We're down to 4 undefeated teams after Memphis and Houston lost today and four divisions already have 2 games of separation between first and second place. We also had an ownership change, as CoachNorm packed up and left without warning.
Storm 29 Invaders 3
Mark McKeon had 4 more sacks today and Portland had 7 total, so future opponents need to protect their QB. Storm RB Alfred Gale ran for 123 yards and 2 TD while Oakland's Oliver Thomas played despite being IR eligible. Thomas has a severely injured ankle (6%) and it showed as he rushed for negative 3 yards on 11 carries and caught 1 pass for a 4 yard loss. Oakland managed all of 14 offensive yards for the game.
Hawaiians 13 Generals 6
Honolulu RB Scott Stillings had a combined 122 yards and a TD to lead the Hawaiians to victory over visiting New Jersey. The Generals won the yardage, turnovers, and 3rd down conversions but failed to cross the goal line. The win makes Honolulu 5-0 with a 3 game division lead already.
(NY) Stars 22 Maulers 3
The only TD of the game was a 72 yard Cam Dalton run and Stars K Daniel Hall nailed 5 FGs in the victory. Pittsburgh could only manage 170 offensive yards, a number Cam Dalton surpassed by himself. Dalton ran for 144 yards on 23 carries and caught 7 passes for 41 more. New York is now 5-0 with a 2 game lead on New Jersey in the East.
Stars 35 Federals 21
It's always a battle when Baltimore and Washington play, and today, the Federals jumped out to a 21-7 2nd qtr lead only to be shutout the rest of the game. Early on, Baltimore's defense had no answer for the Scott Bieber to Joseph Andrews connection as the pair connected 6 times for 149 yards and all 3 TDs. The Federals couldn't hold onto the ball after that initial flurry, turning it over 3 times to none for Baltimore. Stars QB Jon Snow threw 2 of his 3 TD passes in the second half as Baltimore improves to 5-0 with a 2 game lead on Washington.
Gold 36 Gamblers 34
Football fans certainly hope these two will meet again in the playoffs, as this was a back and forth battle that went down to the wire. Houston is missing some offensive playmakers but they still managed 389 offensive yards, with Wesley Hull combining for 183 of that with 2 scores. Denver's Jake Peralta had little success on the ground but he caught 9 for 141 and a TD, giving him 795 receiving yards through 5 games.
Just before the 2 minute warning, Tony Dean found Anthony Fulks for a 69 yard TD to give Houston a 34-30 lead. Denver marched down the field afterwards and scored the game winning TD on a 1 yard Andrew Brewer pass to Richard Funkhouser with 0:38 left in the game. This was the first loss of the season for the defensing Champion Gamblers.
Gunslingers 19 Showboats 15
The Memphis defense came ready to play as they held San Antonio to 193 offensive yards but forced no turnovers. That was a problem for the Showboats as Memphis QB David Allen was extremely generous with the football, completing 6 passes to San Antonio defenders. Those turnovers led to a flurry of FGs and San Antonio handed Memphis their first loss of 1989.
Thunderbolts 10 Blitz 7
Cleveland is a quiet 4-1 now as the Thunderbolts survive 4 interceptions by rookie QB Michael McGowan. McGowan did find Samuel Draper for an 8 yard TD pass in the 4th qtr to lift Cleveland to victory. Thunderbolt WR Mark Howe caught 5 for 115 yards today.
VooDoo 54 Force 3
New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson has been an INT machine so far in 1989, as only Memphis QB David Allen has thrown more (14) than Wilson's 13 INT but today he posted a 4:1 TD/INT ratio and the VooDoo offense exploded for 54 points. New Orleans scored 3 1st qtr TDs and converted for 2 points after each for a 24-0 lead. Following a scoreless 2nd qtr, the VooDoo came out for the second half and continued to light up the scoreboard. New Orleans ran for 270 yards and passed for 389 more, led by Leonard Robles' combined 191 yards and 2 TD.
Hornets 13 Panthers 12
It's been a rough year so far for Michigan and today continued that trend. The Panthers gave up a kickoff return TD and their offense failed on a 2nd qtr 2 point conversion try and John Bibler was short on a late 57 yard game winning FG attempt. Michigan outgained Charlotte and committed no turnovers, yet couldn't score enough points for victory. Panther fans are wondering if all that money is weighing Nicholas Dorey down, because he's not producing like his contract says he should.
Stallions 23 Steamer 3
Birmingham RB Mark Peterson ran for 129 yards and a TD while the Stallions defense held Shreveport to 176. The Steamer have now lost 2 in a row after a 3-0 start and the South Division is now all bunched up.
Bulls 16 Renegades 7
The shine has come off for Orlando, as they have now lost 4 straight games, killing the momentum they had coming into the season. Fortunately for them, nobody is running away with the Southeast. Timothy Richardson caught 7 passes for 111 yards to lead Jacksonville, who now find themselves alone in second place following their first victory of 1989.
Bandits 29 Blazers 16
It's round robin day in the Southeast as all 4 teams had division games. Florida played tough, leading 16-13 after 3, but 2 turnovers in the 4th, plus a turnover on downs spelled defeat for the Blazers. Tampa Bay got 3 FGs and a 74 yard Melvin Driggers TD pass to Burt Johnson in the 4th qtr to get the win. Bandits RB Paul Meade combined for 129 yards and a TD while Florida was led by Ray Parker and his 6 catches for 153-1.
SaberCats 23 Wranglers 20
Both teams had 365 yards but San Jose scored 10 points in the last 1:39 for the come from behind victory. Arizona had a 7 point lead after a 4th qtr FG made the score 20-13, but the Wranglers failed to run much clock on their ensuing possessions, going three and out twice with an INT thrown in. San Jose K Robert Rodriguez booted a 54 yard FG as time expired to send the crowd home happy.
Outlaws 27 Wheels 9
Oklahoma RB Clint Young ran 21 times for 256 yards and 2 TDs and the Outlaws defense prevented the Wheels from crossing the goal line. Some time yesterday or today, former Oklahoma owner/GM CoachNorm packed up his office and left town, leaving a front office void since filled. No word on why he left.
Express 8 Bell 7
Los Angeles benched QB Christopher Pringle for Allen Rose but the INTs didn't go away for the Express offense. Rose tossed 3 of those but he also found Erin Zimmer for a short TD pass in the final minute to elevate Los Angeles to victory over Philadelphia. The Bell had shut out the L.A. offense up to that point, with the only Express score coming on a safety, when Stephen Coleman sacked Robert Hernandez in the end zone.
Sun 35 Breakers 6
These two teams combined for 9 turnovers, 5 by Boston. Southern California rushed for 264 yards as a team, 160 by Gene Ingram (2 TDs). Sun QB Walter Kimble had an inefficient game, completing <50% and throwing 3 INTs. James Brough still hauled in 5 passes for 136 yards and a TD. Through 3 quarters, the score was 14-6 Sun, before 3 4th qtr TDs made the score lopsided.
