Week 12 saw the Portland Storm defeat the 10-1 Florida Blazers and clinch the West Division title in the process. The New Jersey Generals have not won the East yet, but they have clinched at least a wildcard spot with today's win over Baltimore. We have 9 teams already eliminated, leaving 21 teams fighting for the remaining 10 playoff spots. Good luck down the stretch everyone.
Storm 26 Blazers 7
Portland and Florida entered the game with identical 10-1 records, with the Storm coming out on top, clinching the West Division. Storm RB James Pritchard's short TD run got Portland on the board first and Timothy Roquemore ran in a score in the 2nd for a 14-0 lead. QB Melvin Driggers was an efficient 24/31 for 217 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The TD came in the 2nd qtr as Portland took a 20-0 lead into halftime, but Alan Grossi missed the XP. Portland would extend the lead in the 3rd when Pritchard ran in an 86 yard TD run. Grossi missed the XP again, but the Portland defense allowed just a 4th qtr TD to win the game 26-7.
Generals 53 Stars 16
New Jersey scored 5 times in the first quarter alone, with 3 touchdowns, a FG and a safety for a quick 26-0 lead. K Al Borland extended the lead to 29-0 early in the 2nd before Baltimore went on a 16-0 run to get within 13 points midway through the 3rd. New Jersey then went on another run of their own, scoring the last 24 points of the game to win going away. The win plus the Florida loss means the Generals are currently the #1 seed in the National Conference. New Jersey and Florida play each other in Week 15. The loss puts Baltimore in a tough spot, tied with Tampa Bay 1 game behind Pittsburgh for the last wildcard spot.
For Baltimore, Jon Snow was 25/45, 271 yards, 1 TD and 4 INTs, with the TD going to John Warkentin, who caught 4 for 119 yards. Generals QB Don Ferguson was 40/52, 489 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT. RB Sam Beckett ran for 68 yards and a TD with 5 catches covering 84 yards, for a solid game. Rookie RB David Koresh only ran for 25 yards, but he caught 13 passes for 185 yards and a TD.
Steamer 13 Showboats 8
Jeffrey Morris ran for a short TD and David Oldham ran 25 times for 100 yards to lead Shreveport to 13 points today. Neither QB topped 200 yards and both were sacked twice, but Memphis QB Norman Maldonado threw 2 INTs leading to 10 Shreveport points. Shreveport held Memphis to 239 total yards and 2/15 on 3rd down conversions as Shreveport upsets Memphis.
Gamblers 30 Outlaws 7
Tony Dean didn't have his most efficient game, but he was 33/50, 409 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs to lead Houston to victory. RB Donald Turner ran for 63 yards and had 97 receiving yards to lead the skill group. Dean's TD passes went to Jett Black, Lloyd Ellis and Hugh Chance. The Gamblers defense forced 3 turnovers and held Oklahoma to 252 yards.
Stallions 31 VooDoo 14
New Orleans and Birmingham met to determine which team would be at the top of the South and the VooDoo got on the board first. Donald Briggs ran it in from 2 yards out for a 7-0 New Orleans lead, but Birmingham took the lead into halftime with a FG and a Willie Benge TD pass. Richard Sutton ran in a TD for the Stallions in the 3rd qtr and Birmingham led 17-7 heading to the 4th. The Stallions extended the lead to 20-7 before Bruno Wilson found Donald Marsh for a short TD pass to pull New Orleans within 6. There was just 2:22 to play so the VooDoo opted to try an onside kick. That failed, leading to another FG, then Bruno Wilson threw a Pick 6 to Charles Sermons, and the 2 point conversion was good. The win means Birmingham is in sole possession of first place in the South.
Maulers 19 Blitz 10
Pittsburgh scored the first 3 times they had the ball, although only one score was a TD, as they built a 13-0 lead. QB Will Allison finished the day 27/42, 275 yards and a 22 yard TD pass to Joel Davis and the Maulers defense forced Chicago into three and outs on their first 5 drives. The 6th Blitz drive of the half ended with an interception, as did their first second half "drive". That INT turned into a FG for Pittsburgh, extending their lead to 16-0. Chicago tried to get back into the game with a TD and a FG on their next 2 drives, but they would get no closer, as they would miss a FG and turn the ball over on downs twice. The win coupled with the Baltimore loss means Pittsburgh controls their own playoff destiny, as the Maulers are currently the #6 seed.
Hawaiians 12 Bell 7
Philadelphia came into the game on a 2 game losing streak after starting the season 9-0, and they needed a good showing today to get their confidence back. QB Robert Hernandez got the Bell on the board first with a 36 yard TD pass to James Jones for an early 7-0 lead. Honolulu is also in the playoff hunt, currently the #6 seed in the American Conference, and Derek Henry brought them back with a 2nd qtr TD pass to Michael Argueta, but the XP was no good. That left the Bell still leading 7-6, and Hawaiians K David McInnis also missed a FG attempt previously.
Philadelphia's offense went nowhere after their TD and neither QB played particularly well, with Henry tossing 3 INTs and Hernandez 2. Henry did manage to throw a 2nd TD pass early in the 4th qtr to Delmar Moeller, but the 2 point try failed, making the score 12-7 Honolulu. Philadelphia's last 4 drives resulted in an interception, three and out, four and out, and the end of the game, 40 yards short of the game winning TD.
Gold 25 Panthers 9
Our defending champs Denver are currently the 10th seed, 2 games out of the last wildcard spot, and while extra games seems unlikely, they can still play spoiler. With their top 2 RB hurt, the Gold threw it on every down except the final kneeldown of the game. Midwest leading Michigan only ran 11 times as we had a whopping 143 passes thrown, 88 by Denver's Andrew Brewer. Despite the lack of rushing attempts, the teams combined for 3 fumbles, which is odd. Despite all of the passes, no receiver had a 100 yard game and the first TD was scored in the 4th qtr with 5:45 to play. Up to the TD, Denver was winning the FG contest 6-2 for an 18-6 lead.
Brewer finished the game 53/88, 335 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs, getting sacked twice. Michigan's Larry Henderson completed 21/55, 116 yards, 2 INTs and 7 sacks.
Thunderbolts 30 Invaders 19
The Michigan loss opened the door for Cleveland to tie the Panthers atop the Midwest if they could defeat Oakland today. Tony Romo found James Bull for a 49 yard TD to give the Thunderbolts a 10-3 lead in the 2nd qtr, before throwing interceptions on the next 2 drives. Those turnovers led to a pair of Andrew Moreno TD passes to Patrick Miller and the Invaders took a 16-10 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Cleveland scored touchdowns on their first 3 possessions, while Oakland managed just a FG and the Thunderbolts would go on to win the game. Romo ended with 2 TD passes and the Cleveland running game added 191 yards and a pair of scores, including a 76 yard TD run by Evan Hershey.
Federals 20 Hornets 0
A good running game and solid defense can be a struggling QB's best friends, and that's the case for Federals QB Scott Bieber. RB Robert Trammell ran for 73 yards and had 72 yards receiving while the Washington defense held Charlotte to just 98 offensive yards as Washington shut out the Hornets 20-0. Bieber finished 25/34, 205 yards, 0 TD but also 0 INT, with a 2 point conversion pass to Trammell. K John Bazile added 4 FGs to the scoreboard tally.
SaberCats 55 Gunslingers 2
San Jose had their big play offense working today, while the defense shut out San Antonio, with the only Gunslingers points coming on a safety by their defense. The SaberCats ran for 132 yards as a team on 42 carries, and it would have looked better but Ryan Clark gained 15 feet on 24 carries. That's only 5 yards however, and whatever they did against Clark, they did not do against Rodney Richardson, who had 120 yards and a TD on 14 carries. QB Jake Plummer continues to do a lot with few pass attempts, throwing for 458 yards and 6 TDs on only 15 completions in 21 attempts. WR Mark Hsu caught all 6 TDs, finishing with 391 yards on 8 catches.
Bandits 29 Renegades 20
Tampa Bay got out to a 20-3 halftime lead on Orlando as Antonio Martinez fired a 1st qtr TD pass and the Bandits defense returned a fumble for a TD. Tampa Bay would extend the lead to 23-3 before Orlando came back with 17 unanswered points to get within 23-20. The Bandits would score a pair of FGs in the 4th, extending their lead to 29-20, and they held on for the win. Martinez finished 21/31, 402 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, with 117 yards going to Garry Fowler on 4 receptions.
Breakers 13 Bulls 13 (OT)
Jacksonville and Boston played 70 minutes of football without determining a winner in a mistake filled game. The Bulls out rushed the Breakers 138-130 despite half as many carries but Derek Joyce tossed 4 INTs, which led to 10 of Boston's 13 points. The Breakers turned the ball over twice, once on an INT, once on a fumble and each kicker missed game winning FG opportunities. Jacksonville K Brian Johnson was hoping to shake all night long but his 45 yard FG attempt in the final minute was wide right, making the walk back to the sideline feel like the highway to hell. Misery loves company though, as Ellis Devoe was also wide right on a 45 yard FG try as the OT clock expired, leaving the game tied.
(NY) Stars 13 Force 7
New York got 83 yards rushing from William Hall and he caught a 3 yard pass from Willie Bust for the Stars only TD of the game as they defeat Georgia today. New York K Ed Jetton booted a pair of FGs and the Stars defense held off a late rally, as the clock expired with Georgia 11 yards away from the end zone. This was New York's 2nd straight win while Georgia lost their 3rd in a row.
Wheels 13 Wranglers 3
Arizona scored first and the Wranglers played turnover free football, but the Detroit offense did just enough to win the game 13-3. Detroit turned the ball over once, but they converted 11/18 3rd downs with 311 yards of offense. QB Gabriel Flanagan completed 35/46 for 259 yards with a TD and an INT. The TD was a 6 yard pass to Thomas Barrera that gave the Wheels a 10-3 lead at the half. The second half was mostly punts for both teams, with Detroit ending one drive with a FG and the Wranglers had the clock run out on their last drive. The Wheels hold on for their 3rd straight win, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.
Sun 29 Express 10
Southern California had 410 offensive yards and the Sun scored on 7 of their 11 drives in defeating Los Angeles today. QB Wilmer Kimble completed 28/46 for 297 yards and 1 TD that should have been 2. Kimble completed a pass to Joseph Baker, who got down to the Express 4 yard line before fumbling the ball. It took a perfect bounce though, as Baker recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a TD, which does not get credited to Kimble. The TD Kimble did get went to RB Gene Ingram, who caught 7 for 124 yards. Southern California did allow Los Angeles 298 offensive yards but they also sacked William Mauriello twice and forced him into 2 INTs.
