Orlando was the last undefeated team standing, but they didn't stay there long. The Jacksonville Bulls upset the Renegades and now there are no zeros in anyone's W-L record unless you count the one in 10. In fact everyone has at least 2 wins, first time in awhile I think that we've had no 1 win teams. I'm not going to spend a lot of blog time rehashing playoff scenarios, as they can be found in our league forums right here.
Gamblers 27 Gold 10
We had a clash of recent champions that would go a long way in determining seeding for this year's World Bowl tournament. This game wasn't without controversy as the Houston special teams coach was fired for illegal substitution/insubordination/dereliction of duty. GM/Owner Cjfred68 said after the game "I don't know what that guy was thinking, sending Hugh Chance out on the punt block team. Like nobody is going to notice #84 on the front four, come on man. We take pride in our history and legacy and cheating has no place here."
As for the game itself, Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of Tony Dean TD passes. Denver's defense made the Gamblers work for it, as their longest play from scrimmage was 36 yards. Dean threw 3 TD passes in all and spread the ball around to several different receivers as the Gamblers had a 21-3 halftime lead. The illegal punt block came in the 3rd quarter and led to a FG for Houston and Denver never got closer than 14 points the rest of the game.
Bulls 20 Renegades 17
The mistakes started early as Jacksonville was intercepted on the 2nd play from scrimmage but Orlando couldn't convert the 48 yard FG, pushing it wide right. Derek Joyce then led the Bulls on a TD drive with a 4 yard TD pass to Anthony Holland. That would be his only TD pass today and would throw 2 more INTs. Trey Lyons then tied the game for Orlando at the beginning of the 2nd quarter with the first of his 2 TD passes. Our halftime score was 7-7 and the Renegades scored the only points of the 3rd with a FG to take a 10-7 lead into the final 15 minutes. A Tyron Bailey TD run gave Jacksonville a 14-10 lead but Trey Lyons took it back for Orlando with a TD pass to Jesse Carr. Jacksonville had to punt on their next possession, but they were able to pin Orlando at their own 2, and following a 3 and out, took over at the 50 down 3. They used all but 30 seconds and tied the game with a FG. In hindsight, Orlando should have just played for OT, but hindsight is always 20/20. Lyons tossed a costly INT with 20 seconds left that put Jacksonville in instant FG range. Bulls K Neal Williams has missed just 2 FG tries all year and this kick at the end of regulation wasn't one of them as he splits the uprights to give Orlando their first L of the season.
Federals 13 Maulers 3
Washington held the ball nearly 42 minutes so Scott Bieber tried to make it fair by throwing 3 INTs. Will Allison and the Pittsburgh offense couldn't sustain drives though, and the Maulers scored just 3 points all game. Bieber got Washington on the scoreboard toward the end of the first half with a 6 yard pass to Andrew Favela. John Bazile booted a pair of 2nd half FGs and RB Robert Trammell had a combined 193 yards as Washington is back in play for the #1 seed.
Steamer 33 Force 25
Georgia and Shreveport faced off today and the winner would have sole possession of first place while the loser will be on the outside looking in, needing help to crash the postseason party. The Force out gained the Steamer 395-247 but turnovers and special teams mistakes were Georgia's downfall today. Thomas Jacobi completed 31/43, 321 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT and he led the Force to an early 10-0 lead with a 32 yard TD pass to Glen Hampton and a FG drive. Shreveport got on the board on the ensuing kickoff when James McMahon took it 103 yards for a TD. QB George Marcil returned to action today after missing last weeks game with a hand injury, and Marcil gave the Steamer a 13-10 lead with a 15 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Morris. Morris struck again in the 3rd quarter with a 4 yard TD run before Georgia got a FG and a Timothy Arnold INT return for a TD. Billy Thompson missed the XP (and also missed a FG today) so the score entering the 4th was 20-19 Steamer. Marcil bounced back from that INT with a 46 yard TD pass to David Shafer, then a later FG gave Shreveport a 30-19 lead. Jacobi then hooked up with Glen Hampton for a 67 yard TD pass, but the 2 point try failed. Trailing by 5 inside of 2 minutes, they tried an onside kick, which failed, then Shreveport adds a FG and intercepts Jacobi to seal the win. Glen Hampton had a monster game with 9 catches, 196 yards and 2 TDs.
Storm 33 Showboats 13
If anyone has a QB to trade in the offseason, Memphis will likely be interested although I'm not sure if Tony Dean would have helped the Showboats today, as Portland's offense produced 536 yards. Memphis went three and out on their first drive, pinning the Storm on their own 4. Melvin Driggers then led a 15 play, 96 yard TD drive that took nearly 8 minutes off the clock. Memphis would answer with a FG but Portland went on a 16-0 run the rest of the half. Melvin Driggers tossed a pair of TD passes and Donald Atkins made a FG but missed an XP for a halftime score of 23-3 Storm. The Portland scoring run continued in the 3rd, building the lead to 33-3 before a late Memphis rally fell way short. Driggers was 36/47, 437 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT and Jeffrey Frost had a combined 197 yards and 2 TDs. Portland converted 12/18 third downs, while allowing the Showboats just 3/11.
SaberCats 27 Wranglers 12
Arizona scored first for a 3-0 lead before Jake Plummer found Mark Hsu for TDs of 29 and 86 yards, sandwiching a FG for San Jose as the SaberCats took a 17-3 lead. Arizona cut it to 17-6 by halftime but Jake Plummer's 3rd TD pass pushed the San Jose lead to 24-6 and that was all she wrote for the Wranglers. Arizona hung close in total yardage, but they had to settle for FGs while San Jose was scoring TDs, and the Wranglers defense had no answer for Mark Hsu today, as Hsu caught 5 for 151 yards and 2 TDs.
Blitz 21 Bandits 14
Chicago is one of the hottest teams in the league, winning their 5th straight game despite scoring 21 the hard way. Tampa Bay out gained the Blitz 377-238 and was better in the red zone, as each team made 4 trips inside the 20 with the Bandits getting 2 TDs and Chicago 2 FGs. Tampa Bay converted 7/13 on 3rd down, while holding Chicago to 2/16. That's where the good ends for the Bandits as RB Charles Granier lost 4 fumbles and Antonio Martinez tossed 2 INTs. Martinez wasn't all bad, completing 26/43, 310 yards, 2 TD and those 2 INTs, but losing the turnover battle 6-0 meant Chicago would kick Tampa Bay to death, as Evan Joseph booted 7/8 FGs in the Blitz victory.
Hawaiians 13 Panthers 0
Honolulu entered the game having lost 3 in a row and 9 of 10 and had to face the stingiest scoring defense in the league. Michigan has allowed 148 points in 13 games (11.4 ppg), yet were just 8-4 thanks to an offense in the middle of the pack in scoring. Today's shutout loss gives Michigan 5 losses, while the other 5 teams in the league that have allowed less than 200 points have combined for just 8 losses. The Panthers defense did their job today, holding Honolulu to 13 points and less than 300 yards, but the offense was held in check by the Hawaiians 26th ranked defense. Michigan can't even blame turnovers, as they had none. They simply had trouble producing yards and first downs, gaining 147 total yards and 6 first downs with a combined 3/21 on 3rd/4th down conversions. This game was a scoreless tie for nearly 42 minutes until Edwin Clarkson connected with Robert Shuler for a 3 yard TD that would end up the game winning score.
Express 21 VooDoo 6
New Orleans hung with current #6 seed Los Angeles in yardage, but the VooDoo had less scoring chances and some early mistakes got them in an early 14-0 hole. New Orleans missed a FG on the opening drive, then David Tavarez threw a 16 yard TD pass to Robert Lott for an early 7-0 Los Angeles lead. James Jones then threw an INT in his own end of the field, but the Express fumbled it back. New Orleans took over on their 4 and had to punt, and Juan Nichols ended the short, 45 yard TD drive with a 2 yard scoring run. New Orleans chipped away with a pair of FGs to trail 14-6 at the half, but the VooDoo made just 1 red zone trip all day and couldn't make up the early deficit. In contrast, Los Angeles made 4 red zone trips, scoring 3 TDs.RB Gary Sappington had a combined 141 yards and a receiving TD for the Express.
Thunderbolts 16 Wheels 13 (OT)
This game featured 679 combined yards, 8 total turnovers (7 INTs), 0/4 in the red zone with 3 FGs, and extra football. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan did his best Antonio Martinez impression, completing 33/56, 343 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT while backup Steve Abrego completed 5/14 for 20 yards and an INT. For the life of me, I don't understand why Abrego pops up in most every box score, but IMO he's cost the Wheels at least a couple of wins as Flanagan is clearly the better QB. Detroit alternated the 2 QBs on their final OT drive and Flanagan's 4th INT gave Cleveland the ball just outside the red zone, leading to Cleveland's game winning FG.
Generals 32 Blazers 10
With Orlando finally losing, the longest win streak in the league now belongs to New Jersey. The Generals have now won 6 in a row thanks to the #1 offense in the league in terms of points and yards. Today was no different as New Jersey racked up 447 yards and 32 points, their 11th game of 30+ points this year, as they hog the ball for over 41 minutes. Don Ferguson throws way more passes than anyone else, which I don't mind as it keeps my leaky defense off the field. Today, Ferguson completed 39/67, 383 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT as the Generals leaned on the pass more than normal. Sam Beckett was the only healthy RB today, and he responded with 140 combined yards as New Jersey got out to a 26-0 lead, then cruised to victory.
Stars 40 Hornets 6
Jon Snow really likes facing Charlotte this season, although he fell well short of the 10 TD passes he lit the Hornets up with earlier this season. Snow was 26/36, 462 yards and 4 TDs, all to different receivers as he led Baltimore to their 5th win in the last 7 games. WR John Warkentin caught 5 for 130 yards and a TD while RB William Halford had a combined 139 yards and a receiving TD. The Stars had chances to make the score more lopsided, but the offense had to settle for FGs 4 times.
Outlaws 35 Bell 32
Oklahoma had their best offensive game of the season as the Outlaws had 368 yards of offense and a season high 35 points. Philadelphia had more yards, 448, but they also had 2 turnovers while John Crisp and the Outlaws did not turn it over. Both QBs played well, with Joseph Serio completing 29/42, 316 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT, connecting with 10 different receivers. John Crisp completed 25/31, 248 yards and 4 TDs, connecting with 11 different receivers. This was a back and forth game, with 5 lead changes after Oklahoma scored first for a 7-0 lead. Philadelphia then scored 14 unanswered for lead change #1 (14-7 PHI). Oklahoma tied it and the halftime score was 14-14. In the 3rd, Philadelphia took a 17-14 lead, then Oklahoma went up 21-17 before yet another lead change with a Bell TD making the score 24-21 after 3. John Crisp then threw a pair of 4th qtr TD passes, the first one giving them the lead, the second extending it to 35-24. Serio brought the Bell back with a TD and 2 points inside the 2 minute warning but the onside kick failed, allowing Crisp to kneel down in victory formation.
Gunslingers 23 Breakers 10
San Antonio could be poised to make a playoff run in 1996 if they can add a player or 2 to help their offense score more consistently. Houston's Tony Dean is getting older and this is a QB driven league as Memphis knows all too well with their struggles this season. Charlie Shanks had 76 rushing yards and a TD, adding 61 receiving to lead the Gunslingers in both categories. Neither team turned the ball over and while Boston QB Adam Scales (26/36, 146 yards, 1 TD) was more efficient than Robert Fanelli (21/37, 216 yards, 1 TD), Fanelli enjoyed more help from his running game. The Gunslingers ran for 158 yards as a team, nearly 100 more yards than the Breakers (61 yards) and Fanelli converted 9/18 on 3rd down. San Antonio scored the first 17 points of the game, then held on for the win.
Stallions 17 (NY) Stars 14
New York has struggled this year, but where would they be without league leading WR Albert Olson? Today, Olson caught 4 for 124 and 2 TDs, including a 97 yard score, giving him 2,006 yards with 3 games to go. This is the 23rd 2,000 yard receiving season in league history and Olson needs 740 yards to pass Mark Hsu for most yards in a season. There was a game involving players on both teams, and offensively, New York had little going on outside of Olson. Birmingham controlled the ball 40 minutes, converted 10/23 third downs while holding the Stars to 2/11, yet the Stallions found themselves trailing 14-9 at the 2 minute warning as all that ball control produced just 3 FGs. Birmingham QB Willie Benge completed 44/59 for 287 yards and he took over on his own 47 after a punt. Benge led an 8 play, 53 yard TD drive as Stanley Gordon punched it in from 2 yards out with 0:08 on the clock. Benge then completed the 2 point pass to Gordon to pull out a last second, come from behind victory.
Sun 34 Invaders23
Matthew Tipps led Southern California with 51 rushing yards and a TD while catching 6 for 73 and another TD as the Sun take control of a close game in the second half to defeat Oakland. The Invaders actually out gained the Sun 442-399 but their 4 red zone trips produced 2 TD and a FG while the Sun went 4/4. Oakland K Lawrence Linville missed 2 FGs and an XP today. Not much to talk about stat wise other than Tipps and Oakland WR Juan Morgan, who caught 7 for 109 yards. Both teams use a RBBC and the Invaders had 10 players catch a pass while the Sun had 8 different receivers.
