We're halfway through 1989 and with the Tampa Bay win over the New York Stars, every team has lost a game now. Our league's record for most sacks in a game was broken again by the same player who broke it 4 weeks prior. Mark McKeon recorded 11 sacks today, bringing him up to 30 for the season which is 3 short of the season record of 33. We have 3 divisions with a tie for the lead and just Honolulu has a division lead of more than 2 games.
Bandits 16 (NY) Stars 12
New York came into the game as the lone undefeated team and the Stars outgained Tampa Bay 423-180. The Stars ran the ball better and passed better, save for 3 Willie Bust INTs. New York would also lose a fumble and have a punt blocked, legally. In between the mistakes, the Stars moved the ball but could not cross the goal line at all, kicking 4 FGs for their 12 points.
Tampa Bay took advantage of the great field position after turnovers and booted 3 FGs of their own. The Bandits got the game's only TD late in the first half as Melvin Driggers found Thomas Whitley for the 7 yard score. Stars RB Cam Dalton was the stat king with 75 yards rushing and 99 receiving.
Storm 34 Sun 0
Week 4 was the week Mark McKeon put the league on notice with 9 sacks in a game vs Denver to break a record that had been in place for more than a decade. The new single game sack record lasted all of 4 weeks as McKeon broke his own record today with 11 sacks. The Portland defense had 14 sacks overall for -117 yards, leaving the Sun with 9 total yards for the game. That defense means it doesn't really matter how many INTs Oscar Willis throws, so long as they can get in the end zone once. Willis threw 3 today, giving him 15 for the season. Only Bruno Wilson and David Allen have thrown more. Alfred Gale had a rushing TD, a receiving TD and 142 combined yards for the Storm.
Showboats 71 Express 7
Memphis scored 44 points in the 2nd qtr, which is probably a league record, and they outgained Los Angeles by a nearly 7:1 ratio (753-111). The Showboats defense recorded 7 sacks and QB David Allen had his best game of the season, tossing 6 TD passes to just 1 INT with 510 yards. Willie Howland caught 7-170 and a TD, Thomas Saunders caught 2 passes, both TDs for 121 yards and Mark Lambert had 147 yards on the ground with a TD. Los Angeles was led by Fredrick Whidden who had 130 yards receiving, or more than 100% of his team's total.
Gamblers 33 Panthers 14
This was a rematch of the 1988 American Conference Championship, and it ended the same way, a Houston victory. The Gamblers defense gave up 139 combined yards and a TD to Nicholas Dorey, but they forced 2 Panther turnovers as Houston got out to a 24-3 lead. Tony Dean tossed 2 short TD passes to Jett Black and Ryan Dearing had a double hundo, 106 rushing (and a TD), 176 receiving.
Gold 27 Wranglers 20
This was a back and forth game with 3 lead changes and Jake Peralta only had 54 receiving yards. Richard Huff did the heavy lifting for the Gold today, combining for 145 yards and 2 TD while the Wranglers stat king was WR Eric Duncan, who had 168 yards on 4 receptions. Arizona took an early 3-0 lead before Denver scored 13 straight. Arizona took the lead back before halftime, 17-16 and they extended it to 20-16 after 3 quarters. The Gold scored a TD, 2 point conversion, and a FG in the 4th for the come from behind victory.
Hawaiians 7 Outlaws 6
The offenses must have been on vacation in Honolulu as the teams combined for only 345 offensive yards. They combined for 21 punts and no offensive player on either side topped 60 yards. The lone TD of the game was an 11 yard pass from Honolulu QB Derek Henry to Allen Grant.
Stars 28 Maulers 6
Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Justin Coffey and the Stars defense held Pittsburgh to 230 offensive yards with an INT. Mark Numbers had 79 rushing yards (1 TD) and 77 receiving yards to lead the Baltimore attack.
Steamer 19 Force 10
This was another game where both teams struggled to move the ball. Georgia only had 172 yards for the game, but they had the lone offensive TD, an 18 yard pass from Norris Thomas to Richard Donofrio. Shreveport had 229 yards for the game, but trailed 10-6 after 3 quarters. James Hooper booted 2 4th qtr FGs, the last with 1:50 on the clock to give the Steamer a late 12-10 lead. Georgia would have time for one last drive, but Norris Thomas was intercepted by Christopher Landreneau who returned it for the game sealing TD.
Hornets 10 Thunderbolts 6
Cleveland scored first and last, but Charlotte got the game's only TD and escaped with a 10-6 victory. Hornets RB Henry Young ran for 40 yards and that TD, adding 54 receiving yards to lead the Charlotte offense. The Hornets defense held Cleveland to 196 yards with a fumble, and kept them out of the end zone all day.
Wheels 13 Gunslingers 6
Detroit got the ball first and took nearly 8 minutes off the clock as they punched it in the end zone for an early 7-0 lead. That 13 play, 75 yard drive was capped off by a 1 yard Thomas Mazzeo TD run. The Wheels only threw 9 times all game, opting for a ground attack that produced 137 yards on 44 carries. Detroit only outgained San Antonio by 7 yards (188-181) but the Wheels kept the Gunslingers out of the end zone all game, as they held on for their first victory of 1989.
Generals 27 Bell 22
New Jersey led 21-10 entering the 4th qtr, but the Generals bugaboo, giving up big games to opposing WRs, reared it's head in the final quarter. James Jones caught 2 long TD passes from Robert Hernandez as part of his 7-204 day. The last TD pulled Philadelphia within 5 with 1:16 left in the game but both the 2 point try and onside kick failed, allowing the Generals to hold on to the win. Sam Beckett had 126 combined yards and a TD to lead New Jersey.
SaberCats 33 Breakers 6
Boston has a tough pass defense, 4th best completion % and 10th best yards per attempt, but their run defense is awful. They give up an average of 221 yards a game on the ground, and today, San Jose got exactly 300 on 40 carries. Graham Peterson ran for 159, Stephen Demmer 112, and Tim Horton caught 3 passes for 135 and 2 TDs. Boston had nearly 300 yards of offense, but they need to find a way to score TDs instead of FGs. Placekicker Kevin Baker made just 2 of 5 FG tries and is 9/16 on the season, including 1/7 on 40+ tries.
Invaders 16 Blazers 10
This was a tale of two halves, turnovers, and a ton of punts. Oakland scored 16 points in the first half as they built a 16-0 lead, but Florida won the second half 10-0, but turned the ball over on downs their last 2 possessions as they just couldn't get over the hump. The Blazers turned it over 5 times (3 INT, 2 lost fumbles) and punted 10 times, while Oakland had 3 turnovers (1 INT, 2 fumbles lost) and 12 punts. RB Oliver Thomas returned to the Oakland lineup despite his ankle only being 40% healthy, and he struggled. WR Nelson Martinez led the way with a TD catch and 113 yards on 8 receptions.
VooDoo 38 Stallions 14
Bruno Wilson threw 3 TD passes for New Orleans but also 4 INTs to push his league leading total to 20. The VooDoo defense had his back though, intercepting 3 passes of their own and only allowing Birmingham 155 total yards. In between the interceptions, Wilson threw for 395 yards, 108 to Billy Brink. WR Socrates Rogers continues to fill the stat sheet with 25 rushing yards, 78 receiving and an INT on defense.
Bulls 41 Renegades 33
A wild game in Jacksonville as there were 16 scoring plays and 3 lead changes. The Bulls got things started as Calvin Sipe took the opening kickoff 108 yards for the early 7-0 lead. They would extend that lead to 22-7 early in the 2nd before Orlando came back with 2 quick touchdowns to pull within 22-21. Jacksonville would boot a FG before Orlando scored a TD for a halftime score of 28-25 Renegades. The 3rd qtr saw an exchange of FGs and the Bulls put the game away in the 4th qtr.
The Jacksonville defense intercepted 3 Orlando passes, none by All Pro Gordon Wong. In addition to the kickoff return, Calvin Sipe chipped in 91 combined offensive yards and WR Timothy Richardson caught 5 for 141 and 2 TDs. Kicker Paul Sidwell booted 7 of 8 FG tries.RB Ben Dehaven led Orlando with 150 combined yards and 2 TDs.
Federals 31 Blitz 9
Washington QB Scott Bieber tossed TD passes to 4 different receivers and WR Robert Sullivan ran for 74 yards with 55 more receiving to lead the Federals to victory. Chicago held their own in the box score, gaining 313 yards to 354 for Washington, but the red zone was the zone of doom for the Blitz. Washington scored TDs on all 3 of their red zone possessions while the Blitz did not cross the goal line at all, kicking 3 FGs in 4 trips inside the 20. Jay Kinder had 116 receiving yards for Chicago.
