Just 3 weeks into the season and all but 5 teams have suffered a loss already. Our undefeated teams are San Jose, Arizona, Houston, Orlando and Washington. It's no surprise our World Bowl XXI teams are 3-0 as the Gamblers and Federals have been great teams for a long time, and San Jose is a mild surprise, only because of their recent history since HollyHH left. A series of owners could not get All World WR Mark Hsu going, but Wolveraider got Hsu untracked last week and if that continues, look out. Orlando's start is somewhat surprising as well due to their recent history, but anyone who has been in a league with IoanBlood knows his track record and figured success was coming to the Renegades. The Arizona Wranglers have been a lightning rod for controversy the last 2 seasons, tanking 1994 for the #1 pick then winning Week 1 on a punt block that gave some owners, including me, exploit PTSD. The Wranglers have the #23 offense and #21 defense in the league, so they're doing it with smoke and mirrors, but all that matters is wins and losses.
There are 27 more teams in the league and plenty of football left to be played this season, so the 1995 USFL story is far from written in stone. Let's see what happened across the league this week.
Gamblers 27 Wheels 3
Houston continued their amazing start to 1995 by destroying Detroit, out gaining the Wheels 368-94. The Gamblers lead the league in scoring offense, which is no surprise as long as Tony Dean is under center, but the Gamblers defense has given up just 15 points all season, best in the league. Houston is primarily known as an offensive team, as the defensive ranks of CJ's 4 World Bowl teams were 14th, 3rd, 20th, and 15th last season. Houston held Detroit QBs to 12/41, 55 yards and an INT, and allowed zero 3rd down conversions in 14 attempts and kept the Wheels out of the red zone all day. Tony Dean only threw for 185 yards, but he completed 26/38 with 2 TD passes and the Gamblers RBBC had 183 yards and a TD. Houston converted 9/19 3rd downs, scored TDs on all 3 red zone trips and enjoyed a 42-18 time of possession advantage.
Federals 39 Breakers 7
Scott Bieber threw for 316 yards and 3 TDs and Robert Trammell had a combined 190 yards as Washington broke Boston. Trammell had 155 rushing yards and James Dunn had 46 as the Federals ran for 208 yards on the day. That's over 500 yards of offense, yet it wasn't all smooth waves for the Federals as they only converted 3/13 3rd downs and had 1 TD/4 FGs in 6 red zone trips.The Washington defense had it covered though, allowing Boston just 112 total yards and intercepting Adam Scales 3 times.
SaberCats 66 Invaders 22
WR Mark Hsu set the league on fire during his first 4 seasons, breaking the single season league record in 1993 with 2,745 receiving yards and 29 TD receptions and averaging almost 2,000/18 in that span. The last season plus, San Jose had some ownership turmoil and the new guys couldn't get Hsu as involved in the offense, until this week. Hsu hauled in 5 passes for 275 yards and 3 scores as the SaberCats took advantage of Oakland's 32nd ranked defense. It wasn't all Hsu and Jake Plummer, who completed 19/23, 485 yards, 6 TD and 1 INT. Daniel Hartwig had 98 receiving yards and 2 TDs while Rodney Richardson ran for 132 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Oakland had 385 offensive yards of their own and converted 10/21 3rd downs, but until their defense stops someone it's not going to matter.
Renegades 30 Force 14
I haven't checked all rookies, so forgive me if I "ignored" your guy, but Orlando has a rookie of the year candidate in RB Anthony Milan, who got the scoring underway with a 64 yard run in the first quarter. Milan ran for 112 yards today, and has a combined 299 yards and 4 TDs on the season, putting him on pace for a 1600 yards and 20 TDs, ROY numbers for sure. Neither team exercised good ball security today as Orlando turned the ball over 3 times (2 INT and a fumble) while Georgia coughed it up 4 times (2 INT and 2 fumble), but in between the giveaways, the Renegades nearly doubled the yardage of the Force, 434-219. Orlando took a 24-0 lead into halftime and held on for the win despite losing the second half.
Wranglers 17 Stars 13
Last season these teams combined for a 16-16 record, which in and of itself is ordinary, but the teams could not have had more different seasons as Baltimore finished 16-0 while Arizona tanked to 0-16. After this game, one team is 3-0 while the other is 1-2, and if I mentioned this as a fact before the season, most everyone would assume Baltimore is the 3-0 team. Looking at the box score, I'm not sure how the Wranglers did it, as Baltimore out gained Arizona 361-257 and the Wranglers had just 100 passing yards. There was just 1 turnover in the game, by Baltimore and the Stars won time of possession. William Haubert had a 59 yard TD run on the first play of the 4th to break a 10-10 tie and the Wranglers defense held on down the stretch for the victory. The 3 wins is more than the previous 4 seasons combined, when they went 2-62.
Bandits 24 Blazers 21
The box score makes it look like Florida probably won as they out gained Tampa Bay 420-368, turnovers were even, their passing game was more efficient, they converted 8/15 3rd downs, made 5 red zone trips and held the ball 36:45. Sidney Maggard was 36/46, 290 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT and the Blazers had a pair of RB have 100 combined yards, Robert Romero (67 rushing, 66 receiving) and Stephen Hannah (60-67). Florida had just 2 TD and a FG in those 5 red zone trips however, and they also missed a FG. The Bandits go as Antonio Martinez goes, and today he only threw 1 INT on 16/33 passing, 299 yards and 3 TDs. His first TD came on the opening drive and that gave Tampa the lead for good. Florida hit a pair of FGs to get within 7-6, before Martinez's 2nd TD pass extended the lead to 14-6 at the half. A 3rd quarter FG for Tampa Bay made it 17-6 before Maggard's first TD pass and a 2 point run got the Blazers within 3. On the next play, Martinez fired his 3rd TD pass, a 75 yard catch and run to Garry Fowler for a 24-14 lead. Sidney Maggard then drove Florida to a TD just inside the 2 minute warning and the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Blazers. Maggard drove Florida all the way down to the Bandits 1 yard line as time was running out, so they opted for a game tying FG. Gerald Harmon's kick was good, but there was a holding penalty that wiped it out, and since the clock ran out during the kick, Florida would not get another chance and Tampa bay escapes with the win.Gold 23 Storm 10
These West division rivals have been battling it out the last several seasons, and have combined to win 4 of the last 6 World Bowls, so it's rare this game is #6 on the list in the blog. These teams have offensive firepower, so of course this was a game ruled by the defense. Portland had a 10-0 lead in the 2nd before a Jeffery Frost lost fumble set Denver up in Portland territory. Andrew Brewer made them pay with a 4 yard TD pass to James Riley, and the Storm led at the half 10-7. The Gold got the ball to start the 3rd and they tied it with a FG, then the Denver defense intercepted Melvin Driggers to set up another FG and Denver took the lead 13-10. The rest of the second half was just as frustrating for the Storm offense as Denver never let them get momentum. The back breaking drive came with 11:41 left in the 4th, when Brewer led the Gold on a 14 play, 80 yard TD drive, taking 7:30 off the clock. The drive ended with a 30 yard TD pass from Brewer to Douglas Crowley, then the Gold defense intercepted Driggers again on the next play to seal the victory.
Bell 10 Showboats 6
Neither team played their best game offensively as they combined for 532 yards of offense, with Memphis gaining 303. Memphis was able to run better than Philadelphia and they converted 6/15 3rd downs, but it didn't translate into victory. The Showboats made 3 trips inside the red zone but game away with just 6 points on a pair of FGs. Philadelphia went 85 yards in 2 plays on their opening drive and the 32 yard Joseph Serio TD pass to James Jones was all the points they would need today. Memphis QB Norman Maldonado threw 2 INTs in the 4th quarter in the failed comeback attempt.
Sun 30 Blitz 21
Chicago started out this game on fire, as Ronald Brown led a 9 play, 75 yard TD on the opening drive, then hit David Karim for a 77 yard TD pass on the next drive for a quick 14-0 lead. Southern California fought back with a FG, an INT of Brown, and a TD drive following the turnover to pull within 14-10 after 15 minutes. The Sun kept scoring, adding a TD in the 2nd, 10 points in the 3rd, and another FG inside the 2 minute warning for a 30-14 lead. After starting the game on fire, the Sun quickly doused that flame en route to their 30-0 run, mostly forcing three and outs. Brown threw 2 more INTs in the 4th before a long, garbage time TD made the score closer. The Sun RBBC ran for 118 yards and QB Gary Wiggins completed 29/41 for 265 yards and 3 TDs.
Maulers 27 Hornets 13
Charlotte and Pittsburgh were both 0-2 at kickoff, meaning one team would get their first win today. Charlotte got on the board first with a FG but just a few seconds later, Jeffrey Chartier returned the kickoff 102 yards for a TD and a 7-3 Pittsburgh lead. The Maulers added a FG for a 10-3 lead before Charlotte scored the next 10 points to retake the lead 13-10 after Henry Young's 5 yard scoring run. This time Javier Gill kicked the ball into the end zone, but Maulers QB Will Allison immediately fired a 75 yard TD pass to Glenn Lajoie as Pittsburgh retook the lead 17-13. The rest of the half and the entire 3rd quarter was a punt fest, before Allison put the game away in the 4th with his 2nd TD pass.
Stallions 30 Bulls 19
The first half was a back and forth game with Jacksonville leading 16-13 before Birmingham pulled away in the second half for the win. Both offenses had success, especially on 3rd down as Birmingham converted 7/14, Jacksonville 7/15 and they combined for 837 yards of offense. Birmingham enjoyed a 36-24 advantage in time of possession and intercepted Derek Joyce twice, yet the Stallions left points on the field with just 20 points to show for 6 red zone trips (2 TD, 2 FG). Bulls RB Scott Randall had a combined 187 yards and a TD in the loss.
(NY) Stars 23 Outlaws 0
New York has 3 top skill position guys who don't get much press because the Stars haven't been a winning team, but their opponents must account for QB Damien Oleary (3rd in passing yards), RB William Hall (3rd in receiving yards, 1st in total yards), and WR Albert Olson (1st in receiving yards). New York has the 8th ranked offense in the league and their "triplets" filled the box score but it was the Stars defense that stole the show today. Oleary only threw for 204 yards, but he did find Olson for 2 TD passes and 140 yards while Hall had a combined 112. Defensively, they only allowed Oklahoma 134 yards and intercepted John Crisp 5 times, all in the second half to get their first win of the season.
Generals 33 Gunslingers 23
New Jersey got out to a 24-0 halftime lead before taking their foot off the gas in the second half to cruise to the win over San Antonio. The lead was 30-10 late when a pair of Gunslingers TDs made the score closer at the end. The Generals had a 23 minute advantage in time of possession and Don Ferguson threw for 320 yards and 2 TDs. New Jersey held QB Robert Fanelli under 50% on 18/45 passing, but allowed 299 yards and 3 TD passes while allowing Eugene Bufkin a 3-173-1 receiving line.
Steamer 17 VooDoo 14 (OT)
Shreveport and New Orleans needed 5 quarters to determine a winner today, with the game winning kick coming as time expired in the OT session. The teams combined for 714 yards of offense and no turnovers, so I'm a little surprised at the lack of points. George Marcil completed 36/42, 394 yards and 2 TDs for the Steamer, while VooDoo QB Joseph Jones was 24/34, 171 yards and a TD. Richard Wise caught 9 passes from Marcil for 118 yards while Martin Haley caught both scoring passes. In the middle of the 4th, the game was tied at 14 when Shreveport K Jeffrey Smith was wide right on a 36 yard FG attempt in what was the last scoring threat in regulation. New Orleans got the ball to start OT and was forced to punt. Things looked great for the VooDoo when the punt was downed inside the 1, and a defensive stand would give the offense great field position. Instead, George Marcil led Shreveport on a 13 play, 91 yard drive, draining the clock to near zero as Jeffrey Smith trotted on the field for the game winning 28 yard FG as the OT clock hit zero.
Express 23 Hawaiians 10
David Tavarez threw for 256 yards and 2 TDs to lead Los Angeles over Honolulu. Tavarez connected with Corey Gibbons 5 times for 130 yards and a TD while Gary Sappington ran for 109 yards as the Express got out to a 17-0 halftime lead. It wasn't all good for the Los Angeles offense as they had 1 TD and 2 FG in 3 red zone trips and Mario Price missed 3 FG attempts. The defense had the mistakes covered though, intercepting Hawaiians QB Derek Henry 3 times and keeping Anthony Davis in check running the ball (although he caught 8 for 93 yards). The Express are a blocked punt away from replacing Arizona in the 3-0 club.
Panthers 13 Thunderbolts 6
Sometimes box scores make perfect sense in relation to the score and other times it's like reading a foreign language you don't understand. This game fell in the latter category, as the teams combined for 37 first downs...thirty seven, yet they combine for 19 points. A combined 8/28 on 3rd down might have something to do with the lack of scoring, as does 4 Cleveland turnovers and Larry Henderson being sacked 3 times. The Thunderbolts got FGs on their first 2 drives for an early 6-0 lead before the punts and turnovers started. Michigan took the lead for good early 3rd quarter on a Larry Henderson TD pass to Harvey Williams and extended the lead early in the 4th. That TD was by ex Cleveland WR James Bull, who was lucky not to get a taunting flag afterward. The 2 point try failed and Cleveland had a couple of good scoring chances end with Tony Romo interceptions to allow Michigan to hang on for the win.
