We kicked off our 17th season of USFL/WFL football this morning as 31 teams look to take the World Bowl trophy from defending champions Portland. Six of sixteen games were decided by one score or less and we had two teams score 50 or more points, New Orleans (54) and Memphis (50).
Hawaiians 34 Panthers 32
The game of the week was in Honolulu, where the Hawaiians built a 24-6 lead after 3 quarters of football. Honolulu had 2 rushing TD's and a Derek Henry TD pass to Scott Stillings while building that lead. Michigan finally crossed the goal line in the 4th qtr on an Adam Scales 56 yard TD pass to James Hillis. Michigan WLB Paul Declue then intercepted a Derek Henry pass and returned it 34 yards for a TD to cut the lead to 24-20. Henry bounced back, firing a second TD pass to Scott Stillings for a 31-20 lead. Stillings ran for 83 yards and had 68 more receiving.
We were midway through the 4th at this point, and Michigan would add 2 quick Adam Scales TD passes. The first one went to Cory Martin with 5:03 left and the second one went to James Hillis just before the 2 minute warning. Michigan went for 2 points after each TD in the 4th qtr, converting 1 of 4, and the score was now 32-31 Michigan. It took Honolulu 2 plays to get to the fringe of Howard Bury's FG range, and he nailed a 54 yard FG as time expired to give Honolulu the victory.
Storm 30 Gold 3
Defending Champs Portland had little trouble knocking off Denver. The Storm defense intercepted Andrew Brewer 5 times and sacked him 3 times, none by Mark McKeon. Storm CB Kenneth Workman intercepted 3 of those 5. Portland WR Timothy Roquemore led the Storm offense with 65 rushing yards and 73 receiving with a TD.
Baltimore 21 New York 6
This was a rematch of last year's National Conference Championship Game as both Stars teams are seeing quite a bit of each other the last 2+ seasons. There were little offensive fireworks in this game as both defenses flexed their muscles. New York's defense wasn't quite as strong as Baltimore's, but they did keep them out of the end zone until late in the 4th quarter and forced 2 turnovers. Baltimore also forced 2 turnovers from New York and shut down their running game (17 yards on 11 carries). Baltimore also sacked New York QB Willie Bust 5 times, with Barristan Selmy getting 3 of those.
The score was 15-6 Baltimore with 5:54 left, when Jon Snow found Knob Creek for the game's only TD. The 2 point try failed, giving us our 21-6 final score.
Gamblers 26 Blazers 21
Florida had 17 first downs to 9 for Houston and the Blazers out gained the Gamblers 356-283, yet still lost the game thanks to 3 Sidney Maggard INTs. One of those INTs was returned 50 yards for a TD by Paul Sabella and while Houston was far from sharp offensively, they did not turn the ball over. The Gamblers were led by second year WR Jett Black's 116 receiving yards and a TD. Florida had the ball late with a chance for the win, but that final drive stalled just after crossing midfiled, enabling Houston to hang onto the victory.
Invaders 22 Wheels 17
This game featured 2 lead changes in the final 3 minutes. Detroit gave 3rd year QB Gabriel Flanagan a chance to start and he did not disappoint, going 26/32, 223 yards with a TD. The Wheels took a 17-16 lead with 2:41 left on a Kent Olden 58 yard FG. Oakland took the lead back on the next offensive play as Andrew Moreno found Nelson Martinez for a 75 yard catch and run TD. Martinez caught 4 passes for 152 yards and 2 TD today. Detroit got the ball 2 more times in the final 2 minutes but could not cross midfield.
Showboats 50 SaberCats 12
Memphis QB David Allen threw for 362 yards and 6 TDs (1 INT) as the Showboats rolled San Jose. San Jose tossed 5 interceptions today, 4 by Jake Plummer, and one by Tony Romo on his only pass attempt. SaberCats rookie WR Mark Hsu put his name atop the ROY list with 10 catches and 202 yards. Memphis was led by Arthur Devore's 5 catches, 163 yards, and 2 TDs. Thomas Saunders also caught 2 TD passes for the Showboats.
VooDoo 54 Breakers 14
Bruno Wilson had interception problems in 1989, but he got 1990 started on the right foot, throwing for 462 yards and 4 TD (1 INT). New Orleanss had 3 players top 100 combined yards: Stanley Kerr (30 rushing, 116 receiving), Magic Johnson (50 rushing, 80 receiving) and new acquisition Nicholas Dorey (27 rushing, 95 receiving). Dorey crossed the goal line 6 times today with 2 rushing TDs, a receiving TD and 3 two point conversion runs, quite the day for Mr. Dorey. Leonard Robles chipped in with 70 receiving yards and 2 TDs.
Express 12 Gunslingers 9 (OT)
Los Angeles scored first with a Joe Richardson TD pass to Patrick Alberto, but the XP was no good, so the lead was 6-0. San Antonio scored 3 FGs for a 9-6 lead that lasted until the final minute of regulation. That's when Los Angeles tied it with a FG and we were headed for extra football. The Express had 173 yards in OT, that has got to be a record, but they did everything they could to give the game to the Gunslingers. First OT drive, LA missed a FG and the next 2 drives ended with interceptions. The LA defense held the Gunslingers to three plays and out on their OT drives before the Express finally boot the game winner with 0:03 left in OT.
Hornets 30 Maulers 9
Charlotte out gained Pittsburgh 431-179 and were led by QB Robert Ament's 324 yards and 3 TD passes. The Hornets defense did not force any turnovers, but 7 three and out drives are just as effective. Harry Henry caught 4 passes for 86 yards and 2 TDs for Charlotte.
Bandits 31 Outlaws 13
Each team had a WR with a huge day, but Tampa Bay was the team to get more contributions from others as they rode a 21 point 2nd qtr to victory over Oklahoma. The Outlaws got 326 passing yards and 2 TDs from Shane Falco, with WR Leroy Jenkins catching both TD passes among his 4 for 195 yards today. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers tossed 4 TD passes and 355 yards with Thomas Whitley catching 4 for 212 yards and 2 TDs.
Oklahoma got within one score at the start of the 4th qtr, 21-13, but the Bandits scored the final 10 points to start off 1-0.
Generals 37 Bulls 17
New Jersey out gained Jacksonville 472-272 and broke open a close game in the second half with 20 unanswered points. Generals RB Sam Beckett was the only player with over 100 combined yards as New Jersey spread their yards around. "Dr." Beckett ran for 91 yards and added 4 catches for 12 yards and a TD. New Jersey QB Ric Flair threw for 299 yards and 3 TD.
Force 16 Stallions 3
Not much offense to talk about in this game as the teams combined for 395 yards. Georgia intercepted Birmingham QB Stephen Ponder 5 times, which led to all 16 of the Force points as they took advantage of short fields.
Steamer 16 Thunderbolts 10
Shreveport jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Cleveland tied it in the 3rd qtr. Rookie Cleveland K Brian Haworth missed 2 FGs which would loom large later in the game. Steamer RB orville Barker was the lone player to top 100 combined yards with 80 rushing and 24 receiving. Shreveport kicked 2 late FGs to take a 16-10 lead, then held on as Cleveland ran out of time with the ball at the Steamer 33.
Blitz 35 Wranglers 14
Chicago jumped out to a 17-0 lead before ownerless Arizona rallied to get within 20-14 on the first play of the 4th qtr. It was all Chicago after that, as the Blitz scored 15 unanswered 4th qtr points for victory. Blitz RB Jay Kinder had 178 combined yards and a TD while QB Ronald Brown threw for 292 yards and 3 TD passes.
Federals 37 Sun 3
Washington out gained Southern California 412-109 as they crushed the Sun. Federals QB Scott "Don't call me Justin" Bieber tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Joseph Andrews and WR James Dunn ran for 84 yards and added 72 receiving for 156 combined on the day. Washington CB Robert Sanderson got in on the scoring, returning an interception 47 yards early in the 3rd qtr to quell any comeback thoughts the Sun may have had.
Renegades 6 Bell 0
Orlando RB Ben Dehaven ran for 137 yards, adding 44 receiving to lead Orlando to the win in a defensive slugfest. Renegades RB Jose Rush chipped in with 78 rushing yards and the Orlando defense held Philadelphia to 151 total yards.
