Week 7 has come and gone and we still have 3 undefeated teams, although Baltimore and Washington play each other in Week 8, so someone will either get their first loss or they both tie. Oklahoma still has no kicker, although after further reflection, I'll leave the owner in place for now so AI doesn't ruin the cap. Since last week's blog was cut short, I'll get right into this week's games.
Panthers 41 Stallions 3
Michigan QB Larry Henderson threw 4 first half TD passes as the Panthers ran up a 31-3 lead at the break before coasting to the victory in the second half. Michigan only had 314 offensive yards, but that's more of a product of good field position from the 5 interceptions the defense came up with. Marvin Benford had a brutal game, completing 15/41 for 80 yards, 5 INTs and 1 sack. WLB Miguel Lamar intercepted 3 of the passes with CB Jess Woodward getting the other 2, and his last one was returned for a TD in the 4th quarter to cap the scoring today.
Stars 36 Sun 9
Baltimore exploded for 3 first quarter TD passes from Jon Snow to John Warkentin to seize control of the game and remain undefeated. Following the initial point explosion, things settled down as just 1 more TD was scored all game as the teams exchanged field goals and turnovers. Snow finished 24/35, 358 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT with John Warkentin catching 4 passes, 3 for TDs and 190 yards. William Halford ran for 118 while the defense held Southern California to 205 offensive yards and forced the Sun into 3 turnovers of their own.
Federals 17 Maulers 3
Pittsburgh is having a miserable season so far, but their defense came into this game determined to give Washington their first loss, and they might have pulled it off with a little help from the offense. The longest drive of the game by either team was just 47 yards and through 3 quarters, Washington was winning the FG contest 3-1, leading 9-3 on the scoreboard. The game's only TD came on the first play of the 4th quarter when Scott Bieber found Ronald Matthews for a 28 yard TD and Bieber completed a 2 point conversion pass to Robert Trammell to put the Federals up by 14 points. As good as Pittsburgh's defense played, Washington's defense was even better, holding the Maulers to 164 yards, sacking Ernest Simmon 3 times and creating 4 turnovers, 3 of those INTs by Simmon.
Gamblers 29 Showboats 20
Memphis and Houston met for the first time this season, and a Showboats win would leave these teams tied atop the Southwest. Houston got a FG and a Tony Dean TD pass to Anthony Fulks for a 10-0 lead through 15 minutes. Memphis fought back with an Erik McNamee TD run and a Norman Maldonado 45 yard TD pass to Thomas Ballard to take a short lived 14-10 lead. Tony Dean's 2nd TD pass went to Daniel Franks inside the 2 minute warning before Memphis tied it with a FG as the first half expired.
Houston drove for a TD on their first drive of the second half thanks to Tony Dean's 3rd TD pass of the game, this one 33 yards to Jett Black. The Gamblers would add a FG early in the 4th as Memphis punted their first 4 second half possessions before finally breaking through with a FG to pull within 27-20. That's as close as Memphis would get as their last 3 drives ended with a punt, interception and a safety when Maldonado was sacked in the end zone by Derrick Youngs. This win gives Houston control of their playoff destiny as they now have a 2 game lead on Memphis and San Antonio with a win over each.
Storm 40 Invaders 3
Portland crushes Oakland for the second time this year as the Storm more than tripled the yardage of the Invaders. Melvin Driggers led the Storm to TDs on their first 3 possessions to take a 21-0 lead and the Storm never looked back. Driggers finished the game 35/44, 470 yards with 4 TDs, 2 to RB Jeffrey Frost. Ten different receivers caught passes from Driggers and Frost led the way with 9 catches for 181 yards, adding 53 on the ground and Portland converted 10/16 3rd down conversions. Oakland punted on almost every drive except for a FG, an interception and halftime.
Wheels 27 SaberCats 16
Detroit RB James Fischer had the quarter of a lifetime during the first 15 minutes of this game, scoring 3 total TDs and tying a record that will never be broken unless they lengthen the field someday. Fischer's first TD of the 1st came on a 10 yard run then Detroit found themselves pinned inside their 1 yard line on their second possession when on 1st down, Gabriel Flanagan hit Fischer with a swing pass, and after making the first tackler miss, he was off to the races with what goes in the books as a 100 yard pass completion. This is the 5th time we've had a 100 yard TD reception, first time it happened was 1976. It happened twice in 1977, then not again until 1992. Fischer's 3rd TD of the quarter came on a 9 yard run and the Wheels led 21-0. In all Fischer had 195 combined yards, 76 rushing and 119 receiving. Gabriel Flanagan didn't do much other than that 100 yard TD, but the defense continued Jake Plummer's miserable season, sacking him twice and intercepting him 4 times, and a lost fumble made it 5 turnovers for the San Jose offense.
Thunderbolts 16 Force 9
Through 3 quarters, each team had kicked 3 FGs for a 9-9 tie entering the final quarter of this offensively challenged game. Cleveland and Georgia combined for 425 yards in a game where every drive except the last 4 ended with a kick. Georgia QB Milton People threw an interception in the 4th quarter, enabling Cleveland to finally score a TD when Bobby Colley ran in a 13 yard score (ok, this drive technically ended with a kick). Georgia then turned it over on downs and Cleveland ran out the clock as the Thunderbolts improve to 6-1, keeping pace with the 6-1 Wheels and 7-0 Panthers.
Generals 19 (NY) Stars 17
New York was crushed by New Jersey 48-6 just 2 weeks ago and after the first play from scrimmage, it looked like the rout was on again for the Generals. Don Ferguson found Duncan Meyer for a 75 yard TD for an instant 7-0 lead. That would be the only TD of the game for New Jersey even though they had 416 yards of offense, as the Generals were 0/3 scoring TDs in the red zone, settling for Al Borland FGs. New Jersey led 16-3 in the 4th when the Stars mounted a comeback that fell just short. Damien Oleary found Wayne Ryals for a 31 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 16-10 but New Jersey would get yet another Borland FG to extend the lead to 9. Oleary and Ryals hooked up for another TD with 1 minute to play but the onside kick failed and the Generals hang on for the win.
Bell 12 Breakers 9
There was some offensive futility in this game, although Philadelphia did manage 353 total offensive yards. Boston ran for 3 yards a carry, 91 yards total while the Bell ran for 128 yards at almost 5 yards a pop. Neither passing game was great, combining to finish 38/76, 378 yards and no TDs as all the scoring came via the FG. Neither team threw an interception either but Philadelphia lost 3 fumbles. Each kicker attempted 4 FGs and Philadelphia's Robert Albertson made all 4 of his kicks, including the game winner with 39 seconds left. Boston K Ellis Devoe was wide right on a 28 yard FG at the end of the first half, and that loomed large in this kicking contest. Philadelphia and New Jersey both escape with narrow wins to improve to 6-1, tied for 1st in the East.
Blazers 27 Outlaws 0
Florida QB Sidney Maggard only completed 15/18 for 136 yards, but 3 of those completions went for TDs and the Blazers defense shut down the Oklahoma offense. The Outlaws had a couple of early scoring chances, but WR turned K Craig Icenhour missed a pair of FG tries and the energy seemed to leave Oklahoma after that, gaining only 60 second half yards.
Hawaiians 43 Express 14
Los Angeles hung with Pacific leading Honolulu for 20 minutes, trailing just 13-7, but 14 Honolulu points in the final minute of the first half sealed the fate of the Express. Derek Henry threw the first of his 3 TD passes to Michael Argueta for a 20-7 lead, then Richard Perkins nailed Los Angeles RB Raymond Straight, causing a fumble which he recovered and returned 25 yards for a back breaking TD. The second half didn't go well for the Los Angeles offense as the momentum was with the Hawaiians. Express QB David Tavarez was 30/40, 246 yards and 2 TDs but Derek Henry was better, going 29/36, 377 yards and 3 TDs, all to Michael Argueta (6-147-3). Everyone else in the Pacific lost so Honolulu has a 2 game lead on the field.
Steamer 27 Hornets 24 (OT)
60 minutes was not enough time to decide this game thanks to a 4th qtr comeback by Shreveport. Charlotte QB Robert Ament completed 26/36 for 293 yards and 3 TDs and the Hornets led after 3 quarters 21-10. Shreveport QB George Marcil completed 30/40 for 270 yards and 3 TDs, with 2 of the scores coming in the 4th quarter and his 2 point conversion pass completion tied the game at 24. Shreveport got the ball first in OT and kicked a FG so Charlotte would get a chance to tie or win. Ament drove the Hornets just inside Steamer territory but the desperation 57 yard FG attempt was short, giving Shreveport the win.
Blitz 30 VooDoo 16
Chicago got out to a 23-7 halftime lead, then held on in the second half for the victory to improve to 3-4. The Blitz got 116 rushing yards from John Gates and 4 TD passes from Ronald Brown to lead the way. Brown finished with 359 yards, with 166 going to Ian Gordon along with 2 TDs, as he outdueled VooDoo QB Joseph Jones. Jones finished 36/58, 323 yards but only 1 TD, as he only got 23 yards from the New Orleans rushing attack.
Gunslingers 10 Bulls 9
San Antonio QB Robert Fanelli's 47 yard TD pass to Thomas Davila in the 1st quarter was the only TD of the game and the Gunslingers hang on for the win. Jacksonville out gained San Antonio 275-188 but they could not put the ball in the end zone and the Bulls had 5 penalties while the Gunslingers played flag free football.San Antonio improves to 4-3 on the season, tied with Memphis for second in the Southwest.
Bandits 10 Renegades 3
Antonio Martinez led Tampa Bay 75 yards for a TD on the opening drive and the Bandits defense made sure that stood up for the win. Tampa Bay held Orlando to 182 offensive yards and 3/17 on 3rd down. I'd love to talk more about the game but there isn't much to tell, as the teams combined for 20 punts and no points were scored in the second half.
Gold 16 Wranglers 0
Denver got an 18 yard TD run from Jerry Murphy in the 2nd quarter and the Gold defense continued the miserable season of the Arizona offense. That TD was all Denver needed as they held Arizona to 144 total yards and sacked Wranglers QBs 8 times. Robert Deacon added 3 FGs as Denver improves to 5-2 on the year.
