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.
