Gamblers 31 Generals 19
New Jersey does not have fond memories playing Houston as the Gamblers have given the Generals 2 of their 4 World Bowl losses. Today, Houston comes into the game 4-0 and defending champs, so New Jersey had their work cut out for themselves. One thing the Generals needed to do was move the ball offensively. They gained 410 yards, so check. Another thing they needed to do was prevent big plays from the Houston offense. They allowed 277 total yards and just 157 through the air, sacking Dean twice and intercepting him twice, check. The last thing they needed to do was hold onto the ball. Don Ferguson threw 3 INTs and David Koresh lost a fumble, New Jersey, we have a problem. Especially big problem when all 4 turnovers occurred in Generals territory and Houston made them pay with TDs after each. Three of the 4 came in the last 17 minutes to turn a 14-13 Houston lead into a 31-13 lead and the champs remain undefeated.
Federals 34 Stars 10
Washington and Baltimore have been battling each other for years, but the Federals made a statement that the Atlantic is theirs. We still have a lot of football left, but Washington already has a 3 game lead and today's victory over the Stars in their pocket. Scott Bieber led Washington to a TD on their opening possession, finding Ronald Matthews for the 45 yard score. The Federals defense intercepted Jon Snow, and Bieber made them pay with his 2nd TD pass, 17 yards to Robert Trammell. Washington had the running game working as Trammell had 76 yards on the ground and James Dunn had 67 and a 1st qtr TD run to give the Federals a 21-0 lead. Jon Snow then got Baltimore on the scoreboard, but 21-7 would be as close as they would get. Bieber threw 3 TD passes in all, finding Andrew Favela in the 3rd to extend the Federals lead to 31-7.
SaberCats 39 VooDoo 6
New Orleans is having a rough season, so seeing the red hot SaberCats next on the schedule wasn't well received. The VooDoo had some good news, bad news in this game. The good news is they held San Jose under 40 points and 500 yards after they averaged 60.5 points and 706 yards the last 2 games. The bad news is San Jose drove for TDs on each of their first 3 possessions, putting the VooDoo in a 21-0 hole they couldn't climb out of. Jake Plummer finished 22/32, 288 yards and 4 TDs with Mark Hsu catching 3 passes for 3 TDs and 108 yards. San Jose ended up running the ball quite a bit after the big lead, finishing with 174 yards on 37 carries. The SaberCats defense made life rough for Joseph Jones, intercepting him twice and allowing just 12/31 passing.
Renegades 23 Steamer 20 (OT)
Orlando and Shreveport played a full 5 quarters and every drive but 1 ended with a kick. The only drive of the game not to end with a kick was the drive that ended the first half, as all other drives ended with either a punt, FG, or XP. It was a back and forth game with similar stats on both sides of the box score. Shreveport took the opening kickoff and kicked a FG while Orlando matched that on their opening drive. George Marcil got the lead back on the next drive with a 2 yard TD to Richard Wise and the rest of the half was punts, except the last drive which ended when the clock expired. Orlando got a FG on their first second half drive, then Trey Lyons threw a 5 yard TD pass to Jason Amen as the Renegades took a 13-10 lead early in the 4th. Marcil then brought the Steamer down the field, connecting with David Shafer for a 31 yard TD as Shreveport took the lead right back. At the 2 minute warning, Trey Lyons threw his 2nd TD pass, a 1 yard toss to Jesse Carr as the Renegades retake the lead 20-17. Plenty of time for George Marcil to drive down the field, and he did just that. The Steamer had a 1st and goal from the 5 inside a minute to play but 2 of 3 passes were incomplete and the 3rd was a short gain, so with time running out, they had to settle for a FG and overtime. Shreveport got the ball to start OT but punted, in fact the Steamer punted 3 times in the extra session, with Orlando getting slightly better field position each time. Lyons managed to get the Renegades into FG range before time ran out in OT and Scott Mueller's 49 yard kick split the uprights as Orlando remains undefeated by the slimmest of margins.
Blitz 26 Blazers 20 (OT)
Chicago has played 4 one score games and their 5th game was decided by 9 points, so the Blitz are always in the game. In week 1, they spotted Jacksonville 16 points before going on a 20-0 run to steal victory. Today they play their 2nd Southeast division foe and enjoyed a similar result. Florida got a Sidney Maggard 44 yard TD pass to Richard Carstens on their opening drive for a 7-0 lead and a FG later in the 1st extended it to 10-0. Ronald Brown then got Chicago on the board with a 2 yard TD pass to David Karim but Florida would add a FG for a 13-7 halftime lead. Blazers RB Robert Romero had a 3 yard TD run late in the 3rd to give Florida a 20-7 lead entering the 4th. Ronald Brown tossed his 2nd TD pass and Evan Joseph made FGs of 52 and 57 yards, leaving us tied at 20 at the end of regulation. Chicago won the toss and ended it quickly, with a 75 yard catch and run TD pass from Brown to Ian Gordon and the Blitz send the crowd home happy.
Thunderbolts 9 Wheels 6 (OT)
Not much to say about this game, other than both teams gained over 300 yards, had at least 19 first downs and couldn't put the ball in the end zone. The individual stats were spread out so nobody had an outstanding game in that respect. Detroit got the ball first and had a good drive but Kent Olden was wide right on the FG attempt, and that miss would loom large. The end of regulation came and the score was 6-6, so they played OT, where the punts continued. Cleveland was getting the better field position, and had the Wheels pinned inside their own 10 after the Thunderbolts second punt in OT. Gabriel Flanagan threw an INT as Detroit approached midfield, and that was all Cleveland needed to kick the game winning FG in the final minute of OT.
Storm 20 Panthers 6
Michigan QB Larry Henderson only threw 1 INT, but it came early and deep in his own end, allowing Portland to take a quick 7-0 lead on an 8 yard "drive". Melvin Driggers capped that mini drive with a 1 yard TD pass to Grady Babin, and Driggers would add another scoring toss later in the 1st as the Storm led 14-3 after a quarter. The Panthers defense stiffened after that, limiting Portland to just 2 FGs the rest of the game, but the Storm defense never allowed Michigan to get into the red zone, let alone the end zone. Portland had trouble putting the game away though, as Driggers threw 2 4th quarter INTs after the defense forced 4 and outs in the final quarter. The second INT came after Portland drained the clock under 2 minutes though and the Storm get the win.
Bell 28 Force 21
Philadelphia scored the first 5 times they had the ball, although only one score was a TD. The Bell kicked FGs on their first 2 drives before Thomas Jacobi got Georgia on the scoreboard with a short TD and a 7-6 lead. Jamie Epperson had a 12 yard run on the next drive and Philadelphia led at the half 13-7. The Bell got the ball to start the second half and scored a FG, then added another FG following a Jacobi INT to lead 19-7. Georgia got back within 5 when Shaun Sutton recovered his own fumble and advanced to the end zone for a TD. Philadelphia had a scoring opportunity on their 6th drive but the 56 yard FG try was wide left. Jacobi had the Force poised to score in the 4th, but interception #2 halted that drive and 3 plays later, Joseph Serio found Andres Freeman for a back breaking 97 yard TD pass. Thomas Jacobi got Georgia closer with a TD pass inside the 2 minute warning to trail 26-21 but the onside kick failed. Georgia's defense forced a quick punt, but the offense was pinned at their 3 yard line and Horace Duchene sacked Jacobi in the end zone to seal the win for the Bell.
Breakers 14 Maulers 7
Pittsburgh nearly doubled the yardage of Boston, out gaining them 400-202, running for 235 yards and getting 3 red zone trips to none for the Breakers. So how did Pittsburgh lose? Tough luck and timely red zone defense by Boston. The Breakers had a pair of first half FGs and led 6-0 as the clock wound down before halftime. Pittsburgh was driving for a score with a 1st and goal from the 1, but 2 incomplete passes and a dive into the line had the Maulers facing a 4th and goal. They opted to try for a TD but Will Allison's pass was knocked down, and the Breakers held that 6-0 lead at the break. Ronald Smith led the Pittsburgh ball carriers with 134 yards and Arthur Thompson chipped in 72, and his 16 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter gave the Maulers a 7-6 lead. Pittsburgh would miss a FG on the next drive, then Boston pinned the Maulers at their own 1 with a punt. Allison was intercepted in his own end zone for a Boston TD by Carlos Wilson, then Ralph Harris ran in the 2 point conversion and the Breakers now led 14-7. Will Allison had one last chance to send the game to OT and he got the Maulers to the Boston 10 yard line in the final minute, but Anthony Dyer intercepted him to stop the scoring threat and give the Breakers the win.
Bulls 23 Bandits 10
Tampa Bay opted to start Thomas Lawson at QB instead of the struggling Antonio Martinez, but he only completed 50% of his passes and threw 3 INTs. Martinez also saw brief action and was 0/4 with an INT. The Bandits also lost a fumble and allowed 2 sacks while Jacksonville QB Derek Joyce completed 38/47, 257 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Tyron Bailey ran for a TD and Neal Williams booted 3 FGs as the Bulls get the division win.
Wranglers 27 Sun 17
Brian Carmichael completed 18/23 with 2 TD passes and the Wranglers RBBC gained 158 yards on 45 carries as Arizona gets their 4th win of the season. The Wranglers led 24-3 after 3 quarters before the Sun made it close with 2 TDs in the final 4 minutes. Southern California out gained Arizona 328-295, but they lost the turnover battle 2-1, converted just 3/13 on 3rd down, and allowed 3 sacks. Gary Wiggins had 322 passing yards in the loss.
Gold 38 Hawaiians 12
Edwin Clarkson started under center for the second consecutive game, and he wasn't bad, completing 32/44, 211 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT, but until the Hawaiians stop someone on defense, who plays QB doesn't matter. Denver didn't torch Honolulu like San Jose did, but Andrew Brewer completed 18/20, 296 yards and 4 TDs to lead the Gold to victory. Brewer had help from RB Fredrick Whidden, who had a double triple, rushing for 117 yards on 24 carries and catching 2 TD passes among his 5 for 129 yards. Denver led 28-0 at the half before going into cruise control in the second half.
Invaders 17 Hornets 10
This was a 3-3 game for the first 44:55 of the game until Dennis Baird's 1 yard TD run 5 seconds before the start of the 4th gave Charlotte a 10-3 lead over Oakland. Early in the 4th, Andrew Moreno tied the game on a 49 yard pass to Rodney Hawkins then his 80 yard TD pass to Juan Morgan with 1:17 left broke the tie. Charlotte had plenty of time to tie, but Robert Ament threw an INT on the first play to seal the win for Oakland.
Express 34 Stallions 9
Half of the league has 2 or 3 wins this season, and of the 7 teams 4-1 or 5-0, Los Angeles is the one flying under the radar. They lost Week 1 by a single point, and have now won 4 in a row after taking care of Birmingham today. David Tavarez only threw for 194 yards, but he completed 19/25 with 3 TDs and 0 INT and converted all 3 red zone trips into TDs. The Express defense allowed 8/17 3rd down conversions, but only allowed Willie Benge to complete 16/32, intercepting him 4 times. Los Angeles set the tone for this game by grabbing an instant 7-0 lead, thanks to Raymond Straight's 99 yard return of the opening kickoff.
Showboats 30 (NY) Stars 9
Coming into this game, New York had one of the league's leading offensive triplets as QB Damien Oleary had been on fire, along with RB William Hall and WR Albert Olson, while Memphis QB Norman Maldonado had been struggling, with 6 TDs and 10 INT. Those trends ended today however, as Maldonado played turnover free football and got support from his running game and defense as the Showboats snap a 2 game losing streak. RB Steve Ransome ran for 115 yards and a TD, fellow RB Erik McNamee ran for 63 yards and a TD while Maldonado finished 27/45, 255 yards and a TD. For New York, Albert Olson had an average game, catching 7 for 85 yards, but overall, Oleary had a mediocre game, completing 23/43, 206 yards, 1 INT and 2 sacks. William Hall was completely shut down to the tune of 1 rushing yard on 5 carries and his 4 receptions netted all of 19 yards.
Gunslingers 6 Outlaws 3
San Antonio won the FG contest 2-1 as Benjamin Regalado made both of his FG tries while Oklahoma kicker Eric Chandler was just 1/3. Defense ruled the day as the teams combined for 308 yards and 5 turnovers, along with 4/30 on 3rd down. Each team only had 2 drives cover more than 30 yards and I feel like a school kid using extra words for my 500 word essay, as this game didn't provide much to write home about.
