Washington traveled to Houston for a rematch of our last 2 World Bowls and the results were all too familiar for the Federals. The Gamblers won the game to improve to 5-0 and still looking like the favorites to win the World Bowl this season. San Jose, Denver, and New Jersey also won to maintain undefeated records while the New York Stars fell in OT to Shreveport for their first loss of 1996. Albert Olson gained a little bit of ground on Georgia's Glen Hampton in the race to possibly break the single season receiving record, although Hampton did register his 5th 100 yard game of the season. We have a player suddenly on pace to break another record, New Jersey QB Don Ferguson. No, it's not for interceptions, although with 11 in 5 games he could make a run at that too. Ferguson threw 6 TD passes against Philadelphia today and he now has 22, an average of 4.4 per game. Portland's William Hill has had the record 63 TD passes since 1980, and nobody else has come within 7 since. Ferguson is also the first QB to 2,000 yards on the year, but that's still way off the pace of our record of 7,803, also set by William Hill in 1980.
Gamblers 24 Federals 9
Washington had a chance for a small measure of revenge against a Houston team that has beaten them the last 2 World Bowls. The Federals defense is still playing at a championship level but the offense is mired in a slump. Washington held the Gamblers running game in check and intercepted Tony Dean 3 times in the first half, but the Federals offense couldn't take advantage, turning it over three times themselves. Houston did take advantage of a couple short fields and led 24-0 at the break. The second half was uneventful for Houston as they mostly went three and out, but Washington could only muster 3 FGs as the Gamblers hold on for the win. Washington's offense is ranked 29th through 5 weeks and they will need to get better on that side of the ball if they want to get back to the World Bowl. RB Lloyd Ellis led Houston in rushing (55 yards) and receiving (5-116-1).
Gold 24 Force 10
Georgia threw almost exclusively, rushing 7 times for 5 yards, but the aerial attack led to a low time of possession and the Force defense got worn down by Denver's running game. It didn't help that a pair of Georgia receivers not named Glen Hampton lost fumbles trying for yards after the catch. Speaking of Hampton, he had another 100 yard game, catching 5 for 104 and a TD as he continues to lead the league and chase the all time record. Denver RB Eric Younker lost the lead among the league's top rushers, but he still had a solid game with 69 yards on the ground and catching 4 passes for 50 yards and a TD that gave the Gold a 7-0 lead. Hampton's TD tied it for the Force, then Denver went on a time consuming TD drive and Andrew Brewer's TD pass to Steven Riley made it 14-7. Georgia was about to answer, advancing the ball inside Denver's 10, but a lost fumble derailed that scoring chance. Denver then ran out the clock to end the first half, then came out for the 3rd quarter with a 14 play, 71 yard TD drive that took nearly half of the quarter. That drive ended with the 2nd Brewer to Riley TD pass. Georgia would get a FG to cut the lead to 21-10, but their last 3 drives ended with a fumble, interception, and turnover on downs as Denver hangs on for the win.
SaberCats 34 Blitz 3
San Jose RB David Hartwig rushed for 3 TDs, 1 short of an Al Bundy (4 TDs in a single game) which has happened 8 times in league history. Hartwig only had 64 yards on the ground, but he was just 1 part of an effective RBBC that had 138 yards in all. Jake Plummer had a solid game, completing 27/38, 365 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT and he spread the ball around to 9 different receivers. The SaberCats converted half of their 3rd downs (7/14), kept the ball nearly 36 minutes and had 3 TDs in 5 red zone trips. Chicago did not have a successful offensive day, gaining 248 total yards with no red zone trips and 3 Ronald Brown INTs.
Generals 51 Bell 27
New Jersey QB Don Ferguson is falling back into his bad habits, throwing 8 INTs the last 2 games, yet the Generals are still undefeated because those turnovers have been balanced by 11 TDs and 911 passing yards the last 2 games. Today, Ferguson completed 34/46, 468 yards, 6 TDs and 3 INTs, throwing 2 TDs to both Franklin Cherry and Sam Beckett. New Jersey also ran the ball for 130 yards at over 4 ypc, allowing the offense to hold the ball almost 35 minutes. Cherry ended the day with 155 yards and fellow WR Duncan Meyer had 120. Philadelphia tried to keep it close, but New Jersey went on a 20-0 scoring run after the Bell took one of Ferguson's INTs to the house to trail 21-14 in the 2nd qtr.
Steamer 10 (NY) Stars 7 (OT)
New York fumbled the ball away on their first drive and George Marcil took advantage of the short field with a 2 yard TD pass to Herbert Young. Midway through the 4th, it looked as if the Steamer would increase their lead but Marcil was intercepted in the end zone by Danny Devito's cousin Patrick. New York's offense wasn't very good today, aside from Albert Olson. They took over on their own 18 with 2:27 to play, down 7 and had their best drive of the day. Damien Oleary led them down the field in 9 plays, finding Olson on the last one for a 12 yard TD to tie the game at 7. Shreveport got the ball first in overtime and was forced to punt. New York went nowhere and punted as well, but had another chance after the Stars defense got Shreveport off the field. Oleary threw an INT and the Steamer had the ball in instant FG range. The offense pulled a Jon Gruden and ran a few plays, milking the clock while thousands of fans watching at home screamed at their TVs to kick the damn ball already (true story, I was yelling at Gruden to kick the damn ball against Miami yesterday). When they finally let Jeffrey Smith on the field, he split the uprights with the 37 yard kick and Shreveport knocks the Stars from the ranks of the inbeaten.
Express 19 Panthers 17
Los Angeles out gained Michigan by 113 yards, had twice as many red zone trips, won the turnover battle 1-0, and converted 8/18 3rd downs, yet they didn't take the lead for good until the 2 minute warning. The Express only managed 9 points (3 FGs) in 4 red zone trips while Will Allison converted both of Michigan's trips into TD passes to Harvey Williams. The second TD gave Michigan a 17-13 lead late in the 3rd but Los Angeles would kick a pair of FGs to win the game. The game winning kick was set up by a William Hutchings fumble that Los Angeles recovered at the Panthers 18. Michigan had one last drive for the win but they went nowhere, turning it over on downs. The Express then ran the remaining clock for victory.
Outlaws 17 Showboats 6
Memphis had 395 offensive yards but scored just 6 points as the Showboats came up empty in 3 red zone trips. Memphis QB Erik McNamee completed 30/49 for 370 yards with 3 INTs while Paul Davis caught 6 passes for 168 yards. Oklahoma QB Carlos Williams completed 20/29, 233 yards, 2 TD and an INT as the Outlaws never trailed today. The Oklahoma offense didn't produce a 100 yard rusher or receiver, but they get the win. Their 3-2 record might get lost in the pile of 3-2 teams, but this is the best Outlaws team since the late 80's.
Hawaiians 10 Sun 9
Each team turned the ball over 3 times but Honolulu managed to find the end zone once, winning a close game against Southern California. RB Anthony Davis rushed for exactly 100 yards and QB Derek Henry tossed a 10 yard TD pass to Harold Main for the Hawaiians offensive highlights. That TD plus a FG were just enough to overcome 3 William Ferguson FGs for the victory.
Storm 34 Invaders 3
Portland is finally starting to look like the Storm we expected to see as the defense kept Oakland under 200 total yards while the offense had nearly 500 in a lopsided win. Melvin Driggers completed 38/47, 359 yards, 3 TD and an INT, with the top 2 RBs also the top 2 receivers. Jeffrey Frost ran for 86 yards and caught 6 for 101 and a TD while Jose Moses ran for 31 yards and a TD with 5 catches covering 102 yards. A Robinson caught Driggers' other 2 TD passes, but it wasn't All Pro WR Richard, rather TE Ken Robinson. Driggers completed passes to 10 different receivers and Portland improves to 3-2.
Thunderbolts 25 Wheels 3
Cleveland's defense helped the offense get off to a fast start in a divisional game against Detroit. Two plays in and Gabriel Flanagan threw an INT and Tony Romo cashed in the short field with a 22 yard TD pass to Edward Maloney for a 7-0 lead. The Thunderbolts defense then forced a few punts in a row and Cleveland turned those into 3 FGs and a 16-0 lead. In the 3rd quarter, Flanagan was sacked in the end zone, increasing Cleveland's lead to 18-0. The Wheels avoided the shutout with a 4th qtr FG, but Cleveland would add a 4 yard Howard Rouse TD run as Cleveland takes the win.
Renegades 30 Bulls 10
Orlando seems to have righted the ship after starting 0-2, as the turnovers are coming from their defense now, and the Renegades have won 3 in a row for a 3 way tie atop the Southeast. Orlando intercepted Derek Joyce 3 times and recovered 2 fumbles to win the turnover battle 5-1. Trey Lyons threw 3 TD passes versus that 1 INT, finding Jose Rush twice for scores. Lyons threw for 296 yards in all while Rush rushed for 63 yards to lead Orlando, ending the game with 119 yards thanks to 56 receiving. In addition to the 5 turnovers, they held Jacksonville to 1/12 on 3rd down and just 23 minutes of possession.
Blazers 21 Breakers 14
Robert Romero and the Florida defense led the Blazers to the win over Boston to claim a share of the 3 way logjam atop the Southeast. Romero rushed for 102 yards, taking the league lead in that category, and he was the team's leading receiver as well. QB Willie Graham struggled against the Breakers pass defense, throwing for just 116 yards and 2 INTs, but the Breakers' Larry Henderson was worse. Boston brought in Larry Henderson to be their new starting QB, and one of his problems when he played for Michigan was throwing multiple INTs too many times. The first half saw just 2 Florida FGs as the Blazers led 6-0 at halftime. The 3rd quarter was scoreless but Boston took a 7-6 lead on a Brian Thornton 8 yard run with 6:18 to play. Boston would later have the ball inside their own 10 when Henderson threw his 2nd INT of the game. Brian Gusman took it into the end zone for a TD and the 2 point run by Romero made the score 14-7 Florida. Henderson would tie the game before the 2 minute warning on a 29 yard pass to Ralph Harris and got the ball back after a punt. The Breakers were backed up deep again, but rather than play for OT, Henderson tried tp pass out of the hole and was intercepted again. James McCormick picked it off at the 5 and took it into the end zone for another Blazers defensive TD. Boston would have a final drive but they turned it over on downs as Florida steals the win.
Stallions 35 Bandits 10
Norman Maldonado completed 31/37, 356 yards and 4 TDs to lead Birmingham to victory. The Stallions were ball hogs, holding the ball 41 minutes, rushing 42 times. They only managed 111 yards on all those carries, yet converted 9/15 on 3rd down to keep the Tampa Bay offense off the field. Felix Nguyen and Francis Schultz caught 2 TDs apiece and Birmingham got out to a 20-0 lead. Tampa got within 20-10 by halftime but couldn't sustain any drives in the second half. Birmingham improves to 3-2, good for first in the South.
Maulers 13 Hornets 3
Pittsburgh opted for a run heavy game plan, rushing 55 times for 166 yards while attempting just 14 passes. It worked for ball control purposes as the Maulers did not turn the ball over while the Maulers defense intercepted 2 passes and recovered a fumble. The run heavy approach only netted 6 points through 3 quarters though, and the Maulers found themselves in a dogfight, 6-3 game despite dominating play. Pittsburgh finally cracked the end zone inside the 2 minute warning on a short Ronald Smith run and the Maulers come away with the win to improve to 3-2 and a share of first in the Atlantic.
VooDoo 14 Wranglers 5
New Orleans earns their first win of 1996 in a defensive struggle with Arizona. The teams combined for 470 total yards, although both teams ran the ball decently. Receivers just weren't getting open down the field and/or the QBs couldn't find them when they did get open. The 2 QBs combined to complete 51/70, but for only 330 yards. Predictably, the run, dink and dunk approach didn't produce many points as each team scored just twice. Arizona sacked Ellis Soza in the end zone for a safety and they would get a FG, but Soza threw a TD pass to John Gill and one of their Donald Browns scored a rushing TD and the VooDoo win 14-5.
Gunslingers 19 Stars 13
San Antonio and Baltimore were both looking for their first wins of the season and after 3 quarters, it seemed as if the Gunslingers would win easily. San Antonio led 16-3, but Baltimore scored 10 unanswered points in the 4th to get within 16-13. The Stars offense couldn't get into scoring range on their final two drives, and the Gunslingers hold on to erase the zero from their win column. San Antonio had 5 red zone trips, scoring just 1 TD against 4 FGs and would have had that to blame had Baltimore completed the comeback. Charlie Shanks ran for 90 yards to lead the Gunslingers rushing attack for the only stat line worth mentioning.
