Wildcard week was mostly boring blowout games but the Divisional Round more than made up for that. All four games were within one score, one went to OT and we had 2 big comebacks. I was going to do all 4 games in 1 blog, but so much happened that I'm splitting it into 2 parts.
Panthers 3 Showboats 0
The Memphis Showboats traveled to Pontiac, MI to take on the Panthers in their quest for a threepeat. If you had told anyone before the game that Memphis would hold Michigan to just 3 points, 99% or more would guess the Showboats won. The Panthers have been a thorn in the side of the Showboats the last 2 years, stopping their 24 game win streak in 1987 and tying them this season. In this game, Memphis suffered their first shutout since the Los Angeles Express did it to them November 29, 1981.
It's not like Memphis didn't have chances to score, as they had the 2 longest drives of the game. The longest went 60 yards in 11 plays covering the end of the 1st/beginning of the 2nd qtrs. That drive ended badly, as James Ewing was wide right on a 38 yard FG attempt.
The first half was scoreless as every drive but 2 ended with a punt. One of those was the missed FG discussed above, the other one ended with the clock running out on the half. The second half was slightly different, with 4 non punting drives. The first such drive was late 3rd qtr when David Allen was intercepted. Michigan could not capitalize though, punting and pinning Memphis at their 9. Three plays later David Allen was intercepted again, this time by Bryan Odom. That gave Michigan the ball in the red zone and they almost punched it in, setting up a 4th and goal from the 1. In a scoreless game, the Panthers opted for the chip shot FG to take a 3-0 lead.
Memphis had one last shot, but they were pinned at their own 4 after another fine punt by Julius Horowitz, who nailed 7 of 10 inside the 20. The Showboats had 1:49 and 2 time outs to try to get 60 yards or so to tie the game or 96 to win. Memphis converted twice on 4th down, once on a completed pass despite pass interference, then another pass interference penalty kept the drive alive. A couple plays later, Donut Mogul Tim Horton caught a pass and fumbled, but the ball went harmlessly out of bounds.
All of the fans in the Silverdome were holding their collective breaths as the Showboats were getting all the breaks and it was looking like we could possibly be headed for OT. David Allen took a sack on the next play and the clock would hit 0:00 shortly after, preserving victory for Michigan.
Gamblers 27 Gold 20
This was a back and forth game on the scoreboard though Denver literally threw the game away. The Gold had little trouble moving the ball on the Gamblers defense as Richard Funkhouser ran for 108 yards and had 109 receiving. Andrew Brewer was 33/55, 373 yards and 2 TDs. While the Houston defense bent, the only breaking they did was breaking the spirit of the Denver offense. Despite all of the offensive yards, Brewer was sacked 5 times and intercepted 4. Denver ran the ball 20 times for 140 yards and had a 27-10 first down advantage.
It's not like Houston did nothing though. Tony Dean was an efficient 24/33, 283 yards and 3 TD. Zero was the most important number for Houston and Dean, as in zero INT and zero turnovers. Denver scored first to take a 7-0 lead, then Houston scored 10 straight to take the lead back. Denver tied it at 10 before halftime, and tied it again at 17 in the 3rd. Denver got their 2 TDs from Richard Huff, and Richard Funkhouser. Houston's 2 TD up to this point came from Chase Miles, and Gabriel Ahrens.
That TD pass from Dean to Ahrens came on the first play after a Brewer INT. Midway through the 4th qtr, Brewer suffered a case of deja vu, watching a Gabriel Ahrens TD on the first play following an INT. That made the score 27-17 Houston, though Denver would pull within 27-20 with 4:05 to go. Houston went 3 and out, punting Denver at their own 12 with just over 3 minutes left.
Needing a TD to tie, the Gold advanced all the way to Houston's 5 yard line before Charles Wallace sacked Brewer with 0:40 left, allowing Denver time for just 1 more play. That 4 yard gain was not enough and the time ran out on Denver's season.
