World Bowl XVIII: 4th Qtr Comeback Leads Storm to Title

 

World Bowl XVIII was played at Charlotte's American Legion Memorial Stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 50,000. National Conference Champions New Orleans scored the first 14 points of the game and led 21-6 after 3 quarters but the American Conference Champions Portland stormed back with 3 touchdowns in the 4th qtr to take the trophy home for the second time in 3 seasons. 

Portland Storm 25 New Orleans VooDoo 21

New Orleans got the ball first and Bruno Wilson led the VooDoo on an 11 play, 75 yard drive which ended on a Stanley Kerr 2 yard TD run. New Orleans usually goes for 2 in the first half of games but opted for the conventional XP and they took a 7-0 lead. Portland got their first possession with 8:50 left in the 1st and they kept the ball into the 2nd. The Storm went on a 16 play, 69 yard drive but a 4th and 1 run was stopped short and the VooDoo took over on their own 4.A defensive pass interference penalty got New Orleans out of bad field position and after they punted, Portland had the bad field position, taking over at their 12 yard line. Oscar Willis promptly threw an interception and CB Douglas Kirkland took it into the end zone for a 14-0 VooDoo lead. The rest of the half saw New Orleans miss a FG and Portland make one for a 14-3 New Orleans lead at the break.

Portland's first drive of the 3rd quarter ended with a punt and Jose Little of New Orleans fumbled the ball back to the Storm for an instant red zone possession. The VooDoo defense held them to a FG and Portland had cut the lead to 14-6. Thomas Thomas would get a 45 yard TD run on the next New Orleans possession to extend the lead to 21-6. 

That 21-6 lead was the score entering the 4th quarter and the Storm finally scored their first TD with 10:10 left. Timothy Roquemore ran it in from 10 yards out but the 2 point run was unsuccessful so the score was now 21-12. New Orleans would be forced to punt and they got Portland pinned at their own 8. Oscar Willis then led the Storm on a 12 play, 92 yard TD drive, completing 10/12 passes, the last of which went 15 yards for a TD to Chris Goldberg. The conventional XP was good and Portland was within 2 at 21-19. Portland would kick away to New Orleans and the Storm forced a three and out. Willis and the Storm took the ball on their own 28 with 1:59 on the clock, needing only a FG to take the lead. Willis completed 9/13 on the drive that ended in a short TD pass to Jeffrey Frost. The 2 point pass was incomplete but Portland now led 25-21. Did they score too quick? Bruno Wilson and the VooDoo still had just over a minute to score a TD. The Storm helped them out with 3 defensive pass interference penalties but time ran out with the ball at the Portland 13 yard line as Wilson only completed 2/7 on the final drive.

The win gives Portland their second World Bowl trophy in the last 3 seasons. MFN and I disagree on the MVP but how can it not be Oscar Willis, who was 19/25 with 2 TD passes down the stretch. Willis drives away in a brand new 1992 Chevy Corvette.

                                                                         

1991 Conference Championships

 World Bowl XVIII is set with the New Orleans VooDoo taking on the Portland Storm for all the marbles at an as yet undisclosed location. All of the drama occurred during the week leading up to the game as Smirt, GM of New Orleans threw shade at Pittsburgh GM and former USFL Commissioner tribewriter in interviews with the media. What about the games? Read on...

Storm 28 Gold 14

Portland WR/RB Timothy Roquemore ran for 70 yards and caught 7 passes for 81 yards and 2 scores while QB Oscar Willis threw for 282 yards and 4 TDs to lead Portland to victory. Denver tried to hang with Portland, but it was tough with leading playmaker Jake Peralta only playing 1 snap. QB Andrew Brewer was 18/22 with 2 TDs but only had 114 passing yards. Brian Thornton ran for 107 but it wasn't enough to overcome the Storm.

Midway through the 1st, Portland got on the board on an Oscar Willis 7 yard TD pass to Tony Abbott. Denver would answer in the final minute of the quarter as Andrew Brewer found Richard Huff with a 2 yard TD pass to tie the game at 7. The second quarter was mostly uneventful until the final minute when Willis fired his 2nd TD pass of the half, a 24 yarder to Jeffrey Frost. Portland led 14-7 at the half.

Portland took control of the game in the 3rd quarter after a 12 play 73 yard drive ended with a Willis 13 yard TD pass to Roquemore that pushed the Storm lead to 21-7. Midway through the 4th qtr, Willis and Roquemore hooked up again, this time on a 13 yard score to give Portland a commanding 28-7 lead. Denver would close out the scoring on the 2nd Brewer to Huff TD pass, but the onside kick failed and Portland ran out the clock to advance to World Bowl XVIII.

VooDoo 24 Maulers 10

Bruno Wilson threw for 329 yards and a TD while Nicholas Dorey ran for 2 TDs and a pair of 2 point conversions as New Orleans took a 24-0 first half lead and made it stand up for the victory. Pittsburgh QB Will Allison continued to play on a bad foot and he was 37/60 and 270 yards. The Maulers win with defense, special teams, and ball control so they clearly didn't want 60 pass attempts, but falling behind 24-0 will wreck any gameplan. 

New Orleans got the ball first and they went 75 yards in 8 plays, going up 8-0 on a short TD run by Nicholas Dorey, who also ran in the 2 point try. Pittsburgh went three and out, then the VooDoo went on another 8 play drive that ended with a short Dorey TD run and a 2 point run, also by Dorey. The VooDoo would later have a 14 play, 66 yard drive that resulted in a turnover on downs, so after a sudden change of possession, New Orleans got a quick strike TD and another 2 point conversion for a 24-0 lead. Pittsburgh finally began to move the ball but a 12 play, 69 yard drive ended with a missed FG and their last possession of the half ended with a punt just outside of FG range.

Bruno Wilson threw his lone INT on the first VooDoo offensive drive of the second half to set up Pittsburgh in scoring range. Four plays later, Robert Erickson got Pittsburgh on the scoreboard with a 9 yard TD run to get within 24-7 with plenty of football left. New Orleans had a chance at more points early in the 4th, but they opted to go for it on 4th and goal from the 6 rather than try a FG and they turned it over on downs. After an exchange of punts, Pittsburgh got a FG, cutting the lead to 24-10 but the onside kick failed. Pittsburgh would get the ball back down 14 with 2:30 to go but turned it over on downs and New Orleans advances to World Bowl XVIII.

1991 Divisional Round American Conference

 Gold 35 Gamblers 33

Denver WR/RB Jake Peralta obliterated the single game post season rushing record with 272 yards and 3 TDs while also adding 110 receiving yards and a 4th TD to lead Denver to an upset win at Houston. Gamblers QB Tony Dean threw for 315 yards and 3 TDs but also had 2 interceptions in the loss.

The big plays in this game started early as Houston took the opening kickoff and were driving for a score when Tony Dean was intercepted deep in Denver territory by Noel Gerrard. The Gold took over on their own 5 and on the first play Andrew Brewer found Peralta in the flat and he ran all the way to the end zone for a 95 yard TD, the second longest offensive TD in our postseason history. Houston would answer with a FG and the score after a quarter was 7-3 Denver.

Houston took the lead 10-7 early in the 2nd on a Tony Dean 14 yard TD pass to Jett Black. Houston would add 2 field goals before halftime, the second one set up by a Charles Weymouth fumble in Denver territory, to take a 16-7 lead.

Denver and Jake Peralta got the second half started on the right foot as Peralta broke a 75 yard TD run to get the Gold within 2 points. Houston would answer that with a FG, extending the lead to 19-14. Peralta struck again a little later for a 76 yard TD run and the XP gave Denver a 21-19 lead. Houston would go three and out before Peralta's 3rd long TD run of the quarter, this one covering 68 yards, extending the lead to 28-19. 

That's the score heading to the 4th but just before this quarter ended, Gold QB Andrew Brewer tossed an interception to give Houston the ball at the Denver 32. Tony Dean would find Hugh Chance for an 8 yard TD pass, cutting the Denver lead to 2 points, 28-26. Denver would extend that lead back to 9 points on a Brian Thornton 10 yard TD run. Tony Dean answered that score quickly with his 3rd TD pass of the game, 51 yards to Hugh Chance. That was Chance's 2nd TD of the quarter and it gave him 104 receiving yards for the game. The score was 35-33 Denver with 3:14 to play but Houston would only run 1 more offensive play the rest of the game. Denver punted, then Dean threw his second INT of the game and the Gold ran out the clock. 

Storm 24 Showboats 10

Oscar Willis threw for 258 yards and 2 TDs, one to Timothy Roquemore as Portland defeats Memphis to advance to the American Conference Championship. Roquemore also ran for 104 yards and a TD as the Storm offense controlled the ball for nearly 38 minutes, almost doubling the yardage of Memphis. 

There was an exchange of punts to begin the game before Portland dented the scoreboard first on a Willis to Roquemore 4 yard TD pass for the 7-0 lead. Memphis would punt again and the Storm marched down the field, going 80 yards in 6 plays and taking a 14-0 lead on Roquemore's 6 yard TD run. Memphis would answer with a 67 yard TD pass from David Allen to Arthur Devore and the first quarter ended 14-7 Portland. 

Portland would add an Alan Grossi FG for a 17-7 lead, then they had the back breaking drive to close out the half. The USFL records department doesn't track longest drive stats but the Storm embarked on an 18 play, 84 yard TD drive that took 8:06 off the clock. The 18th play was a 1 yard Willis to Peter Jessee TD making the score 24-7 Portland at the half. 

The second half saw just a Memphis FG to give us the final score of 24-10 and when the Showboats turned it over on downs with 3:50 to go, the game was essentially over. Portland will host Denver for the right to play in World Bowl XVIII.

1991 Divisional Round National Conference

 We had a couple of upsets in the divisional round, and the conference finals next week will have Denver at Portland and Pittsburgh at New Orleans. Portland and New Orleans are both listed as 6 point favorites to reach World Bowl XVIII. 

Maulers 15 Federals 10

Pittsburgh QB Will Allison was a game time decision with an injured foot and the Maulers decided to roll with him rather than backup Clifford Saul. Allison didn't have a very good game, completing 28/47 for 216 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT but Washington QB Scott Bieber was worse, finishing 31/49, 223 yards with 1 TD and 4 INTs. The turnover battle ended evenly though, as Pittsburgh RB Robert Erickson lost 2 fumbles. 

The 1st quarter ended 3-0 Pittsburgh but Washington took the lead very early in the 2nd on Scott Bieber's 15 yard TD pass to Andrew Favela. Pittsburgh would get another FG from Dominick Cochran and the Federals took a 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Washington would drive for a FG to start the second half and their lead grew to 10-6. The rest of the 3rd was scoreless and the Maulers were driving as the quarter changed but was forced to punt. John Downey pinned Washington at their own 7, and Bieber threw his 3rd interception on the next play to give Pittsburgh a 1st and goal situation. Three plays later, Allison found Michael Merlino for a 2 yard TD pass, giving Pittsburgh a 13-10 lead after the XP. Washington would punt and throw an INT on their next 2 drives and Allison had the Maulers offense poised to score the game clinching TD when disaster struck. Facing 3rd and goal at the 1, Allison was intercepted by Robert Mann, and the Federals had 1 last chance for the tying or winning points. Scott Bieber would get sacked in the end zone for a safety by Lee Ramirez to give Pittsburgh a 15-10 lead. Washington would recover the onside free kick, so they still had a chance, but a field goal was no longer an option. The Federals could not get a first down and had to punt, allowing Pittsburgh to run most of the clock before punting back to Washington with too little time left to do anything.

VooDoo 26 Stars 17

New Orleans ran 85 offensive plays (39:03 time of possession) to just 46 for Baltimore, and the VooDoo had a nearly even run/pass split. They ran 41 times for 162 yards while Bruno Wilson tossed 3 TD passes to just 1 INT as he led the VooDoo to a 26-7 lead before Baltimore made the score closer at the end.

New Orleans got the ball first and their opening drive covered 75 yards in 13 plays, ending on a 2 yard TD pass from Wilson to Tom Jacobs. Nicholas Dorey ran in the 2 point conversion for an early 8-0 VooDoo lead. Baltimore would punt and New Orleans would turn it over on downs as the quarter ended 8-0. Early in the second qtr, Jon Snow got the Stars within 8-7 after his 9 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Zimmer. The VooDoo then went on another long drive, taking 16 plays to go 81 yards for another TD , a Bruno Wilson 10 yard pass to Stanley Kerr. Dorey ran in another 2 point conversion and New Orleans had a 16-7 lead. Baltimore would turn it over on downs at their own 42 and the VooDoo would capitalize with a FG just before the 1st half ended, taking a 19-7 lead into the locker room.

Baltimore got the ball to start the 3rd qtr but was forced to punt. Bruno Wilson struck again, firing a 62 yard pass to Eric Duncan to get down to the Baltimore 1 yard line, then Wilson fired a short TD pass to Jose Little. The conventional XP gave New Orleans a 26-7 lead. Baltimore would get a 3rd qtr FG and a Jon Snow 70 yard TD pass to John Warkentin early in the 4th to get within 26-17. The Stars would only get the ball two more times, going three and out and throwing an interception and the VooDoo advance to host Pittsburgh for the right to play in World Bowl XVIII.

 

1991 Wildcard Weekend

 The journey to reach World Bowl XVIII began today with 12 teams and unfortunately, we had to leave 4 teams behind. All four road teams won one score games, two were won in the final minute while another game was decided in the final 2 minutes. Could not have asked for a better slate of games to kick off the 1991 playoffs.

Maulers 17 (NY) Stars 14

Pittsburgh traveled to New York city for their first playoff game since 1983, while the Stars returned to the playoffs after a 1 year absence. The first big play of the game came mid first quarter when Will Allison threw an interception as the Maulers were driving into scoring position. New York then drove 62 yards in 9 plays, scoring the game's first points on an Alaster Kaminski 3 yard run. The next big plays came in the middle of the 2nd qtr, when after a Pittsburgh punt pinned New York inside their own 10, Willie Bust threw an interception. The Maulers took over at the Stars 11 and scored 2 plays later on a 1 yard Edward Dumais TD run, tying the game at 7. The half would end with that 7-7 score but there was one more huge play in the first half that would impact the game even though the play didn't count. Will Allison threw another interception and injured his foot in the process. New York committed 2 penalties on the play, so the Maulers kept the ball but backup QB Clifford Saul was forced into action.

Allison returned to the game in the second half and he led Pittsburgh on a 9 play, 75 yard TD drive to open the 3rd qtr and take a 14-7 lead on a Robert Erickson 9 yard run. In the middle of the 3rd, New York was driving for a possible score when Bull Dozer fumbled after a catch and the Maulers recovered. On the very next play Robert Erickson gave the ball back to the Stars on a fumble and six plays later, Willie Bust tied the game with a 4 yard TD pass to Stephen Tavera.  Pittsburgh K Dominick Cochran was wide left on a 54 yard FG try and the 3rd qtr ended 14-14. 

The 4th quarter was a punting battle until less than 3 minutes to play in regulation. A New York punt had Pittsburgh backed up at their own 7 yard line but defensive penalties on the first 2 plays got the Maulers into better field position. Pittsburgh was almost at midfield by the 2 minute warning and they methodically drove the field, using all of the clock as they got all the way down to the New York 6 yard line with 3 seconds left. Cochran snuck the kick just inside the upright and the Maulers advance to play Washington for the 3rd time this year, most likely without QB Will Allison.

Stars 34 Bandits 31

Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers tossed 4 TDs with no interceptions, amassing 394 passing yards but the Bandits 27th ranked defense could not hold a late lead, allowing Baltimore to score 13 unanswered 4th qtr points for a come from behind playoff win. Stars QB Jon Snow barely completed half of his 64 pass attempts, but he also threw 4 TD passes with 442 yards. 

Baltimore got on the scoreboard first, with a 15 yard TD pass to Justin Coffey. Tampa Bay answered that drive with a 37 yard TD pass from Driggers to Paul Meade. The Bandits would get a 32 yard Edward Walter FG for a 10-7 halftime lead.

The 3rd qtr was wild, with a combined 35 points being scored and Tampa Bay got the party started with a 75 yard Driggers to Thomas Whitley TD pass on the 2nd offensive play of the half to take a 17-7 lead. The Stars answered back on a Snow 17 yard TD pass to Timothy Harmon, only to let the Bandits quickly answer back on a 66 yard TD pass from Driggers to Garry Fowler. That made the score 24-14 Tampa Bay before there were actual punts in this wild 3rd qtr. Toward the end of this quarter the scoring resumed as Snow found John Warkentin for a 7 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 3 only to see the Bandits answer quickly on another long Driggers to Whitley TD. 

Baltimore got 3 points very early in the 4th to cut the lead to 31-24, then went on a long FG drive following a Bandits 3 and out, cutting the lead further to 31-27 at the mid point of the 4th. Tampa Bay had another 3 and out then Baltimore went on another long drive. Baltimore got a 6 yard Snow to Jeffrey Zimmer TD pass on the first play after the 2 minute warning to give the Stars their first lead since the 1st quarter. The Bandits would have 2 more chances with the ball but turned it over on downs and the Baltimore Stars advance. 

Gold 23 Panthers 19

Michigan got the ball first and went on a long 14 play, 75 yard drive that took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. The drive would end on a 5 yard TD pass from William Mauriello to Walter Simmons and a 7-0 Panthers lead. Denver QB Andrew Brewer threw an interception to set up Michigan at the edge of FG range and a John Bibler 50 yard FG extended the lead to 10-0. The first quarter would end 10-0 and Michigan would extend that to 13-0 before Denver finally scored. The first 3 drives for the Gold went nowhere but this drive lasted 10 plays, covering 75 yards and ending on a Jake Peralta 4 yard TD run to cut the lead to 13-7, which would be our halftime score.

The 3rd quarter saw a FG apiece and we began the 4th qtr with a score of 16-10 Michigan. Denver would take the lead early in the 4th on a short Brian Thornton TD run with the extra point making the score 17-16 Gold. A few punts happened then Thornton lost a fumble but Michigan could not capitalize, as a Bibler 58 yard FG try came up short. The Michigan defense forced a 3 and out and the Panthers got the ball at their own 20 with 2:07 to play. Mauriello and Simmons helped the offense get into FG range and Bibler nailed a 44 yard kick with 0:44 to play to give Michigan a 19-17 lead. Denver just needed to get into FG range but Brewer had other ideas, hitting Richard Huff in stride as he got behind the defense for a 75 yard catch and run TD to leave over 80,000 people in the stands silently numb. Michigan would have one last chance but they ran out of time with the ball at midfield.

Showboats 23 SaberCats 17

This ended up a one score game thanks to a last minute San Jose TD to cut a 13 point lead to 6, so there wasn't quite the drama in this game as the other 3. San Jose actually out gained Memphis 414-305 but Jake Plummer tossed 3 interceptions and the SaberCats average starting field position was their own 19, while the average start for the Showboats was their own 37. The 1st qtr saw each team kick a FG and San Jose K Robert Rodriguez was wide left on a 27 yard try early in the 2nd, leaving the game tied at 3. The game's first TD came inside the first half 2 minute warning with David Allen connecting with Mark Glenn for a 28 yard TD. 

San Jose struck quickly in the 3rd qtr, getting a Jake Plummer 67 yard TD pass to Mark Hsu and the extra point tied the game at 10 apiece. We then had a little string of turnovers as Jake Plummer threw an interception only for David Allen to return the favor with an interception in the end zone. Graham Peterson fumbled the ball back to Memphis a couple of plays later and the Showboats would capitalize with a 49 yard TD pass from Allen to Arthur Devore and a 17-10 lead. Memphis would add a Javier Gill FG to take a 20-10 lead into the 4th quarter.

Midway through the 4th, another Gill FG extended the lead to 23-10 and the next 2 San Jose drives ended with an interception and a punt. The SaberCats would get the ball again with 1:45 left, down by 13 and Plummer drove San Jose to a 30 yard TD pass to Peter Henderson with 0:18 left to play, cutting the lead to 23-17. San Jose would recover the onside kick but 4 straight incompletions and a David Allen kneel down closed out the game with Memphis advancing.

Week 16: Last Call For The Playoffs

 Week 16 represents the last game of the season for 20 teams and we had some important games featuring teams trying to either punch their ticket or get a better seed. Before we get into the games, let's take a look at our league leaders, which has a musical touch from players I did not name...

Most Passing Yards: 5,479 Bruno Wilson, New Orleans

Most Passing TD: 51 Bruno Wilson, New Orleans

Most Rushing Yards: 1,533 William Hall, (NY) Stars

Most Rushing TD: 11 Timothy Roquemore, Portland

Most Receptions: 118 Robert Sullivan, Washington

Most Receiving Yards: 1,994 Richard Robinson, Portland

Most Receiving TD: 22 Arthur Devore, Memphis

Most Kick Return TD: 3 Thomas Earl Petty, San Antonio

Most Punt Return TD: 2 Robert Romero, Florida (League Record)

Most FG: 43 John Bazile, Washington

Most Tackles: 121 Stephen Ray Vaughan, San Antonio

Most Sacks: 15 Wade Whitaker, Tampa Bay Hubert Morris, Los Angeles

Most Hurries: 23 Charlie Daniels, Georgia

Most Interceptions: 8 Luis Fellows, Orlando

Most INT TD: 2 Alfred Payeur, (NY) Stars

Most Total Yards: 2,751 Walter Simmons, Michigan

Most Total TD: 22 Arthur Devore, Memphis

Bandits 34 Blazers 30

 

Florida just needed to win and they would win the division while Tampa Bay would need help if they won the game. The Bandits got on the board first on a Melvin Driggers 7 yard TD pass to Richard Miller. The first quarter would end 7-0 Tampa Bay but Florida tied the game early in the 2nd on a Sidney Maggard 8 yard TD pass to Perry Salgado. Two plays later, the Blazers recovered a Paul Meade fumble and turned that into 3 points and a 10-7 lead. Florida would push the lead to 17-7 on Maggard's 2nd TD pass, this one 4 yards to Richard Carstens. One thing defenses must do to beat the Bandits is prevent big plays from WR Thomas Whitley, and the Blazers missed that memo, as 3 plays later Driggers found Whitley for a 73 yard score to pull within 3. Just after the 2 minute warning, Maggard fired his 3rd TD pass of the half, a 44 yarder to William Merkel  and Florida upped their lead to 24-14. Tampa Bay would close out the first half scoring on a Driggers to Whitley 4 yard pass and the score was 24-21 Florida at halftime.

The second half didn't see as much scoring and Florida held a 30-24 lead midway through the 4th. That's when Melvin Driggers fired his 4th TD pass of the day, 3rd to Thomas Whitley, and the XP gave Tampa Bay the lead, 31-30. Sidney Maggard then threw an interception, leading to a FG for the Bandits, extending the lead to 34-30. Maggard threw another INT but the Florida defense forced a punt to give the offense one last chance. Starting at their own 15, Sidney Maggard led the Blazers down the field, but they needed a TD and the clock ran out with the Blazers at the Tampa Bay 12 yard line. 

Sidney Maggard completed 36/54, 343 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT in the loss while TE William Merkel caught 11 for 147 yards and a TD. Melvin Driggers was 34/53, 368 yards and 4 TDs while Thomas Whitley caught 6 for 133 yards and 3 TDs. The win gives Tampa Bay the tiebreaker edge on Florida, but they still needed help to make the playoffs, and an Orlando loss to Cleveland would do the trick.

Thunderbolts 16 Renegades 13 (OT)

 

An Orlando win would give them the Southeast Division title but Cleveland played spoiler. The first quarter was scoreless and the Renegades dented the scoreboard first on a 37 yard run by Jose Rush. Cleveland would get a FG and the halftime score was 7-3 Orlando. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Michael McGowan threw a 75 yard TD pass to Wayne Boutwell to give the Thunderbolts a 10-7 lead. Orlando would later tie it with a FG only to see Cleveland break that tie and hold a 13-10 lead. Orlando QB Gregory Skidmore threw an INT to set Cleveland up for a FG opportunity, but the kick was no good and the lead remained 3 points. Orlando would use the last 2 minutes of clock and kick the game tying FG as regulation time expired.

In the extra session, both teams went three and out, then Orlando punted a second time after a first down, leaving Cleveland at their own 18 and 3:30 left in OT. The Thunderbolts drove down the field, thanks in large part to a 30 yard McGowan pass to Mark Howe. They got the ball to the Orlando 18 in the final minute, and Brian Haworth kicked the game winning 36 yard FG, ending both team's seasons.

Federals 22 Maulers 19

 

Washington scored 10 points in the final 1:10 to steal a victory and break Pittsburgh's 9 game winning streak. Washington secures home field advantage with the win while Pittsburgh also made the playoffs as a wildcard team despite the loss. This game featured 9 field goals and 4 turnovers, none more costly than Will Allison's 2nd one in the final minute. Pittsburgh held a 19-12 lead until Washington capped off an 11 play, 91 yard drive with the tying Scott Bieber TD pass to Andrew Favela. Allison promptly threw an interception to allow John Bazile to kick the game winning FG with 0:42 left. 

VooDoo 52 Force 3

 

New Orleans secured a first round bye by destroying Georgia 52-3. Bruno Wilson had 673 passing yards on 38/67 passing with 8 TD and 3 INT. The VooDoo had 4 receivers with over 100 yards: Leonard Robles (7-192-2), Nicholas Dorey (7-152-1), Mario Burton (7-105-1), and Eric Duncan (3-103-1), and Jose Little caught 2 TDs with 93 combined yards.

(NY) Stars 27 Stallions 6

 

William Hall ran for 149 yards and 2 TDs as he takes the league rushing title this season. The Stars defense held Birmingham to 150 total yards and will have a home playoff game against Pittsburgh next week.

Stars 58 Wranglers 0

 

Jon Snow threw for 580 yards and 6 TDs, 4 to Jeffrey Zimmer who caught 6 total for 254 yards. Baltimore out gained Arizona 749-200 as they tune up for their wildcard game at Tampa Bay next week.

Storm 31 Showboats 10

 

Portland held the usually prolific Memphis offense to 130 total yards and Timothy Roquemore ran for 88 yards and 3 scores as the Storm defeat the Showboats handily. QB Oscar Willis completed 29/36 for 309 yards and a TD to Richard Robinson, who had 6 catches for 117 yards. 

Gamblers 62 Outlaws 3

 

Tony Dean was 22/27, 367 yards and TD passes to 4 different receivers as Houston crushed Oklahoma to secure a first round bye. Ryan Dearing contributed 3 rushing TDs and 122 yards and the Gamblers defense forced 3 Outlaws turnovers and held them to 160 total yards.

Blitz 26 Panthers 17

 

Michigan will host a playoff game against Denver next week despite today's loss to Chicago. The Blitz were out gained by Michigan 437-270 but the Panthers turned it over on downs 4 times. Chicago QB Ronald Brown tossed 2 TD passes and RB Jay Kinder had 115 combined offensive yards with a TD reception along with a 105 yard kickoff return TD. Michigan QB William Mauriello threw for 346 yards and 2 TDs in the loss.

SaberCats 16 Express 0

 

San Jose out gained Los Angeles 355-83 with 204 yards rushing as the SaberCats shut out the Express. San Jose spread the ball around both rushing and passing but the story was the defense. Los Angeles had 11 total possessions, going three and out the first 9, then they threw an interception on the 3rd play of the tenth drive before finally putting together a 10 play, 59 yard drive that ended on downs. 

Invaders 20 Gold 15

 

Denver opted to sit QB Andrew Brewer to avoid any potential for injury with a playoff game coming up, and Elwood Savage was alright in his place, but a 2nd qtr pick six helped Oakland pull the upset. Brian Thornton had 154 combined yards for Denver while Oliver Thomas had 114 rushing yards for victorious Invaders. 

Bulls 26 Wheels 9

 

Joseph Serio passed for 271 yards and 2 TDs to lead Jacksonville to the win over Detroit. William Morrisson caught 9 passes for 125 yards and a TD while teammate Tyron Bailey caught 7 for 103 and a TD and the Bulls defense held Detroit to 172 offensive yards.

Steamer 9 Hornets 6

 

The teams combined for 402 offensive yards and Shreveport won the field goal kicking contest 3-2 over Charlotte. 

Bell 20 Breakers 7

 

Jamie Epperson ran for 88 yards and a TD to help Philadelphia win their 2nd game in a row to close out the season. QB Robert Hernandez was 19/24 with a TD pass, with just 138 passing yards but no turnovers. Boston was able to nearly match the Bell's yardage but not the points.

Generals 38 Gunslingers 9

 

Ernest Simmon was 19/24, 247 yards and 3 TD passes in his second good start since joining New Jersey. Sam Beckett ran for 129 yards and a TD as the Generals close out their season with their 2nd win in a row. 

Sun 28 Hawaiians 26

 

Southern California QB Wilmer Kimble threw for 2 TDs and the Sun ran for 2 more as they hand Honolulu their 7th consecutive loss. Edwin Clarkson got the start in place of Derek Henry, and he finished 31/49, 271 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT. 

Week 15: Playoff Push

 The American Conference playoff teams are all set, with seeding to be determined by Week 16 results. The National Conference is somewhat chaotic for the last 2 spots as 4 teams are trying to join Washington, Baltimore, New Orleans and New York in the playoffs. We'll look at the important National Conference games first.

Bandits 21 Renegades 17

Orlando had a chance to eliminate Tampa Bay with a victory but Melvin Driggers threw 3 TD passes in the first half, two to Thomas Whitley as the Bandits win 21-17. Orlando scored first on a 91 yard TD pass from Gregory Skidmore to David King before Tampa Bay went on a 21-0 run for a 21-7 lead at the half. Orlando scored 10 points in the second half to get within 21-17 and Skidmore had the Renegades driving for a late TD, getting as far as the Tampa 4 yard line before time ran out. Melvin Driggers threw for 383 yards for the winning Bandits while David King had 8 catches for 171 yards and 2 TDs for Orlando.

Blazers 18 Hornets 3

Florida won a FG kicking contest 6-1 as neither team moved the ball very well today. There were only 401 total yards in this game, so nobody had big stats except Gerald Hinton and his 6 FGs. It was an important win for Florida though, as the Orlando loss gives the Blazers sole possession of first place and a playoff elimination game on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 against Tampa Bay.

Maulers 28 Force 7

Pittsburgh QB Will Allison tossed 3 TD passes, 2 in the second half as the Maulers broke open a 7-7 game in the second half to win their 9th game in a row, 28-7 over Georgia. Allison also threw 2 INTs but the Maulers ran for 210 yards and were a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone. Georgia WR John Huynh had 92 receiving yards, breaking his 3 game streak of at least 100 yards.

Federals 12 Invaders 11

"That's why they play the games". Football games don't always go as expected, hence the famous quote and the Washington vs Oakland game certainly did not go as expected. Robert Sullivan ran for 41 yards and a TD, adding 104 receiving yards but the rest of the Federals offense took the day off. Washington did get out to a 10-0 lead that Oakland cut to 10-6 at the half. The Federals got a safety late in the 3rd qtr for a 12-6 lead, and Oakland later added a FG to cut the deficit to 12-9. Late in the 4th, Oakland was driving for a possible tying or leading score when Andrew Moreno threw an INT deep in Federals territory. Washington took over but they couldn't get out of the end zone and the Oakland safety saw them now trail 12-11. Oakland got the free kick but the drive stalled at the Oakland 44, then after a 3 and out, the Invaders final drive also stalled at the Oakland 44 and Washington escapes Oakland with their #1 seed barely intact.

VooDoo 35 Stallions 16

Bruno Wilson and the VooDoo had the offense working today as they tune up for the playoffs. Wilson threw for 323 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT and had 204 yards of support from the rushing attack as New Orleans was 3/4 in the red zone scoring TDs. Birmingham also had 4 red zone trips but had just 1 TD and 3 FGs. Eric Duncan caught 2 of Wilson's 3 TD passes and the ball was spread around to several different skill players so nobody had a standout stat game. 

Bulls 17 (NY) Stars 10

New York and Jacksonville played to a 10-10 tie in the first half and the score remained the same until early in the 4th, when Jacksonville QB Joseph Serio threw a 4 yard TD pass to Charles Ayers for a 17-10 lead. New York's last 4 possessions after the TD went punt, punt and 2 turnovers on downs. The Stars could have been in great position for a playoff bye with a win, but they only scored 10 points on 4 red zone trips. 

Gold 27 Stars 19

Denver had 445 offensive yards and QB Andrew Brewer completed 22/25 passes for 274 yards and 2 TDs as the Gold defeat Baltimore in an interconference battle of wildcard teams. It was a back and forth game with 3 early lead changes before Denver pulled away in the 4th quarter, thanks to a pair of Jon Snow interceptions. Denver was led by Brian Thornton's 71 rushing yards with a TD and 6 catches for 90 yards.

Storm 28 Gamblers 26

This was a battle for home field advantage and Portland came out on top in an entertaining back and forth game. Portland QB Oscar Willis only threw for 187 yards but he had 4 TD passes, 3 in the 2nd qtr. Those TD passes went to 4 different receivers and the offensive leader for the Storm was Timothy Roquemore, with 137 yards rushing. Houston QB Tony Dean tossed the game's first TD pass and the game's last TD pass, as part of his 341 yard passing day but there was too much Portland scoring in between Dean TD passes for the Gamblers to win the game. Jett Black caught 11 passes for 122 yards in the loss.

Panthers 33 Express 6

Michigan out gained Los Angeles 464-108 as the Panthers cruise to the victory as they prepare for the playoffs. William Mauriello threw for 355 yards and 2 TDs while Walter Simmons had a double triple with 113 rush yards and 128 receiving. Michigan had the ball nearly 43 minutes and was a blistering 12/21 on 3rd down conversions.

SaberCats 34 Hawaiians 0

San Jose QB Jake Plummer threw 3 TD passes and 3 INTs and the offense lost 2 fumbles but Honolulu turned it over 4 times themselves, as the SaberCats shutout Honolulu. WR Mark Hsu caught 2 of Plummer's TD passes, 8 in all for 153 yards but the story was the San Jose ground game. They had 324 yards as a team, led by Rodney Richardson's 23 for 170 and William Smalling's 16 for 82.

Showboats 41 Gunslingers 10

Memphis QB David Allen completed 22/25 for 327 yards, 3 TD and an INT as the Showboats nearly double the San Antonio offensive output in a playoff tune up. The Gunslingers tried to keep up in the first half but the Showboats had long TD drives the first 3 times they had the ball and eventually wore down San Antonio. 

Outlaws 27 Wranglers 16

The battle for the #1 pick was "won" by Arizona as Oklahoma won the actual game and will pick 2nd in the upcoming draft. Dale Davis ran for 141 yards for Arizona but Zachary Kinkead was 12/33 and 3 INTs and Oklahoma got 2 TD passes from John Crisp. The Wranglers out gained Oklahoma 355-234 but lost the turnover battle 4-1 and the Outlaws took advantage. Oklahoma scored 2 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes, a Crisp 80 yard TD to Steve Haywood and a 23 yard run by Kevin Reeves to turn a 16-13 deficit into victory.

Generals 34 Breakers 10

Former Arizona QB Ernest Simmon was recently signed by New Jersey and he got the start today against Boston's tough pass defense. He wasn't great but he did finish 22/31, 188 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INTs and Sam Beckett ran for 122 yards and a TD to lead the Generals to victory. 

Thunderbolts 17 Wheels 10

Cleveland benched struggling QB Michael McGowan for veteran Martin Greene  but it did not spark the offense. The Thunderbolts won anyway by holding Detroit under 200 total yards and scoring a defensive TD on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Timothy McKenzie.

Blitz 25 Sun 6

Jay Kinder ran for 106 yards and Ronald Brown tossed 2 TD passes to David Karim as Chicago defeats Southern California today. The Blitz improve to 9-5-1 on the season but play in the wrong conference for playoff consideration this year. The Blitz defense held the Sun to 184 yards of offense.

Bell 16 Steamer 10

Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez was 20/29, 184 yards and an early TD pass to James Jones and the Bell added 3 Robert Albertson FGs to post a 16-10 win over Shreveport. The Bell ran for 149 yards in breaking their 4 game losing streak and the defense limited the Steamer to 209 offensive yards. 

Weeks 13 & 14 East Division

 New York clinched the East a few weeks ago and are now fighting for a 1st round bye. New Jersey was expected to be a contender but the Generals can't seem to win close games, as they are just 2-6 when the game is within one score. The Generals will also be starting their 3rd QB of the season tonight, newly acquired free agent Ernest Simmon. Simmon was a disaster in Arizona, and that's putting it nicely but with both Ric Flair and James Wright getting older, and quite frankly, not very effective, why not take a chance with the season already in the tank. Simmon will be making that start against Boston and their #1 pass defense, so good luck. As good as the Breakers pass defense is, their run defense and entire offense have not performed well for the most part, hence their 3-9-2 record. The Breakers are still a much better team than a couple seasons ago when they were complete pushovers, as is Philadelphia. The Bell still need to find ways to score more points on offense and get off the field on defense.

New York Stars (11-3) New York had nearly 41 minutes of possession against Philadelphia Week 13 as they ran 45 times for 204 yards. William Hall ran for 101 yards and 3 TDs as the Stars led the Bell 17-0 after a quarter of play. Philadelphia could manage just 168 yards for the game. Week 14 was a home date with Tony Dean and the Houston Gamblers, and the Stars were rude hosts, shutting out the Gamblers offense for 3 and a half quarters. Houston, trailing 9-3, turned the ball over on downs to leave New York in immediate FG range and they extended the lead to 12-3. That was huge as Dean found Hugh Chance for a long TD to cut the lead to 12-9 but the 2 point try and onside kick failed, enabling New York to hold on for the win.

New Jersey Generals (5-9) I'm not going to recap my games again, already did that on my opponent's blog section. It's been a frustrating season as this team just can't win close games this year. Despite the benching of Ric Flair, he is still my QB1 going into next season as of now but I was trying to get a spark like I did with my Russia team in World League. Wright's stats look better than Flair's but it didn't translate into wins, so we'll see if a change of scenery does Simmon any good.

Boston Breakers (3-9-2) James Nash had a 72 yard TD run to start the Week 13 scoring and the Breakers won the second half over Florida to turn a 7-7 halftime tie into a 13-7 victory. Nash ended the game with 122 rushing yards on 11 carries. In Week 14's 20-20 tie with San Antonio, Nash broke the 100 yard mark again thanks to a long TD run to finish with 103 yards on 12 carries. Boston never had the lead against the Gunslingers but they never let them get more than 7 points ahead either. Boston got a 68 yard TD pass from Joseph Haight to Thomas Ballard inside the 2 minute warning to tie the game and sent it to the puntfest that was overtime.

Philadelphia Bell (3-11) Week 13 was a 31-3 loss to the New York Stars, recapped above. Week 14 against Memphis, QB Robert Hernandez completed 27/29 passes for just 209 yards. I have noticed a few high % low yardage games from Hernandez so maybe a sacrifice of some completions in an attempt for bigger plays might spark this offense into scoring more. Defensively the Bell had their struggles against these 2 teams going to the playoffs, but they finish the season against Shreveport (5-9) and Boston.

Weeks 13 & 14 Atlantic Division

 This division has been a 2 team race between Baltimore and Washington the last several seasons, and early on it appeared 1991 would be the same. Through 6 weeks, Baltimore was 5-1, Washington 4-2, Charlotte 3-3 and Pittsburgh 1-5. Yeah Charlotte was right there, but they have never finished better than 8-8, and the Hornets have actually gone 1-7 since. The division will still likely go to Washington or Baltimore but nobody wants to play Pittsburgh right now. The Maulers are on an 8 game win streak and find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race.

Washington Federals (11-3) Washington defeated Denver 30-21 Week 13 behind Scott Bieber's 352 yards and 3 TDs. The Federals nearly had 500 yards against the Gold defense and Bieber spread the ball around to several different receivers. Week 14 saw Washington fall behind Birmingham 13-3 before coming back to tie the score at 13. They then allowed a 75 yard TD pass and Robert Sullivan was tackled in the end zone on one of his 17 receptions for a safety and a 22-13 Birmingham lead. Bieber would lead Washington on a couple of scoring drives as they took the lead 23-22 with just over 1 minute left. Unfortunately for the Federals, they let Stephen Ponder take the Stallions to the edge of FG range and they lost the game. They still have the upper hand on Baltimore thanks to the season sweep.

Baltimore Stars (11-3) Jon Snow threw for 281 yards and 4 TDs as the Stars defeated Oakland in Week 13, 35-16. Baltimore ran for 152 yards as a team and Jeffrey Zimmer caught 2 of the TD passes in the win. Week 14 against Orlando saw Baltimore struggle to move the ball in the first half as the Renegades held a 10-3 lead. Jon Snow tossed 2 TD passes in the 3rd qtr to take the lead, and Mark Numbers scored the clinching TD in the 4th qtr as the Stars now find themselves tied for first.

Pittsburgh Maulers (9-5) The beat rolls on for Pittsburgh, as the Maulers have won 8 straight games to launch themselves firmly into the playoff conversation. They defeated Charlotte 36-17 in Week 13 as QB Will Allison threw for 378 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Robert Erickson. Numbers Zielinski caught 5 for 139 yards and a TD as Pittsburgh had 460 yards in all. Week 14 was against Arizona and struggling rookie QB Zachary Kinkead. Arizona actually had the early 7-0 lead thanks to a Kinkead TD pass but he would later throw a Pick Six to James Lopez and the final Maulers TD came on a strip sack in the end zone by William Milligan. The final score was 31-7 Pittsburgh.

Charlotte Hornets (4-10) Charlotte has not had the kindest schedule with 10 of 16 games against playoff contenders, but 6 of those are divisional games. They faced red hot Pittsburgh in Week 13 and the Hornets fell behind 17-0 and later 30-7 before finally losing 36-17. The Hornets allowed Pittsburgh 460 offensive yards. Week 14 was against a for sure playoff team in the Denver Gold, and it went as expected. Charlotte turned the ball over twice and allowed Denver almost double the offensive yards as they fall behind 21-3 in the 1st qtr in an eventual 31-3 loss.

Weeks 13 & 14 South Division

 New Orleans clinched the South a few weeks ago and are jockeying for a first round bye. Shreveport is now in last place after challenging the VooDoo for the division in 1990. Birmingham and Georgia would prefer not to mention 1990 as they combined for 4 wins, all by Georgia. 1991 won't end with a playoff berth for either team, but they have to be pleased with the improved performances of their teams.

New Orleans VooDoo (10-4) Week 13 saw New Orleans get out to a 16-0 lead but Bruno Wilson tossed 4 INTs and the New Orleans offense turned it over on downs 6 times, allowing Orlando to score the last 20 points of the game and steal a victory despite the Renegades amassing just 99 offensive yards. Week 14 saw a change in strategy as the VooDoo punted more instead of always going for it, and forcing the Force to drive the field worked out. Georgia had 330 yards of offense but lost the game 29-7 thanks in part to 4 turnovers. Offensively, New Orleans rushed for 283 team yards and 3 TDs, led by Stanley Kerr's 131 yards. 

Birmingham Stallions (5-8-1) Birmingham held San Jose to 328 yards and 13 points but the offense could only gain 200 as they never even got to the red zone, let alone sniff the end zone. Three Gerald Hinton FGs were not enough to beat the SaberCats. Week 14 was a wild game with the Washington Federals. The Stallions got on the board first, thanks to a 72 yard run by Francis Schultz and a FG would make the lead 10-0. The Federals are a pretty good team and they eventually fought back to a 13-13 tie in the second half. Stephen Ponder then found Joseph Oliver for a 75 yard catch and run TD as Birmingham retook the lead. Washington WR Robert Sullivan caught 17 passes in this game but one was in his own end zone and he was tackled before he could get out, resulting in a Birmingham safety and a 22-13 Stallions lead. Washington would come all the way back, taking a 23-22 lead on a Scott Bieber TD pass to Anthony Favela with just over a minute left. Ponder would lead the offense 38 yards to the edge of FG range and Gerald Hinton nailed the 54 yard FG at the gun to stun Washington.

Georgia Force (5-8-1) Week 13 against Honolulu, QB Thomas Jacobi tossed 0 TD and 4 INT but Thomas Sanchez ran for 123 yards and 3 TDs as Georgia defeated the Hawaiians 24-17. The Force defense picked off Derek Henry 3 times in the game. Week 14 against division rival New Orleans didn't go as well. Jacobi threw 3 more INTs and the VooDoo ran for 283 yards in the 29-7 defeat. WR John Huynh had 102 yards and 105 yards respectively. 

Shreveport Steamer (5-9) Everybody talks about west coast teams traveling east for a 10:00 am body clock game but nobody talks about eastern teams traveling west much. Shreveport had a Week 13 game in Los Angeles where they fell behind 20-3 before George Marcil threw 2 late TD passes to get within the final score of 20-18 but the onside kick failed and the Express ran out the clock. Hawaii has it worse than anyone concerning travel and they flew to Alabama for a Week 14 game. The Steamer allowed 397 yards passing on a league record tying 72 pass attempts by Derek Henry but Shreveport chewed up yards on the ground in the 27-13 victory. Orville Barker ran for 114 yards and George Marcil tossed 2 TD passes on only 7 completions to lead the offense.

Weeks 13 & 14 Southeast Division

 The Southeast Division has been a tight, 3 team race most of the season and Orlando currently has a slim lead. The Renegades enter Week 15 with their 3rd owner of the season as The Admiral  takes the reigns of Orlando from the league office and are thrown right into the fire against 3rd place Tampa Bay. Orlando's lead over Florida is currently half a game as the tie in Week 11 might actually benefit the Renegades. The Bandits are just a game and a half out of 1st place and they get the second place Florida Blazers in Week 16. If the Bandits can finish 2-0 they will make the playoffs based on sweeping Florida. If the Bandits finish 1-1, it gets dicey for them.  Florida plays Charlotte tonight while Orlando plays Cleveland Week 16.

Orlando Renegades (9-4-1) Week 13 had Orlando against a possible playoff foe in New Orleans and the Renegades could only muster 99 total yards. New Orleans got out to a 16-0 2nd qtr lead before Bruno Wilson tossed 4 INTs, setting up Orlando with short fields. The Renegades scored the last 20 points of the game and defeat New Orleans 20-16. Week 14 saw another lackluster offensive performance from Orlando as they only had 206 yards against Baltimore. Prior to the league office taking over, Orlando scored about 25 points a game, and just under 14.5 after. The Admiral's challenge will be to get that offense back on track. Baltimore won the Week 14 game 24-13 by the way.

Florida Blazers (9-5) Florida played Boston Week 13 and the tough Breakers pass defense frustrated Sidney Maggard into a pair of picks. The Blazers did rush for 192 yards but could only score 7 points and the Breakers 6 points in the 4th qtr broke the tie and gave Florida a costly loss. Maggard started poorly against Jacksonville Week 14, tossing a pair of interceptions but the other 5 first half drives ended with points as Florida took a 23-3 lead into halftime. There was very little non punting action in the second half as the Blazers secure the 23-6 victory.

Tampa Bay Bandits (8-6) Tampa Bay held Jacksonville to 215 offensive yards and forced 3 turnovers in a 26-3 win over the Bulls. Melvin Driggers threw for 294 yards and an early TD to give the Bandits a lead they would not relinquish. Week 14, the Bandits traveled to New Jersey for an overtime interception contest with the Generals. Tampa Bay got out to a 23-9 lead after 3 quarters, but New Jersey scored 17 unanswered points to take a 26-23 lead with under 5 minutes to play. One of the General's TD's came on one of 4 Driggers INTs as Barry Larkin returned one 25 yards into the end zone. The Bandits would get a game tying FG at the end of regulation only to allow the Generals to drive for a FG in OT. The game would continue as Tampa Bay had not yet possessed the ball in the extra period and Driggers led a 13 play, 75 yard TD drive to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Jacksonville Bulls (4-10) The Bulls had division games the last 2 weeks which are recapped above. They have lost 3 games in a row and finish the season with home games against New York and Detroit.

Weeks 13 & 14 Midwest Division

 The Midwest Division came down to the final weekend in 1990 but no such drama in 1991 as the Michigan Panthers clinched in Week 14. Chicago is having a fine year at 8-5-1, but will not qualify for the playoffs while Detroit and Cleveland look ahead to 1992.

Michigan Panthers (11-3) Week 13 saw Michigan lose the Battle of Detroit to the Wheels 13-12. William Mauriello had his worst game since becoming the starter, getting sacked 5 times and tossing 2 INTs as the Panthers fell behind 13-3. Mauriello tried to lead the comeback but it fell 1 point short.The Panthers defense held Detroit to minus 21 yards rushing on 22 carries.Week 14 saw the Michigan offense bounce back, though the defense was suspect. Mauriello tossed 4 TD passes and threw for 324 yards as the Panthers defeat division rival Cleveland 37-21. Walter Simmons had 162 combined yards and a TD catch while James Hillis caught 4 for 143 yards and 2 TDs to offset Cleveland's 421 total yards. The opportunistic Panthers defense intercepted 4 passes to stymie the Thunderbolts offense and send Michigan to the playoffs.

Chicago Blitz (8-5-1) Chicago defeated Cleveland 20-6 Week 13 behind Ronald Brown's 282 yards and 2 TDs. David Karim was the leading receiver with 4 catches, 126 yards and a TD. The defense intercepted 2 passes and allowed only 209 yards. Heading into Week 14's game against Portland, the Blitz already faced long playoff odds and could not afford a loss. The Storm were not accommodating as they blitzed Chicago 48-6 behind 425 yards and 5 TDs from Portland QB Oscar Willis. That loss combined with Michigan's win means Chicago will not be playing January football.

Detroit Wheels (5-9) Detroit tried to play spoiler by upsetting Michigan in Week 13 by a score of 13-12, but the loss just delayed Michigan's celebration. The Wheels running game had 4 flat tires as they averaged minus 1 yard per carry, generating negative 21 yards on 22 attempts. Detroit got out to a 13-3 lead despite that, then held off a late Michigan rally for the upset. Those running woes continued in Week 14 against Pacific Champs San Jose, as 21 rushes generated 3 feet, or 1 whole yard. The passing game and defense could not cover this time as Detroit was shutout by the SaberCats 24-0. 

Cleveland Thunderbolts (4-10) Turnovers and bad defense continue to hurt Cleveland as they drop a pair of division games Weeks 13 and 14. QB Michael McGowan tossed 2 INTs against Chicago and 4 against Michigan as the Thunderbolts have now lost 3 in a row after their earlier 3 game win streak was snapped. Since both Cleveland games were divisional, they are recapped above, as the only thing worth adding is James Bull had 154 receiving yards against Michigan.

Weeks 13 & 14 Southwest Division

 Houston is in the drivers seat to win the Southwest thanks to their season sweep of Memphis. One Gamblers win or one Showboats loss and Houston clinches but Memphis will go to the playoffs too. San Antonio and Oklahoma hope better days are ahead.

Houston Gamblers (12-2) Week 13 saw Oklahoma take an early 7-0 lead before Tony Dean threw 5 TD passes as Houston beat the Outlaws 38-7. The Gamblers had 3 players with 100+ combined yards: Donald Turner (116 rushing yards, 33 receiving), Francisco Russell (19 rushing, 111 receiving), and Ryan Dearing (84 rushing, 25 receiving). Week 14 saw Houston travel to New York for a game against the East leading Stars. Six of the first seven drives for the Gamblers ended with punts and the other drive was a missed FG attempt by Daniel McCormack. Houston's first points came mid 4th qtr on a McCormack made FG that cut the deficit to 9-3. Houston would turn the ball over on downs in their own territory, putting New York in immediate FG range and the Stars would extend the lead to 12-3 just inside the 2 minute warning. That would be huge because Houston would score a quick, long strike TD to get within 3. The 2 point try and onside kick failed and New York won the game. 

Memphis Showboats (11-3) Memphis traveled to New Jersey Week 13 and the Showboats played bend but don't break defense. The Generals would get 439 offensive yards but they kicked too many field goals while Memphis scored TDs on 3 of 4 red zone trips. David Allen completed 21/25 for 281 yards and 3 TDs while Arthur Devore caught 4 for 137 yards and a TD. New Jersey scored first for a 6-0 lead, then Memphis scored 17 unanswered points and the Generals would get no closer than 8 points the rest of the game as the Showboats win 31-19. Memphis fell behind again Week 14 as Philadelphia scored a TD following an early Memphis fumble for the 7-0 lead. The Bell also scored last in the final minute on a 93 yard TD pass but David Allen tossed 3 TD passes as Memphis scored 30 unanswered points in between Philadelphia TDs to post a 30-14 victory. The 3 QBs that played combined to complete 53/64 passes and if you take out Gregory Walker's 0/3 and it's 53/61. Memphis got 4 more yards per completion and had the better running game and the margin of victory would have been larger with better red zone efficiency.

San Antonio Gunslingers (4-9-1) San Antonio benched QB Willie Benge 3 games ago and while the Gunslingers are 0-3 under Robert Fanelli, the offense seems to be moving a bit better. It's tough being in a division with 2 powerhouse teams, but all you can do is keep acquiring talent and wait your turn I guess. Week 13 saw the Gunslingers fall behind Portland 17-0 after a quarter and the defense had trouble getting off the field in the 31-9 loss. Week 14 saw Boston come to town with their #1 pass defense. The Breakers allow a league low 177 yards a game through the air and the 5.2 yards per attempt they allow is 3rd best, so it's no surprise Fanelli struggled. San Antonio scored first then Boston tied them with a FG, which would end up being the theme of the day. San Antonio kept taking the lead and Boston would keep tying the game so we played an extra 10 minutes of football. The 20-20 tie would not be broken as the extra session was all punts until time ran out.

Oklahoma Outlaws (0-14) It's been a real rough season for the Outlaws as they have only scored double digit points 3 times all year while their defense gives up nearly 32 points a game. Oklahoma scored first against Houston Week 13 before Tony Dean took over in a 38-7 loss to the division leaders. Oklahoma would score first again Week 14 against Oakland but the Invaders scored the next 33 points for a 33-3 win.

Weeks 13 & 14 West Division

 Got some sleep and I'm ready to resume the recap of the last 2 weeks. The Portland Storm are the West Champions and current #1 seed while the Denver Gold will be either the #5 or #6 seed

Portland Storm (13-1) Week 13 saw Portland defeat San Antonio 31-9 behind 162 rushing yards from Timothy Roquemore and 120 receiving yards from Richard Robinson. The Storm defense allowed 277 yards but kept the Gunslingers out of the red zone and end zone, thanks to a 1/12 3rd down success rate. Week 14 saw Portland again give up 277 yards, this time to Chicago but the Blitz converted 9/20 3rd downs. The better conversion rate did not translate into much as the Blitz never reached the red zone and settled for 3 field goals for the game. QB Oscar Willis threw for 425 yards and 5 TD passes, 3 to Richard Robinson. In all, Robinson caught 7 for 235 yards.

Denver Gold (11-3) Denver had an interconference game against Washington Week 13 and the Gold lost 30-21. The Gold had 350 offensive yards, led by Jake Peralta's 129 combined yards, and did not turn the ball over but the Denver defense was lit up by Scott Bieber. Week 14 saw the Denver defense get back on track, holding Charlotte to 189 total yards and allowing only 3 points. QB Andrew Brewer tossed 3 TD passes, 1 to Jake Peralta, who also ran in a score and had a combined 154 yards. 

Oakland Invaders (4-10) Oakland traveled to Baltimore to face the Stars and the Invaders hung with them in the first half, trailing 14-13. Stars QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes in the 3rd qtr to break open a close game, defeating Oakland 35-16. Week 14 saw Oakland bounce back after allowing Oklahoma to take an early 3-0 lead. QB Andrew Moreno threw for 365 yards and 2 TDs, both to Nelson Martinez. TE Christopher Sherrick posted 128 receiving yards and John Crisp returned 1 of 4 Outlaws turnovers for a TD as Oakland beat Oklahoma 33-3.

Arizona Wranglers (0-14) Rookie QB Zachary Kinkead is taking his lumps this season as his pass accuracy is still developing (currently 42/80). Kinkead has had some brutal games, including Week 13's 5/29 performance in a 27-6 loss to Southern California. Sometimes Kinkead shows his potential as he did on the opening drive Week 14, leading the Wranglers on a 14 play, 75 yard TD drive to take an early 7-0 lead on the white hot Pittsburgh Maulers. Kinkead was leading another long drive on the next possession, but was intercepted by James Lopez who returned it 78 yards for the go ahead TD. From that point, Kinkead lost confidence and the Wranglers offense went nowhere the rest of the game in the 31-7 loss to the Maulers. Arizona plays Oklahoma in Week 15 and the loser will get the #1 pick in the 1992 draft.

Weeks 13 & 14, Pacific Division

 It's been a busy week at USFL HQ so I'll combine 2 weeks worth of games and do a team by team recap, one conference at a time. We know the 6 playoff teams from the American Conference, and we know 3 division winners, but that's about all we know. 

San Jose SaberCats (10-4) In Week 13, San Jose scored 13 first half points, then went scoreless the rest of the game. Fortunately for them, their defense pitched a first half shutout and allowed only 3 second half field goals to defeat Birmingham 13-9. Week 14 saw the SaberCats travel to Detroit, where they shut out the Wheels 24-0. Rodney Richardson ran for 134 yards and a TD to help San Jose improve to 10-4, good enough to be the 1991 Pacific Division Champs and the current #4 seed.

Los Angeles Express (6-7-1) Tristan Arnold threw 2 TD passes in Week 13 as the Express built a 20-3 4th qtr lead before Shreveport made things interesting with 15 points in the final 3 minutes. The rally fell short when the onside kick failed and Los Angeles drained the clock for the 20-18 win. Week 14 was a short road trip to Anaheim to face the Sun. The Express held Southern California out of the end zone while scoring 2 TDs of their own, but 14 points isn't enough to beat 5 field goals.

Southern California Sun (5-9) If you're reading from the top of the page, you just read about Southern California's 5 FG game in Week 14, besting L.A.'s 2 TDs. In Week 13, the Sun had a road game in Arizona and the Wranglers started Zachary Kinkead, he of the very low completion %. The Sun defense did what they were supposed to do as Kinkead struggled again. Wilmer Kimble didn't struggle as he tossed 2 TDs in the 27-6 victory.

Honolulu Hawaiians (4-10) Week 13 saw Georgia visit the island paradise but both QBs were tossing picks like they were at the airport giving away leis. Derek Henry tossed 2 TD and 3 INT and the defense couldn't keep Thomas Sanchez out of the end zone as his 3 rushing TDs saw the Force take a 24-7 lead. Honolulu had a 4th qtr rally to get within 7 but couldn't get any closer than that. Week 14 saw Derek Henry tie a league record by attempting 72 passes against Shreveport. In contrast, the Steamer threw just 15 passes as they ran the ball down the Hawaiians throat. Most teams do that as their run defense is ranked 32nd, which helps explain how a team with a top 10 offense (#9 currently) has a 4-10 record.

 

Week 12: New Orleans and New York Clinch Division Titles

 The New Orleans VooDoo clinched their 4th straight South Division Championship today and the New York Stars clinched the East Division Championship for the 3rd time in 4 years. While there are several teams that seem like sure playoff teams, the VooDoo and Stars are the first to have officially claimed a spot. Houston defeated Memphis, giving the Gamblers the sweep and the upper hand on winning the Southwest. Washington defeated Baltimore, giving the Federals the season sweep and upper hand on winning the Atlantic. 

Gamblers 25 Showboats 14

After a 10-7 halftime lead for Houston, Memphis took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards for a TD and a 14-10 lead. The Showboats offense would only get 29 yards the rest of the game. Neither team turned the ball over but Houston's Tony Dean was way more efficient than David Allen. Dean finished 35/41, 352 yards and 2 TD while Allen was 12/25, 167 yards and 2 TDs. Houston scored the last 15 points of the game on 3 Daniel McCormack FGs and a Dean TD pass to Francisco Russell, who caught 10 for 106 today. Houston was 8/17 on 3rd down while holding the Showboats to just 2/10, and the Gamblers possessed the ball nearly 43 and a half minutes.

Federals 30 Stars 22

Baltimore had no trouble moving the ball against the Washington defense, amassing 492 total yards, but Jon Snow threw 4 INTs. Three of those interceptions came in the first half, one returned for a TD by Caleb Raley, as Washington built a 27-16 halftime lead. The second half saw little scoring, but the Stars found themselves down 8 with the ball inside the 2 minute warning. Baltimore got as far as the Washington 19 yard line before time ran out. Baltimore RB William Halford had 218 combined yards and Mark Numbers had 168 in the losing effort.

VooDoo 44 Stallions 13

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson completed 38/57, 573 yards, 5 TD and 4 INT. Three of those TD passes came in the first half, all to Nicholas Dorey, and the VooDoo had successful 2 point runs after each to take a 24-13 lead into halftime. Dorey caught 8 for 279 yards for the day and New Orleans had 715 as a team. The VooDoo defense allowed just 169 yards and 1/14 on 3rd down.

(NY) Stars 23 Breakers 10

Not much offense to talk about in this game as both teams spread the ball around to several players and neither team topped 300 yards. Boston had a 7-6 halftime lead they extended to 10-6 early in the 3rd quarter. The Breakers were driving for more when Denver Siegel fumbled the ball and John Duncan returned it 62 yards to the Boston 2, and 1 play later William Hall ran in the TD as the Stars took the lead for good. Boston went 3 and out while New York drove for another TD for a 20-10 lead. The Breakers would fumble the ball away on the kickoff, leading to 3 more points for New York and not enough time for Boston to come back.

Storm 38 Wranglers 17

Arizona went with Stanley Snyder at QB and he played well against a tough defense, but the Wranglers could not stop Oscar Willis and Richard Robinson. The pair hooked up for 2 TDs and Robinson caught 5 for 164 today to lead Portland to victory. 

Gold 38 Gunslingers 19

Andrew Brewer tossed 4 first half TD passes, 2 to Richard Huff as Denver built a 28-10 halftime lead and cruised to victory in the second half. Huff caught 4 for 145 in all and Brewer finished with 280 yards passing. The Gold were 7/13 on 3rd down and a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone. San Antonio had 344 offensive yards themselves but could not score enough points to keep up with Denver.

Panthers 44 Hawaiians 10

Michigan QB William Mauriello and Honolulu QB Derek Henry both tossed 3 INTs today, but Mauriello also threw for 347 yards and 5 TDs in leading the Panthers to their 6th straight win. Walter Simmons ran for 101 yards while William Magallon caught 5 for 106 yards and 2 TDs. 

SaberCats 37 Sun 10

San Jose got back on the winning side despite being out gained by Southern California today. The SaberCats reached the red zone 5 times, coming away with just 1 TD and 4 FGs but the defense added a pair of touchdowns to contribute to the blowout score. The Sun turned the ball over 7 times total, and Alberto Dean took 1 INT 50 yards for a score. San Jose iced the game thanks to a player with cruel parents, as Scott Scott sacked Wilmer Kimble, causing a fumble which Scott picked up and raced 70 yards for the TD. Mark Hsu caught 7 for 123 yards to lead the San Jose offense.

Maulers 24 Bulls 13

Pittsburgh just keeps finding ways to win as the Maulers get their 6th straight victory and are putting together an impressive playoff push. QB Will Allison threw for 306 yards and a TD, but also tossed 3 INTs. Jacksonville had trouble moving the ball all day but they had a halftime lead of 13-10. That lead would hold up until Pittsburgh scored the first of 2 rushing TDs in the final 10 minutes for a come from behind win.

Renegades 18 Bell 10

Philadelphia got out to a 10-0 1st qtr lead, getting 116 yards from those first 2 drives. The problem was the Bell only had 130 more the rest of the game. Orlando would get a TD and a FG but the XP was no good and Philadelphia held a 10-9 lead with 5 minutes to play. That's when Lucas Irwin ran in a TD from 2 yards out, giving the Renegades the lead for good. Philadelphia would turn it over on downs, leading to another Renegades FG to give us our final score of 18-10.

Blazers 20 Thunderbolts 10

Sidney Maggard tossed 2 TD passes as Florida scored 10 4th qtr points for a 20-10 win over Cleveland. The Blazers spread the ball around as Maggard was 27/35, 247 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT, leading the offense to TDs on both red zone possessions and 8/14 on 3rd down. The Blazers defense held Cleveland to 209 total yards and 22 minutes of possession. Florida finds themselves one half game behind Orlando in the Southeast and 1 game ahead of Pittsburgh for the #6 seed.

Blitz 24 Express 24 (OT)

Tristan Arnold threw 2 TD passes and Marvin Barber returned a Ronald Brown INT for a TD as Los Angeles built a 24-13 lead midway through the 4th qtr. Blitz QB Ronald Brown threw 57 passes today, much more than normal, completing 38 for 301 yards. Brown threw 2 INTs, the aforementioned one returned for a TD and one in the OT period, but he also tossed 2 TD passes. His 2nd went to Barry Dawson with just under 3 minutes to play and Jay Kinder (22 rushes 121 yards) ran in the 2 point conversion. The Blitz defense forced a 3 and out, allowing Brown to lead Chicago to a game tying FG by Leon Rupe. The overtime saw 7 scoreless possessions and the game ends in a tie.\

Bandits 20 Wheels 6

Melvin Driggers completed 31/46 for 275 yards and 2 TDs and led Tampa Bay to a 17-0 halftime lead. The Bandits scored TDs on 2 of 3 red zone trips, getting a FG on the other while the defense allowed Detroit just FGs on their 2 red zone trips. RB Paul Meade didn't have much running success (12-37) but he caught 12 passes for 71 yards, giving him 108 combined. Tampa Bay keeps their playoff hopes alive with the win, but they are still 2 games behind Florida and 2 and a half out of first.

Generals 40 Outlaws 0

New Jersey kept their very slim playoff chances alive with a lopsided win over winless Oklahoma. James Wright tossed 3 TDs on 20/30 passing for 311 yards in his second start after replacing Ric Flair. Cody Schiavo caught 4 passes for 128 yards and 2 TDs and the Generals had a pair of 100 yard rushers. Sam Beckett had 166 yards and a TD on 15 carries while rookie Kurt Cobain ran 12 times for 103 and a TD. 

Hornets 16 Invaders 13

This game between teams playing out the string saw zero TD passes but Charlotte RB Henry Young ran for a TD and contributed 58 yards each rushing and receiving to lead the Hornets to victory. With the game tied at 13 very late, Oakland faced a 4th and 2 from the Charlotte 45. The Invaders went for it and failed and Charlotte took over and got a 20 yard gain on 2nd down. That was just enough yards to allow a 54 yard FG try at the gun and Lawrence Linville knocked it through for Charlotte.

Steamer 23 Force 20 (OT)

Georgia played their 3rd OT game of the season and have now experienced all 3 possible outcomes: win, tie and now a loss. The Force had no trouble moving the ball but QB Thomas Jacobi tossed 5 INTs, one returned for a TD by veteran Bruce Dickinson, as Georgia faced a 20-7 deficit through 3 qtrs. Jacobi threw for 341 yards and 2 TDs, so it wasn't all bad and he led Georgia to 13 4th qtr points, sending the game to OT. Shreveport got the ball first and kicked a FG, then held Georgia to 4 plays and out to win the game. John Hyunh (9-122) and Ruben Brannon (5-113) had 100 yard receiving games in the losing effort. 

Week 11: Upsets Threaten Status Quo

 We had some upsets in Week 11 that shook up some divisional races, while some other playoff bound teams flexed their muscles. The Pittsburgh Maulers upset the Baltimore Stars as they won their 5th game in a row and got a little closer to what seemed an improbable playoff spot just a few games ago. Houston and Washington are the only teams hotter than Pittsburgh and they both rolled to easy wins. Orlando and Boston played to a tie, so if Florida could continue their winning ways, they would claim first place, but the Blazers were upset by the Georgia Force. San Jose seemed to be rolling a few games ago, but Cleveland handed the SaberCats their 3rd straight defeat, bringing them closer to the pack. Tampa Bay traveled to Chicago for a game between teams just on the outside of the playoffs, and the Blitz were victorious.

Maulers 13 Stars 10

Pittsburgh won a defensive struggle over Baltimore, thanks to a pair of field goals in the final minute of action. The Maulers led 3-0 at the half and added their first safety of the 3rd quarter for a 5-0 lead. Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed a 41 yard TD pass to William Halford for a brief 7-5 lead, and a later Snow pass to Walter Nava never got out of the end zone, and Pittsburgh's second safety of the quarter knotted the game at 7. The Stars booted a FG midway through the 4th and Pittsburgh got a FG just inside the final minute, and we appeared headed for overtime. Jon Snow had other ideas, and he threw an interception trying to win in regulation. That set up Dominick Cochran for the game winning FG at the final gun.

Force 28 Blazers 24

Georgia RB Ricardo Thomas ran in 2 TD runs in the first half as the Force built a 21-7 lead. Florida's lone TD at this point was a 94 yard punt return by Robert Romero. Florida would make a comeback with 3 field goals and a Sidney Maggard TD pass, taking a 24-21 lead early in the 4th. Georgia would answer with Thomas Jacobi's 2nd TD pass to John Huynh with 5:39 left and the Force defense kept Florida from scoring the rest of the game for the win.

Thunderbolts 16 SaberCats 12

San Jose was 0-4 in the red zone, getting 4 field goals for their 12 points today. The SaberCats still led 12-9 late when Cleveland QB Michael McGowan connected with James Bull for the eventual game winning 65 yard TD at the 2 minute warning. San Jose would get 2 chances for the go ahead score but they could not cross midfield and Cleveland hangs on for the win.

Breakers 9 Renegades 9 (OT)

This FG kicking contest ended in a tie, but Orlando's Robert Moulton missed 3 FG tries, including 1 in the 4th qtr and 1 on the final play of overtime. Despite the tie, Orlando is in first place by themselves thanks to the Blazers loss.

Showboats 49 Outlaws 10

Memphis QB David Allen completed 21/23, 413 yards and 6 TDs as Memphis rolled over Oklahoma. Mark Lambert caught a TD pass and ran for another score, along with 109 rushing yards but he was overshadowed by Arthur Devore. Allen's favorite target caught 7 passes, 5 for TDs and 294 total yards.

Gamblers 52 Wranglers 3

Tony Dean completed 23/27, 389 yards and 5 TDs with most of the yardage to Wesley Hull (8-156-0). RB Donald Turner caught one of Dean's TD tosses as he had 81 receiving yards and 76 rushing. The Houston defense forced 4 turnovers and allowed Arizona less than 20 minutes of possession.

Storm 41 Hornets 3

Portland's offense was anything but putrid this week, as Oscar Willis and company got back on track. Willis completed 35/49, 477 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Richard Robinson who caught 12 for 229 yards. Tony Abbott ran in 2 TDs and Timothy Roquemore had a combined 133 yards. Portland's defense forced 3 turnovers and held Charlotte to 209 total yards.

Gold 47 Hawaiians 10

Denver racked up 666 total yards and had scoring chances every time they had the ball. The Gold had 10 possessions and scored on the first eight before missing a field goal and running out the clock with the ball deep in Honolulu territory. James Peralta ran for 126 yards (44 receiving), and Brian Thornton ran for 110 and a TD. Andrew Brewer was 18/24, 391 yards and 5 TDs, 4 of which went to Richard Huff. Huff caught 6 in all for 217 yards.

Panthers 24 Sun 6

Michigan got 3 TDs from Walter Simmons and the Panthers defense held the Sun under 200 yards. Simmons ran for 1 score and 103 yards and caught both William Mauriello TD passes as Michigan wins their 5th in a row to improve to 9-2. 

VooDoo 33 Steamer 15

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson tossed 4 TD passes as the VooDoo scored on all 5 red zone possessions, 4 TDs and a FG, but needed 11 unanswered 4th qtr points to put the game away. Shreveport kept hanging around thanks to Wilson, who threw 3 INTs, but couldn't get closer than 7 points. New Orleans had 7 different ball carriers combine for 141 rushing yards as the VooDoo now have a 3.5 game lead with 5 to play.

Federals 42 Bell 9

Washington ran for 3 TDs and QB Scott Bieber threw for 3 more TDs as the Federals routed Philadelphia. Ronald Matthews had a rushing and a receiving TD, while Robert Sullivan had a rushing TD and 150 combined yards (67 rushing, 83 receiving). Matthew Cuevas caught 4 for 153 and a TD as Bieber threw for 373 total. Washington was a perfect 4/4 in the red zone offensively, and they held Philadelphia to FGs on all 3 of their red zone trips, as the Bell could not take advantage of 2 Bieber interceptions. Washington is now in 1st place in the Atlantic with a tiebreaker edge on Baltimore.

(NY) Stars 20 Generals 17 (OT)

New Jersey benched long time starting QB Ric Flair in an attempt to shake up a slumbering offense, and while the yards were there, the 17 points were not enough. James Wright was 33/52, 278 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT. One of those interceptions was returned for a TD by Under Grandstand that tied the game at 10 in the 3rd quarter. New York had a balanced attack, with 164 rushing yards and 171 through the air. New Jersey tied the game in the final minute of regulation, but after an OT punt, the Stars drove 68 yards in 14 plays for the game winning FG.

Blitz 41 Bandits 20

Chicago racked up 525 offensive yards against reeling Tampa Bay, as the Blitz hand the Bandits their 5th consecutive defeat. Jay Kinder ran for 128 yards and 2 TDs, while Ronald Brown threw for 395 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to David Karim (6-123-2). Melvin Driggers had a decent game for the Bandits, completing 30/48, 358 yards, 2 TD and an INT but the Bandits rushing attack was MIA. 

Bulls 33 Stallions 20

Birmingham amassed 407 yards of offense but they turned the ball over 4 times and only kicked 2 FGs on their 3 red zone trips. The Bulls Tyron Bailey caught 6 for 102 and a TD, adding a rushing TD with 37 ground yards. Joseph Serio tossed 2 TD passes and 247 yards in the air to lead Jacksonville to victory.

Express 6 Wheels 3

This game tried to hit every branch on the ugly tree on the way down. The two teams combined for 414 offensive yards, 4/27 on 3rd downs and zero TDs in 4 red zone trips. This game was horrible even by FG only standards, as both kickers combined to make just 3 of 8 FG attempts, with Kent Olden of Detroit going 1/4. Mario Price made 2 of 4 for Los Angeles and that was good enough for the victory.

Invaders 16 Gunslingers 9

This game was also a FG kicking contest until Andrew Moreno tossed a 52 yard TD pass to Nelson Martinez with 10 seconds left to give Oakland the win over San Antonio. 

Week 10: Separation And Seeding

 We're through 10 weeks of action and it seems our playoff field is separating from the pack as all current non playoff teams are at least 2 games behind. We do still have 6 games left so there is time for a team to make a run, but it's looking like all the playoff talk down the stretch will be about seeding. In the National Conference, it's looking like San Jose, Portland, Denver, Houston, Memphis and Michigan will be our 6 playoff teams. Chicago is 2 games behind Michigan in the Midwest and 2 games behind Memphis and Denver for a wildcard spot, while Honolulu and Los Angeles are 3 games behind San Jose in the Pacific.

In the National Conference, it looks like Orlando, Florida, New Orleans, Baltimore, Washington and New York will be the 6 playoff teams. The Tampa Bay Bandits are 2 games out of both the division lead and the wildcard while the suddenly hot Pittsburgh Maulers are also 2 games out of the wildcard. Birmingham is 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, New Jersey 3 and Georgia 3.5.

Despite the above scenario, half of our divisions are tied or have 1 game separation so there is plenty of jockeying for position to come. 

Showboats 38 SaberCats 22

David Allen threw for 333 yards and 4 TDs on only 14 completions as Memphis took control of the game in the 3rd qtr en route to victory. Arthur Devore caught 3 of those TDs, catching 4 for 170 yards in all.

Blazers 16 (NY) Stars 7

Florida and New York appear to be headed for January football and they played to a 7-7 tie during the first half of a defensive struggle. Florida shut out the Stars in the second half, as they held New York to just 62 yards after the break. The Blazers offense wasn't much better, but they were able to kick 3 FGs and win their 5th game in a row to remain in a 1st place tie with Orlando.

Panthers 27 Bandits 6

It appears the Adam Scales era is over in Michigan as William Mauriello tossed 3 TD passes with 391 yards passing to lead the Panthers to their 4th straight victory. RB/WR Walter Simmons had a double triple, rushing for 106 yards with 11 catches, 185 yards and a TD to help Michigan hold the ball 37:37. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers played turnover free football but the Michigan defense eliminated the Bandits ground game while simultaneously preventing big plays through the air. 

Maulers 27 Hornets 13

Pittsburgh won their 4th consecutive game to put them into playoff contention, and while their slow start hurts this year's chances, Maulers fans have to be excited about the future. Today they won despite suffering 3 turnovers, as they were a perfect 4 for 4 in the red zone, accounting for all 27 points (1 XP was no good). Charlotte also made 4 trips into the red zone, good for just 13 points. Pittsburgh QB Will Allison threw for 294 yards on 33 completions to 10 different receivers, while adding 4 TD passes.

Storm 17 Invaders 13

Portland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat as they scored 14 points in the last 2 minutes, with the aid of a recovered onside kick, to stun the 47,863 fans in attendance. Portland's offense was putrid most of the game as Oscar Willis had as many interceptions as the Storm had points...3 through the first 56 minutes of the game. Oakland had a 13-0 first half lead thanks to 2 of those INTs and a lost fumble, but with just over 4 minutes left, the Invaders were driving for the game clinching score when Andrew Moreno tossed an INT of his own. The Storm took over on their own 30 and Oscar Willis led Portland down the field, firing a 3 yard TD pass to Tony Abbott to make the score 13-10 Oakland. The onside kick was successful and Oscar Willis fired his second TD pass, the game winner to Timothy Roquemore, leaving Oakland about 30 seconds to score a TD, which they did not.

Stars 37 Steamer 7

Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 328 yards and 5 TD passes, 3 to Mark Numbers as the Stars were all over Shreveport today. Numbers had 136 combined yards (43 rushing, 93 receiving) while teammate William Halford caught a TD pass as part of 3 for 68 yards, adding 72 on the ground for 140 combined. 

Federals 37 Force 13

Georgia hung tough with Washington in the first half, going into the locker room tied at 10 but the powerful Federals offense flexed their muscles in the second half. The win allows Washington to keep pace with Baltimore as they try and win the division and get a bye week. Scott Bieber was 24/34, 403 yards with 3 TD and 1 INT. Ronald Matthews and Robert Sullivan both caught 7 balls, with Matthews accounting for 161 and 2 TDs. Sullivan's catches resulted in no scores but he had 127 yards receiving with 56 more rushing for a pretty nice game. 

Gold 44 Wranglers 0

Denver QB Andrew Brewer had a pretty good game, completing 30/37, for 472 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT. Arizona QB Zachary Kinkead did not, completing 5/31, 59 yards and 3 INTs. Jake Peralta had 91 rushing yards, 145 receiving yards and a TD, Richard Huff caught 4 for 119 and 2 TDs, and Richard Funkhouser caught 4 for 100 and a score.

Stallions 17 Sun 16

Birmingham turned the ball over 3 times in the first half but Southern California could only score 3 points and an early Richard Sutton TD run gave the Stallions the 7-3 halftime lead. Southern California took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards for the go ahead TD, then 3 field goals, 2 by the Sun, gave us a score of 16-10 inside the 2 minute warning. Stallions QB Stephen Ponder threw 3 INTs today, but he led the offense down the field and his 4 yard TD pass to Theodore Turner with 1:01 left was the game winning score.

Gamblers 41 Breakers 17

Boston went toe to toe with Houston in the first half, going to the locker room down 20-17, but the Houston defense shut out the Breakers in the second half, forcing 2 turnovers and allowing only 42 yards in the final 30 minutes. Tony Dean fired TD passes to 4 different receivers and the Gamblers rushing attack had nearly 200 yards as they improve to 9-1.

Thunderbolts 21 Express 6

Cleveland QB Michael McGowan was awesome between the 20's, completing 30/41 for 348 yards, but the Thunderbolts went without a TD today despite 5 red zone trips. Brian Haworth connected on 7/8 FG tries to lead Cleveland to victory in the kicking contest. FYI: League record is 8 FG in a game, done 4 times.

VooDoo 31 Hawaiians 22

The first half was back and forth as the offenses seemingly moved the ball at will. Honolulu was a blistering 12/18 on 3rd down conversions and scored the first 3 times they had the ball on a FG and 2 TDs. One of the XP tries was no good, resulting in 16 first half points for the Hawaiians. New Orleans sandwiched turnovers on downs with 3 Bruno Wilson to Eric Duncan TDs and 3 successful 2 point tries for a 24-16 lead at the break. The score remained the same until late in the 4th when Bruno Wilson found Nicholas Dorey for his 4th TD pass of the game to extend the lead to 31-16. Tom Jacobs had a combined 152 yards for New Orleans while Scott Stillings had 156 combined yards for Honolulu.

Bell 20 Generals 17

Philadelphia overcame 3 turnovers to amass 345 offensive yards while the Bell defense held New Jersey to 221. Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez threw 2 TD passes as the Bell built a 17-7 lead early in the 4th. The Generals defense forced 2 turnovers in the final quarter, and the offense converted those into 10 points, tying the game with just over 2 minutes left. Philadelphia then used the remaining clock to drive the field and boot the game winning FG at the gun, destroying most of whatever was left of New Jersey's playoff chances.

Renegades 12 Bulls 9 (OT)

The second game this week to feature nothing but field goals, Jacksonville led 9-6 until the final play of regulation when Robert Moulton's 53 yard FG tied the game. Moulton would add a 53 yard FG in overtime to give Orlando the win.

Blitz 13 Wheels 6

Ronald Brown's 2nd qtr 25 yard TD pass to David Karim was the only TD in a defensive struggle. Chicago scored all 13 of their points in the 2nd qtr and the Blitz defense allowed just 145 yards to the Detroit offense as they improve to 6-4 on the season.

Gunslingers 10 Outlaws 3

This game featured 26 punts, 20 series going three and out, and the score was tied at 3 inside the final minute of "action". That's when San Antonio QB Willie Benge tossed a 1 yard TD pass to Andrew Huerta for the game winning score. The Gunslingers held Oklahoma to 107 offensive yards and 1/16 on 3rd down as the defense did not allow the 2 offensive turnovers to hurt them, and now San Antonio find themselves 4-6.