22 first downs to 7 for Pittsburgh. The Invaders tripled the yardage of the Maulers while dominating 3rd down (6-15 to 1-9) and getting 4 red zone opportunities to none for Pittsburgh. It was also a turnover free game but Oakland had trouble getting TD's in the red zone, finding themselves trailing 13-12 entering the final qtr. A 4th qtr TD run by Stephen Demmer (110 yards on the day) and a 2 point conversion provided the final points of the game. Pittsburgh had 2 John Hensley FG's (55 and 58 yards) and Alfred Gale had a 102 yard kickoff return for a TD.

Oakland is now 9-2, tied for first in the West with Portland.

Gamblers 34 Sun 16

Houston built a 24-10 halftime lead, extending it to 31-10 midway through the 3rd as they coast over the Sun. Southern California did have 300 total yards, 228 on the ground but the defense couldn't stop Tony Dean. Mr. MVP tossed 4 TD's, 1 to Chase Miles (8-204) and 3 to Gabriel Ahrens (4 for 169). The victory enables Houston to remain tied for the #6 seed, though they still lose the tiebreaker to Denver.

Steamer 17 Force 13

Fresh off their 2nd win of the season, the Georgia Force go back to their old ways of losing one score games. Except for a 21-3 loss vs the VooDoo, every Georgia game has been decided by one score or less. I guess you can say the force is not with Georgia.

Thunderbolts 28 Wheels 6

Cleveland's 28 points are the most given up by Detroit on the season, although some of that is the result of a safety and a pick 6. The Thunderbolts had 397 yards of offense while Detroit QB Gregory Skidmore  is being called Skidmark by fans as he threw 3 INT's on the day. Cleveland is 3 games behind Michigan in the Midwest and 2 games behind a few teams for the wildcard.

Panthers 17 Blitz 3

Nobody had running success in this game as Michigan (27 for 18 yards) and Chicago (15 for 12 yards) combine for less than one yard per carry. Red zone success was elusive as well. Michigan had a TD on 2 trips while Chicago had nothing in 3 trips. Michigan got out to a 14-3 lead after 15 minutes and held on the rest of the way. The win improves Michigan to 9-2, good for a 3 game division lead and in the conversation for a BYE week.

Blazers 23 Hornets 3

Florida dominated Charlotte, out gaining them 403-91, converting 7-17 on 3rd down while holding the Hornets to 1-15 with 6 sacks. Florida was a little sloppy, only getting a TD and FG from 4 red zone trips and committing 3 turnovers but the Blazers defense helped them overcome by keeping the Hornets out of the red zone and forcing 3 turnovers of their own.

KEY WEEK 12 GAMES:

Los Angeles @ New Orleans
Oklahoma @ (NY) Stars
Michigan @ Portland
Arizona @ Cleveland 

Week 10: Five Division Leaders Lose

The playoff race got a little tighter following week 10 as 5 teams that were either leading or tied for the lead in their division lost. In the Pacific, Los Angeles and Honolulu remain tied after both lost this week. Oakland lost to break their tie with Portland and they fall to second place in the West. Jacksonville lost their battle of division leaders and are now tied with Tampa Bay for the Southeast lead. New Jersey lost, slicing their East lead to 1 game.

In the American Conference we have 10 teams .500 or better fighting for 5 playoff spots, while Honolulu and Los Angeles fight it out for the Pacific division playoff spot. In the National Conference we have 9 teams .500 or better fighting for 6 spots. The Michigan Panthers lead the Midwest by 3 games, the only division with more than a 2 game separation.

Force 20 Generals 17

New Jersey looked to be driving for a score on the game opening drive when Generals RB Fred Dunagan fumbled the ball on a reception. Georgia CB Caleb Raley scooped up the loose ball and outran everyone to the end zone 84 yards later for an early Force lead. Georgia would add a FG for a 10-0 lead before New Jersey would tie the game in the 3rd qtr. The Generals doubled Georgia in yardage (444-203) and were decent on 3rd downs. New Jersey took the lead at the 2 minute warning on a Ric Flair to Freddie Mercury TD pass, and it seemed the game was over.

Certainly a team that's been to 5 of the last 6 World Bowls can preserve a 7 point lead for 2 minutes right? Not today, as Georgia marched 75 yards down the field in 10 plays, culminating in a 2 yard TD pass from Norris Thomas to Calvin Sipe. The XP tied the game at 17, and rather than play for OT, the Generals opted to try to push the ball downfield. Ric Flair threw his second INT of the game on the first play, and Georgia booted the game winning FG one play later.

Storm 24 Stars 17

These teams are heading opposite directions, as the win is Portland's 7th in a row and this was Baltimore's 3rd straight loss. The Stars put up 355 yards but the Storm intercepted 2 passes and had 2 sacks. Portland's offense had 409 yards of their own and were perfect on 4 red zone trips. The West logjam has loosened a bit as Portland is finally alone at the top with their 9-1 record. Baltimore slips 2 games behind Washington in the Atlantic and their 6-4 record would not qualify for the playoffs if they started now.

Panthers 41 Bulls 10

In a battle of division leaders, Michigan put it to Jacksonville. The Panthers built a 31-7 halftime lead on their way to a 589 yard day. The only thing Michigan did wrong on offense was settle for FG's both red zone trips. The Michigan defense gave up 303 yards but forced 2 INT's and sacked Bulls QB Joseph Serio 4 times. Michigan's James Hills and Peter Lewis made the most of their 4 catches apiece. Hills had 159 yards, Lewis 140 and both caught a pair of TD's.

Bandits 27 Hornets 11

Taking advantage of the Jacksonville loss, Tampa Bay struggled with Charlotte through much of the game before pulling away in the 4th qtr. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers tossed 3 60+ yard TD passes, 2 to Thomas Whitley. They needed those big plays as 30 Tampa Bay rushing attempts netted just 44 yards. The Bandits defense limited Charlotte to 145 yards with an INT and 4 sacks. Tampa Bay improves to 7-3, tied atop the Southeast division.

Wranglers 22 Invaders 10

Arizona continues to be the best last place team in the league and their 6-4 record still has them in wildcard contention. The Wranglers forced 2 fumbles while shutting down Oakland's ground game and not allowing big passing plays. Arizona wasn't spectacular offensively, but effective enough on this day. They played turnover free football in knocking Oakland out of their tie with Portland for the West lead.

Gold 33 Hawaiians 7

No last second FG needed for Denver this week as they doubled the yards of Honolulu. The Gold built a 24-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory in the second half, sending the Hawaiians to their 3rd straight loss. Gold WR Richard Huff had 276 total yards and a TD while teammate WR Jose Buford had a combined 182 yards and 2 TD's. If the season were over now, Denver would be the #6 seed by virtue of their win over Houston earlier this season. Honolulu remains tied with LA for the Pacific lead.

Gamblers 41 Express 9

Houston started off slow but for only 1 quarter as the Gamblers defense shut down the Express offense. Houston limited Los Angeles to 115 yards with 2 sacks and 2 turnovers. Houston QB Tony Dean threw 3 INT's but also 5 TD's, 3 to Gabriel Ahrens (4-138-3). The other 2 went to Chase Miles who had 164 yards rushing and receiving. Houston is currently tied with Denver for the #6 seed, though they lose the tiebreaker while Los Angeles remains tied atop the Pacific with Honolulu at 4-6.

Showboats 47 Sun 17

Memphis has kind of flown under the radar since their long winning streak ended, but this week they reminded the league, and specifically the Sun that they are still the Champions. Showboats QB David Allen threw for 443 yards and 5 TD without an INT and Willie Howland had a big day with 271 yards and 2 TD's on 5 receptions. Memphis built a 41-3 halftime lead and cruised in the second half to improve to 9-1 on the year.

VooDoo 25 Breakers 10

The good news for Boston is their 10 points tied their season best from Week 1 against the Champion Showboats. The bad news is their defense gave up 25 points as the Breakers fall to 0-10 on the season. The game stats were closer than expected, though New Orleans played turnover free football. The VooDoo amassed a 19-0 first half lead before cruising in the second half. This win keeps New Orleans as one of the wildcard teams if the season ended today, too many tiebreakers and too much football left to figure out tiebreakers.

Federals 20 Maulers 3

Washington out gained Pittsburgh 393-172 as the Federals built a 20-3 halftime lead before the second half punting contest. Washington WR Luther Ellis caught 6 passes for 172 yards in the win. The Federals improve to 8-2 and have a 2 game lead on Baltimore in the Atlantic.

Stallions 23 SaberCats 6

Birmingham didn't play their best game, turning the ball over on 3 INT's and scoring just 2 TD's in 5 red zone trips (2 FG's too). The Stallions defense forced 2 San Jose turnovers in holding them to 269 yards and no red zone trips. Birmingham maintains their 1 game lead in the South over New Orleans.

(NY) Stars 30 Renegades 16

This was a mundane, 13-6 game after 3 quarters before both teams decided to light up the scoreboard in the final quarter. There were 2 TD's and a FG in the last 2 minutes alone, though New York was in control throughout. The Stars of New York had 412 offensive yards and 6 red zone trips (3 TD/3 FG), holding the ball for 36:30. Orlando had 330 yards in the loss. The (NY) Stars are now just 1 game behind New Jersey in the East.

Steamer 13 Bell 3

This game played out like most Philadelphia Bell games do, they stop the opposing rushing attack but struggle against the pass and have difficulty on offense. This is the second win in a row for Shreveport as they even their record at 5-5. That's currently 2 games out of the wildcard but with 6 weeks to go, they still have a chance.

Blazers 23 Thunderbolts 6

Cleveland is going the wrong direction lately as their second straight loss has them 5-5 in the crowded American Conference. Florida held a 10-3 lead through 3 quarters and Cleveland cut it to 10-6 early in the 4th. Florida scored the last 13 points of the game for the lopsided final margin. The Blazers defense forced 2 turnovers and kept Cleveland out of the end zone all game, allowing FG's on both Thunderbolt red zone trips.

Outlaws 13 Gunslingers 10

This was a defensive struggle as the teams combined for just 498 yards. San Antonio tied it early in the 4th on a Gary Wiggins to Juan Morgan TD pass, but Wiggins threw an INT on the next drive to set up Oklahoma with a short field. The Outlaws only got 17 yards in 6 plays but it was enough to get in FG range for Roger Ruzich. The 53 yard FG was good, his second from 50+ on the day, and Oklahoma escapes with a win, making them 6-4 and still with a playoff chance.

Blitz 13 Wheels 6

Detroit played bend but don't break defense, allowing 362 yards but just 6 points in 3 red zone trips. The Detroit offense again showed an allergy to the end zone, generating just 200 yards for the game. The win improves Chicago to 5-5, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.