Week 4: Surprises and Blowouts

 Week 4 saw a few upsets like Philadelphia over New Jersey and Oklahoma over Pittsburgh, but none bigger than Denver handing the Champs their 2nd consecutive defeat. For Philadelphia and Oklahoma, that was their first victories of the season and Georgia joined them in getting off the schneid by blowing out Boston 44-7. Honolulu won their game by 30 points, Denver beat Portland by 21, Shreveport won by 20 and Florida won by 33. Baltimore had been blowing people out but they "only" won by 14 this week while San Jose posted an 18 point win over previously undefeated Michigan. These were the first TDs the Panthers defense has given up all season. Our last undefeated teams are the Denver Gold, Florida Blazers and Baltimore Stars, while we have 4 teams still seeking their first W of 1992: Los Angeles, Southern California, Chicago and Arizona. 

Gold 34 Storm 13

Portland has already doubled the number of losses from last season as the offense has hit a 2 game slump. The Storm defense played well in last week's loss to New Orleans but Denver shredded them today. The Gold amassed 452 offensive yards, 250 of that on the ground, as the Gold turned a 10-10 halftime tie into a blowout of the defending champs. The big blow was a 91 yard TD run by Brian Thornton to put Denver up 14 points in the 3rd qtr, and the Gold defense allowed nothing but three three and outs in the final 15 minutes as they take early control of the West. 

Portland didn't turn the ball over but only gained 267 yards on offense. All Pro RB Timothy Roquemore was bottled up all game long, gaining 0 yards on 8 carries with 11 yards on 2 receptions. Jose Moses did have a combined 149 yards as the Storm's lone bright spot. Denver only passed for 202 yards but that's plenty when you get 250 on the ground. The Gold had big games from both Thornton (8-109-1) and Jake Peralta (17-102), plus 39 yards and a TD from 3rd string RB Raymond Caviness.

Stars 27 Hornets 13

Baltimore doubled the yardage (427-209) and points of Charlotte despite losing the turnover battle 4-0. Jon Snow threw for 356 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT and John Warkentin had 107 receiving yards on 3 catches to lead the Stars to victory. The Baltimore defense made sure the turnovers didn't cost the game as they held the Charlotte offense in check as the Hornets only had 2 drives longer than 23 yards and 5 plays. Despite all of that, the Hornets hung around, trailing 10-7 at the half and 20-10 after 3 but just couldn't get over the hump as they lose their 3rd straight game.

Blazers 39 Express 6

Florida remains unbeaten as they crush the Express, out gaining them 554-249. The Blazers ran for 148 and had 406 passing on just 21 completions. The only thing that didn't go well for Florida was red zone offense, as they kicked 5 FGs with just 1 TD in 6 trips. The Blazers had 4 players with 100 combined yards or more: WR Ray Parker (6 rec. 141 yds 1 TD), WR Freddy Jones (2-110-1), RB Kevin Forester (16 rushes 93 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec 9 yards) and RB Ronald Kirby (16-58 rushing, 3-70 receiving). 

SaberCats 21 Panthers 3

Michigan came into this game 3-0, having only given up 8 points on the season, 2 field goals and a safety. That defense would be tested by 3rd year WR Mark Hsu, who is known for having huge statistical games. In 27 regular season games prior to today, Hsu had 10 games of at least 150 receiving yards, including a pair of 200 yard games and a pair of 300 yard games. Make that 11 after today's 7-184-1 line as QB Jake Plummer fired 3 TD passes in all for 289 yards, the first touchdowns allowed this year by Michigan. The Panthers can't have that happen too many more times unless their offense can figure a way to score 20 or more themselves, as their high water mark is 17.

Outlaws 24 Maulers 17

Oklahoma rarely scores 20 points in a game, as it happened just once in 1991 and 1990, and twice in 1989. When they do score 20, they win however, and today was no exception. Pittsburgh led at halftime 10-3 and after a 75 yard TD from Will Allison to William Cox, most people probably thought 17-3 was enough for the Maulers to coast to victory. Will Allison threw an INT deep in his own end, setting up the Outlaws with a 1st and goal from the 5. One play later, John Crisp found Eric Hollar for a TD to cut the deficit to 17-10. More importantly for Oklahoma, that turnover/TD seemed to flip a switch, as the defense forced punts on the next 2 Pittsburgh drives and having 2 scoring drives on offense of 80+ yards and all of a sudden, they're leading 24-17 with 6 minutes to play. Pittsburgh would get within long FG range on their last 2 drives but down 7 points, opted to go for it on 4th down both drives and failed, allowing Oklahoma their first win of 1992.

Force 44 Breakers 7

Boston came into the game with a 2-1 record and had to like seeing Georgia and their 0-3 record on the schedule. The Breakers have had their troubles stopping the run in recent seasons but their pass defense was top notch a year ago, although it's middle of the pack so far in 1992. Rookie QB Milton People fired 4 TD passes for the Force today, finding a different receiver each time. People finished 24/37, 291 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. Georgia had a big game from RB Ricardo Thomas (20-110) and WR Mathew Taylor (5-116-1) as the Force built a 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back. The Force grab their first win of the season while Boston lost it's 2nd straight to fall to 2-2. That's still good enough for a tie atop the division nobody wants to win, otherwise known as the East, and the Breakers play New Jersey next week and the winner will be 3-2 and in sole possession of first.

Gamblers 20 Showboats 14

Houston and Memphis have been battling it out for division supremacy for the last decade as they have been 1-2 since 1982. They are still battling for the Southwest, but San Antonio is also playing well so we may have a 3 team race. Houston and Memphis usually have close, down to the wire games, and while there were no 4th qtr points today, it still came down to the wire with Houston needing a couple late defensive stops to preserve the win. Memphis WR David Austin was the only skill player to have a 100 yard game as he caught 4 passes for 122 yards. Neither QB topped 300 yards but both played decently, with Tony Dean completing 34/40 passes for 282 yards and 2 TD with an INT. 

VooDoo 19 Renegades 14

Orlando's rookie QB Emory Howard threw 2 first half TD passes to help the Renegades to a 14-10 halftime lead over New Orleans but the second half was a different story. The VooDoo defense held the Renegades scoreless over the final 30 minutes. Bruno Wilson threw 2 TD passes of his own, a 75 yard TD to Nicholas Dorey and a 3 yard score to Thomas Thomas. That TD to Thomas was the only TD of the second half and Orlando RB Can Dalton was tackled in the end zone for a safety. The VooDoo won the second half 9-0 to give us our final of 19-14 New Orleans. 

Federals 28 (NY) Stars 15

Washington rode a pair of Scott Bieber TD passes to a 14-0 halftime lead and the Federals added a 45 yard James Dunn TD run early in the 3rd for a seemingly commanding 21-0 lead. New York's defense finally held Washington for a bit and the next 3 scores were all by the Stars. Despite two red zone trips, all of those scores were just field goals, so New York still trailed 21-9 early in the 4th. With 3:10 left, Bieber found Andrew Favela for his 3rd TD of the day to give the Federals a 28-9 lead. Stars QB Willie Bust finally got New York into the end zone with a 53 yard pass to Joel Davis but it was too little too late.

Gunslingers 13 Blitz 9

San Antonio wins ugly again, could they be this year's Pittsburgh Maulers? This game featured 5 turnovers, 3 missed FG attempts and a late game defensive call only Gregg Williams, formerly of the NY Jets would love. Leon Rupe's 3 field goals (in 5 tries) had Chicago in the lead late, 9-7. San Antonio wasn't generating much offense all game long when they took possession of the ball at their own 16 with 0:16 on the game clock. Chicago tried living up to their nickname by blitzing and it cost them the ball game. Peter White beat coverage at the line of scrimmage and Peter Fanelli hit him in stride, resulting in an improbable 84 yard game winning TD. The Gunslingers are now 3-1, tied with Houston for the lead in the Southwest. 

Hawaiians 36 Sun 6

Honolulu had a balanced attack, rushing for 209 yards and passing for 203 while holding Southern California to just 136 yards as the Hawaiians crushed the Sun. Scott Stillings ran for 178 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Hawaiians offense as they score 22 unanswered second half points  to turn a close game into a rout. 

Bell 24 Generals 13

For years, New Jersey dominated Philadelphia when they were winning the East every season but this isn't the 1980's anymore. The Bell defeat the Generals for the 2nd time in a row dating back to last season, and today QB Robert Hernandez threw a pair of TD passes in the first half as Philadelphia held a 21-10 halftime lead. The Generals defense held Philadelphia to just 3 points after halftime but the offense never got untracked. RB Sam Beckett returned for this game after a leg injury but he suffered a knee injury and will miss significant time, which means we'll see more of backup QB James Wright at RB. Not only was this Philadelphia's first win of the season, but they are also just 1 game out of first place as New Jersey and Boston currently lead with 2-2 records. 

Invaders 22 Thunderbolts 7

There seems to be a lot of winning ugly going on, not that there's anything wrong with that. Add Oakland to that list as they have the 19th ranked offense, but 7th ranked defense, and thanks to the Storm slump, their 3-1 record is good for 2nd place in the West. Oakland only had 278 offensive yards but they held Cleveland to 155 and almost half of that total was their last 2 drives, already down 15. The Invaders also got 2 points on a running play by Cleveland that didn't make it out of the end zone for a safety.

Bandits 20 Stallions 13

Tampa Bay won a back and forth, turnover filled game thanks to 2 TD passes from rookie QB Thomas Lawson. It wasn't all good for Lawson as he also threw 3 INTs and the Bandits lost 1 of their 3 fumbles. The Stallions were just as careless with the ball as Ric Flair threw an INT and Francis Schultz lost 2 fumbles. Neither team ran the ball well and Birmingham sacked Lawson 3 times. The Bandits had a 13-3 lead late in the 3rd when Ric Flair tossed his TD pass to Justin Gilbert but the next drive stalled deep in Tampa Bay territory, forcing a short FG to tie the game from Gerald Hinton. Lawson then led a 10 play, 75 yard drive, culminating in an 8 yard TD pass to Luis Dean. Birmingham would turn it over on downs around midfield and the Bandits drained the clock for the 20-13 win.

Wheels 22 Wranglers 10

Who starts at QB for Arizona this game? What about next game? If you want to be the next Arizona Wranglers QB, send a video to the team at Sun Devil Stadium, 500 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, AZ 85287. For the 4th game of the season the Wranglers start their 4th different QB, Danny Nash. The Wranglers got the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a TD but it was all uphill for Arizona from that point. Nash threw 4 INTs, no TDs, about the same as the other 3 QBs who've started. At first glance, Detroit seems like a team with a weak to average offense, but they could be a dangerous team if they learn how to run the ball. They are 18th in overall yardage, 32nd in rushing, 5th passing, and today they had to settle for a bunch of field goals. Gabriel Flanagan was 21/29, 296 yards and a TD for victorious Detroit.

Steamer 23 Bulls 3

Shreveport QB Shane Falco completed 20/23 for 270 yards and a TD to lead the Steamer to victory. Jacksonville was coming off a win and a season high in yardage, but today they went back to struggling, generating only 129 yards and having 11 drives end in 3 or 4 plays and a punt, not including the 3 play, 9 yard "drive" before halftime. Shreveport enjoyed an almost 39-21 edge in time of possession and were in control throughout. WR Richard Wise caught 6 passes for 139 yards and a TD for the Steamer.

Week 3: World Bowl Rematch

 Week 3 featured a World Bowl Rematch and we went from 9 unbeaten teams down to 4: Denver, Michigan, Florida, and Baltimore. The Michigan Panthers have given up a total of 8 points this season...not 8 points per game, which would still be impressive, but 8 total points in 3 games and 2 of those points were scored against the offense on a safety. Baltimore is tied with Portland for most points scored with 115 through 3 games and the Stars point differential is +99. We have a QB tied for 12th in the league rushing leaders, James Wright of New Jersey. In fact, Wright has the exact same rushing line as current starter Kurt Cobain, 153 yards on 40 carries. The Generals are getting Sam Beckett back soon, which will push Wright into more of his normal QB2 role so he won't stay in 12th place.

San Jose's Mark Hsu has the league lead in receiving yards, but the TD lead belongs to Baltimore's Jeffrey Zimmer. Zimmer has just 11 receptions on the season, but 7 have gone for points. We have had 1 kickoff return TD this year and 1 punt return TD, both by Oakland players. 

We only had 3 one score games this week, including a tie so there's not much drama to discuss. Let's see what went down.

VooDoo 14 Storm 6

In a rematch of World Bowl XVIII, New Orleans got a measure of revenge although Portland is still the champs. The Storm had the ball more than 36 minutes and out gained the VooDoo 337-213, but 3 lost fumbles and 2 missed FGs severely hurt their chances of winning. Bruno Wilson struggled, completing less than half of his pass attempts, but he did manage to toss a pair of TD passes which was more than enough for New Orleans to pull the upset. I'd love to talk about this game in more detail but it was a defensive struggle.

Gold 53 Sun 13

The Portland loss opened the door for Denver to take the early division lead if they could defeat Southern California. Gold QB Andrew Brewer threw 5 TD passes, 3 to Brian Thornton as Denver broke open a 24-10 game with 21 points in the 3rd quarter to cruise to a win over the Sun. WR/RB Jake Peralta ran for 136 yards and a TD and added 90 receiving yards on 7 catches while Thornton had 68 rushing yards and 62 receiving. Denver kept the ball nearly 39 minutes and the Gold defense had 2 sacks and forced 3 turnovers.

Stars 37 Maulers 10

Baltimore and Pittsburgh met for the first time in 1992 and the early division lead was on the line. Pittsburgh has been winning ugly lately but today was just ugly. The Maulers ran for about a yard and a half per carry and totaled just 209 offensive yards. Pittsburgh did win the turnover battle 2-1, but the Maulers defense struggled to slow down the Baltimore offense. Jon Snow wasn't very efficient, barely completing 50% of his passes, but the ones he did complete went for 381 yards. Snow tossed 4 TDs and 2 INTs, with 3 of his TDs going to John Warkentin, who caught 6 in all for 151 yards. Baltimore had their running game going well too, as William Halford rushed for 134 yards and Knob Creek added 66, giving the Stars exactly 200 yards today.

Panthers 12 Thunderbolts 0

For the 3rd straight week the Michigan defense kept their opponent out of the end zone as they have allowed just 6 points this season on a pair of FGs. The other 2 points scored by Panthers opponents was a safety on a sack in the end zone. The Michigan offense is still lagging as they didn't reach the end zone either, but 4 FGs by Robert Moulton were more than enough for victory today. Michigan allowed Cleveland only 46 total yards after you take away the 47 yards worth of sacks the Panthers had, and they allowed less than 1 ypc on the ground.

Blazers 31 SaberCats 10

Last season, Florida finished 10-6 but missed out on the playoffs, so the 1992 version is doing it's best to avoid that fate. Today was a major test as San Jose has a potent offense and the SaberCats were 2-0 coming in, just like the Blazers. San Jose WR Mark Hsu got his, with 4 catches, 111 yards and a TD but the rest of the SaberCats offense was effectively shut down by the Florida defense. The Blazers intercepted Jake Plummer 3 times, sacked him twice, and forced 2 lost fumbles. On the other side of the ball, QB Sidney Maggard tossed 3 TD passes and threw for 325 yards, while Ronald Kirby had 98 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, 1 rushing and 1 receiving. 

Bulls 28 Renegades 23

Wild finish in Jacksonville as this game had 4 lead changes, including 2 in the final 2 minutes of the game, and Orlando was poised to make it another but time ran out with the offense just 4 yards from paydirt. The offenses for both teams put up over 400 yards and turned it over twice, but the oddest stat of all was red zone possessions. Orlando had 5 of them, scoring 3 TDs and a FG while Jacksonville never got there. 

Jacksonville took a 16-10 lead into the 4th qtr and extended that to 22-10 after Brian Turner's 80 yard TD run (2 point try failed). Orlando would then score 13 unanswered points on 2 Emory Howard TD passes, the second one coming with 1:18 on the clock. That gave Orlando a 23-22 lead after the 2 point try failed, so their defense just needed a stop. That didn't happen as it only took 1 play for Jacksonville to retake the lead as Joseph Serio found Charles Ayers for a 74 yard TD. Yet another 2 point try failed, so Orlando trailed 28-23 but had a minute to score another TD and steal the game. The Renegades almost got it done, but a running play with no timeouts left took too much clock and the drive stalled at the Jacksonville 4.

Stallions 17 Steamer 17 (OT)

Birmingham and Shreveport played 70 minutes of football and a winner could not be determined. Shreveport dominated time of possession thanks to going 11/26 on 3rd down conversions. I don't remember ever seeing more than 26 3rd down attempts but I don't always look, and it led to 98 offensive plays for the Steamer. For Shreveport, Orville Barker ran for 115 yards and Shane Falco passed for 302 and a TD. Ric Flair made his debut for Birmingham and tossed 2 TDs and no INTs, including a 97 yard catch and run TD to Theodore Turner, but he still completed less than 50% of his passes. There was not much end game drama and the OT period was nothing but punts. Both teams are now 1-1-1, a half game behind New Orleans in the South.

Generals 27 Hornets 12

Ric Flair's former team is now 2-0 since his departure as Ernest Simmon tossed TD passes to 3 different receivers and had 303 yards on just 12/20 passing. Backup QB James Wright continued to produce while filling in as a RB as he led the Generals with 129 combined yards, rushing 17 times for 45 adding 84 yards on 2 receptions with a TD. All 3 of Simmon's TD passes were at least 60 yards.

Federals 34 Breakers 13

Boston came in 2-0 and faced a major test against one of the league's elite teams, Washington. The Breakers got a 78 yard TD run from Nicholas Wittrock that tied the game at 10 in the 2nd qtr, but it went downhill from there. The Federals defense held the Boston offense in check and the Washington offense scored touchdowns in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th qtrs to take a 31-10 lead before Boston scored again. QB Scott Bieber threw for 315 yards and TD passes to 3 different receivers and Robert Trammell had 140 combined yards to lead the Federals.

Gamblers 30 Gunslingers 3

Much like Boston, 2-0 San Antonio faced a major test against an elite team with a loss already. The Gamblers played angry, limiting the Gunslingers to 75 total yards. The defense had no sacks but they made stops all day long, allowing just 3 first downs, 1 via penalty. Ryan Dearing ran for 103 yards and Lloyd Ellis had 83 to compliment Tony Dean's 254 yards and 3 TD passes. 

Showboats 30 Blitz 20

Chicago put up 443 yards on Memphis but 2 turnovers were their downfall. Blitz QB Ronald Brown threw for 378 yards and 2 TDs but his 1 INT was returned 21 yards for a TD by Sylvester Teal. WR Patrick Jackson had 123 receiving yards and a TD for Chicago. Memphis QB David Allen completed 18/25, 226 yards and 2 TDs, with 10 different receivers catching a pass. 

Bandits 33 Force 19

We had rookie QBs battling it out in Florida and we saw good and bad things from Thomas Lawson and Milton People. Both QBs threw 2 INTs and while People also tossed a pair of TDs and 331 yards, he was out performed by Lawson, who threw 3 TDs and 468 yards. It certainly helped Lawson that he can throw to likely future HOFer Thomas Whitley, who caught all 3 TDs as part of his 6-184 receiving line. Tampa Bay also had a nice game by RB Paul Meade, who ran for 77 yards while catching 7 passes for 78 more. 

Invaders 27 Wranglers 15

Oakland won a turnover filled game thanks to a interception return for a TD and a punt return TD. Zachary Kincaid got the start for Arizona, their 3rd different starter this season, and he didn't fare much better than the other 2. The Wranglers actually out gained the Invaders 275-224, won the turnover battle 6-4 and also had an INT return for a TD. Yes you read that right, 10 total turnovers. Oakland's Andrew Moreno threw 4 INTs to 3 for Kincaid and the Invaders lost 2 fumbles while Arizona lost 1. The difference in the game was Arizona only kicked FGs when they kept the ball while Oakland was able to score 2 offensive TDs to get the win.

Hawaiians 19 Express 9

Honolulu QB Derek Henry threw for 299 yards and a TD to Scott Stillings, who had 130 combined yards, to lead the Hawaiians to victory. Honolulu held a 10-9 halftime lead and their defense shut out Los Angeles in the second half as they improve to 2-1 on the year.

(NY) Stars 34 Bell 10

New York doubled the yardage of Philadelphia (464-218) and only 1 Willie Bust pass hit the ground as the Stars get their first win of 1992. Bust was 23/26 for 257 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs and the Stars had 207 rushing yards, led by William Hall's 99. One of Bust's interceptions was returned for a TD by the Bell's Chris Moore.

Wheels 22 Outlaws 10

Detroit had 385 yards of offense, most through the air and the defense limited Oklahoma to 136. Detroit did turn the ball over 4 times (3 lost fumbles) and Gabriel Flanagan lost a fumble on a sack for the Oklahoma TD, but not much else went right for the Outlaws as their lack of offense was the name of the game. Flanagan did throw for 351 yards and the Wheels had a pair of 100 yard receivers, James Fischer (8-124) and Thomas Barrerra (7-116). Fischer also added a rushing TD as Detroit improves to 2-1. 

Week 2: A Blowout, A Shootout, and 3 Shutouts

 In Week 2, Baltimore scored a season high 61 points in their 61-3 win over Oklahoma. New Orleans traveled to Denver and hung 30 on the Gold, but they gave up 40 and lost. We also had three shutouts by Portland, Pittsburgh, and Boston. There are currently 9 teams off to a 2-0 start and 9 teams on the 0-2 schneid, and barring ties, 3 teams will come off the list. We have a pair of games featuring 2-0 teams, one an interconference game, Florida @ San Jose while the other is a battle for early control of the Atlantic as Pittsburgh visits Baltimore. Up the road in New York, the Philadelphia Bell play the (NY) Stars as each team seeks their first win of 1992.

Stars 61 Outlaws 3

Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 6 TD passes, 5 to Jeffrey Zimmer as the Stars blew out Oklahoma. Zimmer found the end zone on each of his 5 catches, covering 267 yards and Mark Numbers chipped in with 4 catches, 106 yards and the other TD catch. Snow fell just short of 500 yards passing, finishing with 487, giving him the early league lead (766) in that category.

Gold 40 VooDoo 30

This was like a basketball game in more ways than one. A 40-30 score is like a halftime score in college, or even a full Ivy League game, and both teams had a scoring run, followed by a lot of back and forth scoring at the end of the game. VooDoo QB Bruno Wilson had a more familiar stat line today, completing 42/61 for 390 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT as New Orleans claimed an early 10-0 lead. Denver stormed back with 27 unanswered points for a 27-10 3rd qtr lead. Gold QB Andrew Brewer only completed 19 passes, but he threw for 320 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Douglas Crowley. Jake Peralta caught the other TD as part of his big day, 139 yards on 6 catches plus 57 yards on 15 carries.

The 4th quarter began with that 27-10 score, meaning there were still 33 points to be scored in the final 15 minutes. Bruno Wilson tossed his first TD early in the quarter, but the 2 point try failed and the VooDoo trailed 27-16. Denver would push it to 30-16 with a FG before Wilson found Dorey for a TD, cutting the deficit to 7 points. The Gold answered with Brewer's 3rd TD pass for a 37-23 lead. New Orleans then had their 3rd straight 75 yard TD drive to make the score 37-30 with almost 6 minutes to play. Denver went on a time consuming FG drive to go up by 10, then forcing a four and out to seal the win.

Storm 34 Express 0

Melvin Driggers so far is loving life in the Pacific Northwest, as he is just 5 yards behind Jon Snow with his 761 passing yards, and among qualifiers (min, 15 att a gm), he is 2nd in passer rating behind Florida's Sidney Maggard. Driggers was 32/36 for 405 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. The yards were spread among several players and his 3 TD passes went to 3 different receivers, and while they failed to crack 3 yards a carry, the running game helped control the clock. The Portland defense limited Los Angeles to just 104 total yards.

Maulers 9 Stallions 0

In Pittsburgh, "Winning Ugly" T-shirts are flying off the shelves as the Maulers did just that, again. Birmingham held Pittsburgh to 205 yards and kept the Maulers out of the end zone but QB Stephen Ponder had a rough game. Ponder finished 20/44 for 107 yards and 3 INT, and rumor has it he may have started his last game for awhile as the Stallions claimed former New Jersey QB Ric Flair this week. Pittsburgh did not turn the ball over and the 3 Dominick Cochran FGs stood up for the win.

Breakers 18 Blitz 0

Speaking of winning ugly, that's exactly what Boston has been doing so far. Their defense is for real and they are getting enough offense to outscore their opponents, which doesn't take much giving up 3 points a game. Boston intercepted 2 passes and recovered 3 Blitz fumbles while also chipping in 2 points on a safety with a sack in the end zone. Throw in 3 field goals and a TD pass from steady but unspectacular Joseph Haight and you get an 18-0 Boston win.

Gamblers 25 Federals 20

This was a pretty even statistical game as these two championship contenders faced off. Houston certainly didn't want to start off 0-2 but with the Atlantic now a 3 team race, Washington couldn't afford a loss either. The teams traded TDs in the 1st qtr with Scott Bieber starting things off with an 80 yard TD pass to Robert Trammell. Tony Dean thought he tied the game with his TD pass to Jett Black but the XP was no good and the Gamblers were behind 14-6 after Bieber's 2nd TD pass of the 1st quarter. Prior to the end of the 1st, Ryan Dearing had a 6 yard TD run and this time the XP was good.

That Dearing TD was the start of a 19-0 run for Houston as Gamblers kicker Earl Castro nailed 2 FGs but missed another XP following Dean's 2nd TD pass. That made the halftime score 25-14 Houston but the gamblers would be shutout in the second half. Washington got within 25-20 on a pair of John Bazile FGs but their last drive for a game winning TD ended with a turnover on downs inside the red zone and Houston ran out the clock.

Wheels 20 Thunderbolts 19

Cleveland out gained Detroit 342-253, didn't turn the ball over and forced the Wheels running game to go in reverse, allowing -36 yards on 16 carries, yet they fall on a last second 50 yard Kent Olden FG. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan completed 23/28 for 299 yards and 2 TDs and his favorite target was Matthew Houston, who caught 7 for 151 yards and a TD. Detroit played bend but don't break defense as they allowed all FGs in 3 red zone trips, keeping them in the game as their rushing "attack" went backward. Cleveland also missed a FG right before Detroit's last drive, which proved costly.

SaberCats 30 Invaders 25

Oakland got the memo about Mark Hsu as they held him to a regular 4-72-0 stat line, but San Jose ran for exactly 200 yards and 3 TDs as the SaberCats got out 20-7 on the Invaders. Oakland then scored 12 in a row, including 9 points lightning fast. Jake Plummer was sacked in the end zone for a safety by Robert Poe and Oliver Thomas took the free kick 98 yards to the house to pull the Invaders within a point. San Jose would score the next 10 points for a 30-19 lead before Oliver Thomas had a 3 yard TD run. The 2 point try failed and Oakland trailed 30-25 with 5:17 left but never saw the ball again. 

Gunslingers 20 Sun 10

Southern California started the scoring with a FG and ended the scoring with a TD, but San Antonio scored 20 points in between for the win. The Gunslingers had ball control even if they didn't move it well, rushing for 110 yards on 50 carries. They only attempted 14 passes all day, completing 9, but with their defense forcing 4 turnovers, the Gunslingers scoring drives didn't need to go far. RB Lemon Jefferson had a rushing line of 29 carries, 42 yards and 2 TDs.

Renegades 27 Force 18

Orlando racked up 532 yards of offense including 432 passing from Emory Howard. The Renegades had a pair of 100 yard receivers as David King had 152 on 7 catches and Cam Dalton had 122 on 6. Dalton also ran for 53 yards as the Renegades built leads of 19-3 and 27-10. Georgia got 2 TD passes from Milton People in the 4th qtr but it was too little too late to help the Force win.

Panthers 17 Bell 3

Michigan opted to start rookie QB Larry Henderson and he threw for 195 yards and 2 TD with 0 INTs, completing 25/35 passes. Philadelphia was able to move the ball some through the air but their running game struggled, as did the Bell run defense. Michigan ran for 116 yards and won comfortably despite losing 2 fumbles. 

Showboats 18 Hornets 9

Charlotte out gained Memphis 356-161 but the Hornets suffered 3 turnovers and 4 red zone trips with no TDs, settling for 3 FGs. The Showboats took advantage of the field position for 3 FGs to go with their 1 73 yard TD drive. Sylvester Teal sacked Robert Ament in the end zone to round out the Memphis scoring in the win over Charlotte.

Blazers 20 Hawaiians 3

Florida QB Sidney Maggard threw 2 TD passes and Gerald Hinton booted a pair of FGs to lead the Blazers to the win over Honolulu. The Florida defense intercepted Derek Henry twice and held the Hawaiians to 190 total yards to improve to 2-0.

Steamer 32 Wranglers 3

Arizona got on the scoreboard first with a FG before Gregory Skidmore hit the skids stat wise. Local sports talk radio was calling him Skidmark after his 13/35, 74 yard 2 INT performance. Shreveport got 128 rushing yards from Orville Barker and rushing TDs from David Oldham and Francisco Dement for a 14-3 lead. The rest of the scoring was courtesy of the leg of William Neal who booted 6 FGs to help the Steamer win.

Bandits 9 Bulls 3

Tampa Bay out gained Jacksonville 361-92 as they overcame 3 INTs by rookie QB Thomas Lawson to defeat the Bulls in a FG kicking contest 9-3. In between the turnovers, Lawson threw for 327 yards and got the Bandits in FG range often enough to avoid an 0-2 start.

Generals 29 (NY) Stars 13

Ernest Simmon got the start at QB for New Jersey following the release of Ric Flair and backup QB James Wright led the Generals in rushing (14-79), although Kurt Cobain also contributed 74 yards on 12 carries. Both Simmon and New York QB Willie Bust threw 2 INTs, but Simmon also threw 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers in the 2nd qtr as the Generals built a 21-7 halftime lead. New York got within 8 in the second half before a safety turned the momentum back in New Jersey's favor, and the Generals held on for the win.

1992 Season Begins

 We are 2 weeks into the 1992 season and if I asked each of you before the season to tell me the 9 teams to start 2-0 and I bet nobody would get more than 6 or 7 correct. San Jose, Portland, Denver, Michigan, Baltimore and Pittsburgh would have been on a lot of lists, but that's just 6 of our 2-0 teams. Florida nearly made the playoffs last season, finishing 10-6 so I could see a few people picking them to be 2-0. The other 2-0 teams are the San Antonio Gunslingers and Boston Breakers. The Gunslingers and Breakers are winning with defense, and while it's certainly very early in the season, it's nice to see franchises have some success after a lot of losing seasons. 

Week 1

Maulers 13 Gamblers 12

Pittsburgh and Houston both have championship aspirations, yet one has to start the season 0-1. The Gamblers out gained the Maulers 350-288 but could only get field goals instead of touchdowns, which wasn't enough to win the game. Tony Dean completed 28/37 but for just 235 yards and an INT, while Donald Turner ran for 89, adding 52 receiving yards to be the game's stat leader. Pittsburgh's Will Allison only threw for 210 yards but he also threw a TD pass for the game's only TD, a 6 yard pass to Michael Merlino in the 2nd quarter. Pittsburgh wins ugly again.

Stallions 17 Force 13

This game is being highlighted for it's wild final 2 minutes, as the first 58 minutes of action saw a score of 7-6 Birmingham. Gerald Hinton booted a FG just after the 2 minute warning, extending the Stallions lead to 10-6. The Birmingham defense forced Georgia to go three and out and the offense just needed to run the clock down, but they decided to pass instead. Bad decision, as Stephen Ponder threw an interception and 2 plays later, Force QB Milton People tossed a 23 yard TD to Matthew Taylor. That score gave Georgia a short lived 13-10 lead, because Stephen Ponder responded with a 75 yard TD pass to Theodore Turner to retake the lead 17-13. Georgia would have 41 seconds to try for another TD but time ran out on them and Birmingham escapes with the W.

Storm 41 Wranglers 9

New Portland QB Melvin Driggers threw for 356 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Champions to an impressive win over Arizona. Tough draw for the Wranglers in Week 1 as Portland is expected to have another double digit win season.

Stars 17 Showboats 3

Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw 2 TD passes to lead the Baltimore offense, and the Stars defense held Memphis to only 207 offensive yards in the victory. 

VooDoo 15 Steamer 10

The new look New Orleans VooDoo failed to score a TD and fell behind 7-0 early, but 5 Jordan Fuller FGs were enough to earn the victory over division rival Shreveport. QB Bruno Wilson was asked after the game how it felt throwing just 24 passes..."I don't care if I throw 24, 124 or 4 passes, just as long as we win."

Thunderbolts 17 Generals 3

New Jersey out gained Cleveland, but the Thunderbolts scored first on a fumble return for a TD. The mistakes would continue throughout the game for the Generals as Ric Flair tossed 4 INTs. The performance was so bad, Flair was cut and is currently on waivers.

SaberCats 35 Renegades 14

The teams combined for over 800 yards of offense but Orlando turned the ball over twice and had no answer for WR Mark Hsu. San Jose's 3rd year WR has had many huge statistical games in his short career, but a 306 yard, 4 TD day is still pretty special.

Federals 33 Bandits 13

Tampa Bay is throwing rookie QB Thomas Lawson right into the fire, with his first test coming against a powerhouse Washington team. The Federals boast one of the best defenses in the league and they made life rough for the rookie, who will have better days ahead. The Federals already potent offense got better during the off season with the addition of Robert Trammell, who had 85 rushing yards and 75 receiving. Scott Bieber threw for 306 yards and 3 TDs to lead the balanced attack.

Panthers 17 Wheels 5

Michigan got 2 TD passes from William Mauriello and the Panthers defense forced 3 turnovers and eliminated the Detroit ground game. It was an ugly game, 5 fumbles combined, 5 total turnovers (2 lost fumbles, 3 INTs), and the Panthers scored 3 points total in 3 red zone trips, but they will gladly take the win.

Hawaiians 30 Express 14

Honolulu QB Derek Henry threw for 340 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Hawaiians to victory. Los Angeles put up 336 yards of offense, led by WR Milton Pearce's 7 catches for 197 yards and 2 TDs, but the Express lost the turnover battle 3-1 and the game 30-14.

Invaders 26 Sun 7

Oakland QB Andrew Moreno was an efficient 27/32 with a TD and 232 yards to lead the Invaders to the victory. The Oakland defense held Southern California to 139 offensive yards and recorded 3 sacks and 2 takeaways. 

Blazers 34 Bulls 10

Florida QB Sidney Maggard only completed 17 passes but they covered 311 yards and produced 4 TDs as the Blazers run the Bulls. The Jacksonville defense could not cover Ray Parker today as he caught 5 passes for 235 yards and 3 TDs. 

Hornets 30 Bell 24

Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez threw for 268 yards and 3 TDs (0 INT) but it wasn't enough to beat Charlotte on this day. Hornets QB Robert Ament threw for 346 yards and 2 TDs to Randall Liles (3-123-2) as Charlotte built an early 21-3 lead, then held on for the win.

Gold 22 Blitz 14

Chicago got out to a fast 14-3 lead but the Blitz had trouble running the ball all game long, enabling Denver to chip away at that lead. Jake Peralta was the stat king of the game (187 combined yards) and his 2nd qtr TD got the Gold within 14-10, and 2 FGs gave the Gold a 16-14 lead after 3 quarters. The score remained that until a late Richard Huff TD pushed the Denver lead to 8 points, and that stood up for the Gold as they go to 1-0.

Gunslingers 19 Outlaws 3

San Antonio held Oklahoma to 124 yards of offense, forced 3 turnovers and recorded 3 sacks to start the season 1-0. Neither teams running game did much outside of Charlie Shank's 75 yard TD run, as he was 18 for 29 yards on the rest of his carries, but that TD clearly gave the Gunslingers the momentum, and the defense did the rest.

Breakers 9 (NY) Stars 6

New York had an efficient offense but lacked the big play in this game as their longest play from scrimmage was 14 yards. Willie Bust completed 18/29 for just 116 yards, as it seems Boston still has their tough pass D from last season. The Stars ran the ball well but the offense never could crack the end zone, scoring 2 FGs for a 6-0 lead in the 3rd qtr. Boston RB James Nash scored on a 9 yard run late in the 3rd but the XP was no good, so we were tied at 6. With 0:13 left, New York K Ed Jetton attempted a 57 yard FG, which was short. Boston took over, got a quick 22 yard completion to set Ellis Devoe up for a game winning 50 yard FG at the gun. The kick was good and Boston starts 1-0.