World Bowl XXI: Gamblers Win 5th World Bowl

 All eyes were on New Orleans today as the Superdome played host to World Bowl XXI. We had the Houston Gamblers looking for history against the Washington Federals, seeking their first title. Houston had won 4 World Bowls before tonight and if they get their 5th, they would tie the Memphis Showboats for most in league history. We've had just 9 franchises win the first twenty World Bowls, with 5 winning more than one: Memphis (5), Houston (4), Portland (3), Detroit (2), and New Jersey(2). The first 3 teams on that list are all undefeated in the World Bowl while Washington was aiming to join Florida, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Denver in winning one.

World Bowl XXI

Houston Gamblers 24 Washington Federals 8

Houston got the ball to start the game and each team punted on their first drive, which set the tone of the game. If you consider the 25 yard line average starting position, Houston had 5 drives start behind schedule while Washington had 8. The Gamblers started their second drive from their 15 yard line but Tony Dean completed 6/7 passes to get down to the Washington 6 yard line. Donald Turner ran it down to the 2, then Ryan Dearing finished the drive with a TD and a 7-0 lead. More punts followed and Washington's 3rd and 4th drives both began inside their own 10. The Federals gained some yards on their 4th drive before punting, forcing Houston to start at their own 17. Dean later found Jett Black with a 67 yard TD pass to extend the Gamblers lead to 14-0, and they took that lead into halftime. 

Washington got the ball to start the second half and they got to start at the 25, which had to feel great given the poor first half drive starts. The Federals never crossed midfield in the first half, so it had to be tempting to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Houston 49, but they opted for field position and Miguel Browning pinned Houston at their own 5. Unfortunately for the Federals, Dean was able to get the Gamblers across midfield before the drive stalled and Washington once again found themselves starting a drive in negative field position. The offense went nowhere but Ryan Dearing fumbled, and Washington recovered at their own 46. The 3rd quarter ended with Washington facing a 2nd and 4 from the 4 and a half.

James Dunn started the 4th with a 3 yard run down to the 2, setting up 3rd and 1. Reminiscent of the Seattle Seahawks, many thought Washington should run the ball, but Scott Bieber dropped back to pass and was intercepted by Thomas Hutson in the end zone to leave the score 14-0. Houston would get a FG on the ensuing drive for a 17-0 lead. A couple drives later, Washington finally got on the scoreboard thanks to a 66 yard Scott Bieber TD pass to Andrew Favela. Bieber then tossed a 2 point pass to Brian Parsons, cutting the lead to 17-8, but with less than 5 minutes left and down 2 scores, Washington tried an onside kick. That failed, as did a desperation 4th and 4 from their own 16 which allowed Francisco Russell to tack on an insurance TD on a 5 yard run. 

Tony Dean completed 26/32 for 274 yards and a TD in winning his 4th World Bowl, but the MVP goes to Jett Black. Black caught 4 passes for 129 yards and his TD reception gave Houston all the cushion they needed as the defense kept the Federals in bad field position all game long. For his efforts, Black will drive home in a brand new 1995 Chevy Corvette.

 

Conference Championship Weekend

 The USFL/WFL had their Conference Championship Games tonight and World Bowl XXI will feature the Houston Gamblers looking for their 5th title against the Washington Federals, who are seeking their first championship after losing 3 previous World Bowls. Neither team was the best in their conference during the regular season but both beat their nemesis in the playoffs. Houston and Denver met in Week 16 to determine home field advantage and the Gold won, which meant Houston had to travel to Denver for tonight's game. Washington was the #3 seed but were really the 2nd best team in the National Conference behind Baltimore, as the Stars gave the Federals their only 2 losses. Washington then won 3 straight road playoff games against division winners and once again winning the Conference Championship Game in New Jersey for the 2nd straight season.

Gamblers 26 Gold 7

Houston got the ball first and punted, then forced a Denver punt which pinned the Gamblers at their own 7 yard line. Tony Dean then led a 7 play, 93 yard TD drive with Ryan Dearing getting a short TD run for a 7-0 lead. Denver came back with one of those long drives like they had against Portland last week, going 75 yards in 11 plays, tying the game on a Frederick Barron 2 yard TD run and the XP. Tony Dean watched that from the sideline before he matched it exactly, leading Houston 75 yards in 11 plays, breaking the tie with a 15 yard TD pass to Jett Black. 

The rest of the half and most of the 3rd quarter was a punt fest, with Houston increasing their lead to 16-7 with a sack of Andrew Brewer in the end zone. Joseph Taylor got the sack/safety and Tony Dean put the final nail in the coffin after the free kick, leading Houston 65 yards to a TD and a 23-7 4th quarter lead. The score was an 11 yard pass to Jett Black and the Gamblers defense kept Denver from making a comeback as they return to the World Bowl after a 6 year hiatus.

Fredrick Whidden ran for 101 yards for Denver but Andrew Brewer had a rough day, completing 15/35, 195 yards and 2 INTs. Tony Dean was 22/29, 305 yards and 2 TDs to Jett Black. RB Donald Turner didn't score, but he ran for 64 yards on 19 carries, adding 120 receiving yards on 6 receptions.

Federals 30 Generals 13

This was a rematch of the 1993 National Conference Championship Game, although Washington made sure they didn't need overtime this year. The Federals also gave the Generals their first shutout loss in years this regular season, but New Jersey scored first on an Al Borland FG. Washington answered quickly as Scott Bieber found James Larson for a 60 yard TD pass and a 7-3 lead. Don Ferguson then led the Generals on their best drive of the game, going 75 yards in 14 plays with Eric Davis catching a 17 yard TD pass. John Bazile would add a FG and the first half ended in a 10-10 tie.

In the middle of the 3rd, Scott Bieber broke the tie with an 81 yard TD pass to Andrew Favela. Don Ferguson then immediately threw an INT setting up another Bazile FG and a 20-10 Washington lead. Next New Jersey drive resulted in another Ferguson INT but the Generals defense forced a punt. Forrest Gump fumbled it away however, and Bieber made the most of this opportunity with a 9 yard TD pass to James Dunn, and the 3rd quarter ended with the Federals enjoying a 27-10 lead. 

Each team added a 4th qtr FG, but the mistake filled 3rd did New Jersey in, and Washington gets back to the World Bowl for the 2nd straight season.Scott Bieber completed 19/32, 313 yards and 3 TD passes while ex Washington backup QB Don Ferguson continues to be haunted by his former team. He did complete 34/52 for 270 yards and a TD, but 3 INTs did not help the cause.

1994 Divisional Round

 The USFL/WFL Divisional Round was played today and we had 3 close games and a blowout. In the American Conference, the Houston Gamblers are looking for their first World Bowl appearance in 6 seasons as they flatten the Detroit Wheels to advance to the Conference Championship Game. They will face the Denver Gold who won a slugfest with the Portland Storm. In the National Conference, it was the road teams avenging regular season losses, and in the case of the Washington Federals, they avenged a sweep. I felt all along that if Baltimore got past Washington, they would win it all, as the Federals were probably the team best suited to take them out. Congratulations again to Baltimore on their 16-0 regular season, which is still an impressive accomplishment despite no title to back it up. New Jersey had to travel to Florida thanks to the Blazers regular season win and the Generals had fun in the sun as a late 4th down stop seals the win. New Jersey will host Washington in the Conference Championship Game as the Generals try to avenge a shutout loss to the Federals earlier this season.

Gold 16 Storm 14

Portland got the ball first and were driving for a score when David Smith coughed up the ball after a reception and Denver SS Joshua Woodruff fell on the ball after knocking it loose. Andrew Brewer led the Gold offense into the Storm red zone, but the drive stalled and a Robert Deacon 31 yard FG gave Denver an early 3-0 lead. Denver forced a three and out before Andrew Brewer led the longest drive I think I've ever seen in MFN. The Gold went 85 yards, taking a whopping 20 plays to do it and 10:12 of game clock. Frederick Barron's 1 yard TD run was the 20th play to put Denver up 10-0 after the XP. Melvin Driggers brought Portland back with a TD drive to get back within 3 points, with his 32 yard TD pass to Peter Jessee. The first half would end 10-7 Denver.

Denver's FG drive in the first half took 11 plays, and their first drive of the second half took 14 plays, resulting in a FG for a 13-7 lead. The Gold defense forced a punt and the Denver offense had their 4th drive of double digit plays, driving 55 yards in 13 plays, but Robert Deacon missed the 53 yard try. Four long, grueling drives against the Storm defense had to take their toll, and they did a great job only allowing 13 points to this point. 

Melvin Driggers and Jose Moses got Portland's defense some rest with a 9 play, 58 yard TD drive. Moses got the TD with a 2 yard run and Donald Atkins made the XP to give the Storm a 14-13 lead with 8:35 to play. Denver was forced to punt and Driggers was leading Portland on a clock draining drive with a 1st and 10 at the Denver 37 yard line when the 2 minute warning hit. On the next play, MLB Herbert Patterson knocked the ball loose from Jose Moses and CB James Butts fell on the loose ball for Denver. Andrew Brewer led the Gold offense into FG range and Robert Deacon was good from 48 yards to give Denver a 16-14 lead. Melvin Driggers and Portland had 1:17 to work with but the drive ended short of midfield and the Denver Gold advance to host the American Conference Championship Game.

Gamblers 47 Wheels 12

Tony Dean fired TD passes on Houston's first 2 drives and the Gamblers got out to a 17-3 lead and never looked back as they earn a trip to Denver. Houston's defense never let Detroit get comfortable on offense, holding them to 215 total yards and 1/12 on 3rd down. Detroit did get a FG on their opening drive and sacked Dean in the end zone for a safety, but Dean bounced back with his 3rd TD pass of the first half as the Gamblers enjoyed a 24-5 halftime lead. Dean threw his 4th TD on the first second half drive and it was all over but the shouting. Ryan Dearing ran for 118 yards while Donald Turner ran for 95 and catching 10 passes for 88 yards and a TD to lead Houston. Dean finished 30/43, 281 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT while Detroit's Gabriel Flanagan had a day to forget, 17/44, 187 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT.  Houston CB Thomas Hutson put the final nail in the Detroit coffin when he intercepted Flanagan, returning it 34 yards for a TD early in the 4th.

Federals 19 Stars 17

Baltimore entered the game 16-0, having swept Washington in the regular season and owning a 5-1 post season record against the Federals. Jon Snow led the Stars to a TD on their opening drive, finding TE Ivan Oneil 4 times, the last one being a 3 yard TD for a 7-0 lead. Baltimore would add a FG on their 2nd drive for a 10-0 lead before we had some punts by both teams. Washington finally got on the scoreboard with a John Bazile 37 yard FG before a wild sequence of plays in the final 2 minutes before halftime. Right after the 2 minute timeout, Scott Bieber threw an interception to Jeffery Venable. Jon Snow was playing hot potato though, as he promptly gave it back with an interception to Robert Cosby. Given new life, Bieber got Washington into the end zone with 3 completions, with the 5 yard score going to Oliver Jeter. On the ensuing kickoff, Glenn Sprinkle fumbled on a hit by Theodore Paladino and Francisco Bailey fell on the loose ball for the Federals. Bieber couldn't get a TD out of it, but another Bazile FG gave Washington a 13-10 halftime lead.

The 3rd quarter was a punt fest and a John Bazile FG early in the 4th extended the Washington lead to 16-10. Jon Snow would lead Baltimore back with a 1 yard TD pass to Walter Bowser and the Fred Boyce XP gave the Stars a late 17-16 lead. Washington had just under 6 minutes to work with and the drive almost stalled near midfield, but Scott Bieber converted a 4th and 8 to keep the drive alive. John Bazile did the honors, booting a 21 yard FG for the Washington lead and the Federals defense held for 4 downs and they win the game.

Generals 17 Blazers 13

Two possessions in and both teams had 1 punt and 1 FG. Don Ferguson had New Jersey poised to score again, but on 2nd and 3 from the Florida 9, he was intercepted by James McCormick, keeping the game tied at 3. The rest of the half was punts as neither team had good starting field position. 

Third quarter started similar, with Florida punting, pinning the Generals at their own 9. Ferguson led New Jersey on a 10 play, 91 yard drive, getting the game's first TD with a 20 yard scoring strike to WR Eric Davis (Go Reds!). It only took Sidney Maggard 4 plays to match that score as he quickly led the Blazers down field. WR William Sheppard was the recipient of the 53 yard scoring strike that knotted the game at 10. The punting resumed for a bit until Florida K Gerald Harmon booted a 47 yard FG for a 13-10 Blazers lead with 9:15 to play in the 4th. Ferguson answered by leading New Jersey to an 8 play, 75 yard TD drive, with Kurt Cobain's 13 yard TD reception giving the Generals the lead. Al Borland's XP made the score 17-13, meaning Florida had 4:55 to score a TD. Sidney Maggard and Robert Romero led Florida down the field and the Blazers hit the 2 minute warning facing a 4th and 6 from the New Jersey 16. Maggard connected on the pass to Romero, but Nuke LaLoosh stopped Romero short of the line to gain, allowing New Jersey to drain the clock and advance.

1994 Wildcard Weekend

 The Road to World Bowl XXI begins for real now, with 12 teams vying for the coveted trophy. Denver, Houston, Baltimore, and Florida had BYE weeks and they now know their first playoff opponent in the Divisional Round. The American Conference games were as tight as their standings were all season while in the National Conference one game was close and one was a blowout. San Jose, Michigan, Shreveport, and Philadelphia all have bowed out of the playoffs involuntarily, but they all deserve props for great seasons. 

Storm 17 SaberCats 13

Portland got the ball first and was forced to punt near midfield. Jason Harper did what coaches always say not to do by fielding the punt inside the 10 yard line. Harper got hit and fumbled, with Christopher Schneider recovering it for Portland to set up a first and goal. Three plays later Melvin Driggers found Donald Langlois for an 8 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. A few drives later, San Jose would get a FG and the first quarter ended 7-3 Portland. In the second quarter, Portland faced a 4th and 1 from the San Jose 41, and the run failed but Jake Plummer threw an interception 3 plays later, so it's like they made it all along. The Storm would continue to drive, getting a 46 yard Donald Atkins FG to take a 10-3 lead. Plummer brought the SaberCats back to tie the game just inside the 2 minute warning with a 46 yard TD pass to David Hartwig.

The 3rd quarter saw an exchange of punts until we neared the 4th as Driggers led Portland on a 9 play, 80 yard TD drive to take a 17-10 lead into the 4th. Val Smith caught the 24 yard TD pass, and the TE led the Storm in receiving today. In the middle of the 4th, Plummer drove San Jose into FG range and Robert Rodriguez was good on his 51 yard try, cutting the lead to 17-13. Driggers then had Portland driving for a score when he was intercepted by Geoffrey Kessler, giving Plummer 2 minutes to score a TD for the win. That drive went nowhere and Portland holds on for the win, advancing to face Denver for the 3rd time this year.

Wheels 13 Panthers 12

Speaking of teams playing for the 3rd time, all 4 games this weekend deal with that in one way or another. Portland and Washington victories have them advancing to face division rivals, while just like Philadelphia and New Jersey, the Detroit Wheels and Michigan Panthers have their 3rd game take place wildcard weekend. It was 14 degrees in Detroit and both offenses played like they wish this game was in the Silverdome instead of Rynearson Stadium, as 5 combined red zone trips resulted in just 3 FGs and neither team scored an offensive TD today. 

Detroit forced a Michigan punt deep in Panthers territory and the Wheels began their drive from the Michigan 40. The offense didn't move much but Kent Olden's 44 yard FG gave Detroit the 3-0 lead. Later on in the first, Detroit FB Thomas Love fumbled after a reception with Miguel Lamar recovering it, leading to a Jonathan Ruch 46 yard FG and a tie game. Late in the first and early in the 2nd, Gabriel Flanagan threw interceptions that the Michigan offense turned into FGs for a 9-3 lead. Flanagan then led Detroit on their best offensive drive of the game, but on 4th and 1 from the Michigan 7, they opted to play it safe and try a 26 yard FG to get within 3 points but Kent Olden was wide right, leaving the score 9-3. Michigan then drove into FG range where Jonathan Ruch was wide left on a 41 yard try. Detroit then drove into FG range and Olden was good on the 32 yard kick for a halftime score of 9-6 Michigan.

Michigan got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and a FG drive extended the Panthers lead to 12-6. From there the teams took turns punting and throwing interceptions and the score remained 12-6 entering the 4th. On the first play of the final quarter, Larry Henderson threw his 2nd INT of the game and CB Ralph Thomas returned it 39 yards for the only TD of the game. Olden's XP gave Detroit a 13-12 lead with most of the 4th yet to play. Henderson threw an interception on the very next Michigan play and Gabriel Flanagan had Detroit on the doorstep of a TD, but Ronald Sparling intercepted him in the end zone, leaving the score 13-12. The Panthers offense could not cross midfield on their last 2 drives, allowing Detroit to hold on for the first Wheels playoff win in the fhunt3 era. His reward is a trip to Houston to face the Gamblers and Tony Dean.

Federals 24 Steamer 3

Not much drama in this game as each team had 5 full first half possessions in which Shreveport punted 5 times while Washington scored on 4 of their 5 for a 16-0 halftime lead. Scott Bieber completed 28/37 for 287 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT while RBs Robert Trammell and James Dunn did most of the heavy lifting as Washington advances to face Baltimore for the 3rd time.

Bieber found Dunn for a 7 yard TD pass to give the Federals a 7-0 lead after 1 quarter while John Bazile made 3 FGs in the 2nd quarter for that 16-0 halftime lead. Bieber had Washington driving for more points in the 3rd quarter before being intercepted by William Augustine at the goal line. George Marcil drove Shreveport from one 20 yard line to almost the other 20 before the drive stalled. A Jeffrey Smith 40 yard FG got the Steamer on the scoreboard but they still trailed by 13 points and time was running out. Early in the 4th, Bieber fired his 2nd TD pass, a 1 yard toss to Jonathan Fuller and a 2 point conversion pass to James Dunn to make the score 24-3. The rest of the 4th was uneventful and the Federals win. 

Robert Trammell ran for 89 yards, adding 21 receiving while James Dunn ran for 43 yards, catching 9 passes for 145 yards and a TD to lead the Washington skill players.

Generals 33 Bell 24

It was even colder in New Jersey (7 degrees) than Detroit, but the offenses of both teams came out of the gates on fire, with 5 combined 75 yard drives to start the game. New Jersey got the ball first and drove 75 yards in 9 plays, capping the drive with a 7 yard Don Ferguson TD pass to Duncan Meyer. It took Joseph Serio 2 plays to match that with a 75 yard TD pass to Craig Hines. New Jersey then took 11 plays to drive 75 yards with a Ferguson 1 yard TD pass to Sam Beckett breaking the tie. Al Borland was wide right on the XP and the Generals led 13-7 after a quarter.

Philadelphia's 2nd drive also went 75 yards, with Jamie Epperson's 3 yard TD run tying the game at 13. Robert Albertson made the XP for a 14-13 Philadelphia lead. Ferguson led the Generals down the field on their next drive, finding Kurt Cobain for a 46 yard TD and a 20-14 lead. The defenses finally settled down and we had some punts and an Al Borland FG to close out the first half with New Jersey enjoying a 23-14 lead.

In the 3rd quarter Philadelphia was driving in New Jersey territory when Charles Weymouth lost a fumble on a hit by Michael Nieves and Martin Riggs fell on the loose ball for the Generals. Don Ferguson then led New Jersey on another TD drive, with a 9 yard pass to Redd Foxx giving the Generals a 30-14 lead. It only took Philadelphia one play to get those points back as Joseph Serio found Craig Hines for their 2nd 75 yard TD hookup of the game. 

That made the score 30-21 entering the 4th, and early in the final quarter, the Bell had a first and goal from the 8 yard line. Three runs netted just 1 yard and a Robert Albertson FG cut the lead to 30-24. New Jersey would punt on their next drive and time was running out for Philadelphia. The Bell went for a 4th and 8 from their own 22 with less than 4 minutes to play but Martin Riggs knocked down the pass and the Generals offense took over. They took a couple minutes off the clock and added a FG by Al Borland for a 9 point lead, 33-24. Michael Nieves then intercepted Serio, sealing the game for New Jersey as they advance to face the Florida Blazers.

Don Ferguson completed 32/39, 330 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT, with the TDs all going to different receivers while Beckett and Cobain combined for 121 rushing yards. WR Craig Hines led the way for Philadelphia with 4 catches, 191 yards and 2 TDs.

Week 16: Early Playoffs Part 2

 We've had several weeks of elimination football in the American Conference and now that the dust has settled, our playoff field is finally set. First of all, great seasons for Memphis and Cleveland, who both just missed the playoff party despite winning double digit games. They will be forces to be reckoned with the next few seasons, so this year's playoff teams will need to stay on their toes. Congratulations to Denver, Houston, Detroit, and San Jose for winning their divisions and congrats to Portland and Michigan for making it as wildcards. The 6 National Conference Teams have been known for a few games, but formal congratulations go out to Baltimore, Florida, New Jersey, and Shreveport for winning their divisions and congrats to Washington and Philadelphia for being the wildcard teams. 

Gold 35 Gamblers 28

The defenses took the day off in this game that turned out to be a battle for home field advantage. Denver put up 529 yards of offense while Houston smoked the Gold defense for 420 yards. Houston took an early 3-0 lead on their opening drive but Denver answered in 1 play, a 75 yard Andrew Brewer TD pass to Douglas Crowley. Another Houston FG cut the Gold lead to 7-6, but Brewer found Brian Thornton for an 86 yard TD and a 14-6 lead they took into halftime.

Tony Dean led Houston to a TD on their first drive of the second half, cutting the lead to 1 but a pair of long Denver touchdowns gave the Gold a 28-13 lead after 3. Denver's first TD of the second half came on a Frederick Barron 74 yard TD run, then Brewer found Dennis Harris for a 66 yard TD pass. Tony Dean started the 4th quarter scoring with a 12 yard TD pass to Jett Black, and Dean also threw for the 2 point conversion to pull Houston within 7. The Gamblers defense made Denver drive for once, but the Gold still got a Brewer 9 yard TD pass to James Riley for a 35-21 lead. Dean then led the Gamblers down the field, getting a 5 yard TD pass to Jose Ridgeway to make the score 35-28 just inside the 2 minute warning. Houston would recover the onside kick but was forced to punt. The Gamblers defense forced a quick three and out but Dean couldn't produce any heroics as the Gamblers limp into the playoffs with their 2nd straight loss. The win gives Denver home field advantage throughout the playoffs while results from other games gives Houston the other BYE week.

Blitz 20 Wheels 3

Detroit just needed to beat Chicago and they would win the Midwest division while a loss meant scoreboard watching to see if they get a playoff invitation. The Wheels literally threw away their chance to win as Detroit QBs combined for 8 INTs. Backup Ellis Soza continues to make brief cameos every game, usually putting up Arizona Wrangler (Tankers) like stats and today was no exception as Soza was 0/5 with 3 INTs. Gabriel Flanagan did complete 28/40 but he was also responsible for 5 INTs. Chicago could only take advantage for 20 points, but it was enough to force Detroit into scoreboard watching. Ronald Brown threw for 2 TD passes while John Gates ran for 116 yards to lead the Blitz offense.

SaberCats 15 Panthers 10

The Detroit loss opened the door for Michigan to win the Midwest if they could beat Pacific champs San Jose. The SaberCats fate was already written prior to the game, as they would be the #4 seed, hosting the top wildcard. Michigan's offense had trouble running the ball and stopping the run as the SaberCats RBBC had 176 yards on 42 carries. The Panthers forced FGs by San Jose however, and Larry Henderson's 3rd quarter TD pass to Lawrence Dummer gave Michigan a 10-6 lead. San Jose cut it to 10-9 in the 4th before Jake Plummer found Mark Hsu for a 79 yard TD pass and a 15-10 lead after the 2 point try failed. Michigan was driving toward the San Jose red zone but Larry Henderson threw an interception that sealed the victory for the SaberCats. The Michigan loss gives Detroit the Midwest crown and now it's the Panthers that have to watch the scoreboard.

Storm 17 Gunslingers 13

Portland was hoping Houston could beat Denver to open the door for the division title, but the Gold won, which meant Portland needed to beat San Antonio to assure themselves a wildcard spot. The Gunslingers came up short today but they gave Portland all they wanted and beat them up physically, sending the Storm into the playoffs banged up. San Antonio got on the board first with a short Robert Arroyo TD run, then Melvin Driggers tied the game with his TD pass to Timothy Roquemore. Driggers threw his 2nd TD pass to David Smith and Portland held a 14-7 halftime lead. San Antonio thought they had tied it in the 3rd after Charlie Shanks 3 yard TD run but the XP was no good. Portland added a FG later in the 3rd for a 17-13 lead that held up after a scoreless 4th.

Blazers 12 Showboats 7

Florida would secure a BYE with a win while Memphis needed a win to grab a playoff spot, and each team's defense did everything they could to make it happen for their team. Memphis held Florida to 246 yards and less than 2 yards a carry on the ground, while keeping the Blazers out of the end zone all day. Florida held the Showboats to 238 yards of offense while also forcing 2 turnovers that led to 2 of the Blazers 4 FGs on the day. Those 4 FGs were enough to overcome the 1 TD Memphis scored as both teams get next week off. The Florida win gives them a BYE while Memphis goes home until 1995 begins. The Memphis loss put the Showboats into a tie with Michigan for the #6 seed which they lost due to the head to head loss to Michigan in Week 4.

Stars 16 Federals 10

It seemed that Baltimore would get the home field advantage and Atlantic division crown even with a loss, but that theory wasn't tested as Baltimore wins once again to complete a 16-0 regular season. The Stars join the 1977 Detroit Wheels and 1986 Memphis Showboats as the only 3 teams to ever finish the regular season 16-0. Can Baltimore complete the 19-0 season like the Wheels and Showboats? Time will tell. This last game was no cake walk as Washington had a 7-0 lead after Robert Trammell's 2 yard TD run in the 1st qtr. Baltimore would get a pair of Fred Boyce FGs to pull within 7-6 at the half. Washington extended the lead to 10-6 early in the 4th before Jon Snow finally got the Stars in the end zone. His 18 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Zimmer gave Baltimore a 13-10 lead and Fred Boyce added 3 points at the 2 minute warning for our final margin. 

Generals 61 Bell 12

New Jersey was fighting for a BYE, trying hard to win while Philadelphia reportedly sat 7 starters and the results were predictable. New Jersey QB Don Ferguson completed 41/55, 538 yards and 6 TDs to lead the Generals offense. Only 1 receiver topped 100 yards despite Ferguson's stats and that was RB Sam Beckett, who had 199 combined yards, catching 7 for 152 yards and 2 TDs. Fellow RB David Koresh had the reverse game of Beckett, catching a TD pass among his 5 for 57 yards while rushing for 133 yards and a TD for a combined 190 yards. 

Steamer 27 Maulers 3

Shreveport tuned up for the playoffs by limiting Pittsburgh to 112 offensive yards and getting 4 George Marcil TD passes in the first half to cruise to victory. Rookie WR David Shafer did most of the damage with 6 catches, 194 yards and 3 TDs while Jeffrey Morris led a productive RBBC with 87 of the team's 170 rushing yards.

VooDoo 14 Thunderbolts 12

Cleveland was 10-2 after 12 weeks only to come into this game on a 3 game losing streak (all losses to playoff teams) and finding themselves destined to go home after this game. Cleveland more than doubled the offensive yards of New Orleans but 4 red zone trips resulted in just 1 TD and 2 FGs. Joseph Jones threw a pair of TD passes to give New Orleans a 14-0 lead in the 3rd quarter before Cleveland finally scored some points. A pair of FGs got Cleveland within 14-6 and they nearly had a TD before turning it over on downs very deep in VooDoo territory. The Thunderbolts got the ball back for one last drive and Tony Romo led them to a TD with a 7 yard pass to Matthew Martin with 0:01 on the clock, but the 2 point conversion was no good and the game ended with a thud for Cleveland.

Force 22 Stallions 18

Milton People was in a giving mood today, passing for 3 TDs for Georgia while throwing 3 INTs to the Birmingham defense. People's first TD pass, a 7 yarder to Matthew Taylor gave the Force a 7-0 lead. Then 2 INTs and a lost fumble on Georgia's next 3 drives led to 13 Birmingham points and a 13-7 Stallions lead at halftime. Birmingham's defense tackled Shaun Sutton in the end zone for a safety and a FG a bit later gave the Stallions an 18-7 4th quarter lead. Milton People then threw a pair of TD passes to lead Georgia to 15 unanswered points and a come from behind victory.

Hawaiians 42 Hornets 18

Honolulu took out their playoff frustrations out on Charlotte today, intercepting 4 passes including 1 for a TD as they sting the Hornets. Derek Henry threw for 270 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Hawaiians offense. RB Anthony Davis had 129 combined yards with a rushing TD while WR Brian Vizcarra caught 5 for 127 yards and a TD. 

Express 23 Sun 13

Los Angeles last made the playoffs in 1987 with the remnants of what once former/now current owner mwd65 left behind. With his return, the Express ended the season with momentum and a 4 game winning streak to put the Pacific on notice for 1995. Today, Gary Sappington scored a pair of rushing TDs to help Los Angeles get out to a 20-6 halftime lead. The Express extended the lead to 23-6 in the 4th before a late Southern California TD made the score closer.

Outlaws 24 Invaders 9

Oklahoma won despite just 132 offensive yards thanks to 3 Andrew Moreno INTs, one returned for a TD. Oklahoma QB Steven Rigney only completed 5 of 13 passes today but one went 75 yards to Craig Icenhour, who served as the Outlaws PK early this season. The Outlaws running game went nowhere, gaining 41 yards on 35 carries but Alfred Brown had a 10 yard TD run while the Outlaws defense allowed just 3 FGs all day for the win.

(NY) Stars 42 Bandits 24

Baseball teams often have fireworks shows to end wins, seasons, or to celebrate home runs, or at least they do with my local team, the Cincinnati Reds. New York and Tampa Bay did something similar to end 1994 by putting up an aerial fireworks display of footballs with a combined 932 passing yards. 118 combined passes thrown and zero sacks. Antonio Martinez was 34/66, 455 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT while Damien Oleary completed 30/51, 477 yards and 3 TD passes. Each team had just 1 receiver get over 100 but each in different ways. The Bandits spread the ball around today, with WR Richard Miller leading the way with 7 catches 131 yards while Martinez found a different receiver for all of his TD passes. Oleary focused more on one guy, WR Albert Olson, and the rookie speedster caught 10 passes for 327 yards and 3 TDs. 

Tampa bay got off to a fast start, as they led early in the 2nd quarter 24-7. The Stars held the Bandits scoreless the final 42 minutes of the game and by halftime, Oleary had New York within 24-21. New York went on to win the second half 21-0 and their 35 unanswered points gave them the come from behind win.

Bulls 7 Renegades 6

Orlando controlled the action, holding the ball over 41 minutes and out gaining Jacksonville 273-219. Orlando did not turn the ball over, they converted 8/19 3rd downs, and Trey Lyons completed 22/28 passes but all of that produced just a pair of Scott Mueller FGs. Orlando also had 21 total first downs to just 5 for Jacksonville, but the Bulls actually put the ball in the end zone once, which was just enough to beat 2 FGs. In fact, their TD accounted for 41% of their total yards today as Derek Joyce found Leon Gutierrez for a 91 yard TD pass.

Breakers 63 Tankers 0

I am glad the tanking ends here because these box scores have got quite ridiculous. Arizona QBs combined for 0/55/6 with 7 sacks for a grand total of negative 58 offensive yards. James Nash led the Boston RBBC with 104 yards and a TD as the Breakers used 6 different ball carriers to rush for 287 yards and 4 TDs. QB Joseph Haight completed 22/36 for 255 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Anthony Temple (4-112-2). Boston finishes 7-9, their best record since 1990.

Week 15: Early Playoffs Part 1

 With so many teams in the American Conference fighting for playoff spots, we're essentially having pre-playoffs now. Heading into Week 16, the standings glitch has appeared as Detroit has not really clinched the Midwest yet. In fact the only division in that conference to be decided is the Pacific and the wildcard scenarios are truly wild. We have 7 playoff type games on the schedule for Week 16 although it appears that Washington @ Baltimore is meaningless other than the Stars run for perfection. 

Detroit @ Chicago

San Jose @ Michigan

Houston @ Denver

Memphis @ Florida

Portland @ San Antonio

Philadelphia @ New Jersey *(Only matters for seeding/BYE)

Washington @ Baltimore *(MFN says it doesn't matter and I can't prove otherwise)

That's all next week though, and we had a full slate of Week 15 games that set this chaos up.

SaberCats 30 Hawaiians 10

San Jose finally found a way to get WR Mark Hsu involved in the offense again and the SaberCats win to complete the sweep and win the Pacific. Things started off poorly for Jake Plummer as he was intercepted by John Meyer, who returned it for a TD and a 7-0 Honolulu lead. Plummer bounced back, driving San Jose down the field, tying the game with a 10 yard TD pass to David McEntee. Each team would add a FG for a halftime score of 10-10.

The 3rd quarter saw Plummer find Mark Hsu for a pair of TDs to put the game away. The first one went for 41 yards and broke the 10 all tie while the back breaker covered 73 yards. The SaberCats defense shut down the Hawaiians offense and will host a playoff game.

Gold 26 Thunderbolts 23

In the real life NFL, Denver and John Elway broke Cleveland fans hearts with 2 improbable come from behind playoff wins in the 1980's. The stakes weren't as high today but Denver once again breaks Cleveland's heart with a come from behind win to eliminate the Thunderbolts from the playoffs. 

Denver actually had a 13-9 lead entering the 4th and early on, extended it to 16-9 before Tony Romo tied the game with an 18 yard TD pass to Bobby Colley. On the ensuing kickoff, Calvin Hoffman fumbled on a hit by Edgar Blanchard, who also recovered the fumble and Romo didn't waste the gift. Romo found James Bull for a 13 yard TD pass that gave Cleveland a 23-16 lead with 3:24 to play.It only took Andrew Brewer 3 plays to tie the game with a 76 yard catch and run TD pass to Douglas Crowley. The Gold forced Cleveland into a three and out, then Andrew Brewer methodically led Denver down the field, draining the clock. Robert Deacon made a 39 yard FG as time expired to give Denver the win that clinches a playoff spot, eliminating Cleveland at the same time.

Storm 25 Gamblers 6

Portland took an instant 7-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage as Melvin Driggers found Richard Robinson with a 75 yard TD. The defenses for both teams took over from there as we saw nothing but FGs until Timothy Roquemore's clinching 8 yard TD run inside the 2 minute warning. Portland's defense allowed the Gamblers no running room, and being forced to throw, the Storm limited Tony Dean to 178 scoreless yards. Houston's defense slowed down Driggers after the first play but Robinson ended with 6 catches for 168 yards and a TD while the Storm RBBC ran for 220 yards. That running game made the difference in the FG kicking contest that ensued after the initial TD.

MFN says neither team has qualified for the playoffs yet, although both will be in with a win next week. Even with losses most of the tiebreakers seem in their favor, although there is no guarantee I'm right.

Showboats 20 Outlaws 17 (OT)

Memphis dodged a major bullet after blowing a 14-0 lead only to win in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive. Norman Maldonado threw 2 early TD passes as the Showboats jumped out 14-0 but Oklahoma cut the lead in half on a John Crisp TD pass. The first quarter ended 14-7 Memphis, and nobody scored again until the 4th. Maldonado threw 2 INTs in that stretch and Gary Ridgeway also missed 2 FGs for Memphis while Eric Chandler also missed 2 FGs for the Outlaws. Chandler made a chip shot early in the 4th and Ridgeway nailed a 51 yard attempt for a 17-10 lead. John Crisp threw his 2nd TD pass with 1:10 left, a 5 yard pass to Carl Hunt, and the XP tied the game. 

Each team punted twice in the extra session before Memphis finally got in FG range and Gary Ridgeway's 33 yard FG with 0:36 left allowed the Showboats to exhale, as they didn't eliminate themselves.

Wheels 33 Tankers 0

Games like this are exactly why the tanking has to end after this season. Detroit matched Arizona turnover for turnover in a mistake and sack filled game. Each team threw 5 INTs and lost a fumble while Arizona QBs were sacked 7 times, Detroit's 4 (both teams played 2 QBs). The difference was Arizona completed just 1 of 57 passes to their own players while Detroit completed 34 for 364 yards and the Wheels ran for 135 yards while the Tankers once again did not run the ball. Detroit wins 33-0 in a game they probably lose to any other opponent in the league.

Blitz 33 Panthers 19

Michigan has the 3rd ranked defense, but Chicago put 420 yards on them, 149 rushing as the Blitz upset the Panthers. John Gates got the yards (91 on 25 carries) and Dale Davis got 2 rushing TDs while Ronald Brown completed 26/37 for 279 yards and a TD as the Blitz played turnover free football. For Michigan, Larry Henderson threw for 406 yards and 2 TDs on 32/62 passing, but he also threw 2 INTs. Michigan was aggressive early in the game, turning the ball over on downs twice in their own territory, handing Chicago 6 free points. Michigan WR Harvey Williams had 155 yards receiving and 2 TDs in the losing effort.

Stars 38 Stallions 13

Jon Snow completed 34/47, 463 yards and 5 TDs as Baltimore runs their record to a quiet 15-0. The Stars have to be loving the American Conference chaos as their run for perfection has flown under the radar. RB Herman Hayes had a combined 183 yards and a receiving TD and John Warkentin had 107 receiving yards and 2 TDs to lead the Baltimore skill players. It will be interesting how Baltimore plays their game against Washington in Week 16. Do they believe MFN that the #1 seed is clinched and rest some injured players? 

Federals 55 Hornets 20

Washington seems destined to be a wildcard but they made quite a statement today. Scott Bieber threw for 432 yards and 6 TDs on 17/27 passing, with 5 of the scores going to Ronald Matthews, who caught 7 for 353 yards in all. Robert Trammell ran for 138 yards and a TD, adding 58 receiving yards while fellow RB James Dunn ran for 93. If MFN is to be believed, the Federals next meaningful game will be the wildcard game at Shreveport.

Blazers 14 Breakers 9

Boston hung tough with Southeast champs Florida, winning the turnover battle 2-0 and converting 6/18 on 3rd down while holding the Blazers to 3/11. The Breakers Curtis Zuniga scored 3 times while the Blazers got 2 scores from Robert Romero, but using football math, 2 is better than 3. Zuniga is Boston's kicker, and he made all 3 of his FG attempts, but the Breakers only got 3 points fron a pair of red zone trips. Robert Romero is a RB and he caught a 30 yard TD pass from Sidney Maggard and ran one in from 13 yards out to lead Florida to the narrow win. Romero finished with 120 combined yards as Florida keeps the inside track on the #2 seed.

Generals 24 Invaders 13

New Jersey RB David Koresh had a combined 206 yards, 135 rushing, and his 62 yard TD run on the opening possession gave the Generals an early 7-0 lead. Don Ferguson then threw 2 TD passes as New Jersey took a 21-3 halftime lead. Oakland clawed back, getting within 21-13 late in the 4th, but the onside kick failed, allowing New Jersey to tack on a FG and hold on for the win. The Generals are suddenly huge Memphis fans as a Showboats victory over Florida coupled with a New Jersey win would give the Generals the #2 seed and a BYE. Otherwise, it looks like the Generals and Bell will play back to back weeks in New Jersey.

(NY) Stars 30 Bell 13

Philadelphia got out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a Jamie Epperson 4 yard TD run and a Robert Albertson 24 yard FG before New York came back. William Hall had a 1 yard TD run and Damien Oleary had a 10 yard TD pass to Wayne Ryals. The XP was no good, so the Stars led 13-10. Each team added a FG for a halftime score of 16-13 New York. The Stars defense shut Philadelphia out in the second half and a pair of 4th qtr TDs, including Hall's 2nd rushing score, gave the Stars the win, eliminating any chance Philadelphia had of winning the East. The Bell do have a wildcard spot to fall back on and will travel to either New Jersey or Florida for the post season.

Renegades 27 Steamer 6

Shreveport will win the South and host a playoff game against Washington most likely, and if not them, Baltimore. That prospect must have the Steamer steamed, as they are limping into the post season with their 2nd loss in a row. Orlando put up 366 offensive yards while allowing Shreveport just 145. The Renegades weren't efficient in the red zone, settling for too many FGs, but their defensive performance negated that as Orlando wins handily. The Renegades got 168 receiving yards from David King as the offense scored 6 FGs and a Trey Lyons TD pass to Ben Dehaven with a safety thrown in for good measure.

Gunslingers 17 Sun 9

San Antonio's RBBC ran for 155 yards at 5 yards a pos, while Robert Fanelli was an efficient 16/21, 167 yards as the Gunslingers win to improve to 8-7. This clinches just the 5th non losing season in franchise history and best finish since 1979. The Gunslingers won 8 games total in the first 3 years under current owner Mjlee555, and the 4th year was just 4-11-1. The last 3 seasons have shown steady improvement, from 6-10 in 1992, 7-9 last season to at least 8-8 this year. With continued improvement, perhaps the Southwest will turn into a 3 team race in the near future.

Express 20 Maulers 6

David Tavarez threw 2 TD passes and the Express ran for 120 yards as Los Angeles wins their 3rd game in a row. Mwd65 seems to be settling into his new/old home just fine after a tumultuous time in New Orleans, although he did inherit a team with an unbalanced roster and a weak free agent pool to fix it from. While Los Angeles is building momentum going into 1995, Pittsburgh is hoping for a good draft/free agency so they can be more competitive.

Bulls 30 Bandits 12

Jacksonville overcame 2 first quarter fumbles thanks to Derek Joyce TD passes to Leon Gutierrez. The first one went for 80 yards, the second 31 as the Bulls got out to a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes. The next 5 scores were all FGs, 3 by Jacksonville as the Bandits never got closer than 11 points after the initial Jacksonville flurry. Derek Joyce finished the game 38/52, 398 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs with Gutierrez finishing with 6 catches, 154 yards and 2 TDs.

Force 26 VooDoo 20

Georgia and New Orleans played an entertaining, back and forth game today. We had 4 lead changes and the first half was about the offenses. New Orleans got the ball first and drove 62 yards for a TD, with a Joseph Jones pass to Thomas Thomas giving the VooDoo a 7-0 lead. Georgia answered with a 75 yard TD drive capped off by a Paul Meade 3 yard TD run. New Orleans would get a FG on their second drive, while Thomas Jacobi found Willard Brekke for a 76 yard TD to give Georgia a 14-10 lead. Brekke has come alive late in the season and is currently just outside the top 10 in receiving yards after his 8-186 today. Thomas Thomas had a short TD run to give the lead back to New Orleans before Georgia tied it with a FG just before the half. The second half turned into a FG kicking contest, with Georgia's James May making 3 to Jordan Fuller's 1 for New Orleans to give the Force the win. 

Week 14: Questions Remain Unanswered

 We had some important games in Week 14 but we aren't much closer to answering the questions we had coming in. We still have no American Conference teams in the playoffs for sure yet and only 2 divisions in the entire league have a champion already. We know the 6 National Conference teams but only Shreveport at #4 is locked into a seed. 

Panthers 17 Thunderbolts 16

I don't have all the stats but Michigan had one of the longest drives ever to start the game. The Panthers went on a 19 play, 79 yard drive, scoring a FG after having the ball 10:01. Cleveland's defense was in good shape though as they blanked the Panthers until the 4th quarter. The Thunderbolts got a pair of Carlos Reed FGs before Tony Romo found Mark Howe for a 13 yard TD to give Cleveland a 13-3 lead. That TD drive was just 37 yards thanks to a Larry Henderson INT, and Reed would later add a FG for a 16-3 lead early in the 4th. Miguel Lamar returned the favor, intercepting Romo and Henderson capped the 2 play, 60 yard drive with a 28 yard TD pass to Harvey Williams. Following a Cleveland three and out, Henderson again led a time consuming 79 yard drive. This one only took 6 minutes but it ended with a TD as Henderson found Kevin Terry for a 14 yard score. The extra point was good and Michigan takes the lead with just under 2 minutes to play. The Panthers defense held and the offense drained the clock as Michigan maintains a share of first place in the Midwest. The loss has Cleveland currently on the outside looking in and they will have one eye on the scoreboard of other games.

Wheels 23 VooDoo 21

There were 4 lead changes and 6 turnovers in this game Detroit needed to win to keep pace with Michigan. Detroit got out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a Kent Olden FG and a Gabriel Flanagan 18 yard TD pass to Timothy Richardson. New Orleans answered with a pair of 2nd quarter TD passes from Joseph Jones for a 14-10 lead. The first TD was 19 yards to Jose Little and the second TD went for 8 yards to Thomas Thomas. Detroit wouldn't stay down long as Olden made a FG just before the end of the first half and in the 3rd quarter, backup QB Ellis Soza threw a 63 yard TD pass to Thomas Love. Soza comes in for a few plays every game, I don't know why, maybe fatigue settings, but I never mention it because he usually does nothing. Including today, Soza is 2/30, 65 yards, 1 TD and 4 INTs.

RB James Fischer caught 7 passes for 115 yards but didn't run the ball well, gaining 20 yards on 8 carries. His fumble in the 4th quarter set up the VooDoo with an instant red zone opportunity which Joseph Jones cashed in with a 6 yard TD pass to Noel Bray, giving New Orleans a 21-20 lead. Detroit immediately answered with a FG for a 23-21 lead and were driving for more when New Orleans got their 3rd INT of Detroit QBs to keep the deficit at 2. The offense couldn't take advantage and their last drive of the game ended with an INT as the VooDoo approached the red zone. The wild win allows Detroit to keep a share of first place in the Midwest.

Gold 24 Invaders 22

Oakland gave Denver a run for their money but the Gold eventually pulled ahead enough that the late Invaders comeback fell short. Oakland out gained Denver 410-321 but Andrew Moreno threw an INT and 5 red zone trips produced just 2 TDs and 3 FGs. Moreno was 34/46, 354 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT but his most important pass of the game was a late, 1 yard completion. Denver QB Andrew Brewer only threw for 178 yards, but had 3 TDs and 0 INTs plus 107 rushing yards from Frederick Barron to build a 24-13 4th quarter lead. That was our score with 4:34 left, the last time Denver possessed the ball. Oakland took over and drove for a FG to pull within 8. There was just 2:02 left to play so they opted for an onside kick, which they recovered. Moreno drove the Invaders down the field, ending the drive with a 5 yard TD pass to Kenneth Hill and a successful 2 point conversion could force overtime. Moreno found Scott Stillings, but he got stuffed at the 1 and Denver keeps the lead 24-22. Time was running out and despite another successful onside kick, Oakland had time for just 1 play that did not get into FG range.

Storm 74 Tankers 0

Arizona continues to try to field the worst team ever as they end the game with zero positive plays all game. I take that back, zero positive offensive plays as they had 2 kickoff returns for 54 yards. They did not attempt to run the ball and out of 52 pass attempts, they completed zero to their own players and 7 to the Portland defense. Add in 3 sacks and the Wranglers had negative 24 yards of offense. Jose Moses led the Portland RBBC with 108 yards and 3 TDs and the team as a whole ran for 284 yards and 5 TDs. Melvin Driggers threw for 271 yards and 2 TDs and the offense as a whole had 8 TDs and 6 FGs. 

Gamblers 37 Blitz 21

Tony Dean threw 4 TD passes on the day, all in the first half as Houston built a 31-0 halftime lead before cruising in the second half to their 12th win of the season. Dean found Hugh Chance on the first play of the game for a 75 yard TD and an instant lead. Chicago was moving the ball on their first drive until Ronald Brown threw an interception. Dean worked a little slower this time, taking 8 plays to go 77 yards for his 2nd TD pass that gave the Gamblers a 14-0 lead. Following an exchange of punts, the Blitz found themselves starting a drive on their own 7 where Brown promptly threw interception #2. Tony Dean then found Lloyd Ellis 3 plays later for the first of 2 TD passes for a 21-0 lead. The 2nd Dean to Ellis TD pass was a 51 yarder for a 28-0 lead and an Earl Castro FG rounded out the first half scoring.

Chicago could have easily threw in the towel at this point, especially given their lack of a playoff situation, but the Blitz fought back and won the second half 21-6. The first half deficit was too much to overcome however, and despite the sloppy second half, Houston never let Chicago get closer than 13.

Bandits 17 Showboats 16

This week saw several non playoff teams give playoff caliber teams a lot of trouble and two of them even won. This was the first such upset, as Tampa Bay ekes out a win in a turnover filled game. Memphis forced the first turnover, a Bandits fumble that Norman Maldonado took advantage of. Maldonado found Matthew Royster for a 39 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. A little later, Maldonado threw the first of his 2 interceptions deep in Memphis territory and Antonio Martinez threw a 7 yard TD pass to Wm Jones to tie the game. Memphis would get the next 3 scores, all field goals following an interception, a punt, and another interception by Martinez. That gave the Showboats a 16-7 lead before martinez struck again with a 46 yard TD to Garry Fowler in the final minute of the half to pull within 16-14. 

The second half was mostly scoreless as each offense continued making mistakes as Maldonado threw his 2nd INT while Martinez threw 2 of his own for a total of 4 INTs today. The last mistake came on the first play following the 2 minute warning as TE Jason Laughlin fumbled running after the catch and James Ware returned it all the way to the Memphis 13. Martinez couldn't get the Bandits in the end zone but he also did not throw INT #5, allowing Edward Walter to kick the go ahead 21 yard FG and the defense held Memphis in check on the final drive to put a serious hurt on the Showboats playoff hopes.

Stars 47 Steamer 23

Shreveport has clinched the South and is locked into the #4 seed, meaning they will host the top wildcard in the conference. That will mean either a rematch with Baltimore or a game against a Washington team who has beaten everyone on their schedule except Baltimore. Speaking of beating everyone on their schedule, that's exactly what the Stars have done in 1994. Baltimore got off to a slow start today as the game was tied at 6 in the 2nd quarter before the Stars ripped off 34 of the next 37 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to seize control of the game. 

QB Jon Snow threw for 447 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs as he welcomed WR John Warkentin back. Warkentin led the receivers with 5 catches, 109 yards and a TD while RB William Halford had 213 combined yards, rushing for 126 and adding 87 receiving yards. After the Stars led 40-9, Shreveport QB George Marcil closed out the scoring with 3 passes that turned into points. Two of the scores were too little, too late TD passes to make the score look closer and the other one was a pick six by CB Edwin Tillis.

Federals 27 SaberCats 10

Washington leaned on their defense and running game against San Jose today as the Federals hand the SaberCats their first loss of the pronfl51 era. Robert Trammell had 74 yards rushing and a TD while James Dunn also ran in a score as Washington built a 14-3 halftime lead. Scott Bieber finally threw a TD pass late in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 24-3 with a 58 yard strike to Ronald Matthews. San Jose would cut the lead to 14 entering the 4th but their last 3 drives ended on an INT, downs, and a punt.

Hawaiians 28 Sun 10

Honolulu QB Derek Henry completed 34/48 for 198 yards and 3 TDs as the Hawaiians score 25 unanswered points to seize control of this game and force a tie atop the Pacific. Honolulu struck first with a FG before Gary Wiggins found James Brough for a 6 yard TD for Southern California. The Hawaiians would trim the deficit to 7-6 before the first of Henry's TD passes gave them the lead for good. Henry threw a 3rd quarter TD pass to Delmar Moeller to extend the lead to 20-7 and the pair hooked up again in the 4th. RB Anthony Davis ran in the 2 point conversion and he finished with 140 combined yards, 95 rushing. 

Blazers 13 Generals 9

We had a battle of first place teams in New Jersey and the winner would have the upper hand for the #2 seed in the playoffs. The Generals out gained the Blazers, ran the ball twice as well and won the turnover battle 2-1, so they won right? Wrong. New Jersey only converted 3/15 on 3rd down, allowing Florida to convert on 6 of their 15. Al Borland missed a FG and New Jersey did not put the ball in the end zone all game, settling for the 3 FGs Borland did make. Sidney Maggard didn't play well either but he did manage to throw a TD pass, 16 yards to Ronald Kirby and the Blazers defense made that hold up as Florida slides into the #2 spot.

Bulls 16 Bell 15

Philadelphia had a chance to tie New Jersey atop the East with a win over Jacksonville, but someone forgot to tell the Bulls they were supposed to lose. Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in 11 plays, with Derek Joyce's 1 yard TD pass to Ken Robinson giving the Bulls the 7-0 lead. Philadelphia would fumble on their first possession, setting up a Bulls FG for a 10-0 lead. Philadelphia started to turn it around on both sides of the ball as the offense was moving and the defense was forcing punts. The Bell couldn't crack the end zone though, settling for 4 Robert Albertson FGs and a 12-10 lead. Jacksonville would retake the lead on a Neal Williams 40 yard FG only for Albertson's 5th FG gave the lead back to Philadelphia. A Joseph Serio INT set up the Bulls for the go ahead FG, which Williams hit from 40 yards again and the Jacksonville defense forced 2 punts to hang on for the win.

Renegades 13 Gunslingers 9

Ben Dehaven had 87 rushing yards and a 2 yard TD run on the opening drive to lead Orlando to victory. That was the only TD of the game as the defenses were on top of things today. San Antonio managed to keep plugging away, cutting the lead to 7-3, then 10-6, and finally 10-9 early in the 4th. That's as close as the Gunslingers would get as they added a FG for a 4 point cushion and the defense did the rest.

Breakers 22 (NY) Stars 16

Boston defeated New York in a mistake filled game. The Breakers got out to a 13-0 lead thanks to a pair of Curtis Zuniga FGs and a 31 yard TD pass from Adam Scales to Anthony Temple. Damien Oleary brought the Stars back with a 59 yard TD pass to Stanley Hart, then Ed Jetton booted a FG to pull within 13-10. The rest of the game the teams traded FGs as Boston went up 6 then New York cut it to 3, up 6, cut to 3, up 6, end of game. Both QBs threw 2 INTs and both teams fumbled twice although Boston recovered all 4. They combined to go 6/33 on 3rd down and 5 combined red zone trips produced 4 FGs. 

Express 33 Outlaws 10

Los Angeles got a David Tavarez 3 yard TD pass to Sidney Chavis on the opening drive for a 7-0 lead before the Express started making mistakes. Their next 3 drives ended with a missed FG, interception and a fumble, but Oklahoma could only take advantage once, tying the game with a Douglas Arnold 1 yard run. Gary Sappington's 2 yard TD run gave Los Angeles the lead back for good, and after the Outlaws got within 14-10, Los Angeles ripped off 19 unanswered points to win going away. Jeffrey Chartier ran for 98 yards and a score while Sappington ran for 95 yards and a score, adding 58 receiving yards to pace the Express offense.

Stallions 10 Force 7

Georgia started off the game with mistakes on 3 of their first 5 drives with a missed FG and a pair of interceptions. The first INT by Thomas Jacobi was almost returned for a TD by Lamont McCarthy who was brought down at the Force 2 yard line. Willie Benge found Francis Schultz on the next play for a 7-0 Birmingham lead. Birmingham got aggressive, going for a 4th and 2 from the Georgia 41, failing and turning it over on downs. Jacobi then led Georgia 59 yards for a TD to tie the game with Willard Brekke on the receiving end of the 15 yard TD. The score would remain 7-7 until 2:20 left in the game when Birmingham finally got into FG range where Gerald Hinton's 43 yard kick gave Birmingham the lead for good.

Maulers 7 Hornets 3

Pittsburgh was one of the last 3 teams without a win before the Toilet Tank Game between Oklahoma and Arizona, and the Maulers are a prime example of how I think struggling teams should play things. He tried Ernest Simmon at QB and it didn't work out so he went back to Will Allison, the veteran QB who led Pittsburgh to the playoffs previously. He has also been using a real placekicker all year. If there was a way for me to manipulate who picks where, I would give the #1 pick to Pittsburgh for having integrity. The Maulers played badly again today but the Hornets played worse. Charlotte held a 3-0 lead for most of the first 3 quarters until Allison found Franklin Cherry with a 2 yard TD pass early in the 4th. That gave Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead and the Maulers defense made sure that held up as they finally break into the win column. 

Week 13: Wild, Wild Midwest

 Week 13 is in the books and the Midwest division has a 3 way tie at the top. We had some pre-playoff games that created more questions than they answered, and it's going to be a crazy last 3 weeks in this division, and the American Conference as a whole. The West is also tied while San Jose and Houston have 1 game leads, and we will have 2 teams with 10+ wins not make the playoffs. This conference is so bunched up, nobody has even clinched a playoff spot yet, not even current #1 seed Houston.

The National Conference is much clearer, as all 6 teams are set. Florida and Shreveport have clinched divisions while Baltimore, Washington, New Jersey, and Philadelphia have clinched playoff berths. Their divisions might not be decided until Week 16 when they play each other (awesome job by the schedule makers), but they are all at least wildcards. Baltimore continues to remain undefeated at 13-0 while Washington's only loss was to the Stars.

Storm 20 Panthers 17 (OT)

This game had the feel of a playoff game, and it's about as close as you can get to one in Week 13. The defenses ruled the day as no skill player did anything of note, other than score. The turnovers started early for Larry Henderson, as he threw an interception on their first drive of the game. Portland took advantage of the short field, as Melvin Driggers found Jeffrey Frost for an 8 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. Michigan concentrated on running the ball on their next drive and Milton Schwab's 3 yard TD run tied the game at 7. Michigan's next drive saw Henderson throw it some more, and he ended the drive with a 9 yard TD pass to Kevin Terry as the Panthers took a 14-7 lead. The rest of the half was mostly punts and an INT by both QBs.

Michigan got the ball to start the second half and they crossed midfield before being forced to punt. The Storm offense took over on their own 1 and promptly went three and out. Michigan's Lawrence Schroeder fumbled the punt however, and Portland recovered, resuming their drive. The Storm drove until Grady Babin's 3 yard TD run tied the game at 14. Michigan got the ball back and Harvey Williams fumbled the ball away after a reception but Donald Atkins was wide right on a 48 yard FG attempt for Portland and we remained tied. Henderson then drove the Panthers into the Storm red zone, where a 31 yard Jonathan Ruch FG gave Michigan a 17-14 lead on the first play of the 4th. Later in the quarter, Michigan opted to try a 4th and 2 play from their own 28 which failed, but Miguel Lamar bailed out the head coach by intercepting Melvin Driggers. Michigan was forced to punt, giving Driggers a chance to tie or win, but the drive was again starting from the Portland 1. Driggers took all 2:38 but he got Portland within FG range and Atkins nailed the 39 yard kick as regulation time expired to send the game into overtime.

Michigan got the ball first in OT and punted. Portland drove to the Michigan 30 yard line before David Smith fumbled the ball away. Raymond McDonald then bailed out Smith like Lamar bailed out the Panthers HC by intercepting a pass. This gave Portland the ball in instant FG range, and Atkins made the 38 yard FG to give Portland a much needed win.

Wheels 24 Thunderbolts 17

Cleveland had the #1 ranked defense coming in but they had no answer for Gabriel Flanagan today. Flanagan completed 31/35, 311 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, and his 2 early TD passes to James Fischer gave Detroit a 14-0 lead. Cleveland fought back thanks to a FG and a 52 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to James Bull to pull within 4 points early in the 3rd. Flanagan then threw his 3rd TD pass of the game, this one a 4 yard pass to Thomas Barrera to give the Wheels a 21-10 lead. A short Bobby Colley TD run got Cleveland back within 4 before Kent Olden's 33 yard FG early in the 4th pushed the lead to 7. Cleveland's last 2 drives reached the red zone but needing a TD, they ended up turning it over on downs both times as Detroit holds on to force a 3 way tie atop the Midwest.

Gold 51 Outlaws 3

The Denver defense intercepted 4 passes while QB Andrew Brewer threw 4 TD passes as the Gold win big over Oklahoma. Brewer only threw for 245 yards but WR Douglas Crowley accounted for most of that with 142 yards and 3 TD receptions. The Gold also had a pair of 100 yard rushers as Frederick Barron ran for 133 yards and a TD while Max Ellis had 110 and a TD.

SaberCats 20 Hawaiians 6

These 2 teams were tied atop the Pacific with identical 6-6 records and this was their first meeting of the season. The box scores looked similar for both teams but while Honolulu was kicking FGs, San Jose scored TDs to take a 14-6 lead entering the 4th. Jake Plummer threw for both of the SaberCats TDs and he wasn't sacked. In the final quarter, Plummer led San Jose to a pair of FGs while Honolulu turned it over on downs twice. Honolulu won't have to wait long for a chance at revenge as the rematch is in 2 weeks.

Gamblers 37 Bandits 7

Today was a tale of 2 halves and 2 QBs. Tampa Bay hung with Houston in the first half, trailing 17-7 at the break with an INT and a missed FG preventing the score from being closer. The second half was all Houston as Antonio Martinez threw 2 more INTs and Garry Fowler lost a fumble, all in the 3rd quarter as Houston matched their first half score with 17 points in the quarter for a 34-7 lead heading to the 4th. Martinez also completed < 50% of his passes and was sacked 4 times while Tony Dean completed 25/35, 340 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT.

Showboats 27 Renegades 20

Orlando might be 3-10 after today's loss, but this was their 5th loss by 1 score or less in 6 such games this season and they gave Memphis all they wanted. The Showboats offense started slow and the Renegades got 2 early FGs for a 6-0 lead. Erik McNamee and Norman Maldonado got the Showboats back in the lead with TDs sandwiched by a pair of Gary Ridgeway FGs. McNamee capped off a 9 play, 83 yard drive with a 3 yard TD while Maldonado generated a 1 play, 93 yard drive, finding Matthew Royster for the long TD pass. Maldonado would later throw a TD pass to Thomas Ballard sandwiched by a pair of Trey Lyons TD passes for the Renegades. That had Orlando within 27-20 and they were inside the red zone, looking for the tying TD as time was about to expire. Lyons would throw his 2nd INT however, preserving the Memphis win and aggravating the other playoff contenders in the conference.

Stars 37 Maulers 3

Pittsburgh is having a rough season but to their credit, they are playing their best QB and appear to be trying to win a game. Baltimore is having perhaps their finest season and it continued today as Jon Snow threw for 338 yards and 4 TD passes. Glenn Sprinkle caught 7 for 121 yards and 3 TDs and is picking up the slack while John Warkentin rests his knee. William Halford ran for 127 yards and nearly topped the output of the entire Maulers offense as Pittsburgh finished with 131 yards.

Federals 38 Sun 7

Scott Bieber had his best game since 1992 as the beat rolls on for Washington. Bieber completed 29/37, 411 yards and 5 TDs with Ronald Matthews catching 2 scores among his 6 for 193 yards. RB Robert Trammell had 133 combined yards and a receiving TD and the Federals offense converted 9/14 3rd downs.

Generals 26 Breakers 16

East leading New Jersey got a TD pass from Don Ferguson to Sam Beckett on the opening drive and Martin Riggs intercepted an Adam Scales pass, returning it 15 yards for a TD as the Generals got out to a 14-0 lead. The rest of the game didn't go well for New Jersey as they struggled in the red zone and Ferguson completed < 50% for the day. Boston was able to claw back in the game, staying within 7 points most of the 4th quarter, but the Generals were able to hang on for victory.

Bell 61 Tankers 0

Philadelphia pretty much did whatever they wanted, especially on defense as not only has Arizona given up in an effort to secure the #1 pick, I think they are trying to field the worst team ever. Philadelphia ended up getting 164x more yardage than the Tankers. Not 164 more yards, 164 times more yards, 492-3. The Bell allowed 5 completions, had 7 sacks and 8 INTs. Jamie Epperson ran for 111 yards while Charles Weymouth ran for 65 yards and 2 TDs and FB Robert Cooper ran in 3 scores.

Steamer 26 Force 21

This was a back and forth game with 4 lead changes as Shreveport clinches the South with this win. Georgia out gained the Steamer by 135 yards as Milton People threw for 325 yards and 3 TDs. People also threw 2 INTs and Thomas Sanchez lost a fumble as the Force lost the turnover battle 3-0. Third down also went Shreveport's way, as offensively they converted 6/18 while holding Georgia to 1/8. George Marcil threw 2 TD passes to future Hall of Famer Thomas Whitley to lead the Steamer offense.

Gunslingers 16 Blazers 10

Randy Leger ran for 104 yards, Russell Arroyo ran in a TD and Benjamin Regalado made 3 FGs as San Antonio defeats Southeast champs Florida. San Antonio hasn't been over .500 this late in the season since 1979, but unfortunately for them, the American Conference is loaded with 10 win teams, leaving no room in the playoffs. The Gunslingers won despite turning the ball over 3 times on fumbles and the defense let Sidney Maggard dink and dunk all game, as he completed 27/36 for just 155 yards with an INT. 

Express 20 Hornets 10

David Tavarez threw for 319 yards and 2 TDs to lead Los Angeles to victory over Charlotte. Sidney Chavis caught 6 passes for 110 yards and a TD and the Express converted 7/18 3rd downs. Charlotte was held to 3/15 on 3rd down and had just 193 total yards for the game. This is the 2nd time mwd65 has beaten Charlotte this season, despite not being in the same division. He won back in Week 2 as the New Orleans owner and today as the Express owner.

Stallions 28 VooDoo 9

Willie Benge threw 2 TD passes and Francis Schultz ran for 97 yards and 2 scores to lead Birmingham to victory over New Orleans. The VooDoo converted 6/15 3rd downs while holding the Stallions to 1/8, but they had the game's only turnover and scored just 6 points in 2 red zone trips. Birmingham scored TDs on 4 of their 5 red zone possessions, which contributed mightily to the outcome today.

Bulls 15 (NY) Stars 3

Looking at the box score, Jacksonville should have crushed New York worse. The Bulls out gained the Stars by almost 200 yards, won the turnover battle 4-1, and converted 6/18 3rd downs while holding the Stars to 0/8. Derek Joyce completed 41/61, 356 yards and an INT with WR Steven Riley catching 14 passes for 171 yards. Most of those yards came between the 20's as the Bulls went without a TD today, scoring 3 FGs in 4 red zone trips, 5 FGs in all. Albert Olson caught 8 for 175 yards to account for nearly 70% of New York's yardage.

Blitz 13 Invaders 10

Oakland got a 75 yard Andrew Moreno TD pass to Nelson Martinez for the early 7-0 lead and the Invaders led 10-3 after a FG early in the 4th quarter. Their last 4 drives were punt, INT, fumble, and missed FG while the Blitz tied it on a Dale Davis 1 yard TD run with 5:49 left. Chicago K Evan Joseph made a 34 yard FG inside the 2 minute warning to give the Blitz the lead and Oakland K Lawrence Linville was wide right on a 47 yard try inside the final minute as Chicago hangs on for the win. 

 

Week 12: American Conference Playoffs Underway Early/Arizona Tanking

 We have a very exciting playoff stretch run in the American Conference, with 11 teams fighting for the 6 spots. Three of the 4 divisions in that conference have 2 teams tied at the top while Houston has a 1 game lead on Memphis. There will be a couple of legitimate playoff caliber teams that aren't going to make it. In the Pacific we have San Jose and Honolulu tied with 6-6 records while Los Angeles at 3-9 is still mathematically alive. That division will only get 1 playoff team, as the wildcards will come from the other 3 divisions. Portland and Denver are tied in the West with 9-3 records, Houston is 10-2 with a 1 game lead on 9-3 Memphis, and the Midwest is still a 3 team race. Michigan and Cleveland are tied at the top with 10-2 records and Detroit is 1 game behind at 9-3.

This week we have 3 games that qualify as pre-playoff games: Cleveland @ Detroit, Portland @ Michigan, and Honolulu @ San Jose.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows in that conference as we also had our Toilet Bowl this week, (0-11) Arizona @ (0-11) Oklahoma. Arizona deactivated QB Brian Carmichael even though he is by far their most talented signal caller, opting for a combination of Ray Charles and Mr. Magoo. Congratulations Wranglers, probably guaranteed at least the #2 pick. I hope he tanks as well, whoever it is. Weigh in here if you have any ideas on how to prevent tanking in the future.

I took Memorial Day off from the blog and left little time to do it today, plus I'm all worked up now, talking about tanking. We'll see how this edition goes...on to the games.

Stars 30 Hornets 13

Baltimore won again to run their record to 12-0, and with all the playoff drama in the other conference, the Stars road to perfection is actually flying under the radar. Today's game was unspectacular, as Charlotte forced a season high 10 punts by the Baltimore offense, but the Hornets lacked sting when they had the ball. Jon Snow "only" threw for 267 yards, but he had 4 TD passes with zero INTs. RB William Halford ran for 101 yards and caught 2 TD passes with 51 yards receiving. The Stars defense held Charlotte to 161 total yards in the win.

Federals 24 Steamer 3

Washington got 2 rushing TDs from James Dunn and a TD pass by Scott Bieber to defeat South leading Shreveport today. The Federals defense allowed 319 yards, but also intercepted 2 passes and held the Steamer to 2/14 on 3rd down. 

Panthers 10 Wheels 3

Michigan put up 404 yards of offense thanks to Larry Henderson's 377 passing yards, so how did they only score 10 points? Henderson threw 4 INTs and was sacked 4 times. The game was tied at 3 until the final minute of the 3rd quarter when Henderson found Harvey Williams for a 44 yard TD. Detroit could only muster 206 offensive yards and converted 1/17 3rd downs, while K Kent Olden missed 2/3 FG tries. 

Thunderbolts 31 Express 6

Former Los Angeles and New Orleans owner mwd65 had his first game of his second L.A. stint, and it went as well as Jon Gruden's return to the Raiders. The Express scored first and last, but in between Cleveland won 31-0 and shut down the L.A. offense. Cleveland's #1 ranked defense didn't force any turnovers, but they also didn't allow any 3rd down conversions, holding the Express to 161 yards and 0/11 on 3rd. Offensively, Tony Romo threw for 349 yards and 2 TDs and Bobby Colley had a combined 151 yards, 101 as a receiver. RB Evan Hershey only had 98 combined yards but he ran in 2 scores and caught Romo's other TD pass for 3 scores total.

Gold 20 (NY) Stars 13

Denver traveled cross country to New York to play the Stars, and the Gold got out to an early 13-0 lead thanks to a pair of Robert Deacon FGs and an Andrew Brewer TD pass to James Riley. New York came back with a Damien Oleary 75 yard TD pass to Albert Olson sandwiched by a pair of Ed Jetton FGs to tie the game at 13 in the 4th. On the first Denver play after the Stars tied it, Andrew Brewer found Douglas Crowley for a 75 yard catch and run TD to give Denver the lead for good. New York drove inside the Gold red zone but failed to convert a 4th and 1 from the 18, turning it over on downs. 

Storm 29 SaberCats 14

San Jose QB Jake Plummer had enjoyed 4 games in a row without being sacked, but that ended today as the Storm defense sacked him 3 times. Portland also intercepted Plummer once and recovered a fumble. It wasn't all bad for the SaberCats offense as Plummer's 45 yard TD pass to Curt Boren pulled San Jose within 17-14 in the 3rd quarter. That was it though, as Portland allowed negative 2 yards the rest of the game. Offensively Portland was led by Melvin Driggers and Jeffrey Frost. Driggers threw for 326 yards and 2 TDs, 1 to Frost, who caught 11 for 222 yards.Portland scored the last 12 points of the game to pull away and earn the victory.

Hawaiians 14 Invaders 3

RB Anthony Davis had 109 combined yards and a rushing TD while Derek Henry threw a TD pass to Delmar Moeller and the Honolulu defense made that stand up for victory. Oakland went back to Andrew Moreno under center after 3 games of Martin Greene but the results were the same for the Invaders. 

Gamblers 41 Renegades 17

It seemed like all or nothing in this game as the teams combined for 791 yards, 58 points but also 8 turnovers and a combined 7/36 on 3rd down. Both QBs completed < 50% but also a high yards per completion average. Tony Dean threw 3 TD passes covering 57, 78, and 66 yards respectively but he completed just 19/42, 350 yards and 3 INTs. Orlando QB Trey Lyons completed 20/45, 230 yards, a 66 yard TD pass and 4 INTs. LB Derrick Youngs got the first INT, returning it 27 yards for a score. Late in the 3rd, the Renegades had just cut the Houston lead to 14 points when Anthony Fulks permanently put himself in the record books by tying an impossible to break record with a 110 yard backbreaking kickoff return TD and Houston cruised to victory in the 4th. WR David King caught 3-122-1 for Orlando while Houston had both Jett Black (5-110-1) and Daniel Franks (4-100-1) have 100 yard games. RB Lloyd Ellis ran for 79 yards and caught 4 for 83 yards and a TD.

Showboats 29 Gunslingers 3

Memphis QB Norman Maldonado had his best game of the season (unless you go by QBR), completing 32/42, 409 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT as the Showboats win their 5th in a row to stay 1 game behind Houston. RB Erik McNamee did not play due to injury but Steve Ransome ran for 100 yards and a TD in his place to help Memphis convert 7/11 3rd downs. The Showboats held San Antonio to 185 total yards, allowing less than 19 minutes of possession and shutting them out the first 56 and a half minutes of the game.

Generals 34 Bulls 20

Jacksonville got 2 first half TD passes from Derek Joyce to William Morrisson as the Bulls gave New Jersey fits in the first half. The Generals did lead at the break 24-20, thanks to 3 Don Ferguson TD passes. Two of those went to Duncan Meyer, who caught 7 for 173 yards and the Generals defense held Jacksonville scoreless in the second half for the win. 

Bell 24 Stallions 23

Birmingham RB Francis Schultz ran for 143 yards and a TD as the Stallions matched Philadelphia yard for yard. Birmingham made 6 trips into the Bell red zone, but they only scored 2 TDs, with 3 FGs and an empty trip and the Stallions defense had no answer for Jamie Epperson. QB Joseph Serio threw for 3 TDs, 2 to Craig Hines, but Epperson ran for 85 yards and caught 7 for 118 yards and a TD, for 203 combined yards. The come from behind win virtually guarantees a playoff spot for Philadelphia.

Blazers 25 VooDoo 3

Florida QB Sidney Maggard completed 23/26 for 234 yards and 2 TDs, both to William Merkel and the Blazers RBBC gained 213 yards on 43 carries as they win handily in Slowtospeak's VooDoo debut. Robert Romero led the RBBC with 90 yards and his 70 receiving yards gave him 160 for the game as the Blazers offense kept the ball over 40 minutes. 

Breakers 29 Force 24

This game was back and forth, with 4 lead changes before Boston broke away in the 4th quarter. Adam Scales threw for 3 TD passes on 20/24 passing and his last TD pass gave the Breakers a 29-17 lead with 5 and a half minutes left. Milton People brought Georgia down the field, and his 2nd TD pass cut the lead to 29-24, but the Breakers ran out the remaining 3 minutes for the victory. Boston had 410 total offensive yards, 193 rushing and 217 passing, but they use a RBBC and a WRBC, so nobody had a 100 yard game. They'll take the W though.

Bandits 30 Maulers 6

Tampa Bay QB Antonio Martinez completed 21/33, 395 yards and 3 TDs, with zero INTs as the Bandits break their 4 game losing streak. Richard Miller had 155 receiving yards and Luis Dean caught 2 of the TD passes to lead the offense today. Wm Jones chipped in 81 rushing yards and the Bandits defense held Pittsburgh to 156 total yards.

Blitz 27 Sun 3

Chicago only had 8 drives all game, but they scored on 5 of them, out gaining Southern California 481-201 as the Blitz win their second game in a row. RB John Gates ran for 109 yards with 35 receiving, Dale Davis ran for 83 and a TD and Ronald Brown threw for 275 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Chicago offense. 

Outlaws 30 Wranglers 0

The Arizona Wranglers have given up on 1994 as their QBs combined to complete more passes to the Outlaws defense than their own players. 4 completions in 63 attempts with 6 INTs and 4 sacks. Oklahoma out gained Arizona 410-16 and won big despite 4 turnovers of their own.