Life is good at the top as the Washington Federals have clinched the Atlantic division while the Orlando Renegades clinch at least a wildcard, and should clinch the Southeast with either their next win or a Florida loss. Denver has won 7 in a row and have now tied Portland atop the West while the Georgia Force now have sole possession of the South thanks to their 3rd straight win. Michigan has a 2 game lead in the Midwest, San Jose and New Jersey enjoy 3 game leads while the defending champs, Houston have a 4 game lead on Memphis, plus a sweep so they win the Midwest with 1 more win or 1 Showboats loss. I'm not even attempting to analyze the wildcard race at this time, it's too jumbled. Best of luck down the stretch.
Gamblers 42 Showboats 26
Memphis really needed to win this game if they had any hopes of winning the division, and it would have really helped their wildcard chances. The Showboats cranked up the running game as Steve Ransome ran for 178 of Memphis' 221 yards and Ransome now leads the league by 333 yards (1,125 to 792). Memphis matched Houston score for score early, even leading 17-14 at one point, but Tony Dean and the interceptions of Norman Maldonado proved too much to overcome. Maldonado threw 3 INTs in all and the first 2 were converted into TDs by Tony Dean. Speaking of interceptions, Dean threw 4 last week in the loss to San Jose, but the 3 time MVP bounced back in a big way. Dean completed 20/31, 408 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INT, all while getting no support from the running game (20 carries, 25 yards). WR Jett Black caught 4 for 183 yards and 3 TDs while RB Lloyd Ellis caught 2 passes for 125 yards and a TD. Three of Dean's TD passes were of the long variety, hitting Jett Black for 75 and 79 yards plus a 68 yard score to Lloyd Ellis.
Federals 17 Storm 12
This was a rematch of World Bowl XX and Federals players and fans would gladly trade today's win for a win back then. Since that is impossible, they had to settle for a revenge win, and Portland QB Melvin Driggers obliged. Driggers had the Storm poised to score on their opening drive but he threw an INT with Washington taking over at their own 9. Portland managed to still come away with points as James Danner sacked Scott Bieber in the end zone for a safety. After the free kick, Driggers was intercepted again only for Scott Bieber to return the favor with an INT of his own. This time Driggers completed the drive with a 26 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Frost and a 9-0 lead. Scott Bieber then threw another INT, leading to a Portland FG for a 12-0 advantage. Bieber finally got Washington on the scoreboard with a 21 yard pass to Oliver Jeter and a John Bazile FG made the halftime score 12-10 Portland.
Washington got the ball to start the 3rd, and Bieber led the Federals on a 10 play, 75 yard TD drive. James Dunn caught the 7 yard Bieber pass for the TD that gave Washington the lead for good, 17-12. Portland would miss a FG on their next drive, then suffered bad starting field position the rest of the game, punting twice, turning it over via INT, then turning it over on downs.
Renegades 23 Thunderbolts 7
The Cleveland offense couldn't stay on the field and the Thunderbolts defense couldn't get off the field as unbeaten Orlando hogged the ball 42 minutes, out gaining Cleveland 449-162. Cleveland QB Tony Romo had a bad game, getting a 75 yard TD pass to Shane Looney late in the 4th, already trailing 20-0. Overall, Romo was 6/21, 96 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT, while also being sacked 3 times. Offensively for Orlando, Trey Lyons threw 2 early TD passes and Scott Mueller connected on 3/5 FG attempts as the Renegades controlled the game throughout. Lyons finished 33/47, 307 yards and 2 TDs while rookie RB Anthony Milan had a solid all around game. Milan didn't score, but he rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries and caught 8 passes for 88 yards to lead the team in both rushing and receiving.
SaberCats 20 Steamer 15
I guess I'm a jinx, as last blog I praised Shreveport QB George Marcil then this week he throws an INT on the first play from scrimmage. That led to a San Jose FG and a quick 3-0 lead. In fact, FGs and INTs were the theme of the game as both Marcil and Jake Plummer threw 3 picks each. The scoring was nothing but FGs the first 40+ minutes, with San Jose kicking the first 2 for a 6-0 lead, then Shreveport booted the next 4 for a 12-6 lead. With 3:56 left in the 3rd, George Marcil was intercepted at his own 26 by William Jung, who returned it for a TD as San Jose took the lead 13-12. Ryan Clark ran in a 3 yard score early in the 4th to extend the lead to 20-12. Shreveport cut it to 5 thanks to a 58 yard Jeffrey Smith FG, but never threatened a TD thereafter and San Jose holds on for the ugly win for a pretty 10-1 record.
Gold 23 Wranglers 6
Arizona took the opening kickoff and appeared to score a TD, but replay review determined Patrick Douglas lost the ball before crossing the plane and Denver took over on their own 20 after recovering the ball in the end zone. That kind of killed any offensive momentum for the Wranglers and the Gold chipped away, eventually building a 17-0 lead. Ray Anderson had a 2 yard TD run in the 2nd and Robert Deacon added a FG for a 10-0 halftime lead. Denver got the ball to start the 3rd and Andrew Brewer led a 10 play, 75 yard TD drive, finding Douglas Crowley for the 19 yard score. The Gold offense was pretty much done after that, at least as far as yards are concerned. Denver scored 2 more FGs after taking over in Arizona territory, once on downs and once on an INT. Arizona added a late FG to give us the final score of 23-6.
Panthers 12 Bandits 6
Michigan was not great on offense but they took advantage of the opportunities presented to them and won the FG kicking contest 4-2. The Panthers had 282 yards of offense but they turned the ball over twice, converted just 1/12 on 3rd down and had to settle for FGs on all 4 red zone possessions. Tampa Bay had a worse offensive game though, except on 3rd down, where the Bandits converted 5/15. The running game never got going and the bad Antonio Martinez showed up, completing 18/39, 214 yards and 4 INTs. Three of his INTs came on the last 3 passes he threw. At least the kickers had a good game as Tampa's Edward Walter was 2/2, Michigan's Jonathan Ruch was 4/4 and Michigan punter Napoleon McQuaig had 6 of 7 punts inside the 20.
Generals 38 (NY) Stars 35 (OT)
It took 5 quarters to decide this game, and the box score provided some talking points. The first thing I noticed was 5 total TDs in the 4th quarter, then you see 1,001 combined yards, 7 combined INTs and a combined perfect red zone day, 5 TDs in 5 trips. The game started out strange as well, with Damien Oleary throwing an INT to set New Jersey up in Al Borland FG range. Don Ferguson must not have been ready though, as he gave it right back via INT. Damien Oleary then found his main man Albert Olson for a 52 yard TD and a 7-0 lead. Meanwhile, Ferguson threw INTs on the Generals second and third drives and New York took a 14-0 lead after a 2 yard "drive". Bull Dozer did the honors with a rushing TD. Ferguson finally settled down, throwing TD passes of 25 yards to David Koresh and 4 yards to Cody Schiavo to tie the game at 14. Inside the 2 minute warning, Oleary and Olson hooked up for another TD, this one covering 94 yards and New York took a 21-14 lead into halftime.
Nobody scored in the 3rd and New Jersey got an 11 yard Ferguson TD pass to Duncan Meyer to tie the game at 21, then Sam Beckett took his only carry 30 yards for a TD to give the Generals the lead. Oleary immediately tied it with a 75 yard TD pass to Wayne Ryals. Ferguson then found Cody Schiavo for another TD at the 2 minute warning for a Generals lead that lasted 20 seconds. Oleary got the Stars down the field quickly and a 17 yard TD pass to William Hall sent the game to OT.
The extra session started with a New York punt, and New Jersey followed with a punt of their own. That punt pinned the Stars at their own 7 though, and a three and out gave the Generals great field position to start their drive. New Jersey gained just 20 yards before the clock started to get close to 0:00, but that was enough for Al Borland to snatch victory from the jaws of a tie with a 55 yard FG at the final gun.
For New York, Damien Oleary completed 24/46, 403 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT with Albert Olson padding his league leading receiving total with 8 catches, 228 yards and 2 scores. Generals QB Don Ferguson completed 50/77, 447 yards, 4 TD and 4 INT. David Koresh led New Jersey with 43 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards and a TD on 9 catches, but he got Waco-ed during the game, suffering a concussion that will sideline him 3 weeks.
Force 38 Hawaiians 28
Honolulu got the game started on the right foot with a 75 yard TD pass from Edwin Clarkson to Brian Vizcarra on the first play from scrimmage. Georgia answered with a FG, then Honolulu got a 3 yard TD run from Jeffrey Richins for a 13-3 lead after the XP was missed. The next score was unconventional. Georgia RB Thomas Sanchez fumbled twice today, losing 1, but both led directly to points for the Hawaiians. The first one came deep in Force territory, with OL Andrew Briggs recovering the ball in the end zone for a Honolulu safety, increasing their lead to 15-3.
That was our halftime score, then Georgia got closer with a TD drive to start the 3rd. Thomas Jacobi connected with John Huynh for a 49 yard TD to pull within 15-10. Honolulu's answer was the same as their 2nd TD, a 3 yard Jeffrey Richins TD run and a missed XP to increase the lead to 21-10. Georgia would add 3 points to trail by 8 entering the 4th, which belonged to Thomas Jacobi. For the game, Jacobi completed 21/26, 426 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT, with 3 of the scores coming in the final 15 minutes, all on big plays. First came a 55 yard TD to Matthew Taylor, which tied the game after Shaun Sutton ran in the 2 point conversion. Next came an 84 yard score to Glen Hampton (6-143-1) for a 7 point lead with 3 minutes to play. Had Georgia lost today, Thomas Sanchez would be firmly in the doghouse. In addition to the earlier fumble for a safety, Sanchez ran 32 times for 36 yards all day, then in clock killing mode, he fumbled deep in his own end again. This time James Patterson fell on the loose ball in the end zone and the Hawaiians tie the game thanks to this generous gift. Jacobi had his back though, as he found Willard Brekke for a 75 yard TD to retake the lead. The Georgia defense then intercepted Edwin Clarkson and added the game clinching FG for their 3rd win in a row.
Express 34 Sun 17
Los Angeles came out of the gates strong, getting out to a 23-7 1st quarter lead and beating Southern California to take sole possession of the current #6 seed. David Tavarez got the party started with a 70 yard TD pass to Patrick Peavey in the first minute of the game, but the Sun tied it on a league record tying 110 yard kickoff return for a TD by Michael Johnson. Los Angeles would then add a FG before Tavarez found Gary Sappington for a 75 yard TD pass to give the Express a 17-7 lead. Juan Nichols would add a 4 yard TD run before the quarter ended, but the XP was no good. Gary Wiggins got the Sun within 23-14 before halftime with a 13 yard TD pass to Matthew Tipps. That's as close as Southern California would get as the Express scored 11 points in the 4th to seize control of the game. Juan Nichols rushed for 102 yards and 2 TDs while teammate Gary Sappington ran for 88, adding 87 receiving yards and a TD. David Tavarez threw for 359 and 2 TDs with Patrick Peavey catching 6 for 144 and a score.
Blitz 38 Wheels 28
This was like a basketball game where everybody makes a run. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan tossed a pair of 1st qtr TD passes for a 14-0 Wheels lead, then Kent Olden booted a pair of FGs, extending the lead to 20-0. Chicago then went on a run of their own before halftime, starting with a FG, then getting 2 Ronald Brown TD passes to make the halftime score 20-17 Detroit. The second half started and the Blitz picked up where they left off, scoring 21 more points in a row the hard way. Ronald Brown threw TD pass #3, then the defense sacked Flanagan in the end zone and Chicago now led 26-20. Evan Joseph added a FG before Ronald Brown's 4th TD pass, 2nd to Barry Dawson. They tried for 2 but failed, so they now led 35-20. Another Joseph FG extended it to 38-28 before Detroit backup QB Steve Abrego threw his first career TD pass. Abrego comes in from time to time, and his career stat line now reads 5/33, 35 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT. The win makes Chicago 6-5, tied with Detroit and Memphis, 1 game behind Los Angeles for the last wildcard spot.
Blazers 6 Stars 3 (OT)
Sometimes it seems like I'm a jinx, but not in the case of Florida's offense. I have been talking for the last few games about their extended TD drought, which was over 17 quarters heading into this game. Unfortunately for the Blazers, that streak continues as they go 4 quarters plus most of a 10 minute OT period without scoring a TD of any kind. Add it all together and it's been basically 22 quarters, 5 full games plus OT and the end of the Tampa Bay game, yet incredibly, Florida is 2-3 in this stretch of scoring futility. They beat Detroit with 5 FGs during the first full game of the streak, and today they limit Jon Snow and the Baltimore Stars to a single FG to win 6-3. The game winning OT FG was set up by a Carl Thornton fumble recovered by Florida. The Blazers offense went nowhere, but the recovery occurred within FG range. The Florida win takes some of the sting out of the TD drought, as does still being the top wildcard despite a 6-5 record. Baltimore falls to 5-6, but that is good for a 4 way tie for the #6 seed with Tampa Bay, Shreveport and Boston.
Breakers 17 Outlaws 9
The old Ohio State coach Woody Hayes would have enjoyed this game, as it featured a lot of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. The first half was field goal or bust as Oklahoma kicked 2 FGs for a 6-0 halftime lead over Boston. On the first play of the second half, Boston erased the deficit as Adam Scales found Bob Carder for a 75 yard TD pass. The Breakers would extend the lead to 14-6 when Raymond Babbitt plunged into the end zone on a short run in the middle of the 3rd. The teams exchanged 4th quarter FGs, with Boston going first for a 17-6 lead before the Outlaws made it 17-9. Oklahoma tried to rally on a late drive but they ran out of time 30 yards short of the end zone and Boston hangs on for the win.
Invaders 19 Maulers 13
Oakland and Pittsburgh were both 4-6 coming into the game, yet both were still alive in the playoff race. Even after the game, Oakland is 2 games out while Pittsburgh is 1, although both are still considered long shots. The Pittsburgh defense did a good job, limiting the Invaders to 231 offensive yards and forcing Andrew Moreno into a subpar 16/36, 157 yard, 1 TD day. The Maulers also sacked Moreno twice and held them to 3/17 on 3rd down. Oakland played good defense as well, holding the Maulers to 277 yards and 4/16 on 3rd down. The difference in the game was Pittsburgh QB Will Allison and his 3 INTs. Each one gave Oakland good field position and a FG and forced the Maulers to go for a 4th down late while in FG range because they trailed by 6 instead of 3.
Gunslingers 29 Bell 7
Philadelphia traveled to San Antonio and they don't want to remember the Alamo, as a bad first half put the Bell in a deep hole they couldn't climb out of. Offensively, Philadelphia missed a pair of FGs and had an INT in the first 30 minutes while the Bell defense allowed San Antonio to score on 5 of 6 first half possessions. Four of the five scores were FGs, so Philadelphia was only down 19-0, not insurmountable in a half. Well the 3rd quarter started and so did the punts for the Bell. The Gunslinger RBs were too much today, as Charlie Shanks caught Robert Fanelli's first TD pass and Randy Leger caught one in the 3rd to extend the lead to 26-0. Philadelphia finally got on the board with a Joseph Serio TD pass at the end of the 3rd, but it was too little, too late. San Antonio had big games from QB Robert Fanelli (377 yards, 2 TD), RB Charlie Shanks and RB Randy Leger. Shanks led the Gunslingers in rushing (51 yards) and receiving (6-92-1) while Leger had a combined 116 yards with a receiving TD.
Hornets 9 Stallions 8
By all rights, Birmingham should have won this game, as they out gained Charlotte 352-137, won the turnover battle 2-1, had 2 red zone possessions to none for the Hornets and an almost 36-24 edge in time of possession. Birmingham's defense scored first, tackling RB Henry Young in the end zone for a safety. The first half stayed 2-0 Stallions until Javier Gill kicked a 51 yard FG as the half expired and the Hornets led 3-2 at halftime. Birmingham K Gonzalo Burgess had a bad first half, missing a 38 yard try wide left and a 45 yard kick wide right. The Stallions got the ball to start the 3rd and quickly advanced down the field for a Walter Lemay 1 yard TD run for an 8-3 lead. It might have been a little early to go for 2, but given the struggles of Burgess plus the prospect of a 7 point lead, I can't argue. Fans can though, as they only care that it failed, leaving the score 8-3. Burgess had a chance to increase the lead but he was wide right on a 38 yard try, then Charlotte added 3 to get within 8-6. Javier Gill made a 3rd FG, a 52 yard kick with 0:39 to play and the Hornets steal a win from the Stallions.
Bulls 26 VooDoo 3
New Orleans is 2-0 against Birmingham but they aren't on the schedule and the VooDoo played like they expected to lose. Joseph Jones threw an INT on the opening drive and Derek Joyce gave Jacksonville a quick lead with a 13 yard TD pass to William Morrison. New Orleans would punt on their next 6 drives while the Bulls scored on their first 4 drives for a 19-0 lead. The XP was no good after the first Joyce TD pass, making the score 6-0, then the next 2 scores were FGs. Joyce threw his 2nd TD pass to Steven Riley for 31 yards, then coming out of halftime, he found Tyron Bailey with a 5 yard TD pass for a 26-0 lead after 35 minutes of play. That was pretty much it, as Derek Joyce would be intercepted but nothing came of it, then the rest of the half was all punts save for a shutout avoiding FG for the VooDoo and the drive that ended when the clock ran out.
