Week 15 saw some teams earn a playoff invitation while other teams got the bad news that their season is over next week. Two of the teams getting that bad news were our defending champs Denver and the National Conference champs Baltimore, meaning we'll have a pair of brand new teams in World Bowl XX. Let's dig into the action...
Steamer 22 VooDoo 17
New Orleans sports talk radio went ballistic after the game, criticizing the game management of HC Samuel Jones. The critics might have some valid points, but it's easy to make the right decision in hindsight from the couch. Two things for those "fans", first of all the decisions were consistent with what Jones has done all season long and second, had the VooDoo executed better in the first 45 minutes, Jones wouldn't have to channel his inner Riverboat Ron Rivera.
To set up the fans angst, Shreveport had just kicked a FG late in the 3rd for a 16-3 lead. The New Orleans offense finally woke up after gaining less than 100 yards up to this point. QB Joseph Jones led the VooDoo on a 6 play, 75 yard TD drive, the last 58 coming on a TD pass to Eric Duncan to cut the lead to 16-10. Shreveport would drive for a FG and a 9 point lead before New Orleans faced a 4th and 4 from their own 31 with over 9 minutes to play. Rather than punt, Jones decided to go for it and failed, putting the Steamer in instant FG range. Shreveport K William Neal made his 5th FG of the day to give the Steamer a 22-10 lead with 7 minutes to go. The VooDoo then went on a 12 play, 75 yard drive that took just under 3 minutes off the clock, with Joseph Jones throwing an 11 yard TD pass to Roderick Patterson, making the score 22-17. There were still over 4 minutes left, so the VooDoo could have kicked away, but they opted for an onside kick, which failed. Luckily for them, Neal finally missed a FG so New Orleans could win with a TD rather than needing a TD and a 2 point conversion. It didn't matter as the Shreveport defense held and the offense ran out all but 6 seconds.
Both QBs were accurate today with Jones completing 29/38, 250 yards and 2 TDs while Shreveport's George Marcil completed 18/22 for 271 yards and a TD. The Steamer win forces a 3 way tie atop the South division standings, setting up a wild Week 16.
Stallions 24 Breakers 14
Boston was the better offensive team today, especially through the air but mistakes broke the Breakers chances at spoiling Birmingham's post season bid. Boston fumbled on their first drive and turned it over on downs deep in Stallions territory on their second. Their 4th and last drive of the half ended with an interception, giving Birmingham the ball in FG range with 0:36 left. The Stallions went backwards, but Gerald Hinton was good from 49 yards out for a 3-0 halftime lead.
Boston tied the game at 3 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd qtr, but Francis Schultz returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a TD. Boston would cut the lead to 10-6 in the middle of the 4th before a wild final 4 and a half minutes. Boston QB Adam Scales had a pretty good game except for turnovers, and his 2nd INT came at a really bad time and in really bad field position. Birmingham took over on the Breakers 13 and a few plays later Willie Benge found Jermaine Voight for a 4 yard TD, extending the lead to 17-6. Undeterred, Scales led Boston 75 yards in 7 plays, finishing the TD drive with a 34 yard pass to Craig Maddox. Scales added the 2 point conversion via the air to Emanuel Adams. This pulled the Breakers within 17-14 inside the 2 minute warning and the onside kick failed. Benge took advantage of the field position, firing a 23 yard TD pass to Joseph Oliver.
The win enables Birmingham to be part of the 3 way logjam atop the South.
Thunderbolts 24 Hornets 6
Cleveland's defense and RB Bobby Colley led the Thunderbolts to victory over Charlotte today, keeping their lead in the race for the #6 seed. Cleveland QB Tony Romo didn't do much, but he didn't need to as his counterpart, Robert Ament, threw 5 INTs. The first 2 led to Thunderbolt TDs, with Bobby Colley running in both scores. Late in the 3rd quarter, Colley padded his stats with his 3rd TD run, a 71 yard jaunt that helped him finish with 106 yards and 3 TDs on 18 carries. Cleveland K Carlos Reed only made 1 of 3 FGs, but CB Ronald Briggs (3 INTs) and the defense made sure it didn't matter.
Invaders 19 Bandits 7
The Oakland defense forced 3 turnovers and held Tampa Bay to 18 minutes of possession as they defeat the Bandits. Neither team ran the ball well, averaging around 3 feet per carry (3 feet sounds better than 1 yard), but the Bandits also struggled in the air. Oakland QB Andrew Moreno completed 30/44 for 302 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, and while RB Ronald McDevitt ran like he was stuck in mud (28 carries, 22 yards) he caught 10 passes for 91 yards to help the Invaders convert 8/21 3rd downs.
Oakland might be bitter rivals with Portland playing them twice a year, but next week they are the biggest Storm fans of all. If Portland beats Cleveland next week, Oakland is in the playoffs with a win.
Hawaiians 33 Outlaws 27
Coming into today's game, Oklahoma has only had 2 games with a 300 yard passer in the decade of the 90's, and they have only surpassed 20 points 6 times in that same time span. Today the Outlaws did both, leading Honolulu 27-17 at the 2 minute warning. Hawaiians QB Edwin Clarkson threw his 2nd TD pass of the game with 1:41 left, a 43 yard pass to Brian Vizcarra to pull Honolulu within 27-23. The XP was no good but the onside kick was, so the Hawaiians still had a chance at victory. Clarkson took all the drama out of it with a 53 yard TD to Michael Argueta on the next play to take the lead 30-27 once this XP sailed through the uprights. Oklahoma QB John Crisp had time to lead a tying or winning drive but 1 completion in 4 plays netted just 2 yards, turning it over on downs and allowing Honolulu to tack on 3 points.
Crisp finished 24/39, 317 yards and 2 TDs, with Clint Young the leading receiver with 144 yards and a TD on 4 catches. For Honolulu, Clarkson completed 25/44, 327 yards. 3 TD, 1 INT and RB Anthony Davis ran for 101 yards.
Storm 47 Blitz 16
Melvin Driggers threw for 430 yards and 3 TDs (2 INTs) and the Portland RBBC ran 28 times for 171 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Storm over Chicago. Richard Robinson caught 7 passes for 165 yards and 2 TDs while Jeffrey Frost caught 5 for 110 yards and the other TD pass. It wasn't all offense for Portland as the defense intercepted 4 Ronald Brown passes and held the Blitz to 2/11 on 3rd down.
Panthers 62 Wranglers 0
Michigan QB Larry Henderson came into the game with 25 INTs on the season but it was Arizona QB Zachary Kinkead who had interception problems today, throwing 5. Meanwhile, Henderson carved up the Wranglers defense like a Christmas ham, completing 47/62, 508 yards and 8 TDs. Oh, and 0 INTs. Doing the most damage at the other end of all those passes was WR James Hills, who caught 17 for 202 yards and 4 TDs.
Federals 36 Stars 31
Washington and Baltimore usually play exciting games and it's a shame we won't be getting a 3rd game between these bitter Atlantic division rivals. The Stars were fighting for their playoff lives, and QB Jon Snow threw for 350 yards and 4 TDs, while Washington's Scott Bieber regressed to the slumping QB we saw in the middle of the season, completing 16/34 for 109 yards and an INT. That doesn't tell the whole story though, as Snow also threw 3 INTs and the Stars defense was shredded on the ground by Robert Trammell and James Dunn. Trammell got the big yardage, 19 carries, 162 yards and 1 TD while Dunn scored twice in 10 carries for 114 yards. The game saw 5 lead changes and a tie after Washington took an early 7-0 lead, the last on a 50 yard John Bazile FG early in the 4th. The game remained 26-24 Washington until the Federals scored 10 points in an 82 second span late in the quarter. Baltimore would score last to get within 5 points but the onside kick failed, as did the Stars last ditch drive.
Bulls 13 Gold 3
What a difference a year makes. The 1993 regular season has been a disappointment for Denver, but nobody can take away their World Bowl trophy from last season. The Gold opted to start journeyman QB William Oleson, and while he did complete 50% of his passes, 18 completions only covered 116 yards and 3 of his passes ended up in the hands of the defense. Jacksonville QB Derek Joyce actually had less yards per completion, finishing 32/48, 176 yards and a TD, but no turnovers.The Bulls win their second in a row, definitely not tanking for a high pick.
Generals 16 Blazers 13
Florida traveled up the East Coast to New Jersey in the hopes of not having to come back here in January for a potential playoff game, while the Generals needed a win to secure at least a BYE. This game was a tale of 2 halves as Florida fumbled on their opening possession while New Jersey scored the first 4 times they had the ball. The Generals struggled in the red zone however, and only had a 16-0 halftime lead. The Blazers chipped away in the 3rd and early 4th, pulling within 16-13 but the New Jersey defense forced a pair of three and outs to preserve the win. Generals rookie RB David Koresh had a combined 142 yards to lead the New Jersey offense.
SaberCats 30 Bell 13
Thanks to the Baltimore loss, it's a certainty that Philadelphia will make their first post season appearance since 1982. The Bell are struggling lately though, as this is their 5th loss in 6 games after their 9-0 start, although the losses were to teams in the playoffs (New Jersey, San Jose), in the hunt for the playoffs (Honolulu and New Orleans), or were recently in the hunt (Tampa Bay). Philadelphia moved the ball, gaining 293 offensive yards, but they had 2 turnovers and their only TD was a 104 yard kickoff return by Faustino Dixon. Defensively, they had the same problem most teams do against the Pacific Champs, they couldn't stop the Jake Plummer to Mark Hsu connection, as the pair connected on 10 passes for 303 yards and 3 scores.
Showboats 40 Wheels 9
Not a lot of good QB play this week, even for some of the winning teams. Memphis QB Norman Maldonado was 20/33 for 323 yards and 3 TD passes , but he was also intercepted twice and sacked 3 times. WR Mark Glenn caught 5 for 173 yards and 2 TDs while the defense forced 4 turnovers (2 INT, 2 fumbles) and sacked Gabriel Flanagan twice. Memphis scored the first 6 times they had the ball, and it would have been 7 but for a missed FG.
Gamblers 43 Sun 13
It took about a quarter for Houston to get rolling, but once they did, Southern California stood no chance. The Sun led 10-9 after 1 before Houston took the lead 12-10 on a FG early in the 2nd. The Gamblers defense then intercepted their 2nd of 5 passes, leading to a Tony Dean 27 yard TD pass to Donald Turner. The Gamblers pulled away in the second half to win going away. Dean finished the game 33/44, 360 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. RB Donald Turner nearly had a double triple, rushing for 82 yards and a TD, adding 111 yards and 2 TDs on 8 receptions.Sun QB Wilmer Kimble was harassed by the Gamblers defense all game, completing only 14/33 for 107 yards and 5 INTs, 3 in the final quarter, and he was sacked 4 times.
Maulers 16 (NY) Stars 6
Pittsburgh QB Will Allison completed 31/39, 285 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT to lead the Maulers to victory over New York. Allison completed passes to 10 different receivers and the Pittsburgh defense kept William Hall and the rest of the Stars out of the end zone all game long. The game was closer than it needed to be as Pittsburgh scored just 1 TD in 4 red zone attempts and they kept the ball 38 minutes.
Renegades 20 Force 3
This was one of just 2 games that did not involve a team in the playoff chase, and it would have been a frustrating game to watch, if we could, you know, actually watch games right now. Georgia QB Milton People threw for 270 yards but it took 53 pass attempts to get there. People completed 39, but with no scores and 3 INTs and he got no help from the running game (11 carries, 19 yards). The Force also tried to give the ball away 3 more times on fumbles, but they recovered all of them. Orlando QB Emory Howard was just 9/20, 85 yards and an INT, but their RBBC ran 44 times for 233 yards and 2 TDs. Those TDs were red zone TDs and Orlando got FGs on their other 2 trips inside the 20. Not great but not bad, and certainly not like Georgia today, who had 3 red zone trips and just 1 FG to show for it.
Gunslingers 27 Express 6
San Antonio has now scored 51 points the last 2 games after combining for 5 in their previous 2. QB Robert Fanelli completed 23/28, 250 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT, with Eugene Bufkin catching 5 for 109 yards and both scores. The Gunslingers RBBC ran 40 times for 154 yards and a TD. San Antonio also had it working on defense today, holding Los Angeles to 244 yards, 3/14 on 3rd down with 4 interceptions and 2 sacks.
