Ten games are in the books for 1995, and the last 2 undefeated teams reside in the National Conference. It's been quite some time since a National Conference team won the World Bowl, is this the year the streak ends? Our defending champions Houston finally lost a game, and it might hurt come playoff seeding time as San Jose now owns the tiebreaker over the Gamblers. Both teams have 3 game division leads with 6 to go, and should be fighting for home field advantage and a BYE with the winner of the West. Portland currently leads the West, and their 9-1 record matches Houston and San Jose, but the Storm are being pushed hard by the Denver Gold. Denver is 8-2 and the Gold have a 2 game lead on the field for the top wildcard spot. Speaking of playoffs, we'll likely have a division or 2 clinched next week. Washington and Orlando won this week to improve to 10-0 and both teams have a 5 game division lead.
Washington and Orlando aren't the only teams with big division leads as San Jose, Houston, and New Jersey all have 3 game leads with 6 to go. What we might lack in division drama we gain in wildcard drama. In the American Conference I'm assuming the West will have both Portland and Denver make the playoffs, which would leave 4 teams fighting for the last wildcard. In the National Conference we have 9 teams either 5-5 or 4-6, and 3 of those teams will make the playoffs, as one will win the South division.
SaberCats 23 Gamblers 16
This game almost was a battle of the unbeaten, but there was still a lot on the line as the result of this game could go a long way toward determining home field advantage and/or BYE weeks. In terms of yards per game, these are the 2nd and 3rd best offenses in the league, yet the defenses made the most big plays today. San Jose took an early 3-0 lead thanks to good field position following a Tony Dean INT. Dean bounced back with a 77 yard TD pass to Anthony Fulks, then the Gamblers added a FG following a Jake Plummer INT for a 10-3 lead. Later in the 2nd, another Dean INT led to another San Jose FG and the Gamblers led 10-6 at the half.
San Jose got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and got a FG, then the defense forced a Houston three and out. Jake Plummer then found Dave McEntee with a 20 yard TD and a 16-10 SaberCats lead. Houston would get a FG toward the end of the 3rd and another FG with 3:57 left in the 4th to tie the game at 16. San Jose would be forced to punt at the 2 minute warning, giving Tony Dean a chance to win the game. Dean's 2nd pass of the drive was intercepted by Geoffrey Kessler and returned 39 yards for the eventual game winning TD. Dean was left with plenty of time to tie the game, but after the Gamblers crossed midfield, Dean threw INT #4 and San Jose hangs on for victory.
Federals 9 Invaders 7
Oakland got the ball first and drove 75 yards in 14 plays, taking 8:39 off the clock and taking an early 7-0 lead on Frederick Barron's 3 yard TD run. The Invaders defense gave up 314 yards to Washington, but they did keep the Federals out of the end zone all game. Unfortunately for Oakland, they would only gain 90 yards of offense the rest of the game. Scott Bieber didn't throw a TD pass, but he did complete 20/26 for 215 yards, leading the Federals offense to 5 FG tries. John Bazile made 3 of them and Washington gets a narrow 9-7 victory to remain undefeated.
Renegades 20 Maulers 6
Pittsburgh played tough, but their offense just couldn't score enough and the Renegades offense controlled the ball for nearly 37 minutes as they wore down the Maulers defense. Orlando led 6-0 on a pair of Scott Mueller FGs before the Renegades recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 20, then a penalty took the ball down to the 5. It took 1 play for Trey Lyons to find Jason Amen for the 5 yard TD and a 13-0 lead. Orlando got the ball to start the 3rd, and Lyons had the Renegades poised to pad their lead, but he was intercepted in the end zone by Stephen Ray Vaughan. Will Allison drove Pittsburgh to a FG, cutting the deficit to 13-3, but Lyons answered. Orlando drove deep into Maulers territory again, but this time Lyons finished the drive by completing a pass in the end zone to a teammate. Roger Bostic caught the 1 yard toss and the Renegades had the momentum back and held on for victory.
Storm 35 Hornets 10
Melvin Driggers completed 30/44, 316 yards and 3 TDs to lead Portland to the win over Charlotte. RB Jeffrey Frost had 130 combined yards, and while he didn't score, he led the Storm RBBC with 42 yards and led the Receiver by committee with 88 yards on 7 catches. WR Richard Robinson caught 7 for 74 yards and all 3 Driggers TD passes and FB David Smith had a pair of rushing scores. The Storm defense held Charlotte to 232 total yards and forced 3 turnovers, including 2 Robert Ament INTs.
Panthers 20 Blazers 3
The Florida offensive slump continued today as the Blazers have now gone more than 17 quarters without a TD of any kind. Michigan forced 2 turnovers, allowed 168 total yards, held Florida to 1/12 on 3rd down and sacked Sidney Maggard 4 times. The Panthers had 360 offensive yards and converted 9/18 3rd downs, yet only scored 20 points. Larry Henderson threw 2 TD passes to Harvey Williams and Lawrence Schroeder rushed for 122 yards as 20 points was more than enough for the win today.
Gold 38 Express 14
Los Angeles literally fumbled away their chance to tie for the top wildcard spot today. The Express lost 3 fumbles in the first half that led to 14 Denver points and prevented 2 scoring chances. The first lost fumble gave Denver the ball just outside the red zone and Andrew Brewer found Douglas Crowley for a 3 yard TD pass. Denver started their next drive deep in their own territory after an excellent punt and Brewer led a 12 play, 95 yard scoring drive, finishing it off with another TD pass to Crowley. The next drive saw the Express enter FG range but their 2nd fumble stopped that drive and Brewer took just 1 play to score again. Vincent Rodriguez was the recipient of the 76 yard TD pass to give the Gold a 21-0 lead. Los Angeles had just crossed midfield after the 2 minute warning when fumble #3 stopped that drive and Denver holds the 21-0 lead at the half.
Denver got the ball to start the 3rd, and Brewer led a 10 play, 75 yard drive that ended in the 3rd TD between Brewer and Crowley. Later in the 3rd, David Tavarez finally got the Express on the board with a TD pass to Martin Salas, but the ensuing kickoff was returned 103 yards by Jerry Murphy and the Gold now led 35-7. Andrew Brewer finished with 289 passing yards and 4 TDs, producing a pair of 100 yard receivers. Douglas Crowley caught 9 for 128 yards and 3 TDs while Vincent Rodriguez caught 4 for 110 and a TD.
Generals 40 Breakers 12
New Jersey wasn't sharp offensively, yet they still scored 40 based on sheer volume of plays from scrimmage. Don Ferguson completed 35/57, 403 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT but once the Generals got into the red zone, flip a coin. They had 5 chances inside the Boston 20 and scored all 5 times, but 3 were FGs. David Koresh had a combined 185 yards, leading New Jersey in rushing yards (75) and receiving yards (8-110). The Generals defense was sharp however, as they limited Boston to 136 total yards, 1/16 on 3rd down and the Breakers only TD came when John Briggs returned a fumble 38 yards.
Force 28 Sun 22 (OT)
Georgia and Southern California needed almost 5 quarters to decide this game as a ho-hum first 3 and a half quarters turned into an exciting end to regulation and OT. Georgia had 423 offensive yards, with 247 coming in the first half as the Force led 14-3 thanks to a pair of Thomas Jacobi TD passes. The rest of the game was pretty much 3 and out except for 2 long, important drives I'll get to in a bit. Southern California got a FG in the 3rd to cut it to 14-6 then the Sun really shined in the 4th. They got a 2 yard Gary Wiggins TD pass to Mark Littlejohn to cut it to 14-12 as the 2 point try failed. William Ferguson then made a 52 yard FG inside the 2 minute warning to give the Sun a 15-14 lead, their first lead since 3-0. Thomas Jacobi then got Georgia down the field in a hurry, throwing a 13 yard TD pass to Willard Brekke and Thomas Sanchez ran in the 2 point try as the Force now led 22-15. Wiggins liked what he saw from Jacobi and decided to emulate him, getting the Sun the tying TD with the quickness, finding Jonathan Sapp for a 75 yard TD. We headed to OT where Southern California got the ball first and punted. The Sun forced a 3 and out but would miss a 46 yard FG on their second possession and it looked like we might have a tie. Georgia took over on their own 35 with exactly 1:00 to play, and Thomas Jacobi connected with Glen Hampton for the walk off 65 yard TD pass.
Gary Wiggins completed 32/53, 390 yards and 2 TDs for Southern California while Thomas Jacobi completed 24/34, 324 yards and 4 TDs for Georgia. Jacobi's favorite target was Glen Hampton, who caught 6 for 158 yards and 2 TDs while RB Thomas Sanchez had a combined 134 yards (80 rushing, 54 receiving).
Steamer 27 Hawaiians 7
QB play makes or breaks a lot of teams, and sometimes, efficiency is better than volume. RB Anthony Davis rushed for 112 yards and a TD on just 10 carries while Edwin Clarkson threw 48 passes with 0 TD and 5 INTs. For Shreveport, George Marcil doesn't post gaudy yardage or TD totals, as his 14 total TD passes rank 14th and he is 18th in yardage. What Marcil does do well is be efficient, as his 74.4 completion percentage is tops in the league and his 2 INTs for the season is the lowest among the top 35 QBs in the league. Marcil is also 6th in QBR, ahead of New Jersey's Don Ferguson, who leads the league in passing yards and TDs. Today, Marcil completed 27/31, 247 yards and 2 TDs, both to David Shafer as Shreveport wins to keep pace with Georgia atop the South.
Stars 32 Bell 30 (OT)
The first half was a kicking contest with Fred Boyce making 3 FGs for Baltimore as the Stars led 9-3. In the 3rd qtr, Jon Snow fired 2 TD passes to Herman Hayes, sandwiching a short Joseph Serio TD pass to Jamie Epperson. Baltimore led 23-10 at this point, but Philadelphia added a FG and a Jamie Epperson TD run to pull within 23-20 as the 4th quarter began. Jon Snow's 3rd TD pass extended the Stars lead to 10 but Philadelphia got a 58 yard Serio TD pass to Daniel Franks inside the 2 minute warning to get within 30-27. The onside kick was successful and the Bell sent it to OT with a FG at the end of regulation. In the extra session, each team punted, with Philadelphia getting pinned inside their own 10. All Pro DE Jacob Hills sacked Joseph Serio in the end zone for a walk off safety 2 plays later.
Outlaws 17 Showboats 13
Memphis was without USFL leading rusher Steve Ransome who was nursing a foot injury, but the Showboats still got out to a 10-0 lead on a FG and an Erik McNamee TD run. Four of Oklahoma's 5 first half drives went nowhere, but they got a FG on their one successful drive, and then Memphis started to turn the ball over. The turnovers didn't result in points for the Outlaws, but they did keep Memphis at 10 points and the Showboats led 10-3 at the half. The second half started with 3 and outs for each team, then John Crisp led Oklahoma on a 12 play, 80 yard TD drive. Crisp ended the drive with a 5 yard score to Steve Haywood. Norman Maldonado answered that score by throwing his 2nd INT of the game as the Showboats advanced toward FG range. Once again, Oklahoma couldn't capitalize and midway through the 4th, Memphis took the lead on a short Gary Ridgeway FG. Each team then punted before Oklahoma began a drive at their own 33 with 3:07 to play. The Outlaws had only 2 good offensive drives up to this point, but John Crisp picked a good time for scoring drive #3. Crisp didn't throw for a ton of yards today, 184, but he did complete 27/31 and threw 2 TD passes, the 2nd came on this drive as he found Mark Johnson for a 3 yard TD. Memphis had 1:15 to score the game winning TD, but once they neared midfield, the Outlaws defense sacked Maldonado on 3 consecutive plays to seal the come from behind win.
Wheels 9 Bulls 3
Some games provide so much action it seems I write a short novel about them, while other games, I have to dig deep to find something to write about. This game between Detroit and Jacksonville falls in the latter category as they scored zero TDs, combined for 510 yards and 6 combined red zone trips producing just 3 FGs. Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and drove for a FG but Derek Joyce threw INTs the next 2 drives, leading to a pair of Detroit FGs and the Wheels led 6-3 at the half. The best chance for a TD came in the 3rd qtr when Detroit forced the Bulls to punt from deep in their own end and a 16 yard return set the Wheels up at the Jacksonville 34. Gabriel Flanagan got as close as 1st and goal at the 3, but 2 runs and a pass all lost a few inches and another FG put Detroit up 6. Jacksonville's 5 second half drives ended with a punt, downs, punt, fumble, and downs. Detroit wins ugly, but it's still a win that keeps them in playoff contention.
Blitz 24 Wranglers 6
The first half of this game looked like the Wheels/Bulls game above as each team managed just 3 points but Chicago owned the second half to win going away 24-6. Arizona has fallen back to earth after a 4-1 start as the Wranglers lost their 5th in a row to fall to 4-6 on the season. Arizona has a lot of talented players thanks to the high picks the franchise has had the last decade plus, but as we see in the NFL, it takes awhile for downtrodden franchises to shed the habits of losing (see Bengals, Cincinnati), and start learning how to win. The Wranglers got the ball to start the 3rd and Brian Carmichael led the offense to a FG and a 6-3 lead. If the Arizona defense had an answer for Chicago RB John Gates, the game could have had a different outcome, but Gates owned the 2nd half. Ronald Brown found Gates with a 34 yard TD pass as Chicago took the lead back 10-6. Brown and Gates liked that so much, they did it again on the other end of the field in the 4th quarter as the Blitz take a 17-6 lead on another 34 yard Brown to Gates TD. With just over 7 minutes to play, Arizona went for it on 4th down on their next drive, but failed and Gates put the exclamation point on the game with a 5 yard TD run. Ronald Brown finished 24/31, 274 yards and 2 TDs while John Gates had a combined 197 yards and 3 TDs. On the ground, Gates was 14-58 and a TD, adding 7 catches for 139 yards and 2 TDs.
Bandits 20 (NY) Stars 15
New York still has the top 2 players in the league for total yards, RB William Hall and WR Albert Olson. Early in the season, Hall was racking up yards as a runner and receiver, but recently, his yardage has come mostly from return yardage. It seems defenses are willing to let Albert Olson get his while stopping everyone else, and that held true today. Damien Oleary completed 28/44, 308 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT, and most of the yards flowed through Olson, who caught 9 for 166 yards. The first half saw nothing but FGs as the Stars led 6-3, but Antonio Martinez found Garry Fowler for a 73 yard TD pass in the 3rd to give the Bandits a 10-6 lead. New York cut the deficit to 10-9 with a FG before Martinez struck again early in the 4th. Martinez fired his 2nd TD pass, this one 4 yards to Darren Cotton for an 8 point lead. Damien Oleary got New York into the end zone with under 3 minutes to play on a short TD pass to Gerald Benjamin, but the 2 point try failed and the Stars trailed 17-15. Tampa Bay has a top 5 WR of their own in Luis Dean, and while Dean didn't score today, he caught 10 passes for 177 yards and he recovered the onside kick to save the game for the Bandits.
Thunderbolts 30 Gunslingers 17
QB Tony Romo gets a lot of the blame in the media for Cleveland's rough start to 1995, mostly for 3 horrific games where he posted a 1/10 TD/INT ratio. Romo and the offense have regressed from 1994, when they were ranked 11th, but a case can be made to place a lot of blame on the Thunderbolts defense. Cleveland gave up 255.6 ypg in 1994, good for 3rd best in the league but so far in 1995, they give up 367.4 ypg which is 24th. The blame game will have to wait at least a week as Romo had his best game of the season, completing 24/28, 305 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT as Cleveland led 27-0 after 3. The Thunderbolts did allow 343 offensive yards, but kept San Antonio out of the end zone until the last half of the 4th when they had a 30-3 lead. That's when Robert Fanelli did his best Blake Bortles garbage time imitation, helping his fantasy owners with 2 late TD passes.
VooDoo 16 Stallions 3
It was 37 degrees in Birmingham, so you'd think the indoor team from New Orleans would struggle. The VooDoo did struggle gaining yards as they only had 191 today while allowing the Stallions 305. Each team had red zone struggles, as Birmingham got there just once, getting no points while New Orleans got 10 points from 4 trips and 3rd downs were almost an automatic punt. New Orleans converted just 2/15 on 3rd down while Birmingham was 3/17, plus the Stallions went 1/6 on 4th downs. That's not even the worst of the ugliness from the Stallions offense as 3's were wild. Willie Benge threw 3 INTs and was sacked 3 times, while the Stallions also lost 3 of 6 total fumbles. Enough negativity though. Joseph Jones threw a 1st qtr TD pass to David Barfield and Emil Porter booted 3 FGs as the VooDoo took a 16-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory.
