Week 7 saw the Portland Storm lose for the first time this season, leaving only the Florida Blazers and Philadelphia Bell undefeated in 1993. The Southern California Sun beat the Oklahoma Outlaws for their first win of the season, meaning we won't have an 0-16 team this season.
This week's blog will be an abridged version as I had a long weekend of work. The good news is I made more money over these last 2 days than any non holiday 2 day stretch of work ever. People started getting their stimulus money and spent it on alcohol and pizza and bigger tips. The bad news is not only am I wiped out, but Dayton drivers didn't spend any of their newly found cash on driving lessons.
Invaders 13 Storm 6
Portland was 6-0 coming into the game because they don't make very many mistakes but the Storm couldn't get out of their own way today. Melvin Driggers threw an INT on the opening drive then K Alan Grossi missed an XP after a Portland TD in the 2nd qtr to give the Storm a brief 6-3 lead. Oakland QB Andrew Moreno threw an 80 yard TD pass to Nelson Martinez to give the Invaders a 10-6 halftime lead. The second half was a kicking contest with 6 punts, an Oakland FG and 2 missed FGs by Grossi with no TDs by either team, giving Oakland the upset victory.
Blazers 34 Wranglers 8
Arizona was playing their second straight game against an unbeaten foe, and the result was predictable. The Wranglers scored first and last, but got crushed 34-3 in between as Florida improves to 7-0. Sidney Maggard tossed 2 TD passes to TE William Merkel and RB Kevin Forester ran for exactly 100 yards to lead the Blazers offense. Florida also got a defensive score as Richard Smith returned an interception 56 yards for a TD.
Bell 27 Breakers 3
Philadelphia's defense held Boston to 139 offensive yards and the Bell offense produced 3 players with 100+ yards and a TD. RB Jamie Epperson led the Bell rushing attack with 140 yards and a TD on 22 carries while James Moon added 101 and a TD on 18 carries. Philadelphia ran 50 times in all for 273 yards, which meant the passing game didn't need to do much, as Robert Hernandez was 12/24, 185 yards and a TD. That score was caught by Craig Hines, who finished with 3 catches and 111 yards to help Philadelphia improve to 7-0.
Generals 29 (NY) Stars 2
New Jersey scored 2 FGs and a TD on their first 3 drives and the Generals defense allowed just 77 total yards in the victory that keeps them 1 game behind 7-0 Philadelphia. QB Don Ferguson threw 2 TD passes, 1 INT and 1 safety, on a completion to David Koresh, who failed to make it out of the end zone. K Al Borland was 5/5 on FG attempts, giving him a league high 22 on the year.
Maulers 24 Stars 21
Pittsburgh started off on fire, scoring each of the first 3 times they had the ball, amassing a 17-0 halftime lead. Baltimore had 3 punts and 2 turnovers on their 5 first half possessions, but the Stars bounced back with 3 3rd qtr TDs to take a 21-17 lead. The Maulers offense helped Baltimore out during the Stars run with 3 turnovers and 3 punts, but the 4th qtr saw the script flip. Baltimore lost a fumble early in the 4th, leading to a Maulers TD then Jon Snow threw 2 interceptions down the stretch in the failed comeback attempt.
Federals 17 Wheels 0
Scott Bieber and the Federals offense aren't exactly over their recent slump, but they did play turnover free football. The 17 points isn't much, but the Federals defense allowed Detroit nothing, and the win allows the Federals to remain tied atop the Atlantic division. RB Robert Trammell ran for 73, adding 61 receiving yards on 8 catches while fellow RB James Dunn scored both Washington TDs, one on the ground, one through the air.
Gamblers 29 Hawaiians 0
Tony Dean completed 30/34 passes for 314 yards and 4 TDs, 2 to Wesley Hull, and the Houston defense kept Honolulu off the scoreboard in the shutout win. Houston started off slow in the first half, with just a 10-0 lead at the break, but halftime adjustments were made. Dean and the Gamblers offense scored TDs on each of their first 3 second half drives to put the game away, although K Earl Castro missed 2 XP kicks.
Showboats 27 Gunslingers 16
San Antonio hung tough with Memphis in the first half, but the Showboats offense, specifically WR Thomas Ballard were too much to overcome. Ballard caught 4 passes for 166 yards and 1 of Norman Maldonado's 2 TD passes as Memphis wins to remain tied with Houston atop the Southwest division.
Sun 26 Outlaws 3
RB Michael Johnson ran for 89 yards and a TD while also catching 3 passes for 26 yards and a TD to lead Southern California over Oklahoma. The Sun overcame 3 Wilmer Kimble INTs thanks to Johnson and the defense, which limited the Outlaws to 189 total yards.
Gold 61 Blitz 10
Defending Champion Denver is not having the best season, but they will always have a World Bowl Trophy to console themselves, and for this week, the knowledge that they can still perform at a high level. The Gold reminded Chicago, and the rest of the league that they are still a formidable team by putting up 679 offensive yards to just 190 for the Blitz. Denver intercepted 4 Ronald Brown passes while getting 521 yards and 4 TDs from Andrew Brewer. Richard Huff caught 2 of the TD passes, amassing 200 yards in all on 5 receptions while Richard Funkhouser had 129 yards for his 5 catches. RB Fredrick Whidden caught the other 2 TD passes, RB Max Ellis ran in 2 scores and Jake Peralta ran for exactly 100 yards with a TD and caught 4 passes for 65 yards.
SaberCats 34 Express 17
You can't keep WR Mark Hsu down forever. Hsu was coming off back to back sub 100 yard games, but Jake Plummer found Hsu 9 times today for a league high 293 yards and 4 TDs as the SaberCats rebound from their first loss of the season by defeating Los Angeles. The San Jose defense held the Express to 216 total yards and sacked William Mauriello 4 times today.
Panthers 37 Thunderbolts 3
Michigan only led 17-3 after 3 quarters, but the Panthers defense forced 3 turnovers in the 4th quarter alone, plus a turnover on downs to help the offense break the game open with 20 4th qtr points. Michigan QB Larry Henderson completed 27/38 for just 212 yards but the important numbers were 4 TDs and 0 INTs. WR James Hillis caught all 4 scoring passes, 8 in all covering 117 yards as the Panthers take advantage of 6 Cleveland turnovers, 4 of them lost fumbles.
VooDoo 42 Force 20
Georgia had over 400 yards of offense against New Orleans, including 326 yards passing and 2 TDs from Milton People but 2 lost fumbles turned the tide in the VooDoo's favor. The game was tied at 7 and the Force were in scoring range but a lost fumble thwarted that drive and the VooDoo took the ball and drove 90 yards for a TD of their own. Then on the first drive of the 2nd half, trailing 21-7, Georgia lost another fumble which led to another New Orleans TD and the rout was on. QB Joseph Jones completed 21/25 for 216 yards and 2 TDs while Thomas Thomas ran for 151 yards with 1 rushing and 1 receiving TD. RB Donald Briggs ran in 3 TDs of his own as New Orleans was a perfect 6 for 6 scoring red zone touchdowns today.
Bandits 27 Bulls 20
Tampa Bay QB Antonio Martinez completed 25/42 for 325 yards, 3 TD and 3 INT as the Bandits score 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter for a come from behind win over division rival Jacksonville. Both of the Bulls turnovers occurred in the 4th qtr, as did 3 of their 5 punts, yet Jacksonville was still in position to send the game to overtime. The final Bulls drive began at their own 36 with 2:24 to play, and they got down to the Bandits 3 yard line for a 1st and goal with 0:15 on the clock and no timeouts. They needed a TD, so surely they would throw for it, but they ran instead, getting stuffed and allowing the clock to expire.
Steamer 28 Stallions 3
It was 70 degrees and sunny in Birmingham, yet neither team threw the ball well at all, combining for 188 passing yards. Shreveport QB George Marcil was at least passable, completing 18/27 for 100 yards and a TD while Willie Benge was 15/42 for 88 yards and 6 INTs. David Oldham ran for 90 yards and a TD and William Neal made 4/5 FGs to lead the Steamer offense.
Renegades 9 Hornets 3
Charlotte got on the board first thanks to a 41 yard Lawrence Linville FG in the 1st quarter, but it was all downhill from there. Orlando got a 2nd qtr TD pass from Emory Howard to Daniel Williams and the defense tacked on a late safety, sacking Robert Ament in the end zone. Those 9 points stood up to give the Renegades the victory over Charlotte.
