After 2 weeks of football we have 9 teams 2-0, 6 in the American Conference. We also have 10 winless teams, 2 of which are 0-1-1 as we had a tie this week. The Champion Houston Gamblers scored 45 points for the second straight week and Tony Dean has almost reached 1000 passing yards already(931). Gamblers RB Ryan Dearing leads the league in rushing with 216 and WR Gabriel Ahrens is second in receiving yardage and receiving TDs (390-5). The #1 spot in those categories belongs to Denver's Jake Peralta (458-6).
Gamblers 45 Wheels 10
In 1988, Houston had some problems with slow starts to some games, but the Champs had no such trouble against Detroit. The Gamblers scored the first 4 times they had the ball en route to a 24-0 lead after one quarter. Houston had 596 total yards with Tony Dean throwing for 4 TDs and 432 yards, 170 and 2 of that went to Gabriel Ahrens. Ryan Dearing had a double hundo game, rushing for 107 and adding 7 catches for 131 and a TD. The lone bright spot for Detroit was Raymond White, who caught 4 passes for 115 and a TD.
Showboats 34 Panthers 3
Memphis has had a lot of success in the USFL but in recent seasons, the Michigan Panthers have been a thorn in their side. Michigan snapped the Showboats' long winning streak and bounced them from last year's playoffs, so Memphis had revenge on their mind. Memphis amassed a 27-3 halftime lead and cruised in the second half. Willie Howland has returned to prominence after going MIA during the brief Greyghost tenure, and he had a receiving line of 3-114-2 today. Mark Lambert combined for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Michigan was led by Nicholas Dorey and his 117 combined yards.
Gold 30 Renegades 23
This game was between two of the up and coming teams in the league and there were plenty of fireworks. Denver had 470 yards, Orlando 465, and though Denver never trailed, this game came down to the wire. Denver took a 7-0 lead on a 50 yard TD pass from Andrew Brewer to Jake Peralta (more on him later). Orlando cut it to 7-3 before Denver scored another TD for a 14-3 lead. The first quarter would end 14-6, then Orlando got within 14-13. Denver would then extend the lead to 24-13 at halftime only to watch Orlando come back within one point, 24-23 midway through the 3rd. Orlando's four 4th qtr possessions ended with a fumble, punt, turnover on downs, and an INT as their comeback bid fell short.
Renegades RB Ben Dehaven had 193 combined yards but the star of the season so far has been Denver WR Jake Peralta. He followed up his 312 yard 3 TD Week 1 with 282 yards and 3 TD against Orlando. When factoring in return yardage, Peralta has more yards in 1989 than the #2 and #3 guys combined. Peralta has 856 total yards while Gabriel Ahrens is #2 with 447 and Ryan Dearing is #3 with 395. If he continues his current pace, he will nearly double the current total yardage in a season record, which was set in 1980 by Oakland WR Christopher Curtis (3,587 yards). We don't have an Elias Sports Bureau, but I'd bet this has been the best 2 game stretch for any player in league history that's not a QB.
Hawaiians 40 SaberCats 13
Honolulu bullied San Jose, hogging the ball more than 40 minutes, racking up 568 yards of offense in the process. San Jose punted on their first 6 possessions, while Honolulu scored on their first 5, and the score would have been 31-0 at that point if not for a 99 yard kickoff return TD by the SaberCats Edward Hayes. Hawaiians RB Scott Stillings had a double hundo game, rushing for 106 and adding 110 receiving, while QB Derek Henry (not the Titans RB) threw for 395 yards and 3 TD (1 INT).
Storm 37 Wranglers 20
Portland jumped out to a 28-3 2nd qtr lead which proved to be too much for Arizona to overcome. The difference in this game was in the rushing attack as the passing stats were relatively even. The Storm rushed for 206 yards on 26 carries while the Wranglers only had 27 yards on 19 carries. Portland RB Alfred Gale combined for 214 yards and a TD.
Invaders 20 Sun 10
Oakland is off to a 2-0 start after holding Southern California to 235 total yards. Bucking the trend for big stat days, neither team had a 300 yard passer, nor any 100 yard games. In fact, nobody combined for 100+ yards either. The Invaders defense held Sun QB Wilmer Kimble to below 50% passing (19/42).
Stars 26 Bell 3
Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 359 yards and 3 TD, but also threw 3 INT. Philadelphia could not take advantage however, finishing with 78 yards of offense for the game. Stars RB Mark Numbers had a combined 175 yards and a TD while fellow RB Knob Creek combined for 113 and a TD.
(NY) Stars 24 Federals 3
New York won the East in 1988 so it's not too big of a surprise they defeated Washington, but what is surprising is how they did it. Washington's offense doesn't usually get held below 150 yards, but that's just what the Stars allowed them, 143. New York QB Willie Bust was efficient, 29/39, 275 and 3 TD and RB Cam Dalton had a combined 174 yards and a TD. Prince Buster and Kamal Kash had 2 sacks apiece for the Stars defense.
Steamer 20 Blazers 7
Shreveport is now 2-0, thanks to their #3 ranked defense and a chain moving ground game. Orville Barker (77) and David Oldham (72) both rushed for over 70 yards while the Steamer defense held Florida to 195 total yards.
Bandits 21 Bulls 21 (OT)
70 minutes of football failed to produce a winner so everyone kissed their sisters. Tampa Bay had the yardage advantage for the game but the Bandits will only go as far as Melvin Driggers will take them. The talented QB has a knack for throwing passes to the other team in bunches, and today was no exception. Driggers threw 3 INT on the day, 2 in the 4th quarter, although he did also toss the tying TD with 1:16 left. Gordon Wong of Jacksonville had 2 more INT, giving him 4 already after he had 14 last year. Don't throw Wong's way.
VooDoo 34 Outlaws 0
New Orleans overcame 4 Bruno Wilson INTs thanks to their defense who forced 4 turnovers of their own. When the offenses weren't turning it over, the VooDoo got the better of things as Wilson tossed 3 TD passes and the VooDoo rushing attack had 202 yards. New Orleans spread the ball around to their various playmakers as no one player had a monster game. Oklahoma was held to 149 yards as New Orleans evened their record at 1-1.
Thunderbolts 17 Blitz 12
Cleveland opted to lean on the ground game and not rely on rookie QB Michael McGowan so much after his 3 INT debut last week. The formula worked, as McGowan was turnover free. No player passed for 300 or had 100 rushing or receiving, but Cleveland was able to cross the goal line twice while Chicago could only kick FGs.
Express 21 Generals 11
New Jersey outgained Los Angeles 417-335 but the Express won the field position battle and the turnover battle. The Express jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the 2nd qtr and rode the field position to the cross country road win. The average drive start for Los Angeles was their 37, while New Jersey's was their own 14 as Express punter Dwain Yu nailed 8 of 9 punts inside the 20. Generals rookie WR Duncan Meyer had a combined 162 yards but the New Jersey defense had no answer for Express WR Fredrick Whidden who caught 6 for 170 and 2 TDs.
Hornets 15 Maulers 14
Charlotte had 360 yards of offense, nearly double the 182 of Pittsburgh but an INT return for a TD by Maulers WLB Fred Leeper gave them a 14-3 halftime lead. The Hornets shut out the Maulers in the second half and they got the game winning TD with 4:04 left on a 77 yard pass from Robert Ament to James Lombardo.
Stallions 19 Gunslingers 10
The box score was similar for both teams and the Gunslingers had the game's only offensive TD, a 13 yard pass from Gary Wiggins to Juan Morgan to give San Antonio a 7-6 halftime lead. They would extend that to 10-6 in the 3rd qtr before the momentum swing play of the game. Birmingham's LDE William Mikell hit the trifecta, sacking Wiggins at the Birmingham 34, forcing a fumble and recovering said fumble, returning it 60 yards for the go ahead TD. Gerald Hinton nailed 2 of his 4 FGs in the 4th qtr to help seal victory for the Stallions.
Force 17 Breakers 10
For the second straight week the Breakers defense surrenders more than 200 yards rushing, as the Georgia Force overcame 4 turnovers for the road win. Georgia turned the ball over on each of their first 3 drives, but Boston could not take advantage, going three and out each time. Georgia dented the scoreboard first on a Richard Donofrio 2 yard TD run, then the teams traded FGs, giving us a halftime score of 10-3 Force. Boston tied it early in the 3rd on an Edward Swafford 5 yard TD pass to Martin Sutton. Late in the 3rd, Georgia's Walter Parnell ran it in from 2 yards out to give the Force a 17-10 lead entering the 4th. Parnell finished the day with -3 yards on 4 carries and that TD, strange stat line for sure. The 4th qtr resulted in no points scored but not for lack of trying. Georgia missed 2 FGs in the quarter while Boston missed 1.
