The all time season sack record only was extended by 2 this week, as Los Angeles went with a modified game plan, but Portland still won, clinching a playoff berth. The Baltimore Stars also clinched a playoff berth with their victory over Tampa Bay. To see the whole playoff picture, click here.
Storm 23 Express 6
Los Angeles went with a run heavy game plan in an attempt to neutralize the QB Killer, Mark McKeon, and it worked to a degree. McKeon still registered 2 sacks, but the Express had 154 offensive yards. It's not much, but more than Portland has given up in quite some time. Storm QB Oscar Willis had just his second turnover free game of the season, throwing for 345 yards. Fred Wink and Timothy Roquemore each had 105 receiving yards.
Stars 27 Bandits 9
Baltimore held Tampa Bay to 202 yards, handing the Bandits their second straight defeat. Stars QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TDs with 0 INT and 243 yards. Mark Numbers (52 rushing yards, 6-99-2 receiving) and Knob Creek (61 rushing yards, 6-40 receiving) did most of the chain moving.
Showboats 31 Gamblers 7
It was a frustrating day for the Gamblers as the Memphis defense shut down Houston's prolific offense, and former Gambler Mark Lambert had a double hundo game. Houston only had 2 drives longer than 20 yards and could not capitalize on 3 Memphis turnovers. Showboats QB David Allen was responsible for 2 of those, and Memphis also fumbled 4 times, though they only lost 1. Allen did throw 3 TDs and 370 yards, so he wasn't all bad. Lambert had 120 yards rushing on 17 carries and 6 receptions for 114 and a TD.
SaberCats 27 Hawaiians 22
Thomas Welker intercepted 2 Tony Romo passes, taking one to the house for a TD in the 1st qtr as Honolulu got off to a fast start, leading 19-3 early. San Jose would bounce back, closing within 19-17 by halftime, and they outscored the Hawaiians in the second half 10-3 for the victory which delays Honolulu's playoff berth another week. For Honolulu, Scott Stillings had 110 combined yards and a TD while Allen Grant caught a TD among his 6 for 102 yards. Cedric Reynolds and Tim Horton both had 118 receiving yards and The Donut Mogul had a TD as well.
Federals 37 Thunderbolts 10
The first half was a struggle for both teams as neither cracked 100 yards and the Federals did all the scoring with 2 John Bazile FGs for a 6-0 lead. Scott Bieber threw an INT right after halftime, allowing Cleveland to cut the lead in half, then threw a TD pass on 3 straight drives to seize control of the game. Bieber threw for 319 yards and his favorite target was Joseph Andrews who had 7 catches for 135 yards. Cleveland's rookie QB Michael McGowen threw 4 INT on the day.
Panthers 17 Blitz 13
Michigan held Chicago to 160 total yards and the Panthers rode an early 14-0 lead to victory. Nicholas Dorey was the only offensive player of note, rushing for 118 yards and a TD to go with 66 receiving yards. A Chicago win would have resulted in a 3 way tie for the division, but as it stands, Michigan has a 1 game lead on Cleveland, 2 over Chicago.
(NY) Stars 26 Bell 17
New York got out to a 17-0 lead in the 2nd qtr, and they led the whole game, but Philadelphia clawed back into it and made the Stars hold on for dear life. The Bell actually outgained the Stars 356-349 but that early deficit was too much to overcome. Stars RB Cam Dalton had a combined 129 yards while the Bell had a balanced attack.
Steamer 34 Bulls 8
Shreveport forced 5 Jacksonville turnovers, 3 INTs and 2 lost fumbles, holding the Bulls to 192 offensive yards. Steamer DT Emilio Parker had 3 sacks (a 300 lb guy with just 55/50 speed/acc) and they had more rushing yards than passing. Orville Barker ran for 103 yards and a TD to lead Shreveport.
VooDoo 14 Gunslingers 6
New Orleans marched 75 yards in 8 plays on the game opening drive which culminated in a Bruno Wilson TD pass to Joe Daniels, and the 2 point conversion gave the VooDoo an early 8-0 lead. That's it for the offensive highlights as the next longest drive by either team was 37 yards. Both teams punted 8 times and kicked 2 FGs, meaning the early TD was the difference in the game, helping New Orleans maintain their 1 game lead on Shreveport.
Gold 17 Wranglers 10
Arizona raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and held the high powered Denver offense under 300 total yards. After that 1st qtr however, the Wranglers had just one drive longer than 20 yards, and that ended in a fumble. Denver played some good defense themselves, limiting the Wranglers to 248 yards as they scratched and clawed their way back to tie it by halftime with a FG and an Andrew Brewer to Jake Peralta TD pass. Brewer found Richard Funkhouser for the only score of the second half to give the Gold victory. Brewer and Peralta usually have their stats mentioned as well, but not today as no player on either team topped 100 yards with Brewer only getting 207 yards.
Sun 17 Generals 10
New Jersey traveled cross country but they did not have fun in the Sun. The Generals won the turnover battle 3-1 but had trouble moving the ball offensively until late in the 4th qtr. Southern California QB Wilmer Kimble was 35/52 for 306 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, completing passes to 10 different receivers.New Jersey tied the game at 10 just before the two minute warning, but the Sun drove 75 yards in 7 plays as Kimble tossed the game winning TD to James Brough.
Breakers 20 Hornets 10
Sometimes it pays to stick with the game plan you know, sometimes the game plan needs to fit your opponent. Boston has struggled all season long, especially on run defense, but the Breakers are pretty good against the pass. Charlotte is an improving team, but they aren't quite ready to "impose their will" on opponents quite yet, as evidenced by this game. When the Hornets did run, they had success (24 for 154, 6.42 ypc) but they called 40 passes, completing just 15 for 109 yards with a sack. Charlotte's defense did force the Breakers into 9 three and outs, but they also allowed 2 drives of at least 80 yards. QB Robert Burns ended each of those drives with TD passes to lead Boston to their 2nd win of the season.RB Henry Young had 125 yards rushing and a TD for Charlotte.
Renegades 16 Blazers 3
Florida gained more yards than Orlando (216-160) but the Blazers suffered 2 INTs and 2 missed FGs, and those mistakes ended up costing them the win. The Renegades did not move the ball well at all, with just 2 drives longer than 20 yards, the longest being 29. Orlando had 4 scoring "drives" in the game totaling 49 yards (17 yards for a TD and FG drives of 29, 2 and 1 yards). The name of the game is to score points though, and the win enables the Renegades to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Wheels 27 Maulers 10
Detroit topped 20 points for the first time all season despite just 209 yards of offense. Detroit's defense was responsible for 14 of those points as Pittsburgh QB Will Allison was like Oprah, giving interceptions to everyone, tossing 5 today to 5 different Wheels defenders. Emmett Pennington and John Caddell took their INTs to the house. There were 18 three and out drives in this game as both offenses struggled. Detroit QB Gregory Skidmore was not productive at all, 16/26 for 105 yards but his key number was 0, as in zero interceptions.
Invaders 15 Outlaws 9 (OT)
The first 60 minutes of action was a kicking contest, with both teams getting 3 FGs for a 9-9 tie heading to overtime. Oklahoma only had 157 total yards as Oakland shut down their running game, holding the Outlaws below 1 yard per carry. Oakland's offense wasn't great today but RB Oliver Thomas is finally starting to look like himself after an injury plagued season, as he ran for 74 yards on 24 carries and caught 5 passes for 19 more. WR Nelson Martinez caught 9 for 110 and a walkoff 48 yard TD in OT for the Invaders win.
Stallions 16 Force 13 (OT)
This game was close to ending in a tie and the box score was pretty even as well. Georgia had 307 yards, Birmingham 292. Yards per carry were nearly identical and both teams committed 2 turnovers, all but one coming in the extra period. Georgia scored first and maintained the lead until late 2nd qtr, when Birmingham scored a TD for a 13-10 lead. All but 2 second half drives ended with a punt, as the Stallions fumbled once and the Force kicked a FG at the end of regulation to force OT.
There were 7 drives in OT, Birmingham got the ball first and went 3 and out and punted. Georgia threw an interception but Birmingham gave it right back with a fumble. Georgia K Javier Gill was wide left on a 54 yard FG try and the Stallions again went 3 and out. Force QB Norris Thomas then threw his second OT INT, setting up Gerald Hinton's 51 yard FG in the final minute of OT to give Birmingham the win.
