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.
