The quest for World Bowl XX began with Wildcard Weekend today and we say goodbye to 4 teams, San Jose, Honolulu, New Orleans and Philadelphia. The National Conference games were closer but none of the games came down to the wire. Houston and Pittsburgh continue their road warrior path while Michigan and Florida leave the comforts of home to continue their journey.
Gamblers 30 SaberCats 10
Houston got the ball first and Tony Dean led the Gamblers 75 yards in 6 plays, capping off the drive with a 23 yard TD pass to Lloyd Ellis. The Gamblers defense forced 3 straight three and outs to begin the game while Houston added a pair of Earl Castro FGs for a 13-0 lead early in the 2nd. San Jose finally put together an extended drive, going 75 yards in 12 plays, cutting the lead to 13-7 on Donald Brown's 1 yard TD run. Just after the 2 minute warning, Dean found Ellis for another TD, this one for 43 yards as Houston takes a 20-7 lead into halftime.
San Jose got the ball to start the 2nd half and they got 3 points to pull within 10. Tony Dean then led Houston 75 yards in 10 plays and threw his 3rd TD pass of the game, a 1 yard toss to William Fey, extending the Gamblers lead to 27-10. The rest of the game was mostly punts and Houston advances.
All World WR Mark Hsu was shut down to the tune of 2 catches for 19 yards as QB Jake Plummer was not good today. Plummer finished 16/33, 87 yards and an INT. Tony Dean completed 23/28 for 261 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Lloyd Ellis. William Fey caught 10 passes for 71 yards and a score while RB Donald Turner had 111 combined yards to help Houston advance to face Portland.
Panthers 28 Hawaiians 10
All eyes were on the QBs in this game as Michigan's Larry Henderson has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while Honolulu's Edwin Clarkson took over the starting job a few games ago and the jury is still out on him. Neither played great, but Henderson was much better as he led the Panthers offense to 21 points off of 4 Clarkson INTs to help Michigan advance to play Memphis.
Michigan turned the ball over first as Henderson lost the snap, putting Honolulu in instant FG range. Facing a 4th and 1 from the Michigan 23, the Hawaiians decided to go for it but an incomplete pass gave the ball back to Michigan, leaving the game scoreless. On the Hawaiians next drive, Clarkson threw interception #1 which led to a 37 yard TD pass from Henderson to James Hills. Clarkson threw INT #2 on the next drive, leading to a FG and a 10-0 Michigan lead.
Honolulu got the ball to start the 3rd qtr and the Hawaiians got right back in the game as Clarkson led a 10 play, 75 yard TD drive. Curtis Holland ran it in from 5 yards out to cut the lead to 10-7. Michigan's first drive of the 2nd half ended in an INT by Henderson which turned into a FG for Honolulu and we were tied at 10. Henderson responded by leading a 7 play, 75 yard scoring drive that ended with a 27 yard TD TD pass to Walter Simmons.
The game remained 17-10 Michigan until midway through the 4th when Clarkson threw interception #3. The Panthers turned that into 8 points after John Tingle ran it in from 5 yards out and Milton Schwab ran in the 2 point conversion. Two plays later came interception #4, leading to a FG and a 28-10 Michigan lead, which they held onto. Henderson finished 33/46, 248 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT while Clarkson finished 20/37, 117 yards and 4 INTs. James Hills was Michigan's leading skill player, catching 9 passes for 88 yards and a TD while rookie RB Anthony Davis led Honolulu with 87 combined yards.
Maulers 19 VooDoo 10
Pittsburgh forced New Orleans into 3 three and out drives to start the game while Will Allison led the Maulers to a TD and a FG their first 3 drives to take a 9-0 lead. Allison orchestrated a 12 play, 75 yard TD drive the first time Pittsburgh had the ball, capping it off with an 8 yard TD pass to Robert Erickson, although the XP was no good. Brett Bowman would make a 49 yard FG in the 2nd quarter as Pittsburgh took that 9-0 lead into halftime.
The Maulers got the ball to start the 3rd and Allison led Pittsburgh on a 7 play, 75 yard TD drive. The scoring play was an 11 yard pass to Franklin Hall, giving Pittsburgh a 16-0 lead. New Orleans QB Joseph Jones then led the VooDoo on their own 7 play, 75 yard TD drive, with a 7 yard TD pass to Mario Burton finally getting them on the scoreboard. Jones then led the VooDoo to a FG on the next drive to cut the Maulers lead to 16-10. It remained that until New Orleans turned it over on downs near midfield and Pittsburgh tacked on a FG for a 9 point lead. New Orleans then drove into the Pittsburgh red zone before the clock ran out on their season as the Maulers advance with the 19-10 win.
New Orleans played turnover free football but had trouble on 3rd down, converting just 2/13. Joseph Jones finished 27/36 for 230 yards and a TD while Will Allison finished 25/34, 279 yards and 2 TDs. RB Robert Erickson had a combined 139 yards, catching 9 passes for 115 yards and a TD. Next up for Pittsburgh is a trip to New Jersey to play the Generals.
Blazers 38 Bell 24
Florida got the ball first but Sidney Maggard threw an interception. Philadelphia couldn't capitalize on that turnover, but they would get another chance after a William Merkel fumble. Bell RB Jamie Epperson took it 23 yards for a score on the next play for a 7-0 Philadelphia lead. Following a 3 and out, Bell QB Robert Hernandez led Philadelphia to their second straight 1 play scoring drive, hitting Craig Hines for a 71 yard TD. Maggard then led Florida on a 12 play, 75 yard scoring drive, with Joshua Estes hauling in a 6 yard TD pass to cut the lead in half, 14-7. The Blazers then forced a 3 and out before embarking on a 9 play, 68 yard TD drive. Kevin Forester's 2 yard TD run tied the game at 14. Maggard capped off the first half scoring with a 5 yard TD pass to Richard Carstens with 1:19 left to give Florida a 21-14 halftime lead.
Maggard and Estes connected for another TD in the 3rd quarter, with the 7 yard pass giving the Blazers a 28-14 lead. The Florida defense would later intercept a Robert Hernandez pass, leading to a FG to extend the lead to 31-14. In the early part of the 4th, Kevin Forester lost a fumble and Philadelphia made them pay. Hernandez found James Jones with a 5 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 31-21. The Bell added a FG with just over 6 minutes left to pull within 7 but the Philadelphia defense couldn't prevent Florida from extending the lead. Maggard led a 9 play, 75 yard TD drive, with Kevin Forester's 2nd TD run putting the Blazers ahead 38-24 with less than 2 minutes to play. Hernandez tossed his 2nd INT and the Blazers ran out the remaining clock to advance next week against Washington.
Sidney Maggard completed 29/40 for 269 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT, with 2 of the scores to RB Joshua Estes. RB Kevin Forester ran for 68 yards and a pair of scores while William Merkel caught 8 passes for 119 yards. Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez finished 16/31, 158 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. RB Jamie Epperson was the leading skill player for the Bell, rushing for 73 yards and a score, adding 23 yards on 6 receptions.
