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.
